The DC3kly Presents: “The New 52: Futures End,” Week 16: This Week in “Futures End”

The DC3 decided to take on the Herculean task of covering DC’s weekly books! Our coverage will rotate between creator interviews, issue reviews and annotations, and long-form pieces on featured characters. This, friends, is the DC3kly!

The New 52: Futures End #10
Written by Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, and Keith Giffen
Illustrated by Jesus Merino

The threat behind StormWatch’s entire existence reveals itself!

News, notes, and debuts:

This issue marks an extremely major revelation for “Futures End,” as we begin to move into the book’s next stage. But before we get into all that, here’s a quick recap:

The issue kicks off with a shady deal taking place in the midst of the Washington Monument. It seems Boyer, the scientist from a few issues back has been busy, creating fake Earth cards from the DNA of dead Earth 2 citizens. Just as the deal is finalized, the buyer reveals himself to be none other than the mysterious new hero Stormguard. After a quick brawl, Stormguard appeals to the morality of one of his foes, through their shared experience as soldiers. This scene seems to be setting up this new character as a possible partner for Stormguard, which feels forced, considering how little we even know about the patriotic hero. The only possible clue given toward his identity this issue is the quick use of a holographic golden shield, visually similar to the shield used by the Guardian. While this pretty much all but confirms that Stormguard is the Guardian currently appearing in “Superboy,” the writers continue to keep his identity under wraps.

I can delightfully report that the issue’s Cadmus section is mostly enjoyable this time around, thanks to the hilariously creepy family dynamic instituted by Fifty Sue. It seems that Earth 2 Lana Lang has joined Faraday’s motley crew, who finally seem to have a clear focus in the form of the rogue stealth O.M.A.C.s. We also learn that Faraday is aware of Mr. Miracle’s excursions through Cadmus Island, though the consequences of this information are not explored. As he spies on Miracle, we find him standing in a room full of computer screens, each of which reads “run, Scott, run.”

Elsewhere, Mr. Terrific worries that the uSpheres will not reach a sufficient quantity before the schedule release date, and ponders ways to increase motivation in his manufacturers. This leads to a lengthy conversation between Terrific and his friendly A.I. on human worth, the scale between insects, man, and gods. Several bits of foreshadowing, specifically the mention of “colonies.” hint towards the issue’s finale. It is revealed that the A.I. is actually a sentient alien being, one heading for Earth, alarmingly something that Terrific is aware of.

This leads back to Frankenstein’s group, who are once again visited by the Engineer. After yet another brief and pointless scuffle, it is revealed, in great Star Wars-esque manner, that the world they’ve been on this whole time is not a world at all, but rather a planet sized space ship. It is reveal that the master of the ship, the being that destroyed the Carrier, controls the Engineer, and is currently conversing with Mr. Terrific is none other than Brainiac!

Burning Questions:

While this issue raises a few questions (for instance, who is trying to warn Mr. Miracle?), none compare to the questions surrounding Brainiac. Counting the Morrison “Action Comics” revamp and the subsequent Villain’s month devamp, this is no less than the interpretation of Brainiac we’ve seen in the New 52. The DC3 has long speculated that Brainiac would soon come into play, the revelation of his status as a big bad raises a ton of questions. Is he pulling Brother Eye’s strings in the future, or are the two rogue machines acting independently? What is his connection to the death fields, the temple and the strange robot bearing his insignia? How and when did he come into contact with Mr. Terrific?

Brainiac also seems to be a major player in the ongoing “Doomed” crossover, talking control of Lois Lane and appearing on the cover of the story’s finale. Will “Doomed” provide hints toward the future of “Futures End,” or is this concurrent appearance a mere timing coincidence?

All of these questions present a wealth of possibilities and open doors to endless speculation. Do you have a theory for where thing are going next? The DC3 would love to bounce ideas around, because who doesn’t love a good comic book discussion? Sound off in the comments section, and be sure to keep checking back as the DC3kly presents “Futures End.”