The Future is ****** Is a Weird Must-Read Adventure

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Debmar-Mercury, a TV production company, once tried a unique approach to creating shows. They’d make ten episodes as a test, and if the network liked them, the network was committed to buying ninety more. This would give Debmar-Mercury a total of one hundred episodes, which they could then sell for wider distribution.

While this approach initially worked for some shows, like several Tyler Perry sitcoms, it ultimately led to a number of series being cancelled after just a few episodes. It’s a situation that reminded me of the unique challenges facing ‘The Future’ comic from REKCAH Comics.

REKCAH Comics, a company specializing in cybersecurity, created a comic book called ‘The Future is ‘ with a guaranteed 60-issue run. If you’re looking for a comic with a long, ongoing story, this one is a great choice – and it’s actually a really good read!

Even though we’re a bit late, this review is still a way to celebrate the holiday – a tradition that started back in 2005 when I first reviewed some comics written by Fred Van Lente. We’ve been celebrating ever since, including yesterday with a look at a new Jack Kirby comic he created with artist Ryan Dunlavey. This collection, The Future Is TPB Volume 1, features the writing of Fred Van Lente, artwork by Ennio Bufi and Mario D’Allessandro, colors by Andrea Meloni, and lettering by Taylor Esposito. It gathers the first six issues of the series, including an extra-long first issue that clocked in at one hundred pages!

What is the setup for The Future IS ******?

Fred Van Lente immediately immerses readers in the action with the first issue of this 60-part series, presenting Wheeler and his team in a challenging situation. Fortunately, Wheeler’s group excels at hacking, and they quickly turn the tables on one of their opponents by disabling his weapon through a clever hack.

Wheeler is a skilled negotiator, even with dolphins! He manages to get a group of them to help him and his team defeat the villains.

Wheeler leads a team of hackers called Black Mountain (named after the cybersecurity company Black Hills Information Society, which owns REKCAH Comics). They assist people in a near-future world where corporations have implanted technology into almost everyone. Similar to the world in Philip Pullman’s books, many people have artificial “sprites” that help them interact with the world around them.

I’m really excited about Black Mountain – it’s all about this team that goes after big, shady corporations, or at least tries to mess with their plans. The team is led by Wheeler, and they’re a really interesting bunch of people. Actually, the official descriptions from the comic book solicitations explain each of them better than I ever could, so here’s what they say about everyone involved!

MARTINA DE LEÓN – An Olympic-level infiltrator who operates in the real world.

SALLY CHU – A hardware engineer fresh from nine years living in orbit.

ELI NILSSON – A system vulnerabilities expert trapped between reality and augmented reality.

ART & ARF – A machine intelligence obsessed with human creativity—and the dog it’s bound to.

Ennio Bufi, along with Mario D’Allessandro who contributed art to a few early issues, brilliantly illustrates the wild and imaginative concepts from writer Ven Lente. The dolphins depicted in this series are particularly impressive!

Andrea Meloni’s coloring and Taylor Esposito’s lettering are both well done in this series. They also work together to maintain a consistent visual style, even with different artists working on the book.

How is the storyline for the series set up?

Years ago, John Byrne started a comic book series focused on Alpha Flight, and he interestingly spent the first year primarily developing each character’s individual backstory. The Future is uses a similar strategy for its own series.

This initial, extra-long issue tells a complete story: the team investigates a strange, wealthy man who’s moved to the moon with a group of people serving him. When one of these people secretly contacts her mother with a signed message, the team travels to the moon to rescue her. However, since the moon is now this man’s home, they have to save the woman while also convincing him to let them take her back to Earth.

Once the lengthy introductory story concludes – it’s substantial enough for four or five comics – Van Lente shifts focus to the team members individually, revealing how they met Wheeler and ultimately joined forces. Shortly after the team is assembled, they encounter a significant challenge during one of their initial missions.

The upcoming issues will each focus on a different team member, starting with Martina. Wheeler helps her leave her abusive marriage, but, being somewhat unscrupulous, he later uses her ex-husband for a mission, knowing it will provoke a reaction from Martina.

It’s clever how the story introduces all the characters and their individual goals right away, then explores their backstories to show how they connect to the larger plot. This is a strong start, especially because the series is planned for a long run—60 issues, in fact—giving the writers plenty of time to fully develop each character.

This is a thrilling and unusual story about a future where hackers are like superheroes, and it’s a truly captivating adventure.

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2025-12-07 18:14