Following on the heels of the explosive “official” kick off of The New 52 Futures End on Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) with issue #0 and last week’s #1 issue with an equally explosive cliffhanger, comes issue #2 of this weekly series.
DC’s two other weekly series are Batman: Eternal and Earth 2: World’s End.
Before we get into my spoilers-filled review of DC Comics’ The New 52 Futures End #2, here’s what you may like to know about how DC appears to have laid the groundwork for it:
- The original announcement revealed that the DC Comics New 52’s “Past, present and future all colliding in this story line.”
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The New 52 Futures End appears to have been seeded in cancelled series Legion of Super-Heroes and Legion Lost years before its launch. - DC Comics has a Top 10 high-profile time anomalies that cannot be coincidentally at play with Futures End set to launch.
- Wally West returns to DC Comics and it appears that the blue-hued Flash is the Future Flash of the New 52 confirmed in DC’s May 2014 Flash solicitation. We know from Flash #30 who the surprise hero is under that blue mask.
- We learned that Forever Evil #7 appears to bridge to The New 52 Futures End despite Forever Evil #7 now being solicited the same month as the launch of Futures End.
- Futures End is so important to DC Comics that it will be the focus of September 2014’s 3D cover event.
- Pre-Flashpoint timeline cop Booster Gold had a stealth return to the New 52 timeline after the end of JLI in a under-read series.
- Futures End had its “unofficial” stealth kick-off in cliff-hanger page to Aquaman and the Others #1.
- Lastly, to hype the series, DC Comics also released a teaser image of what’s the come.
SPOILERS follow for DC Comics’ The New 52 Futures End #2:
There’s been a lot of death in Futures End so far. Issue #0 saw the maiming and death of Bruce Wayne / Batman from 35 years in DC Comic’s future. Issue #1 saw the death of Stormwatch’s Apollo, the death of Stormwatch itself, and the graphic death of Oliver Queen / Green Arrow.
Futures End #2 features the funeral for Green Arrow. Batman isn’t present which seems to set DC’s twitterverse in a tizzy with all manner of hashtags. In addition, this issue also features the on-page debut of the future’s masked Superman (we also see him on the book’s cover above).
There’s a bitter fight between Arsenal, looking very Red Arrow, and Firestorm. It seems the hero community is aware that it was likely Firestorm’s selfishness that led to Green Arrow’s death as seen last issue. Plus the Masked Superman speaks… a bit.
The shadowy figure at the bottom right panel above sets up another mystery with Lois Lane. That subplot ends the issue in dramatic fashion.
The book is end-capped with the same teaser type approach from last issue previewing next week’s The New 52 Futures End #3.
Could that shadowed figure in the bar, be the bearded chap in the teaser preview above? Is that the Bruce Wayne / Batman MIA of 5 years into the future?
Overall, I’m liking the frenetic energy of this issue. There’s a lot going in the issue with action, mystery, drama and more infused in a superhero yarn.
Thanks for reading. All feedback welcome.
