Future State - Top Ten: #1. Wonder Woman

 

Writer/Artist: Jöelle Jones

This result was basically self-evident from the first issue. I say “basically” since I had it ranked second when covering just the first two weeks of Future State. Swamp Thing topped it initially, with a truly outstanding first issue that was probably never going to be easy to follow with only one additional issue (though, again, Ram V’s follow-up series has more than adequately rectified that). But Jöelle Jones had created something that was truly effervescent:

A perfect confluence of writer, artist, and character. Two out of three of those were fairly easy to accomplish, as Jones wrote and drew the comic. Her new Wonder Woman, Brazilian (as in Amazon Rainforest) Yara Flor, didn’t bother with any kind of introduction or justification, but rather plunged into Jones’s version of Wonder Woman adventures.

Now, Wonder Woman is one of DC’s Big Three, but she has never had the rich history of Batman or Superman. She’s had continuous publication and significance, but really, none of the classic storytelling. There has been a considerable uptick in great storytelling in the past twenty years or so, with Greg Rucka (at least his classic embassy run) and Brian Azzarello being the obvious highlights, but nothing that feels quite as effortless as what Jones accomplishes here.

Simply put: This is a truly fun read. It’s beautiful to look at (I’m ashamed to admit this is the first time I’ve really appreciated Jones’s artwork), but it’s playful and assured in ways I’ve never really seen in a superhero comic. Usually playful means cartoonish. That’s not what Jones does. Her Wonder Woman enjoys being Wonder Woman, and is prepared for what she encounters. Simple as that.

And it’s a complete revelation. It’s easy to see that DC envisioned Future State to be a platform for new voices. I truly hope Jones has the chance to be elevated as far as she can go. I’ve read the first issue of the follow-up, and it’s just as awesome, but now I want more! I want to see Jones unleashed! The first female lead creator in comics!