Earlier this morning, DC announced, via the Associated Press, that a new weekly series would be headed our way. THE NEW 52: FUTURES END will shift the universe five years into the future to show us "how heroes change with the passing of time and technology."

Writing the series will be Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Brian Azzarello and Dan Jurgens. The series debuts with a free zero issue during Free Comic Book Day in May and the series beginning later that month. This will mark DC's second weekly series, after BATMAN: ETERNAL starting in the Spring.

Jeff Lemire said the following to the AP:

"Really, what we're trying to do with this book is to explore the nature of what a hero is and we're doing that, obviously by playing with the future of the New 52 timeline," he said. "Past present and future all colliding in this story line."

That means exploring the past with a character like Frankenstein, the present with Firestorm and the future with Batman Beyond who is, Lemire said, making what is his first "in-continuity appearance. He'll become part of the New 52."

Artists on the series will include Ethan Van Sciver, Jesus Merino, Aaron Lopresti and Dan Jurgens. Others will be added as the series progresses.

This looks AWESOME! A great creative team and an interesting premise! Hopefully this is more 52 than Countdown though.

We kind of already knew it was coming but Aw yeah! anyway!

er......

But Batman Beyond only 5 years into the future is CRAAAAAZZZZYYYYY!

5 years seems a bit close in the future no? Isn't Bruce around 30 years of age in the current continuity? Either way, the creative teams, the concept, I'm in. Batman Eternal didn't get me but this did, I cave. Take more of my money DC, for this, please.

This series looks more interesting than Batman Eternal, at least based on the creative teams attached to the respective projects.

So they're saying that 5 years (the initial jump from the first arc of Justice League to the present) is enough time for Batman Beyond, and a cyborg Wonder Woman/Flash e.t.c to exist. Wow, technology sure advanced extremely quickly. I mean 50 years is more reasonable. But five?

Not sure I like Batman Beyond being brought into the DCU continuity.

I'm beginning to think that DC likes to use five years as "an amount of time."

@mucklefluga: The article said that they would be exploring the past present and future. Assuming the present they're speaking of is 5 years in the future to us when the book will primarily take place maybe the future is the even further future.

looks like Brother Eye will be the big bad

Interesting

@noj: I'm pretty sure they mean only 5 years into the future from now.

@mucklefluga said:

That's exactly what I said in the comic store this afternoon and the owner reminded me of that JLU episode that shows the true origins of Terry Mcginnis. Basically Amanda Waller uses Bruce's dna to create a new batman and that's Terry. If they do something like that then it could work. But I'm of the same opinion as you.

@redqueen: @hawkguy: @mucklefluga: That threw me off a little as well. According to the AP:

"Nearly three years after its debut, DC Comics is pushing its New 52 five years into the future with writers Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Brian Azzarello and Dan Jurgens to examine how heroes change with the passing of time and technology."

But it also mentions it being "an exploration of DC's past, present and its future."

5 years really means 20. comic time is totally different than real time.

I really prefer Dick, Tim or Damian as Batman instead of Terry. But if it is five years later then maybe it will be someone else in the costume. Azzarello is a weird choice for the book.

cool

My inability to convert comic book years to real years and generally understand the passage of time aside...That image is beautiful.

@g_man: Ah, that makes more sense - thanks for clarifying :)

Who says that's Terry? Bruce wore the suit first plus a prototype has already shown up in an issue of Batman.

I guess that would work. But still all that future tech.

I really have a feeling that DC is about to screw over Kyle Higgins in the worst way

I might be the biggest Lemire fan on the site and I still can't see myself buying this. 52 was mediocre and it had amazing talent working on it. And don't get me started on the train wreck that was Brightest Day.

I'm completely on board with this writing team, but I can't decide if those techno-zombies are dopey or not.

Oh, and I think that the five years into the future will by the Firestorm (present) story line, not Batman Beyond.

lame....

LOVE Brother Eye, so I'ma have to check this out. :)

Anyone else reminded of the body-snatching robots from Virus by the creepy OMACified Justice League members?

Batman Beyond worked in the cartoon but in the new52 it dosnt make sense Batman and Waller dont have the history they did before so why would she create Terry not to mention Batman would die before he would retire at the very least he would go all Kingom Come and build himself a suit and drones he diffenitly wouldnt give over his mantle over to some moddy teenager and this is only 5 years into the future so Bruce retires at age 35 god this is stupid

Batman Beyond and techno-zombies of Brother EYE. We will see.

I was a bit confused as well, but I think they mean 'the present' portion of this story takes place 5 years from now, while there's still a 'future' portion (Beyond) that ties into it. I dunno, just my guess because if I interpret it the way you did, I would agree it sounds nonsensical.

Oh yeah, someone else said the same thing below:

@noj said:

We don't know that he retired - heck, for all we know he may have been killed. Or maybe there's something we don't know yet. So how about you stop calling things stupid when you have no idea what is happening. Give it time to actually come out and see what is happening. God, I hate it when people jump to conclusions and start whining about how right they are when no one knows for sure.

X_x

Whose to say that this Terry McGuiness/Batman Beyond will have the same origin as the previous one? There is a Carrie Kelly in continuity now, but she is not like the one from Dark Knight Returns. I also don't see how anyone is surprised about the technology jump. They have beings like Cyborg Superman and Cyborg going around, The Watchtower, boomtubes and all kinds of other technology, so how is this a stretch for anyone?

Overall not sure if I'm interested in this, but I may check it out for a few issues.

Also what is up with DC's sudden fascination to do future storylines? Justice League 3000 for example.

@redqueen: Its suppose to be Past, Present and Future mixed in so maybe its Flash Backs and Flash Forwards or Time Travel I think.

That's a pretty good creative team, I'm sold. And, of course, Ryan Sook kills it once more with his covers.

What the WHAT?

I'm glad to see Batman Beyond becoming a part of the current DCU canon, hopefully we'll get a on-going focusing on him.

Though I am curious, if they plan on introducing Terry in this new series, what does this mean for his current digital comic series?

Awesome!

1) I just don't know how I feel about this. 5 years into the future and we're going to see all of the main heroes disembodied into OMAC robots? And we're going to have "worry" that this evil is going to last into the future? I like the 5 year jump (assuming they do it correctly and in 5 years actual time they'll lead up to it) but I don't know. Awesome creative team but I'm not sold just yet.

2)I know this isn't what's going to happen but I'm going to play around with the possibility, what if we get a present day Terry and he becomes… BATBOY!!!

@hawkguy: well he is cadmus experiment they can easily say froced aging.

Sounds great.

I'm down.

While Terry being Batman just 5 years into the future is weird I will be disappointed if its anyone in that suit but him. Terry IS Batman Beyond to me, the concept cannot be untied from him.

As long as 2.0 continues on of course, even if Nu52 Terry gets his own title eventually.

I'm all for Batman Beyond becoming part of continuity. In comics, we never actually get to that 5 years later so it's not like Bruce Wayne is ever going to get replaced.

Maybe Damien is Batman, 5 years into the future he would roughly be the same age as terry when he first became batman beyond. Or Damien could be using the alias of Terry McGinnis in the future because he doesn't want people to know 5 years prior he was resurrected and became the new batman after brother eye was reborn etc.

Maybe Damien is Batman, 5 years into the future he would roughly be the same age as terry when he first became batman beyond. Or Damien could be using the alias of Terry McGinnis in the future because he doesn't want people to know 5 years prior he was resurrected and became the new batman after brother eye was reborn etc.

Maybe Damien is Batman, 5 years into the future he would roughly be the same age as terry when he first became batman beyond. Or Damien could be using the alias of Terry McGinnis in the future because he doesn't want people to know 5 years prior he was resurrected and became the new batman after brother eye was reborn etc.

I really like that DC has a plan and everything is very organized & connected while everything in Marvel is all over the place.

The ironic thing is that it's the other way around for the movies.