Review: Futures End Vol. 1
Quick Summary
Pros: This entire collection excels in generating tantalizing mystery and keeping readers interesting in learning more. The adventures here are exciting and lead to a number of great encounters. The artwork looks good throughout the book and has some creative characters and locations.
Cons: Character development, particularly in regards to the supporting cast, is lackluster. Some violent scenes seem to be in the book for shock factor and do not add much on their own.
Overall: This is an exciting beginning to a unique entry in the landscape of DC Comics. The plethora of mystery to be found in this world of the future is interesting enough to keep fans reading, while the action and adventure ensure that there is a bit of drama along the way. There are moments where the narrative falters but these don’t happen frequently enough to take away from the overall positives. Fans of DC Comics looking for a unique and exciting take on the world’s future should check this book out.
Story
Futures End is an engaging comic book event filled with action and mystery. This comic follows Batman Beyond as he time-travels to an era five years after the present DC continuity in order to stop a disaster from occurring more than thirty years later. This allows this comic to showcase a unique and interesting future, where the status quo of the DC Universe has dramatically changed and the current status of nearly every character has been radically altered. While readers become accustomed to this new future, they also get to see a compelling conspiracy reveal itself and watch the dramatic actions heroes take to save the day. Unfortunately, some of the book’s subplots bring some lackluster elements into this otherwise entertaining adventure, particularly in regards to character development. However, as a whole, this is still a very worthwhile and interesting comic.
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The entire premise behind Future End Vol. 1 inherently lends itself to mystery. It begins with a time jump five years into the future, where the current status of nearly every DC hero and villain is unknown to the reader. Simply learning what these characters are doing in this version of the future is interesting and gives the comic some immediate draw. In addition, other aspects regarding characters’ pasts are left unanswered for most of the collection, causing readers to spend most of the book wondering things like why Superman started wearing a mask and what made Tim Drake abandon his old identity.
This mystery then expands as the plot begins to develop. Villainous elements surrounding Brother Eye and Brainiac become more significant yet are never fully revealed. This quickly develops into a conspiracy the ties in actions from Cadmus, members of the Justice League, and various supernatural forces. All of this helps indicate that there is a larger and more significant confrontation on the way, one that we are only getting hints of thus far.
Despite indications that the bulk of this series’ action and excitement is yet to come, Futures End Vol. 1 still manages to keep things entertaining. Various confrontations erupt between various characters, including a super-powered showdown in Metropolis, a deadly battle in the future, and a perilous mission through the uncharted regions of space. Plus, Fifty Sue’s penchant for messing with those around here proves to be good for some laughs. All in all, there is a lot of excitement to be found throughout this book.
However, elements of the story that exist outside of the book’s focus on action and mystery are far less appealing. This is particularly noticeable in the character development, which feels shallow and does not offer much to the narrative. Instead, it highlights women who are impressed when men are blatantly dismissive of them and women who forgive outright lies when offered jewelry. Going right along with this, most of the volume’s supporting cast ends up feeling like cheap stereotypes rather than fully realized characters.
Futures End Vol. 1 also goes a bit overboard when it comes to forcing in brutal moments just for the shock factor. The collection’s entire first chapter sees every major DC hero chopped into pieces and placed on the bodies of robots. This includes Black Canary’s head being placed on Frankenstein’s body, which definitely felt like overkill. Later on, scenes of torture and brutal killings continue this theme. By the end of the collection, these moments have happened enough to cheapen them as a whole, which also hurts the overall appeal of the volume itself.
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Art
The artwork in Futures End Vol. 1 remains mostly positive throughout the collection. There are some great chapters in here from artists like Patrick Zircher, Aaron Lopresti, and Jesús Merino; all of whom provide visually impressive contributions to this collection. Not only are these chapters detailed and well-structured, but they also have a solid level of creativity to them, giving things like the war memorials and cosmic locations a unique visual appeal. This can also be seen in the revamped costumes worn by some of the comic’s heroes. There are a few moments where the artworks consistency has a few troubles, such as when costumes or hair color change and create some confusion, but these moments are very rare when compared to the size of this collection. Overall, this is a good looking book that does not disappoint when it comes to visuals.
Continuity
Futures End Vol. 1 is a DC Comics event that does not have origins in any specific comic.
The story here continues in Futures End Vol. 2.
Most of the references in Futures End refer to events that have passed in the five-year time gap that occurred before this comic started. However, some are references to specific comics from the present day DC Universe. These include:
- Animal Man mentions working with Green Arrow on the Justice League. This appears to be a reference to their time together on the Justice League United, which began in Justice League United Vol. 1: Justice League Canada (Review).
- Elements from Frankenstein’s past, specifically his relationship with Nina and his departure from S.H.A.D.E. are referenced here. These elements are detailed in Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2: Secrets of the Dead (Review).
- Grifter’s story here seems to continue many elements from Grifter Vol. 1: Most Wanted (Review).
- Frankenstein mentions working together with Amethyst on the Justice League Dark. This happened in Justice League Dark Annual #1, collected in Justice League Dark Vol. 2: The Books of Magic (Review), and in Justice League Dark #14, collected in Justice League Dark Vol. 3: The Death of Magic (Review).
- Many elements from the Earth 2 series, which began in Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering (Review), are mentioned here. Specifically, the connection between Lois Lane and that world’s Red Tornado is explained at the very beginning of Earth 2 Vol. 4: The Dark Age (Review). In addition, the evacuation of Earth 2 is explained at the very end of Earth 2 World’s End Vol. 2 (Review).