Five Reasons to be Excited About DC's New Weekly Comic Series, "Futures End"

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Weekly comic series might not be for everyone (especially not everyone’s wallet), but there is something comforting about being able to go to a comic book store and know you’re going to get a quality read every week. Futures End #0 proved to be a great primer for the main series, and if the book can maintain that quality for the planned 48 issues, fans can look forward to a new issue every week that provides blockbuster action and unpredictable plot twists.

If all goes right, Futures End will be more like a TV show than a typical comic. It will draw you in every week, and leave you on a precarious cliffhanger until the next issue. It’s a big time commitment for collectors, but if you feel like you’ll fall behind, you can always purchase Futures End in installments as it gets collected in hardcover or paperback editions down the road.

If you like your heroes to be snarky, smiling do-gooders, Futures End probably isn’t for you. But if you don’t mind your favorite characters getting beheaded, disemboweled, and assimilated by a psychotic artificial intelligence, this story should fulfill all of your nefarious post-apocalyptic desires.

In the opening pages of Futures End #0, The Flash is shown being ripped apart by the Black Canary’s sonic scream. The kicker? The Black Canary’s face is literally grafted onto Frankenstein’s chest. It’s completely over-the-top and twisted in a way that only comics can deliver. By the end of the issue, nearly every DC icon is dead, except for Batman Beyond. It’s a pure bloodbath, and a glorious one at that.

Comic fans are used to bleak dystopias in stories like Marvel’s Future Imperfect and DC’s Kingdom Come, and while we’re not saying Futures End will reach those heights, all of the ingredients are there.

There is no arguing that Batman Beyond is one of the best superhero cartoons ever put on TV, but until now, the character hasn’t had much interaction with the larger DC world. What comics Batman Beyond has starred in have been out of continuity, meaning they didn’t exist in the same world as the mainstream DC characters.

That changes here as Terry McGinnis dons the futuristic cape and cowl in order to go back in time and stop Brother Eye from destroying the future. With Bruce Wayne dead, McGinnis is humanity’s last hope for survival, but he’s being sent back in time when the present day DC heroes will likely view him as a villain. He’s the Kyle Reese of the story, and with all of the death surrounding him, it’s possible his debut won’t be a pretty one.

One of the biggest complaints fans have about DC is that there are so many books dedicated to the company’s main characters, especially Batman, that it leaves some heroes left in obscurity. Thankfully Futures End is looking to solve that problem by bringing side characters like Mr. Terrific, Frankenstein, Firestorm, Amethyst, and others to the forefront of the story.

The inclusion of these lesser known heroes should add more depth to the larger DC Universe and show fans that there is more to these books than the Justice League. The series is also bringing back characters from the WildStorm universe like Grifter, Apollo, and Stormwatch. By putting these obscure characters in the spotlight, hopefully DC finds enough momentum in Futures End to launch some new solo series once the story wraps.

The one thing that DC’s weekly comic series are known for are the stellar creative teams attached to each one. When launching a series as large as Futures End, it only makes sense to have multiple high-profile writers and artists who can collaborate on a tight, expansive narrative.

On this series, the writers consist of Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, and Keith Giffen. In addition to being tremendously talented writers, each one comes from a different style and background, which should help give fans of all types something to like about Futures End. Lemire’s focus on intimate character drama should work well with Azzarello’s high-concept ideas and Jugens and Giffen’s deft handling of the superhero genre.

Taking on the art chores is a team comprised of Ethan Van Sciver, Patrick Zircher, Jesus Merino, Dan Green, Dan Jurgens, Mark Irwin, Aaron Lopresti, Art Thibert, Scot Eaton, and Georges Jeanty. They will all be alternating issues between them, while keeping a similar look and feel throughout the series.

It remains to be seen how all of these creators will work together, but the talent is there to deliver something special. Hopefully Futures End can recapture the magic DC had during its first weekly series, 52.