The New 52: Futures End #37 Review
By Steve Lam
Writers: Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, Jeff Lemire
Artists: Aaron Lopresti, Wayne Faucher, Dan Green, Art Thibert, Hi-Fi, Ryan Sook
Futures End #36 Recap
At the House of Mystery, the Justice League Dark fails to magically heal Frankenstein. In Las Vegas, Fifty Sue telepathically raises the supposedly lost DNA vault from the ocean floor and presents it to King Faraday and the team. In Smallville, Constantine theorizes that the evil presence he feels is actually the absence of evil — due to good being drawn into an area to fill a void. In New York City, Batman Beyond and Plastique form a plan to enlist the help of Tim Drake. The two then give in to their feelings. At the Justice League Defense Station Omega, Stormguard recollects his reason for keeping his superhero identity, which delves into his origins. As Firestorm unexpectedly transports to the station, both Shazam and Stormguard are surprised by a changed hero.
Spoiler-Free Reaction
Futures End #37 picks up the pace a bit more, but it’s still not an exciting enough issue.
Plot Details and Spoilers and Deaths: Oh My!
The House of Mystery: Constantine arrives as an astral projection and offers his help in saving Frankenstein. Amethyst refuses due to what Constantine did to Gemworld — when the Parademons attacked, Constantine sacrificed Gemworld and used it to trap them. As Frankenstein comes to consciousness, Constantine offers a bit of knowledge on how to save him. Frankenstein needs to be returned to where he was born — Castle Frankenstein.
Justice League Defense Station Omega: As Jason Rusch internally guides Firestorm (Madison Payne) in recreating the accident that fused them, Doctor Polaris attacks Metropolis to get Firestrom’s attention. Stormguard and the Superman-disgused Shazam arrive to stop him. Back at the station, Firestorm discovers, through recreating Dr. Yamazake’s transporter, that the magnetic technology would’ve saved lived. As they initiate the experiment, something goes wrong and Firestorm is knocked unconscious.
Las Vegas, Nevada: Fifty Sue drops the vault, causing immense damage to the side of a skyscraper. Angered, King Faraday wants Fifty Sue contained. Mercy, acting on her own volition, touches Fifty Sue. Although the response is delayed, Fifty Sue supposedly falls dead from Mercy’s contact. Looking towards the location of where the vault fell, Voodoo and King Faraday find nothing — the vault seemingly disappeared into thin air.
Terrifitech: As Mr. Terrific prepares for the launch of his uSpheres, a worldwide craze for the new device is seen.
Smallville: Superman thinks that Constantine has led him to Brainiac’s location. However, Superman quickly becomes irritated by Constantine’s cryptic handling of the situation. In the cornfields, a group of beings watches them.
New York City: As Tim Drake arrives home, he finds his Wounded Duck bar wrecked. Batman Beyond swoops down from his stake-out building to apologize for the damages to the bar, but is greeted with a swift punch by Tim. Across the street, the hybrid Batman/Joker cyborg sights them and fires his weapon.
Wrapping It Up
I’m getting more and more worried that Futures End may fizzle out instead of end on a strong note. Unless these recent issues are only the calm before the storm, I don’t see how the story will gear up for any type of ultimate battle. Even though Futures End #37 adds a bit more action, it’s still not enough to engage a lot of interest. There’s still in-fighting among some characters, and most of the plot lines don’t move the story forward. In my opinion, the final push for the series should be an all-out brawl that’s met with setback after setback. So far, most of the conflicts seem rather small and shallow.