Young Justice’s Aqualad Becomes The New Aquaman in DC’s Future

Sidekicks usually get a bad rep, however Aquaman’s protege, Aqualad, has been in the spotlight quite a bit lately. Between his leading role in the hit animated series Young Justice, as well as receiving his very own graphic novel centered around his origin story, the popularity of the character has been on a steady rise. Now it seems that Aqualad is about to upgrade from sidekick to full on hero as he takes on the mantle of Aquaman himself in DC’s upcoming Future State: Aquaman #1.

Aqualad, real identity being Jackson “Jake” Hyde, is a champion of the LGBTQ+ community in the comic book world, so watching him take on the role of one of DC’s most iconic heroes is a pretty big deal. The upcoming storyline will give a glimpse into what the future looks like for the DC universe, giving the perfect opportunity to check back in on young adult crime fighters like Hyde once they are all grown up.

The news of Future State: Aquaman #1 comes as part of DC’s January solicitations. The issue is written by Brandon Thomas, featuring art and a cover by Daniel Sampere, as well as a card stock variant cover by Khary Randolph. The comic isn’t launching until January 26, but more details are already available thanks to the info and synopsis provided but DC’s solicitations, which can be seen below.

• FUTURE STATE: AQUAMAN #1
• Written by BRANDON THOMAS
• Art and cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
• Card stock variant cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
• ON SALE 1/26/21
• $3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
• CARD STOCK COVER $4.99 US
• When Jackson Hyde accepted the mantle of Aquaman, he didn’t expect to also have to mentor Andy Curry, Arthur and Mera’s teen daughter. Nor did he expect that he and Andy would get sucked into the Confluence—an interdimensional nexus that connects distant planets and galaxies through the One Great Ocean. And he certainly didn’t expect to lose Andy in the process of trying to find their way back home. Now Jackson’s not sure how long he’s been stuck in a prison on Neptune (five years?) or how many times he’s tried to escape (200 at least!). But today Jackson saw something in the water that gave him hope for the first time in a long time—and his captors have no idea what he’s got in store for them.

It will be exciting to see Hyde take on the full responsibility of being a hero as he dons the role of Aquaman himself, but it will be even more interesting to watch him teach a sidekick of his own, the original Aquaman’s daughter, Andy Curry. Getting to look at the ways in which being a sidekick himself will influence how he trains Andy is definitely exciting, and the anguish he will face when he loses her will only be deepened by this relationship between the two.

Fans will have to wait until January of 2021 for Future State: Aquaman #1 to hit the shelves, but for now, episodes of Young Justice can be repeatedly binged as they soon make their way over to HBO Max.