GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — DC’s Futures End Event

Happy Comic Release Day! Welcome to another installment of GeekMom’s Comic Book Corner, where we recap our adventures in comics for the week. This week, we take a look at a few of the Futures End one-shots from DC Comics.

Corrina–Futures End #1 Special issues. 

September has turned into a month for DC gimmicks, er, events, to entice readers to buy comics they wouldn’t normally try. Last year was Villains Month, but this time DC heroes get the spotlight back in Futures End spotlights. This is based five years in the DC future when, presumably, things have gone very bad because of refugees who came from a dying Earth-2.

Except few of these heroes seem like heroes to me. To paraphrase Syndrome from The Incredibles, isn’t murder a little dark for them?

I read the Futures End #1 issues for Green Arrow, Grayson, Green Lantern, Detective Comics, and Earth-2.

The most hopeful of them was, oddly, Green Arrow because he was the hero who died in the first issue of the Futures End weekly comic. Green Arrow joins forces with his enemies and plays a trick on the world in a fine story by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino. It’s too bad Lemire is off this book because his run has been the best this title has been in years.

Then there’s Grayson and Detective Comics. Grayson is told ending first, then into the past, ending with his first appearance as Robin. It’s imaginative storytelling but it has Dick Grayson, the most hopeful hero in the DC Universe, outright murdering an evil dictator in front of witnesses. Not a trick, Dick somehow feels if he does nothing, then he becomes responsible for every evil the dictator does after that. Yes, we are five years into a dark future but it feels all wrong for Dick, plus the ending is literally left hanging.

And Batman isn’t much better in Detective Comics, abandoning another villain to be murdered/tortured by another group of villains. Yes, he just walks away, unconcerned. That was the point where I shook my head and eyed the other comics in front of me warily.

Earth-2 wasn’t much better. Less villain murder but plenty of killing, plus a plot that ties in so heavily to Futures End that I didn’t understand much of what was happening. Let’s just say that Mr. Terrific, in any incarnation, isn’t so terrific these day.

And Green Lantern? I dislike Hal Jordan as a rule so I saved it for last. Happily, all Hal does is help slaughter some Black Lanterns, who aren’t really alive, so that was a good change. And there are tender moments between Hal and his Black Lantern father, who’s trying hard not to be evil. There is a big epic battle, as always happens in Lantern comics, and a bittersweet ending that would otherwise seem dark but Hal’s been dead a couple of times before, so that’s also standard protocol for him at this point.

Corrina received these items for review purposes.  

Curious to know what I’m pulling this week? Check out my pull list on Comixology.

Looking for something else, readers? Check out this week’s listed books:

Action Comics Futures End #1 Aquaman Futures End #1 Batman ’66 Meets The Green Hornet #4 (Of 6) Batman Essentials Batman And Son Special Edition #1 Batman Eternal #22 Batwing Futures End #1 Batwoman Vol. 4 This Blood Is Thick TP Detective Comics Futures End #1 Earth 2 Futures End #1 Fairest #29 Forever Evil HC Grayson Futures End #1 Green Arrow Futures End #1 Green Lantern Futures End #1 Hinterkind #11 JLA Earth 2 TP (New Edition) Justice League #33 Martian Manhunter Rings Of Saturn TP Mr Punch 20th Anniversary Edition HC Names #1 (Of 8) New Mini-Series New 52 Futures End #18 Weekly Series Scooby-Doo Team-Up #6 Kid Friendly Swamp Thing Futures End #1 Tiny Titans Return To The Treehouse #4 (Of 6) Kid Friendly Trinity Of Sin The Phantom Stranger Futures End #1

All-New Doop #5 (Of 5) Final Issue All-New X-Factor #13 Avengers World #12 Black Widow #10 Captain America #24 Daredevil #6 Dark Tower The Drawing Of The Three The Prisoner #1 (Of 5) New Mini-Series Deadpool Minibus HC Deadpool Vs X-Force #4 (Of 4) Final Issue Death Of Wolverine #1 (Of 4) New Mini-Series Figment #4 (Of 5) Hawkeye Vs Deadpool #0 (Of 4) New Mini-Series Infinity TP Inhuman #4 Iron Fist The Living Weapon #6 Kick-Ass 3 HC Legendary Star-Lord #3 GeekMom Recommended Miracleman #10 Moon Knight #7 Original Sin #5.2 Original Sin #8 (Of 8) Final Issue Oz Omnibus HC Kid Friendly Punisher #10 Revenge The Secret Origin Of Emily Thorne HC Rocket Raccoon #3 New Series She-Hulk #8 Spider-Man 2099 #3 New Series Superior Foes Of Spider-Man #15 Uncanny X-Men #25 Wolverine #10 X-Men #19

Acronym Key: HC = Hard Cover / TP = Trade Paperback

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