Futures End #12
Frankenstein and Hawkman debate the practical merits of diplomacy. Faraday menaces. And in the future, Brother Eye must appreciate a joke.
The Good
Since showcasing the dire future waiting for the DC Universe in FUTURES END #0, this series has suffered from a lack of urgency in its primary timeline. This issue, however, opens and closes with scenes that bring the dangers of the future back into focus. In the first scene, we see what is likely the first character to be overtaken an artificial intelligence in the primary timeline; in the last, we learn that Brother Eye’s plans extend beyond the scope of #0. My hope as the series moves into its fourth month is that we will start see the far future’s threat loom more over the near future.
Additionally, this issue is another high point for the book’s writing. Team Frank’s pages balance humor, bombast, and danger effectively; and the banter between Frank and Hawkman continues to amuse. In the far future, Brother Eye’s prisoner is well written as he attempts to egg on the drones around him. The middle scenes are based in relationships instead of exposition; while they don’t stand out as much as much as the first and last, they don’t have any technical problems.
The Bad
I feel like each week, one of the same three or four things ends up in this section of the review. (One might argue that that is itself a fault of the series as a whole.) This week, the problem is in the introduction of still more characters. Three full months in, new characters are still being introduced; often (as in this issue), those introductions are shrouded in vagueness. It’s hard to believe that all the characters who have been introduced will be relevant, major players in what is to come.
The Verdict
Overall, I enjoyed this issue. It had a strong opening and closing; and the middle scenes, while less exciting, were well executed. Far more worked here than didn’t. The cast is getting unwieldy, however; and that affects both the writers’ ability to make everyone involved seem relevant and the reader’s perception of how important or necessary certain characters seem.
