Future State: The Next Batman #2B (DC Comics 2021) 1st appearance

Future State: The Next Batman #2B (DC Comics 2021) arrives as an oversized, 64-page full-color edition that consolidates three separate Gotham narratives into a single release originally priced at $8.99. The issue documents the Magistrate’s immediate suppression of masked citizens while tracking the current Batman against coordinated crimes and shifting political allegiances.

Script Breakdown and Art Rotation

John Ridley launches the volume alongside artist Laura Braga as the replacement Dark Knight investigates a fatal domestic case that rapidly pulls him into crossfire with the Peacekeeper enforcement division. Vita Ayala and Aneke transition to the second segment, locating Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown inside a high-security detention block where the Magistrate locks away both allies and antagonists, establishing a covert escape route that carries into issue #4. Paula Sevenbergen, Rob Haynes, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Wade von Grawbadger conclude the book by dropping Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and a newly introduced Siren into a commercial district flooded with malfunctioning Cybers, initiating a parallel survival arc that also resumes in #4.

Edition Specifications and Collecting Notes

• Print length expanded to 64 pages for uninterrupted scene transitions
• Rotating finisher roster includes six credited illustrators handling pencils, inks, and coloring
• Variated cover illustration completed by Francesco Mattina
• Target audience classified for ages 13+, focusing on tactical law-enforcement clashes and institutional critique rather than graphic violence

Securing this exact 2B print run guarantees acquisition of the alternate cover iteration without sacrificing interior page sequencing, allowing direct-to-consumer buyers and back-issue archivists to track the entire magistrates-era progression within a standardized trade binding.