Future State: Gotham is bringing another Gotham City vigilante further into the DC Universe's dark future.
As revealed by DC Comics' March 2022 solicitations, Future State: Gotham #11 will continue the story of the Next Joker, who was seen in the recent eighth issue as a terrifying foe vastly different than the usual clown prince of crime, being that he murdered Grifter -- by biting his head off. The solicitation for the March issue teases that Jason Todd aka Red Hood aka Peacekeeper Red (in this series) will need the help of the Next Batman and a new ally named Hunter Panic. The latter character appears to be Future State's version of a hero created by DC's Young Animal imprint: Mother Panic.
FUTURE STATE: GOTHAM #11
- Written by DENNIS CULVER
- Art by GEOFFO
- Cover by SIMONE DI MEO
- Variant cover by MIKE BOWDEN
- $3.99 US | 32 pages | Black and White | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
- ON SALE 3/8/22
- The Next Joker's rampage continues! All hell breaks loose in Gotham City as Jason Todd, a.k.a. Peacekeeper Red, enlists the Next Batman and Hunter Panic to battle the Next Joker for the life of...Tobias Whale? Plus, Talia makes a move that will change Nightwing forever!
DC's Young Animal is the mature reader imprint that launched in 2016, producing titles like a new Doom Patrol run and the more recent Far Sector series. Mother Panic aka Violet Paige had two limited series under the imprint, Mother Panic and Mother Panic: Gotham A.D., with the vigilante being based in the crime-ridden city as well. She possesses advanced technology like a flying craft and cybernetic enhancements that grant her super strength, and has crossed paths with Bat-Family members like Batwoman and the caped crusader himself during her time in comics.
Hunter Panic, on the other hand, is another legacy character created by the world of Future State, like with the Next Batman aka Timothy "Jace" Fox and Yara Flor, who was introduced as the Wonder Woman of the future universe but now has her own main continuity series, Wonder Girl. Jace Fox also currently has his own series, I Am Batman. Hunter Panic first appeared in Future State: Gotham #4 as Jodi Edwards, named after Mother Panic creators Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards, and gets in the middle of Harley Quinn and Punchline's grudge match, where Punchline first teased the threat of the Next Joker.
Being that Hunter Panic also appeared in the issue after her first appearance and will eventually return to the series in March, it marks another instance of a Young Animal character being brought further into the DCU. Green Lantern Sojourner "Jo" Mullein led Young Animal's aforementioned Far Sector series and was later brought into the current Green Lantern run as well, appearing in almost every issue and also issues of other titles like Suicide Squad. Whether Violet Paige is still around in the Future State timeline remains to be seen.
Future State: Gotham #11 will be written by Dennis Culver with interior art by Geoffo and cover art by Simone Di Meo. The issue goes on sale March 8 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics