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Futures End
The New 52: Futures End, Volume 3
This is the moment that Batman Beyond has traveled back in time to stop-the moment when his terrible future is born.
Five years from now, the world of tomorrow is on the brink of creation. Brainiac has arrived from the stars, and intends to take New York City with him as a souvenir. It's enough to bring Superman out of self-imposed exile, but not even the Man of Steel or his former teammates on the Justice League may be enough to stop the alien conqueror.
Can Batman Beyond, Stormwatch, the Justice League Dark, Firestorm and others stop both Brainiac and Brother Eye? Or will the future die along with them?
It all leads up to this. Jeff Lemire (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA), Brian Azzarello (WONDER WOMAN), Dan Jurgens (THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN), Keith Giffen (JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001) and artists such as Patrick Zircher (THE FLASH) redefine the future of the DC Universe!
Collects: The New 52: Futures End #31-48.
Five years from now, the world of tomorrow is on the brink of creation. Brainiac has arrived from the stars, and intends to take New York City with him as a souvenir. It's enough to bring Superman out of self-imposed exile, but not even the Man of Steel or his former teammates on the Justice League may be enough to stop the alien conqueror.
Can Batman Beyond, Stormwatch, the Justice League Dark, Firestorm and others stop both Brainiac and Brother Eye? Or will the future die along with them?
It all leads up to this. Jeff Lemire (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA), Brian Azzarello (WONDER WOMAN), Dan Jurgens (THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN), Keith Giffen (JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001) and artists such as Patrick Zircher (THE FLASH) redefine the future of the DC Universe!
Collects: The New 52: Futures End #31-48.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2015
12 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Brian Azzarello
1,298 books1,106 followersBrian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 28, 2025
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Fairly blah, comme ci comme ça, goes long but gives no finish, pretty wimpy, closure-skimpy, flighty, feels diminished.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #31-33 ◦ Issues #34-36 ◦ Issues #37-39 ◦ Issues #40-42 ◦ Issues #43-45 ◦ Issues #46-48
Notes: Fairly blah, comme ci comme ça, goes long but gives no finish, pretty wimpy, closure-skimpy, flighty, feels diminished.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #31-33 ◦ Issues #34-36 ◦ Issues #37-39 ◦ Issues #40-42 ◦ Issues #43-45 ◦ Issues #46-48
June 3, 2018
After a year long story, this book basically ends to be continued in Batman Beyond with zero resolution. The other main story lines just kind of peter out as well. Poor, Frankenstein and Amethyst gets saddled with a story where nothing happens. They played up King Braniac for months and the Justice League finally comes back to take him down. The Brother Eye story just meanders along and is left to pretty much destroy the earth in the future. And that stupid Batman / Joker cyborg is just asinine. He's like the silly Man-E Faces toy from He-Man. A poor end to what started off as a pretty entertaining series.
May 31, 2021
Third and final volume of the 48-issue series of Futures End series. Good art, good plot until near the end, when the authors fail to cheat and fail to succeed in a clear plot resolution. Also, the deus ex machina from Earth 2, another from the future, and another from a certain Brother, well, they weren't pleasant surprises for this reader, they were disappointments.
November 3, 2017
It was an ending, I suppose. Not a very satisfying one though.
June 3, 2018
0.5 stars!!!! Well that was a utter waste of my time and 48 issues.
World: The art is inconsistent but I can't fault it cause it's a weekly book. That being said, it's pretty ugly especially the characters and the lack of detail is apparent especially in said characters. The world building is wonky and janky and all kinds of inconsistent. There is a lot of back story that never gets even a little narration and setting up giving new readers a sense of "huh?" and that's not what you need in a weekly series. I did not read 'World's End' and so I was pretty damn last throughout the series. Add to that the characters that DC selected for this series has been pretty meh. I loved 52 cause they did the same but the writing was so good and the world was so well done but here, nope.
Story: This story is POINTLESS! Even for DC, because the end tells you that the entire journey is POINTLESS! I hate books like that especially having me to read 48 issues to tell me that everything was pointless what the fucking hell man! That's just poor writing and a slap to reader's faces. Not only did we not get good characters and situations but the story was janky and all over the place. The jumps were jarring and as I said the end was stupidly stupid. I love Terry but why does this status quo need changing? All the great things with Neo Gotham and the Animated series was so good and now it's all shoved away to roll into the doom and gloom New52...reading this makes me smile that DC got their shit together and did Rebirth. This story is pointless and stupid, I can just read the new Batman Beyond book after this and it would be just fine, stupid!
Characters: Terry deserves better, I'm not saying change is not good, but his characterization throughout this entire series has been wonky and unlike him that it's not really him at all. His arc in the end was unearned and a throwaway that it just makes you want to go into the writer's room for this series and punch everyone very hard. I'm not even going to get into all the stupid and pointless characters that had no development and non of the chemistry or personal voice that 48 issues should have developed? What the hell was the point of the entire Cadmus and Sue storyline? It's so impossibly stupid.
I hate this series, it's pointless, it's dumb and did I say that DC made it POINTLESS with the final issue????
Don't read this!!!!!
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is inconsistent but I can't fault it cause it's a weekly book. That being said, it's pretty ugly especially the characters and the lack of detail is apparent especially in said characters. The world building is wonky and janky and all kinds of inconsistent. There is a lot of back story that never gets even a little narration and setting up giving new readers a sense of "huh?" and that's not what you need in a weekly series. I did not read 'World's End' and so I was pretty damn last throughout the series. Add to that the characters that DC selected for this series has been pretty meh. I loved 52 cause they did the same but the writing was so good and the world was so well done but here, nope.
Story: This story is POINTLESS! Even for DC, because the end tells you that the entire journey is POINTLESS! I hate books like that especially having me to read 48 issues to tell me that everything was pointless what the fucking hell man! That's just poor writing and a slap to reader's faces. Not only did we not get good characters and situations but the story was janky and all over the place. The jumps were jarring and as I said the end was stupidly stupid. I love Terry but why does this status quo need changing? All the great things with Neo Gotham and the Animated series was so good and now it's all shoved away to roll into the doom and gloom New52...reading this makes me smile that DC got their shit together and did Rebirth. This story is pointless and stupid, I can just read the new Batman Beyond book after this and it would be just fine, stupid!
Characters: Terry deserves better, I'm not saying change is not good, but his characterization throughout this entire series has been wonky and unlike him that it's not really him at all. His arc in the end was unearned and a throwaway that it just makes you want to go into the writer's room for this series and punch everyone very hard. I'm not even going to get into all the stupid and pointless characters that had no development and non of the chemistry or personal voice that 48 issues should have developed? What the hell was the point of the entire Cadmus and Sue storyline? It's so impossibly stupid.
I hate this series, it's pointless, it's dumb and did I say that DC made it POINTLESS with the final issue????
Don't read this!!!!!
Onward to the next book!
July 16, 2016
A good enough ending in some ways but completely disappointing. The series sort of continues in Convergence.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
February 20, 2022
A 48-freaking-issues long event series just to tease a new Batman Beyond book? What a cocktease this is! Granted, it does position the future of the DCU in a rather nifty place, and I am a fan of the Batman Beyond world, so I’ll check it out. But, goddamn. 48 issues and no resolution. Christ. At least volumes 2 and 3 were a step-up from the first book. But Jesus Christ.
February 23, 2016
The first two volumes of Futures End were fun, primarily for their use of "cancelled" heroes, but also for strong writing most of the time. However in this volume, it was clear that writing was getting increasingly wobbly. Two of the main plot lines (one involving the space crew and another involving Sue 52) totally anti-climax. They run down like toys that haven't been wound, and then just stop. Were they important to the overall plot? Apparently not.
Meanwhile, over in the main plot, the writers make the unfortunate choice to turn Brainiac into the big villain for four horribly decompressed issues. Sure, it builds on the earlier space team story, but it throws a spanner into the whole plot (and is much of what makes those other plotlines anticlimax).
Still, if you only read up to issue #47, and were ready to head into issue #48 thinking you were going to get a conclusion, you'd probably rate this volume as three stars. But then the last issue pretty much ruins the whole series, making it a pointless read. It doesn't climax, it doesn't anticlimax, it just stops without closure. What a freaking waste.
Apparently things continued in a Batman Beyond comic, but that just feels like an insult: a big multithreaded storyline, but the excess storylines are largely shed and ignored here, and then everything shrinks down to a single storyline in some other comic.
Pfah.
Meanwhile, over in the main plot, the writers make the unfortunate choice to turn Brainiac into the big villain for four horribly decompressed issues. Sure, it builds on the earlier space team story, but it throws a spanner into the whole plot (and is much of what makes those other plotlines anticlimax).
Still, if you only read up to issue #47, and were ready to head into issue #48 thinking you were going to get a conclusion, you'd probably rate this volume as three stars. But then the last issue pretty much ruins the whole series, making it a pointless read. It doesn't climax, it doesn't anticlimax, it just stops without closure. What a freaking waste.
Apparently things continued in a Batman Beyond comic, but that just feels like an insult: a big multithreaded storyline, but the excess storylines are largely shed and ignored here, and then everything shrinks down to a single storyline in some other comic.
Pfah.
March 4, 2016
I really don't know where to begin with this review. I really enjoyed the first two volumes if this story especially volume two. There were a few plot lines that (although some what predictably) came together.
Volume 3 I'm afraid was a different story. If I honest I think 3 stars is probably generous. I am probably scoring it up because I enjoyed the other volumes so much.
There are 2 major deaths here, one of which is not given the gravitas I feel it deserved. I was also pretty disappointed that the smoke of the major plot lines simply were not concluded. Even the Main storyline felt like a to be continued.
A real shame really as I had high hopes for this book. It could have been great but really use fizzled out.
In typing this I think I have already convinced myself this volume it probably one two stars. Basically if you have read the first two ( and even with a disappointing end they are definitely worth reading) you are as well reading this so see how some if the storylines end. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with this one.
Volume 3 I'm afraid was a different story. If I honest I think 3 stars is probably generous. I am probably scoring it up because I enjoyed the other volumes so much.
There are 2 major deaths here, one of which is not given the gravitas I feel it deserved. I was also pretty disappointed that the smoke of the major plot lines simply were not concluded. Even the Main storyline felt like a to be continued.
A real shame really as I had high hopes for this book. It could have been great but really use fizzled out.
In typing this I think I have already convinced myself this volume it probably one two stars. Basically if you have read the first two ( and even with a disappointing end they are definitely worth reading) you are as well reading this so see how some if the storylines end. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with this one.
July 25, 2017
5 stars
RIP Terry McGinnis. Glad the superheroes were able to defeat Brainiac. Sad that they weren't able to stop Brother Eye though. Artificial intelligence is creepy to me. It seems like every time one is made, it usually always goes bad.
Can't wait to read more DC comics!!!! Can't wait to read more Batman and Bat-family comics!!!!
RIP Terry McGinnis. Glad the superheroes were able to defeat Brainiac. Sad that they weren't able to stop Brother Eye though. Artificial intelligence is creepy to me. It seems like every time one is made, it usually always goes bad.
Can't wait to read more DC comics!!!! Can't wait to read more Batman and Bat-family comics!!!!
May 11, 2020
Overall this is a pretty good series. Similar to the 52 ongoing, some of the ongoing story lines are better than others. The art is pretty consistent throughout. The ending leads into another book rather than wraps things up though, which is a little annoying after a 48 issue series.
April 30, 2019
This series had too many things going on for it to be successful. Brother Eye and Brainiac...ugh! I can see why a lot of people chose to avoid reading this arc.
January 7, 2022
Pues terminado El Fin del Mañana, llega el momento de hacer evaluación. Hay spoilers, así que... cuidadín.
El Fin del Mañana entra dentro de las colecciones que surgieron a partir de Flashpoint, y nos lleva a un futuro cercano, dentro de cinco años... del momento más o menos en el que arrancan las colecciones de Las Nuevas 52. Aunque realmente, el origen de la historia está aún más adelante en el tiempo, otros cuarenta años en el futuro, en un mundo dominado por Hermano Ojo en el que, como último plan para derrotar al satélite (que en ese futuro se ha apropiado de toda forma de vida en la Tierra), Bruce Wayne envía al joven Batman (Terry McGuinnis, el Batman del Futuro de la serie de dibujos animados) al pasado para evitar la creación de Hermano Ojo... pero el salto falla, y Terry aparece en ese momento, cinco años más tarde de lo que debería. Y la situación en la Tierra en el momento de la llegada de Terry es complicada. Siguiendo más o menos la historia de Tierra 2, en El Fin del Mañana vamos a poder leer como después de la destrucción de Tierra 2 por Darkseid, los refugiados cruzaron el Multiverso en dirección a Tierra 1, y tras ellos, llegaron los Parademonios que los perseguían, lo que causó una gran guerra en Tierra 1 en la que muchas cosas cambiaron. Muchos han sido los civiles que han muerto, pero también héroes, por ejemplo, todos los Titanes. Y en este mundo extraño, mientras Terry intenta averiguar cómo evitar que Mister Terrific (que en algún momento de la transición se ha debido dar un golpe y se ha vuelto gilipollas, este no es mi Michael Holt...) cree a Hermano Ojo, Firestorm va a descubrir que Oliver Queen ha sido asesinado, lo que provocará un fuerte distanciamiento entre las dos partes de Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond y Jason Rusch. Pero además, algo va a atacar a Stormwatch, el grupo de héroes de Wildstorm (que ahora cuenta con Hawkman) en la Sangría, por lo que SHADE va a enviar a Átomo, Frankenstein y la princesa Amatista a investigar lo ocurrido. Pero además, Lois Lane va a recibir una extraña caja que la lleva a iniciar una investigación en la que descubre que igual no todos los Titanes están tan muertos como se pensaba. Pero además, vamos a descubrir el proyecto Cadmus, dirigido por King Faraday y el Sargento Rock, y en el que los OMAC van a mantener encerrados a los héroes de Tierra 2, con Deathstroke y la poderosa y desquiciada Fifty Sue como guardianes, y donde van a llevar a Grifter para que les ayude a identificar a los dobles de Tierra 2 que puedan no estar identificados. Y además, Hermano Ojo va a enviar a una amalgama del Joker y Batman a buscar a Terry McGuinnis. Y además, John Constantine emprende la búsqueda de algo o alguien capaz de hacer frente a una amenaza que podría destruir la Tierra... Y así es como nos encontramos con una historia coral, con muchos protagonistas (Terry McGuinnis, Lois Lane, Firestorm, Frankenstein, Amatista, Constantine, Lana Lang, Grifter...) cuyas historias se van a ir entrecruzando para hablarnos del verdadero enemigo de El Fin del Mañana: Brainiac.
Y es que bueno, El Fin del Mañana iba a servir como base para el proyecto Convergencia, donde Brainiac iba a tener gran importancia, iba a servir de lanzamiento para una nueva serie de Batman del Futuro (Batman Beyond), servía como actualización de las series semanales... y bebía de Injustice 2, el juego en el que Brainiac era el enemigo final, así que había que aprovechar el tirón.
Dejando a un lado mayores spoilers (quién está bajo la máscara de Superman, el destino de Green Arrow o la identidad de ese Batman del Futuro que empezaría colección), más o menos este es el resumen del arranque de El Fin del Mañana. ¿La evaluación? Bueno, pues no pasa mucho del aprobado. Ni Azzarello ni el resto de los guionistas parecen demasiado iluminados, y desde luego que el baile de guionistas no permite a nadie lucirse demasiado (es lo que tienen las series semanales, que llevan muchas prisas). La serie es entretenida, pero si en su momento me gustó bastante, ahora me ha parecido un poco más decepcionante. Me preocupa un poco como afrontar la lectura de las cosas que en su momento no me gustaron tanto...
Como Nuevas 52 pierdan más con el paso del tiempo, lo malo debe ser absolutamente horrible.
El Fin del Mañana entra dentro de las colecciones que surgieron a partir de Flashpoint, y nos lleva a un futuro cercano, dentro de cinco años... del momento más o menos en el que arrancan las colecciones de Las Nuevas 52. Aunque realmente, el origen de la historia está aún más adelante en el tiempo, otros cuarenta años en el futuro, en un mundo dominado por Hermano Ojo en el que, como último plan para derrotar al satélite (que en ese futuro se ha apropiado de toda forma de vida en la Tierra), Bruce Wayne envía al joven Batman (Terry McGuinnis, el Batman del Futuro de la serie de dibujos animados) al pasado para evitar la creación de Hermano Ojo... pero el salto falla, y Terry aparece en ese momento, cinco años más tarde de lo que debería. Y la situación en la Tierra en el momento de la llegada de Terry es complicada. Siguiendo más o menos la historia de Tierra 2, en El Fin del Mañana vamos a poder leer como después de la destrucción de Tierra 2 por Darkseid, los refugiados cruzaron el Multiverso en dirección a Tierra 1, y tras ellos, llegaron los Parademonios que los perseguían, lo que causó una gran guerra en Tierra 1 en la que muchas cosas cambiaron. Muchos han sido los civiles que han muerto, pero también héroes, por ejemplo, todos los Titanes. Y en este mundo extraño, mientras Terry intenta averiguar cómo evitar que Mister Terrific (que en algún momento de la transición se ha debido dar un golpe y se ha vuelto gilipollas, este no es mi Michael Holt...) cree a Hermano Ojo, Firestorm va a descubrir que Oliver Queen ha sido asesinado, lo que provocará un fuerte distanciamiento entre las dos partes de Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond y Jason Rusch. Pero además, algo va a atacar a Stormwatch, el grupo de héroes de Wildstorm (que ahora cuenta con Hawkman) en la Sangría, por lo que SHADE va a enviar a Átomo, Frankenstein y la princesa Amatista a investigar lo ocurrido. Pero además, Lois Lane va a recibir una extraña caja que la lleva a iniciar una investigación en la que descubre que igual no todos los Titanes están tan muertos como se pensaba. Pero además, vamos a descubrir el proyecto Cadmus, dirigido por King Faraday y el Sargento Rock, y en el que los OMAC van a mantener encerrados a los héroes de Tierra 2, con Deathstroke y la poderosa y desquiciada Fifty Sue como guardianes, y donde van a llevar a Grifter para que les ayude a identificar a los dobles de Tierra 2 que puedan no estar identificados. Y además, Hermano Ojo va a enviar a una amalgama del Joker y Batman a buscar a Terry McGuinnis. Y además, John Constantine emprende la búsqueda de algo o alguien capaz de hacer frente a una amenaza que podría destruir la Tierra... Y así es como nos encontramos con una historia coral, con muchos protagonistas (Terry McGuinnis, Lois Lane, Firestorm, Frankenstein, Amatista, Constantine, Lana Lang, Grifter...) cuyas historias se van a ir entrecruzando para hablarnos del verdadero enemigo de El Fin del Mañana: Brainiac.
Y es que bueno, El Fin del Mañana iba a servir como base para el proyecto Convergencia, donde Brainiac iba a tener gran importancia, iba a servir de lanzamiento para una nueva serie de Batman del Futuro (Batman Beyond), servía como actualización de las series semanales... y bebía de Injustice 2, el juego en el que Brainiac era el enemigo final, así que había que aprovechar el tirón.
Dejando a un lado mayores spoilers (quién está bajo la máscara de Superman, el destino de Green Arrow o la identidad de ese Batman del Futuro que empezaría colección), más o menos este es el resumen del arranque de El Fin del Mañana. ¿La evaluación? Bueno, pues no pasa mucho del aprobado. Ni Azzarello ni el resto de los guionistas parecen demasiado iluminados, y desde luego que el baile de guionistas no permite a nadie lucirse demasiado (es lo que tienen las series semanales, que llevan muchas prisas). La serie es entretenida, pero si en su momento me gustó bastante, ahora me ha parecido un poco más decepcionante. Me preocupa un poco como afrontar la lectura de las cosas que en su momento no me gustaron tanto...
Como Nuevas 52 pierdan más con el paso del tiempo, lo malo debe ser absolutamente horrible.
July 18, 2019
Oi, Fim dos Tempos! Tchau, Fim dos Tempos! Foi uma jornada gratificante por suas páginas como há muito tempo eu não fazia uma por papeis de gibis em sequência. Ainda que este último e o segundo encadernados (aqui vistos como encadernados, mas eu li nos 10 gibis da Panini), sejam menos impactantes e divertidos que o primeiro, eu avalio que essa maneira de fazer quadrinhos, mais planejada e com um staff de roteiristas só eleva a qualidade das tramas e das histórias alicerçadas. Já os desenhos não seguem a mesma regra, pois alguns, como Patrick Zircher entregam uma arte deslumbrante e outros, com nomes que eu nem consigo identificar a arte, entregam qualquer coisa. Outro fato que me encantou em Fim dos Tempos foi a utilização de personagens secundários e terciários, deixando os grandes medalhões do Universo DC bem mais de lado do que o costume. A utilização das subtramas em Fim dos Tempos também nos leva a nos questionar qual dos roteiristas envolvidos escreveu cada parte e porque e como podemos enxergar cada um deles nestas divisões. Gostaria muito que a DC Comics investisse mais nesse tipo de histórias em quadrinhos.
April 23, 2018
I had hoped that all the multiple plot lines would be nicely tied together. However, few were at all, which left me wondering what kind of editor would leave in so much superfluous and distracting material. These three books could have easily fit into an amazing graphic novel one third the size.
In the third installment, corn people attack superman, Batman Beyond is exposed as a virgin, Brainiac turns NYC into a Segway, Frankenstein finds out he has hundreds of brothers and sisters moments before they die, and the ending is *essentially* a writer's equivalent of "it was all just a dream", and the reader discovers that after a >1000 pages and $50+ investment- the actual plot is unresolved.
If this series were equated to a movie, I would say it was comparable to Battlefield Earth, Aeon Flux, or a George Clooney Batman Movie.
If you enjoy hundreds of pages of superfluous subplots that are never substantially tied together, or needless cameos of multiple characters that do not meaningfully relate to the main plot (or any plot?), then this is a series for you.
In the third installment, corn people attack superman, Batman Beyond is exposed as a virgin, Brainiac turns NYC into a Segway, Frankenstein finds out he has hundreds of brothers and sisters moments before they die, and the ending is *essentially* a writer's equivalent of "it was all just a dream", and the reader discovers that after a >1000 pages and $50+ investment- the actual plot is unresolved.
If this series were equated to a movie, I would say it was comparable to Battlefield Earth, Aeon Flux, or a George Clooney Batman Movie.
If you enjoy hundreds of pages of superfluous subplots that are never substantially tied together, or needless cameos of multiple characters that do not meaningfully relate to the main plot (or any plot?), then this is a series for you.
June 8, 2017
Didn't stand out, like other stories, but it still packed quite the punch at the end...
I'm a sincerely happy customer....
I'm a sincerely happy customer....
May 3, 2018
This trade paperback picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the last eighteen issues (31–48) of the 2014 on-going weekly maxi-series. This final volume reminds me of one of the T.S. Eliot quotes: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." In short, it was an underwhelming ending, but it is an ending of sorts – if one could call it that.
Some of the on-going story lines seem to have unsatisfactory conclusions, but there were some that were rather good or rather one. Fifty Sue was revealed as a rival A.I. who gives her life to stop the main antagonist Brother Eye, but that seems like an outlier.
However, what had been entertaining in Futures End before remained so – especially the Batman as Terry McGinnis and the former Red Robin as Tim Drake. I especially liked the romantic relationship between Terry McGinnis and Plastique and the one between Tim Drake and Madison Payne – half of the new Firestorm. It is sad what happened to McGinnis and I wished it didn't happened, because to me, he would always be the future Batman, but having Tim Drake taking the mantle is also intriguing.
Despite the multiple story lines that seem to end unsatisfactory, the diverse art team worked harmoniously together, with very little graphic conflict across the volume – better in fact than I could have predicted.
All in all, The New 52: Futures End, Vol. 3 is a somewhat mediocre ending to a really ambitious end – there have been several story-lines that would seemingly continue in the next event or in their respective titles.
Some of the on-going story lines seem to have unsatisfactory conclusions, but there were some that were rather good or rather one. Fifty Sue was revealed as a rival A.I. who gives her life to stop the main antagonist Brother Eye, but that seems like an outlier.
However, what had been entertaining in Futures End before remained so – especially the Batman as Terry McGinnis and the former Red Robin as Tim Drake. I especially liked the romantic relationship between Terry McGinnis and Plastique and the one between Tim Drake and Madison Payne – half of the new Firestorm. It is sad what happened to McGinnis and I wished it didn't happened, because to me, he would always be the future Batman, but having Tim Drake taking the mantle is also intriguing.
Despite the multiple story lines that seem to end unsatisfactory, the diverse art team worked harmoniously together, with very little graphic conflict across the volume – better in fact than I could have predicted.
All in all, The New 52: Futures End, Vol. 3 is a somewhat mediocre ending to a really ambitious end – there have been several story-lines that would seemingly continue in the next event or in their respective titles.
April 16, 2016
Why didn't you just add insult to injury and end this with 'It was only a dream?' Honestly, the ending basically invalidated the entirety of the series, which, yes, comic books keeping their status quo and all that, but even regular series have more impact than this. Completely devaluing the entirety of the year-long series? I feel sorry for people who actually paid for the issues.
What's worse is that there are actually some decent moments in here. Frankenstein and Amethyst. Fifty Sue, Lana and Cole. Terry, Tim, Madison. Each of these groups has some strong moments. Admittedly they're interspersed with some horrible moments, and there are a lot of characterizations that are painfully bad or pointless (the whole King Faraday and Rock subplot was utterly inane and goes nowhere) but some of these plots still managed to pull out some pathos, and even humor. Too bad none of it really matters.
Really, the more I think about it, the more I want to rate the whole series one star. The few gems in the muck are undone by the whole pointlessness of the whole series, and all the opportunities thrown away, and story plots that fizzle out or are left hanging. For a while I wondered if it was part of the mainstream DC canon, but it doesn't matter. It's just kind of offensive how the whole thing treated everyone, from the characters in the series to the very fans. Shame on you DC.
What's worse is that there are actually some decent moments in here. Frankenstein and Amethyst. Fifty Sue, Lana and Cole. Terry, Tim, Madison. Each of these groups has some strong moments. Admittedly they're interspersed with some horrible moments, and there are a lot of characterizations that are painfully bad or pointless (the whole King Faraday and Rock subplot was utterly inane and goes nowhere) but some of these plots still managed to pull out some pathos, and even humor. Too bad none of it really matters.
Really, the more I think about it, the more I want to rate the whole series one star. The few gems in the muck are undone by the whole pointlessness of the whole series, and all the opportunities thrown away, and story plots that fizzle out or are left hanging. For a while I wondered if it was part of the mainstream DC canon, but it doesn't matter. It's just kind of offensive how the whole thing treated everyone, from the characters in the series to the very fans. Shame on you DC.
April 25, 2016
The final volume of this maxi-series was a complete let-down for me. For such a huge investment in time, there was little-to-no reward.
At least two of the major plotlines that carried the bulk of the first two volumes (Frankenstein's story and Grifter's story) simply vanished entirely from the plot. You would think that, with so much time spent detailing those stories, somehow the mega-sized arcs would merge together with the equally mega-sized main storyline..... but no. They just stop. Nothing happens with them. they are completely unresolved in in this publication.
And when the main plotline involving Plastique and Tim Drake and Firestorm and Brainiac and Atom and Superman and the weird Joker/Batman, and, and, and.... well, it just gets so convoluted and messy that the only way to possibly explain it all away is through an incredibly weak time-travel plot device.
Aaarrrgggghh! it's so bad.
1.5/5
At least two of the major plotlines that carried the bulk of the first two volumes (Frankenstein's story and Grifter's story) simply vanished entirely from the plot. You would think that, with so much time spent detailing those stories, somehow the mega-sized arcs would merge together with the equally mega-sized main storyline..... but no. They just stop. Nothing happens with them. they are completely unresolved in in this publication.
And when the main plotline involving Plastique and Tim Drake and Firestorm and Brainiac and Atom and Superman and the weird Joker/Batman, and, and, and.... well, it just gets so convoluted and messy that the only way to possibly explain it all away is through an incredibly weak time-travel plot device.
Aaarrrgggghh! it's so bad.
1.5/5
October 1, 2015
The finale of the year-long event. Most of this volume (and most of the series), I thought was fantastic. I got my copy of it in the mail today and finished it in one sitting. I especially loved the narratives focusing on Frankenstein, Superman, and Firestorm. We also get an origin story for Stormguard, which I was stoked about! And there was a nice easter egg that made reference to Lemire's Sweet Tooth comic! There were some weak plot lines, though. The one that comes to mind first is the one about Grifter, Lana Lang, and Fifty-Sue. But the worst part about this volume (and again, the series) is the ending. If you can even call it that. I was very disappointed with how this series ended. It really lowers the quality of the entire series, which is very unfortunate. If you read it, you'll know what I mean. But like I said, it was pretty good overall. I just can't get past the ending.
May 13, 2018
They really did drag this out. Futures End was finally stopped with the effort by Batman Beyond, at a terrible cost. Many of the subplots turned out to be standalone, which was the biggest disappointment. I really hated the Hellblazer, Firestorm and Cadmus Island sections. The whole volume was just so underwhelming, the crossover started off so good but ended terribly. Azzarello could really do better.
January 1, 2022
I changed the review for the previous volumes to match what I feel now that I've "finished" this story. Why the quotes? It's not over! Three volumes, four if you count the one-offs - and those were so bad that I wouldn't - and what happens? Spoiler: you end up basically right back where you started except that Batman Beyond isn't the same person. They do seed that in the story and it was probably the only thing that paid off in the entire series. This is everything I hate about reading books from the big two: pointless stories that are just for building other stories and then it just ends with a fizzle.
Instead of making these things difficult on anyone who isn't reading everything maybe they should do do contained stories. No more of these where people show up and disappear just because you need to seed a storyline in an entirely different book. The jewel lady with the sword shows up and she's cool and then suddenly she's like "I'm going to take care of this" and leaves, presumably for whatever series she's getting. But she was boring! Actually they were all boring but that's not the point.
"Oh he died!" no he didn't. "on no she died! no she didn't. constantly! I had more sympathy for the racist doctor than I did with any of the heroes because they are all terrible people. At least he was working towards something, even if it was ultimately for bad and selfish reasons.
Mr. Terrific (my brain actually typed terrible and it's not wrong) for example. Smartest man on Earth and he's got no idea he's being played. And it's not even a "well you're the reader you have access to information..." no, stop that. That's stupid because he's supposed to be smart and he really really isn't. Just another musclebound jock who thinks he's 'doing the right thing' and doesn't think about anyone else the entire time.
I really don't like this series, mostly because of having read it but also mostly because it didn't resolve anything and I 'have' to read another series to see if they win. I mean come on. "BRAINIAC IS COMING" is an almost constant refrain but then Superman shows up and it's super easy, barely an inconvenience the way he wins.
I don't like talking about things I don't like because that's freely available everywhere on the Internet but this made me mad. The only character I even kinda sorta liked was Constantine. I know I should maybe find some of his solo stuff but I have a feeling it's going to do the same thing to me.
Instead of making these things difficult on anyone who isn't reading everything maybe they should do do contained stories. No more of these where people show up and disappear just because you need to seed a storyline in an entirely different book. The jewel lady with the sword shows up and she's cool and then suddenly she's like "I'm going to take care of this" and leaves, presumably for whatever series she's getting. But she was boring! Actually they were all boring but that's not the point.
"Oh he died!" no he didn't. "on no she died! no she didn't. constantly! I had more sympathy for the racist doctor than I did with any of the heroes because they are all terrible people. At least he was working towards something, even if it was ultimately for bad and selfish reasons.
Mr. Terrific (my brain actually typed terrible and it's not wrong) for example. Smartest man on Earth and he's got no idea he's being played. And it's not even a "well you're the reader you have access to information..." no, stop that. That's stupid because he's supposed to be smart and he really really isn't. Just another musclebound jock who thinks he's 'doing the right thing' and doesn't think about anyone else the entire time.
I really don't like this series, mostly because of having read it but also mostly because it didn't resolve anything and I 'have' to read another series to see if they win. I mean come on. "BRAINIAC IS COMING" is an almost constant refrain but then Superman shows up and it's super easy, barely an inconvenience the way he wins.
I don't like talking about things I don't like because that's freely available everywhere on the Internet but this made me mad. The only character I even kinda sorta liked was Constantine. I know I should maybe find some of his solo stuff but I have a feeling it's going to do the same thing to me.
April 21, 2018
The New 52: Futures End, in this third and concluding volume of the weekly series, stands revealed as a kind of coda to the New 52 era itself.
DC’s weekly comics, which reached their zenith with the first one, 52, developed a bad reputation because of that. But the first one was special because it got to break all the rules, and because subsequent ones played by, well, different ones. Only the biweekly Brightest Day ever really got to match them. Countdown and Trinity got to cut loose on pure comic book logic. Batman Eternal, meanwhile, barreled through stories Scott Snyder would otherwise not have gotten around to in his popular New 52 Batman run, a gamut of familiar faces in one crazy tapestry.
Futures End was probably the point DC began to realize the New 52 era had a limited shelf life. Fifty-two ambitious new series were launched in 2011, but many of them came to premature ends. It’s no coincidence that many of the characters from those series star in Futures End, from WildStorm characters like Grifter to Frankenstein, agent of S.H.A.D.E., who gets a poignant ending here (the only real 52 parallel here, an echo of Charlie’s death).
There were special one-shots that gave readers a glimpse of the future for every series DC was then publishing. Futures End itself paralleled in plot, at one point, what was in store for Earth 2, which itself had a weekly series called World’s End that wrapped up its narrative, begun as a spinoff of Justice League’s first arc. Brainiac’s threat is ended before Futures End concludes, but for Earth 2 led to Convergence...
Basically all of this was for continuity nerds. Probably drove anyone looking for a fairly straightforward story nuts. And it ends on a cliffhanger! Continued in a new Batman Beyond series. Exhilarating, after its fashion.
To think the recent Justice League movie was at one point projected to feature Brother Eye, as this story does. Things that might’ve been...But, that was the whole point!
DC’s weekly comics, which reached their zenith with the first one, 52, developed a bad reputation because of that. But the first one was special because it got to break all the rules, and because subsequent ones played by, well, different ones. Only the biweekly Brightest Day ever really got to match them. Countdown and Trinity got to cut loose on pure comic book logic. Batman Eternal, meanwhile, barreled through stories Scott Snyder would otherwise not have gotten around to in his popular New 52 Batman run, a gamut of familiar faces in one crazy tapestry.
Futures End was probably the point DC began to realize the New 52 era had a limited shelf life. Fifty-two ambitious new series were launched in 2011, but many of them came to premature ends. It’s no coincidence that many of the characters from those series star in Futures End, from WildStorm characters like Grifter to Frankenstein, agent of S.H.A.D.E., who gets a poignant ending here (the only real 52 parallel here, an echo of Charlie’s death).
There were special one-shots that gave readers a glimpse of the future for every series DC was then publishing. Futures End itself paralleled in plot, at one point, what was in store for Earth 2, which itself had a weekly series called World’s End that wrapped up its narrative, begun as a spinoff of Justice League’s first arc. Brainiac’s threat is ended before Futures End concludes, but for Earth 2 led to Convergence...
Basically all of this was for continuity nerds. Probably drove anyone looking for a fairly straightforward story nuts. And it ends on a cliffhanger! Continued in a new Batman Beyond series. Exhilarating, after its fashion.
To think the recent Justice League movie was at one point projected to feature Brother Eye, as this story does. Things that might’ve been...But, that was the whole point!
June 26, 2023
This end volume would have ended this series essentially as it started - a decent, if unspectacular read that ends as it started ,and the mission and threat that kicked off the whole series isn't neutralized or the apocalyptic future averted. Its quite a dissapointment in that sense.
Alot of the plots petter out and are left either hanging, or given very anti-climatic resolutions.
However, the threat of Brainiac is very much eliminated, at least temporarly. That was pretty much the only plot and storyline that felt like it had a definitive conclusion.
The ending is bound to be very frustrating for most readers, especially considering the amount of issues that the series had, only to mostly become a springboard for the then new Batman Beyond title.
Dissapointing ending aside, though, I did enjoy most of the journey, despite some characterizations being a bit off (Mr. Terrifc, in particular, is written very outside his usual demeanor and attitude from his previous new52 appearences).
The reader can either pretend the title ended in issue #47 (which, had it been the last issue, would have offered a decent conclusion), or just accept that, after 48 issues, the story doesn't really end, but continues to the new52 Batman Beyond title.
Overall, a generous 3/5, or 6.5/10
Alot of the plots petter out and are left either hanging, or given very anti-climatic resolutions.
However, the threat of Brainiac is very much eliminated, at least temporarly. That was pretty much the only plot and storyline that felt like it had a definitive conclusion.
The ending is bound to be very frustrating for most readers, especially considering the amount of issues that the series had, only to mostly become a springboard for the then new Batman Beyond title.
Dissapointing ending aside, though, I did enjoy most of the journey, despite some characterizations being a bit off (Mr. Terrifc, in particular, is written very outside his usual demeanor and attitude from his previous new52 appearences).
The reader can either pretend the title ended in issue #47 (which, had it been the last issue, would have offered a decent conclusion), or just accept that, after 48 issues, the story doesn't really end, but continues to the new52 Batman Beyond title.
Overall, a generous 3/5, or 6.5/10
March 8, 2019
This is one of the worst things I've ever read. Below will be SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS:
Brother Eye has destroyed the world but he is needed to defeat Braniac? The ending is nothing. Everyone's storylines don't matter whatsoever. Superman has been away because he's tired of helping people? That's stupid. Fifty Sue or Sequel or whatever and her gang was a very pointless arc, if you can even call nothing happening an arc. I'm trying to think what else I hated about this and other pointless characters, but it's too forgettable or stupid.
Also, if you're going to have Brother Eye do that stupid thing where all its "I"s are "Eye"s, you shouldn't miss one like you did! There's one instance of it saying "I'm" and it bothered me so much.
Brother Eye has destroyed the world but he is needed to defeat Braniac? The ending is nothing. Everyone's storylines don't matter whatsoever. Superman has been away because he's tired of helping people? That's stupid. Fifty Sue or Sequel or whatever and her gang was a very pointless arc, if you can even call nothing happening an arc. I'm trying to think what else I hated about this and other pointless characters, but it's too forgettable or stupid.
Also, if you're going to have Brother Eye do that stupid thing where all its "I"s are "Eye"s, you shouldn't miss one like you did! There's one instance of it saying "I'm" and it bothered me so much.
June 20, 2017
Not sure what compelled me to read this recently. It's not like there is a lack of quality competition. I suppose I can file this under "brainless entertainment".
The story across all 48 chapters/3 books, is rather all over the place and full of sub plots that range from annoying to entertaining. Some aren't really resolved, many are but just didn't feel meaningful.
Probably the most egregious fault is the ending - it basically made everything that came before feel rather pointless.
I did find the way in which "Earth 2: World's End" tied into the plot was rather clever. That was the only point when I was mildly impressed.
Didn't hate this, didn't love it. A prime example of meh.
The story across all 48 chapters/3 books, is rather all over the place and full of sub plots that range from annoying to entertaining. Some aren't really resolved, many are but just didn't feel meaningful.
Probably the most egregious fault is the ending - it basically made everything that came before feel rather pointless.
I did find the way in which "Earth 2: World's End" tied into the plot was rather clever. That was the only point when I was mildly impressed.
Didn't hate this, didn't love it. A prime example of meh.
May 16, 2021
For volumes 1-3: It is very difficult to put my finger on what was wrong with this, but it often felt like a chore to read as opposed to an exciting epic comic book event. A few of the many plots clicked pretty well (the Frankenstein one was a standout), but poor pacing, lack of focus, too many characters I had no knowledge of (and I am a HUGE DC Comics nerd...)...I kept losing the plot and forgetting where we were with things. The writers involved can do a lot better than this.
It wasn't horrible, but I would never recommend it.
And then the story didn't conclude! OK, it hooked me into reading the Batman Beyond comics, which I had planned to anyway, but wow. Pretty surprised by that.
It wasn't horrible, but I would never recommend it.
And then the story didn't conclude! OK, it hooked me into reading the Batman Beyond comics, which I had planned to anyway, but wow. Pretty surprised by that.
September 6, 2022
De nuevo todo un desperdicio de historias, con mucho relleno (igual menos aburrido que Supergirl, Huntres y weyes hechos de hielo y madera como protagonistas en el Worlds End).
Osea está bien la historia pero no tiene nada de "Futures End", ni está en el futuro ni está hablando de destrucción total del mundo y blabla. Solo al final tenemos un clímax apocalíptico que... te deja enredado y deseando saber qué pasa en el futuro. Solo que al mismo tiempo si ya te intentaron vender la idea y NO cumplieron, ya ni te la crees ni tienes mucho interés por la historia.
Intentaré leer Batman Beyond que, se supone, termina esta historia.
Osea está bien la historia pero no tiene nada de "Futures End", ni está en el futuro ni está hablando de destrucción total del mundo y blabla. Solo al final tenemos un clímax apocalíptico que... te deja enredado y deseando saber qué pasa en el futuro. Solo que al mismo tiempo si ya te intentaron vender la idea y NO cumplieron, ya ni te la crees ni tienes mucho interés por la historia.
Intentaré leer Batman Beyond que, se supone, termina esta historia.
May 24, 2023
"FOR ALL YOUR BRILLIANCE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO THIS WORLD. YOU'RE SO BLINDED, AS SO MANY ARE, BY YOUR OWN LIGHT. I WOULDN'T TAKE THAT PERSONALLY, THOUGH... I'VE EXPERIENCED ENDS OVER AND OVER... AND ALL OVER THE UNIVERSES. BUT IT'S THIS PLANET, IN THIS UNIVERSE, THAT PUT A WORD TO WHY THINGS END ULTIMATELY... HUBRIS."
-Brother Eye to Mister Terrific.
Stormguard's origin was a nice touch. No powers. Some gimmicks. But mostly just guts and a spine.
Plenty of great one-liners from Fifty-Sue. Not enough of her, to be honest.
The Batman-Joker cyborg from the future comes back to stop Terry McGinnis. Creepy.
Solid ending. Good setup for Convergence. Three stars.
-Brother Eye to Mister Terrific.
Stormguard's origin was a nice touch. No powers. Some gimmicks. But mostly just guts and a spine.
Plenty of great one-liners from Fifty-Sue. Not enough of her, to be honest.
The Batman-Joker cyborg from the future comes back to stop Terry McGinnis. Creepy.
Solid ending. Good setup for Convergence. Three stars.
January 30, 2018
Not a bad resolution, considering how many loose threads had to be brought together. Since you've made it through Volumes 1 & 2, finish the trip down the rabbit hole here. Brother Eye is equal parts Borg Queen and Skynet, and it is fearsome. The cyborg zombie drones that were once the heroes are even freakier, and make for a good threat. It was great to see Tim Drake step up and shed his jadedness, becoming the hero that he, by nature, is. It was unfortunate that McGuiness had to pay the price in order for Drake to step up, but there is hope that it is an alternate timeline McGuiness...?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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