Futures End #6 – Review

By: Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens (story), Patrick Zircher (art), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: Frankenstein in space. ‘Nuff said.

The Review: There’s a fine line between achieving icon status and taking that status for granted. At a certain point after they no longer have to prove themselves, it’s too easy for characters (and their writers) to stop trying. You know what we call that situation in most circumstances? Obsolescence: the danger of being ubiquitous to the point of irrelevance. It’s the primary force behind the backlash against Microsoft, The Simpsons, and Chicken McNuggets.

Lois Lane is coming very close to landing in that same category. She’s been DC’s primo reporter for so long, the model for so many other intrepid female journalists/superhero girlfriends, that somewhere along the line, people felt she apparently didn’t have to show off her chops anymore. By sheer kismet, she just ended up in the middle of a story and got it out, rarely expending any effort beyond some sassy one-liners and obligatory questions. That’s pretty much how things are working out in Futures End.

Batman Beyond Universe #4 – Review

By: Christos Gage & Kyle Higgins (writers), Iban Coello & Thony Silas (artists), Tom Mason & Andrew Elder (colorists)

The Story: Superman is trapped in the Phantom Zone without his powers and surrounded by the worst killers and criminals Krypton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Batman has his hands full with a living lightning rod and the world’s most passive aggressive mentor.

The Review: This fourth installment of Batman Beyond Universe’s print run closes the first chapter of both of its stories, but in each case there are plenty of dangling threads to draw you back next month.

First Superman concludes his battle with Jax-Ur in the Phantom Zone. The pacing in this story is odd, as we’re kind of just resolving the climax that hit at the end of last issue when we enter. There’s not a lot of time to deal with this and, as it so often is, the answer comes quickly. The result makes our heroes look very capable but lacks a certain narrative punch. Thank goodness, then, that there’s still the matter of Superman being trapped in the Phantom Zone.

Despite the sound beating that Kal has been handing Jax-Ur, this thread quickly escalates, providing the fun, satisfying final clash that the issue needed. Christos Gage’s script is a little academic at times, his characters abnormally well spoken in the midst of combat and their quips sometimes feeling stiff, but I, for one, am grateful for the intelligent and nuanced way that he handles the fight’s resolution. It was a risky choice but one that pays off. While Gage makes sure to offer us the action we demand, the struggle is eventually decided by the individual drives and desires of each of the characters.