Who Failed More? New 52 Futures End volume 3

 

Review:

The New 52 Futures End series comes to an end in this volume. It has been cosmic and global and intimately local in its scope.

The team of four experienced and established writers (Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen) labored to keep this massive, universe-shaping tale on track. Not an easy task, given the dozen-plus sub-plots vying for attention and page space. The Frankenstein / Lady Amethyst subplot breaks away and drifts off by itself, but the rest gradually converge into a final battle vs Brainiac and Brother Eye.

The cyborg blend of future Batman and Joker is a hideous monstrosity that also provides some terrific moments, with its internal struggle spilling into its seek-and-destroy mission. It ultimately fails in that mission, partly. Terry McGinness, aka Batman Beyond, is killed but his mission is not stopped, passing instead to Tim Drake. This mission failure is the first of many in the denouement of this epic. Batman (Bruce Wayne) fails to stop Mr Terrific. Batman (Terry) fails his mission to stop Brother Eye. Tim takes over but also fails to stop Brother Eye enough to prevent the dystopian future hellscape. Future Bruce Wayne may have insisted that "failure is not an option" but there's a lot of it to go around.

The entire 48-issue weekly series was truly a massive undertaking, epic in scope. It smashed together DC elements as diverse as the Beyond mythology, and Earth 2. Several full-page spreads along the way brilliantly show this mashing and overlap, and a sequence of historic looks for Brainiac or Hawkman communicate this collision. It is at times bleak, confusing and harsh, while at other times sweet and beautiful. And minor characters like Plastique have a shining moment or two. By the end, one wonders what's next for DC Comics, and whether the whole line needs something of a rebirth?

Description:

Five years from now, the world of tomorrow is about to be born. 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.

Only Batman and Mr. Terrific’s creation, the artificially intelligent satellite Brother Eye, can defeat Brainiac. But this is the moment that Batman Beyond has traveled back in time to stop—the moment where his terrible future is born.

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?

Collects: issues #31-48

Authors: Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Sept. 8 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401258788
Pages: 408 pages

Many Happy Returns - New 52 Futures End v2

Review:

This is the middle volume of the complete New 52 Futures End trilogy, and it is the most fun and optimistic. Returning heroes lift the human spirit, and this collection sees several returns.

First and foremost there's Superman. Missing and presumed dead for 5 years, he's been dealing with mental health issues stemming from the war with Apokolips. And while he is filled with the usual courage and self-sacrifice, he is also severe, taciturn and with an unforgiving edge.

Then there's Green Arrow, whose death in volume 1 rippled into the dissolution of Firestorm - Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch can't forgive or trust each other, and refuse to rejoin. But Green Arrow is alive and well, after faking his death to lead a rebel army against Brother Eye. And a science accident kills Ronnie Raymond but reforms Firestorm as a woman, with Jason joined to Madison Payne.

Shazam. Black Adam. Earth 2 heroes. So many returning characters! And in the midst of these reunions, what feels like progress and hope in the battle vs Cadmus, Brother Eye and Brainiac.

Four skilled and experienced writers herd this sprawling story and its diverse and scattered subplots. It proves no small task, and the jumps and transitions don't always land smoothly. They must also work with an army of artists and inkers rotating through the aggressive weekly publishing schedule of the original chapters.

Ryan Sook's covers are a highlight, they are strong, filled with information and visual interest and poster-worthy.

A solid middle section of this massive, universe-shaking crossover event, I give it 3.5 capes.

Description:

Five years from now, the future that Batman Beyond came back in time to stop is already in motion. Brother Eye has taken over Cadmus, and has taken the refugee heroes of Earth-2 as its mind-controlled slaves. Superman has walked away from humanity, and another hero wears the mantle in his place. And in deep space, Stormwatch are dead, victims of the true threat from beyond our universe...the being we know as Brainiac.

But while heroes still live, there’s still hope. On Arrow Island, Green Arrow has faked his own death and used the cover to begin recruiting an Army to take the fight to Brother Eye. And even those who swore they’d never be heroes again—like Red Robin and Firestorm—find themselves drawn back into the battle.

The fight for the future of the DC Universe is on!

Collects: issues #18-30

Authors: Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: July 21 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401256029
Pages: 304 pages

The Building Storm: New 52 Futures End volume 1

 

Review:

Collecting the first third of the 2014 weekly New 52 Futures End series, this book is jam-packed. More than a dozen story arcs and sub-plots compete for space in its pages. From Firestorm's dissolution over the guilt Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch feel over the death of Green Arrow, to Red Robin lying low and running a bar; from Lois Lane's investigations to SHADE and Frankenstein in space; from Mr Terrific's helpful / harmful schemes to Grifter, Deathstroke and the imprisoned heroes of Earth 2. It takes a team of writers and an even larger team of artists to bring it all together.

Epic in scope and ambitious in coverage, it portrays these events in roughly real time - a week passes between issues, both in real life and more or less within these stories.

The New 52 era of DC Comics has its detractors, and they are not quieted by this series. With the major characters nowhere to be seen, the story is carried along by secondary or otherwise infrequent or little known characters. Much as I love Firestorm, whose JLA membership dates back to a classic 1980s tale with Superman insisting he be admitted, he is hardly a central player in the DC Universe. Nor are Mr Terrific, Frankenstein, Princess Amethyst, Grifter (who comes recently to DC via acquisition of Wildstorm Productions). Deathstroke and Red Robin are maybe a little closer to the center of the DC mythology, although still decidedly in the second-string.

One can only hope that this large a team of writers will succeed in bringing the complex and scattered elements together by the end. For a confusing, disconnected and scattered story that leans too heavily on familiarity with lesser-known characters, I give this first volume 1.5 capes.

Description:

Five years from now, the DC Universe is reeling from a war with another Earth, leaving the world unprepared for an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the future. As heroes are turned into mindless villains, the planet as we know it is no more. The only salvation lies in the past, where this future apocalypse must be averted. Can a time-traveling Batman Beyond help a massive cast of the DCU's finest avert the impending apocalypse?

Written by a cast of the industry's best talents, including Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens, this new epic series will expose the secrets of the New 52 universe!

Collects: issues #0-17

Authors: Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello and others
Artists: Various contributors
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 9 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401252441
Pages: 416 pages

What the H'el - a Review of Superman: Krypton Returns

 

Review:

Gathering together the parts of a title-spanning crossover tale, this collection presents in one handy place the entire Krypton Returns story. Earth's most famous Kryptonians - Superman (Kal El), Supergirl (Kara Zor El), and Superboy (it's complicated) - are brought together to battle H'el, the sentient, if not exactly sane, genetic experiment. H'el seeks to fiddle with the timelines and multiverses enough to finally resurrect and rule long-destroyed Krypton.

With 6 credited writers and 8 artists across the eight chapters, small gaps and inconsistencies creep in, which we can forgive as artistic license - minor variations in appearance or history details. But Lobdell's overall guidance keeps the narrative from spinning out of control - a real risk, given the complexity of the inter-weaving of people, past vs present, and the time-shifting nature of H'el and his threat.

It is an engrossing read, especially the potent combination of strength and blindness, brilliance and arrogance in Superman's closest relatives. This is a primer in Kryptonian history and mythology, yet lightly enough done that the new reader can follow, and the old hand can immerse and enjoy.

For any who felt that Superman had drifted away from his roots, this is worth your time, bringing Superman both forward and back in an exciting way.

Description:

Crossing over between SUPERMAN, SUPERGIRL, SUPERBOY, and ACTION COMICS, this Super-family team up brings all the fan-favorite heroes together to take on H'el! The Super team must travel through time and Krypton's history to prevent H'el from dooming the entire universe.  Written by Scott Lobdell, writer of TEEN TITANS and formerly Marvel's X-Men franchise

Collects: Superboy #0, 25, Supergirl #0, 25, Superman #0, 23.3: H'el, 25 and Action Comics Annual #2

Authors: Scott Lobdell and others
Artists: Kenneth Rocafort and others
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 18 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401255442
Pages: 208 pages

A 4th Dimension Holocaust - Review of Superman: The Men of Tomorrow

 

Review:

Stop me if you've heard these stories before. Desperate parents pack their son into a vessel and launch him away from a doomed planet. Sound familiar? It is the origin story of Ulysses, the 4th-dimension super-human come back to Earth as a grown man. How about this one? To preserve their superior lifestyle, a powerful race plans to destroy six million members of another race. It is the Holocaust-tinged challenge Superman faces - how to save the six million from becoming the fuel to power the utopia of life in the 4th dimension.

Ulysses is a fascinating new character in Superman's universe. His energy powers - absorption, reading, following, projecting - make him a force to be reckoned with, whichever side of the good/evil divide he ultimately falls.

John Romita Junior gives him a striking presence, with a powerful jawline and long, flowing blond hair. And writer Geoff Johns crafts a hero / villain with a playful side and a depth of character and emotion rarely seen in such a mainstream flagship title. His struggles with loyalty and devotion to his adopted parents vs rediscovery of his birth family is moving, strong story-telling.

In these pages, Romita Jr. teams up with his frequent inker, Klaus Jansen. This is not their best work overall, with a rushed and rote feel to many panels. But be sure to dwell on their full-page and two-page spreads, which are showcases for why they are such a highly regarded artistic team. The spreads are always stunning!

The tail-end of this collection is a standalone tale that feels like the B-side of a rock band's album. In it, Superman reveals his dual identity to Jimmy Olsen (or Jim here). Johns pens a sweet story of human connection and true heroism, as a temporarily powerless Superman talks down an armed and desperate hostage-taker. The invulnerability may be gone for the moment, but the bravery and pursuit of justice - in its many forms - remains.

Description:

A new era for SUPERMAN begins as Geoff Johns takes the reigns - and he's joined by the legendary super-talent of John Romita, Jr. in his first-ever work for DC Comics!

Enter Ulysses, the Man of Tomorrow, into the Man of Steel's life. This strange visitor shares many of Kal-El's experiences, including having been rocketed from a world with no future. New and exciting mysteries and adventures await.  Plus, Perry White offers Clark a chance to return to The Daily Planet!

Collects: SUPERMAN #32-39

Authors: Geoff Johns
Artists: John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 19 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401258689
Pages: 256 pages

Tortured by the past: Arrow - The Dark Archer

Review:

Actor John Barrowman and his novelist sister Carole barrowman team up to pen this backstory tale of the character John plays so compellingly on the Arrow TV series. Set between seasons 3 and 4, it is a brutal tale interspersed with flashbacks to the mid-1980s when these characters overlapped and collided previously.

Kudos to the authors. This tale is well-paced with building tension and some clever ideas. A favorite is the hawk-shaped valley visible from a certain rock outcropping. Occasional awkward breaks in past and present transitions, especially ones that fall in unexpected mid-page panels, point to their inexperience with the Graphic Novel medium. While artist Daniel Sampere has some more experience in the genre, especially in the DC Comics Injustice books, he needed to exert more influence in these visual transition points.

The ancient secrets, past tensions and history in their relationships . and the present battles and interrogation, make for a fast, page-turning and compelling read. Some of the visuals, especially around the extended torture sequence, are not for the squeamish.

Description:

FROM THE HIT TV SERIES ARROW, THE MAN BEHIND MERLYN TELLS THE DARK ARCHER’S STORY FOR THE FIRST TIME!

 He’s been known as Malcolm Merlyn, Arthur King, Ra’s al Ghul...but who is the Dark Archer, really?

 Years ago, the man now known as Malcolm Merlyn was recruited by the secret sect known as The Hidden for a mission in the Hindu Kush mountains. Their task: to protect a mystical temple from the League of Assassins. But the mission didn’t go as planned—loyalties were questioned as ancient secrets were revealed.

 Now present-day Merlyn has been captured by a figure from his past demanding answers, and Merlyn’s only hope for survival lies in the long-hidden story of his adventures as Arthur King!

 Learn the full story of one of the most complex antiheroes of ARROWfor the first time as John Barrowman, the actor who brings him to life on the hit TV series, and his sister, novelist Carole E. Barrowman (HOLLOW EARTH), reveal the secret past of the Green Arrow’s mysterious nemesis!

Collects: ARROW: THE DARK ARCHER digital chapters 1-12

Authors: John Barrowman, Carol Barrowman
Artists: Daniel Sampere
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Sept. 6 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401263294
Pages: 168 pages

Ride Baby Ride: Gotham City Garage volume 1

 

Review:

The word "Multiverse" is much-used (even over-used) to describe different takes on well-known and established characters. But it still implies a connectedness of the different parts to some whole. Not so the Elseworlds concepts. They feel freer to deviate farther and in wilder ways from the canonical universe.

DC has a long Multiverse history, see all their Crisis variants over the decades. Some of their best creativity comes outside the Multiverse approach. Thinking only of female heroes, there's the Manga-inspired Ame-Comi Girls, the youth-focused DC Super Hero High, the DC Bombshells, and these: the biker gang heroes of Gotham City Garage.

The bleak dystopian setting is an Earth blasted into barren wilderness. Civilization only survives under the dome of one city, controlled in every way by Lex Luthor. The Garden.

Kara / Supergirl has been raised as an adopted sister of Barbara Gordon. When she is forced to flee the Garden, she hooks up with the outsider biker gang of Harley (nice!) Quinn, Steel, Barda and others. But the Bat and his army of Gardeners want to recapture the dangerous alien. And is there really a Wonder Woman, or is she myth? And whose side is Catwoman on? So many intriguing sub-plots!

Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing tell fascinating tales, driven by character and relationships. And yes, the tales include lots of fancy motor bikes. The visuals are always dynamic, with beautiful wilderness scenery backdrops and fluid layouts. The Bat vs the Gang is tops on the scale of amazing. Brian Ching's faces can slip into clunky sketches, but in the characters and pages by Aneke they are packed with emotion, nuance and meaning.

This is a very imaginative and enjoyable twist on these heroes, with always solid and sometimes emotionally powerful art.

Description:

In the distant future, America has become a wasteland, all save one unexpected haven: Gotham City, a forcibly domesticated utopia run by Governor Lex Luthor with the aid of his brutal enforcer, the Bat. Young Kara Gordon has no idea what lies outside Gotham's borders, but she's about to find out!

When an act of mercy pits Kara against Luthor's forces and even her own sister, Barbara Gordon, she flees into the "freescape," a desert fought over by motorcycle clubs, chief among them the Gotham City Garage. These tougher-than-tough women--among them unexpected versions of Harley Quinn, Catwoman and more--quickly learn that Kara is more than she appears, even before she demonstrates superpowers that reveal her to be more than human! They may even embrace Kara as one of their own, but only if she lives long enough!

DC's greatest heroes and villains are reimagined as bikers in Gotham City Garage Vol. 1, based on the stunning line of DC Collectibles statues!

From best-selling writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Grayson, Hacktivist) and high-octane artists including Brian Ching (Supergirl), Aneke (DC Comics: Bombshells) and Carmen Carnero (Batman: Detective Comics),

Collects: Gotham City Garage #1-6

Authors: Collin Kelley
Artists: Jackson Lanzing, Brian Ching, Aneke
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: June 12 2018
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401280192
Pages: 144 pages

From Lone Wolf to Franchise CEO: Batman Incorporated volume 1 - Demon Star

 

Review:

Bruce Wayne's vast wealth was partly inherited and partly grown through business acumen. So it is surprising that it took so long for him to latch onto the concept of essentially turning the Bat into a Franchise-vigilante system.

Batman Incorporated is built on this premise. Complete with training, equipping, authorizing, coordinating like-minded and similarly skilled individuals around the world.

In Demon Star, the heroes keep running into the mysterious Leviathan. Their battles - some victories, some defeats - never seem to resolve the larger war. Damian is always at the center of the plots, and often refuses to listen to his mentor's advice - as would any 11-year-old. Which, as a parent of an 11-year-old myself, strikes me as far too young for a Robin. The 11-year-old body is so under-developed that it is impossible to conceive the physical battles he has with adults.

Author Grant Morrison has garnered praise and admiration for his ideas and concepts in the past, such as his revitalization of Animal Man and the JLA titles, or his independent work. His creative concepts and story-telling are on display here, although too often the cuts between scenes and sections are sudden and jarring, creating a  non-linear and ultimately disorienting read.

On the visuals, Chris Burnham has an occasional stunning sequence that shines through an otherwise workmanlike effort. He dives into some challenging scenarios to draw - such as the slaughter house sequence that leads to Damian adopting Bat Cow. But it is the included Issue #0 by Frazer Irving, and its neon-glow paintings that emerge as the cream of the visual crop here.

Description:

Eisner Award-winning fan-favorite writer Grant Morrison concludes the Batman epic he began nearly a decade ago in BATMAN & SON, pitting the entirity of Batman Incorporated against the Levianthan organization headed by the Dark Knight's former romantic interest Talia al Ghul. As Leviathan enacts a plan that threatens the world, Batman and his allies must fight against the rising storm--but not everyone will make it out of the encounter alive.

Collects: Batman Incorporated #0-6

Authors: Grant Morrison
Artists: Chris Burnham
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 3 2013
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401242633
Pages: 176 pages