The DC Comics universe has been in chaos for the better part of 2020 (what hasn’t!?). The Death Metal Crisis raged through the Multiverse, destroying everything in its path. Our heroes from every title teamed up to try and reverse the destruction of the Multiverse itself. While the story continues and will not end until Jan 5, 2021, DC recently released a teaser of the aftermath to follow. We will go from DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal to DC Future State!

Now does this mean DC plans to restart the entire universe once more? New 52 didn’t work. Rebirth didn’t work, so now let’s try Future State?? Not quite. This will be even better! Future State will be a two month event in January and February that will look at the future of our DC heroes from across the DC board. After the event, the stories from the end of 2020 will be resumed. DC Executive Editor Marie Javins said the following:

“The DC Universe has always been fertile ground for new and refreshing takes on our characters, and DC Future State definitely contributes to this legacy. When the event begins in January, some savvy readers will not only pick up on some of the breadcrumbs that have already been tossed out in our current titles, but they will also find new hints and clues of what’s to come in 2021.”

DC Executive Editor Marie Javins

Over at DCcomics.com they describe the event:

DC Future State spotlights the World’s Greatest Super Heroes in fresh new roles, with all-new characters taking up their iconic mantles. DC Future State features an incredible array of creative talent, combining award-winning writers and artists with new voices from the worlds of TV, movies and animation.

DCcomics.com

Future State – Hold On To Your Butts!

Future State will show incredible new costumes with new faces carrying the mantles of their predecessors. About two months ago DC confirmed a black Batman would soar the skies of Gotham, and a descendant of Lucius Fox would carry the mantle. This may well be the time! Wonder Woman, Superman, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, and every other hero will appear in some form during this event. Here are just a few of their covers! Take a look:

And there are MORE! Head here for a complete listing of all the titles and see which ones are miniseries and one-shots. I strongly suggest everyone start saving their money NOW! January and February will be expensive months at the local comic shop.

Future State – A Better Relaunch?

Comic studios often feel the need to restart their titles. Even when story lines allow for new readers to jump in, who wants to jump in on issue 584 when they can find comics starting at 1? DC tried using the New 52 as a relaunch for all of its titles to accomplish a fresh restart. The problem was it did not go over the greatest. Too much changed too fast and long-time fans revolted. Rebirth came along in an attempt to correct what the New 52 tried, and with the invention of the Multiverse, every story from every timeline can co-exist and not step on all ready written toes.

Future State may be a type of relaunch that DC and fans can both agree with. DC recently cancelled many of their smaller titles, but should they wish to restart titles, how do they do it? Restart comics that were only in their 30s? Why not let them keep going? Future State will throw out a bunch of new titles, heroes and circumstances, all of which are non-binding. After 2 months, titles revert back to their pre-Future State story lines, but what if some of the titles are hits?

With all the new titles released, some will not sell very well while others will undoubtedly sell like gang busters. DC will be able to pick these hot titles and continue them on their own without affecting any current timelines or characters. Fans like the new Fox descendant as Batman? DC can launch it as a new title without affecting Bruce, Dick, or the current Fox family. If that isn’t having your cake and eating it too, I don’t know what is. Nice move DC.