The New 52: Futures End #8 Review
By Steve Lam
Writers: Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Artist: Scot Eaton
Futures End #7 Recap
In Futures End #7, Frankenstein battles Black Adam and loses an arm in his escape of the Phantom Zone. Dr. Palmer, Frankenstein, and Amethyst successfully reach the site of Stormwatch’s destruction and find bodies floating about in space. At the Fast Lane, Lois is questioned by Madison Parker about Red Robin. The questioning quickly escalates to an argument when Madison blames Lois and reporters for exploiting her father’s, Maxwell Payne’s, trial. On Cadmus Island, Grifter learns that he will be paired with Slade Wilson for his mission. And in New York City, Batman Beyond is confronted by Mr. Terrific. Outnumbered, Batman Beyond is forced to flee and leave behind the cyborg body of Plastique which is now in the possession of Mr. Terrific.
Spoiler-Free Reaction
Another fine issue with lots of plot development. It seems that most of the introductions are out-of-the-way and we’re getting to the meat of the story.
Plot Details and Spoilers and Deaths: Oh My!
On Cadmus Island, Slade Wilson questions Faraday as to why he needs the assistance of Grifter. Meanwhile, Fifty Sue and Grifter continue to trade banter. Showing off her power, Fifty Sue telepathically tosses Grifter off the island and then brings him back. She warns Grifter that what he had just experienced was just a sample of her abilities and that she’s the rightful sidekick of Wilson.
At the Fast Lane, Lois’s intelligence specialist gives her best opinion on the string of cryptic numbers found in the box — they are map coordinates leading to the middle of the Indian Ocean west of Australia. Against the advice of her colleague, Lois books a flight to the location.
In New York City, Jason assists in the testing of Dr. Yamazake’s new transporter technology. The test proves to be unsuccessful when the transporter malfunctions and is set on fire.. Yamazake, baffled by the failure, leaves to find out what went wrong. At that moment, a masked Superman appears and asks Jason why Firestorm had been absent from the League’s last two meetings. Jason explains his falling out with Ronnie. Superman then turns his attention to the failed transporter and is critical of the usage of JLA tech. Jason becomes suspicious and thinks that the failure of the experiment was due to Superman. As Superman leaves, he tells Jason to fix his relationship with Ronnie.
At the site of Stormwatch’s destruction, Dr. Palmer has been unable to contact S.H.A.D.E. or Father Time. He records a journal in the hopes that this form of communication will make its way back to headquarters. As Dr. Palmer reboots the ship’s computer to find out what attacked Stormwatch, Frankenstein and Amethyst retrieve the bodies of Stormwatch. In a surprising move, Dr. Palmer, using Amethyst’s sword, cuts off the arm from Hawkman’s body — he’s going to use it to replace Frankenstein’s lost arm.
In Southeast Asia, an expedition to find treasure goes terribly wrong as the group is attacked by something that looks likes an android version of Parasite. We suddenly jump to New Orleans where Midge, sleeping next to Constantine, wakes up from a vision of the expedition. Midge warns Constantine that the end is coming, but Constantine nonchalantly says that he knows.
Wrapping It Up
We had some revelations of Fifty Sue’s relationship with Slade Wilson. Our masked Superman also makes an appearance when Yamazake’s transporter experiment fails. Only time will tell as to why Superman wears a mask five years later. In Southeast Asia, treasure hunters get attacked by what seems like an android-like Parasite. Could this be an enhanced Parasite? Does this tie in with any of Mr. Terrific’s more nefarious projects?