Future State: The Next Batman #2A (DC Comics 2021) 1st app. of Siren

Future State: The Next Batman #2A delivers a substantial 64-page DC Comics 2021 anthology that establishes the rules of a dystopian Gotham while marking the highly anticipated first published appearance of Siren.

Writer John Ridley and artist Nick Derington set the stage in “The Next Batman: Chapter 2,” where donning a cowl carries deadly legal consequences. Batman tracks a violent husband-and-wife pair through heavily patrolled streets, quickly realizing the culprits are merely pawns in a larger conspiracy orchestrated by the authoritarian Magistrate and its armed Peacekeepers. Illustrator Laura Braga handles final art for this tense, street-level investigation that tests Batman’s tactics against modernized law enforcement.

Split formatting allows two additional narratives to run parallel within the same issue. In “Batgirls,” writer Vita Ayala places Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown inside a Magistrate detention facility, revealing Cassandra’s true objective is covert rather than accidental. Artist Aneke visualizes their strained cell dynamics as the plot threads toward the series finale in issue #4. The anthology caps off with “Ladies’ Night Out: Part 1,” where Paula Sevenbergen scripts Catwoman and Poison Ivy navigating a cyber-occupied downtown during a routine night out. This storyline introduces the original version of Siren in her debut comic appearance, illustrated by Rob Haynes, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Wade von Grawbadger.

Issue Specifications

• Publisher and release year: DC Comics 2021
• Total length: 64 pages, full color
• Content rating: Ages 13+
• Cover artwork: Ladronn
• Continuity note: Standalone chapters conclude in issue #4