We have now arrived in September 2014 and DC Comics’ five-year line-wide leap forward (the UPDATED and complete 3D motion covers are here) as the weekly series’ eighteen issue hit stands today after last week’s explosive Superman-centric seventeen issue.
Before I get to my capsule review and spoilers for New 52 Futures End #17 and #8, let’s get you caught up on this series so far:
- The New 52 Futures End #0 with Batman Beyond’s New 52 debut and a BIG death.
- The New 52 Futures End #1 with the death of a Justice League hero.
- The New 52 Futures End #2 with the debut of the masked Superman.
- The New 52 Futures End #3 with the return of a different hero thought to be dead.
- The New 52 Futures End #4 with Lois Lane confronting the long-thought dead hero.
- The New 52 Futures End #5 with Firestorm no more and Constantine’s new mystery.
- The New 52 Futures End #6 with the return of a fan-fave anti-hero.
- The New 52 Futures End #7 with that fan fave maiming a hero.
- The New 52 Futures End #8 with Masked Superman as Justice League enforcer.
- The New 52 Futures End #9 with its massive Earth 2 prison unveiled!
- The New 52 Futures End #10 with a heroine’s return and Lois Lane vs. Superman.
- The New 52 Futures End #11 with the debut of the future’s Justice League!
- The New 52 Futures End #12 with a dead hero rising with his nemesis?!
- The New 52 Futures End #13 with Deathstroke vs. a New God!
- The New 52 Futures End #14 with Batman Beyond and Earth 2 flare!
- The New 52 Futures End #15 with the planning of the Earth 2 jail break with a New God.
- The New 52 Futures End #16 with the return of a MAJOR Superman villain.
Spoilers and capsule reviews follow for this week’s The New 52 Futures End #18 and last week’s #17.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
New 52 Futures End #17 Spoilers & Capsule Review
Last week, in New 52 Futures End #17, we learned that there were two Supermen in the DC universe. The first was the hero under the Superman mask.
The second was the original!
So, Shazam is the Masked Superman and Constantine finds Kal-el in the desert. Well, at least the Constantine subplot has grown into something interesting.
New 52 Futures End #18 Spoilers & Capsule Review
As with previous issues, the FREE PREVIEW pretty much reveals the whole Kal-el subplot from the book that was set up at the end of the last issue.
That free preview also included a page from the Masked Superman / Shazam reveal to Lois Lane, also continuing from last issue.
When we get into the rest of the issue, we see the Justice League’s Stormguard intervene with Rampage to save Billy Batson / Shazam and Lois Lane. There’s an interesting debate between Stormguard and Lois Lane about the freedom of the press and her desire to out the identity of the Masked Superman.
We also have the convergence of the Earth 2 / New Gods storyline with Emiko taking Big Barda to an island to meet… a very much alive Oliver Queen, Green Arrow. This is explained further in this week’s Green Arrow: Futures End #1 (also on stands today).
Plus, the book ends with Batman Beyond, and his team, beginning their break-in of Mister Terrific’s company!
Overall, an interesting issue this week with lots of action and movement of key subplots. I’m really curious about where the two Supermen subplots go as well as what’s next in the Earth 2 / New Gods subplot which now includes THE original Green Arrow!
Thanks for reading. All feedback welcome.