The Future is ****** #1 is a bold, 100+ page science-fiction epic with Fred Van Lente‘s sharp storytelling and Ennio Bufi‘s stunning illustrations. It’s a unique, thought-provoking cyber-sci-fi that had me hooked from the first few pages.

The Hacker Wars are over. The Black Hats won. Who will save us from the world that’s coming? Black Mountain—a rogue band of digital ronin, freebooters, and hackers—fight against a world ruled by data barons, artificial overlords, and technological terrorists. Each operative is paired with a sprite, an AI partner as unpredictable as the human it serves.

At the center is Wheeler, a former black hat hacker dragged back into a war he thought he escaped. His team includes: 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; and Art & Arf – A machine intelligence obsessed with human creativity—and the dog it’s bound to.

Their mission: stop Jason Roanoke. A self-proclaimed visionary, Roanoke once controlled the world’s supply chains, private armies, and the lives of those who exist under his authority. He now rules from Tranquility Base, a lunar fortress beyond government reach. Roanoke is the first corporate king of space—and the future itself is his to shape unless Black Mountain stop him.

The creative team behind The Future is ****** faces quite the challenge. Launching a new series is no small feat in of itself, but committing to a sprawling, sixty-issue, five-year epic? That’s a mission for only the most ambitious comic book creators. And if the premiere issue is any indication, they’re read to deliver. Coming in at over 100 pages, issue one sets the state for an innovative cyber-sci-fi series while offering a truly uniquely interactive mystery for us to solve. Hidden within the each issue are clues to reveal its complete title by uncovering six hidden characters, something I have never seen before in comics.

A debut issue with this level of depth offers a rare opportunity to meticulously lay the groundwork and propel the series forward. Filled with everything you’d come to expect from a cyber-sci-fi, plus a number of surprises, The Future is ****** provides a unique reading experience. This first issue gives me the feeling the creative team is passionate, not only about the comic book medium, but the cyber-sci-fi story they are trying to tell.

While Van Lente’s story is compelling in its own right, it’s the artwork that shines for me in the first issue. Ennio Bufi’s illustrations are detailed and perfectly suited for the sci-fi adventure. The solicitation sums it up beautifully, better than I could even explain, with Bufi’s style described as “high-tech, high-tension.” Van Lente and Bufi have a sort of synergy that brings bold visuals and excellent scripting to this debut issue.

As someone who typically avoids science fiction unless they take okay in a galaxy far, far away, this comic was not fully on my radar. But with veteran comic writer Fred Van Lente helming the script, The Future is ****** had my curiosity peeked. After flipping through the first few pages of the aptly priced $13.37 first issue (future issue also aptly priced at $4.04), I was hooked. The series is ambitious, but I’m all-in.

The Future is ****** #1 hits local comic shops on May 28, 2025 from REKCAH Publishing.