Judging by the cover of this issue and the cliffhanger from last time, it looks like some big things are really going to be going down this time around. Which is very good since last issue just kind of dragged and dragged unfortunately. Let’s see what we got this time! Is it good?
Futures End #40 (DC Comics)
Writers: Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire
Artist: Patrick Zircher
Story
In Smallville, Superman rushes off to get his uniform and heads for Manhattan, while Constantine is forced to fight off Brainiac’s creatures. At the Justice League Station rotating Earth, all of the members teleport in to see what’s the problem and what their Deep Space Monitor System is picking up. They arrive just as the Stormwatch ship arrives to warn them of Brainiac’s arrival.
Spoiler Corner
As Brainiac’s gigantic base arrives, he takes control of the Engineer on Stormwatch again and begins firing down these mini spheres into Manhattan, causing rampant destruction and death everywhere. Down there, Batman, Tim Drake, and Plastique head for Terrifitech to see if they get more information about what is happening and see what Batman Beyond is up to. As they arrive, they find all the guards slaughtered and a mysterious figure in the shadows with a glowing red eye watching them.
The Justice League splits into two groups. One group heads to Manhattan to help people and the other follows the Engineer back to Brainiac’s ship. Firestorm and Masked Superman are forced to stay about the station and keep an eye on Dr. Polaris. Following the team that went after the Engineer for a page, they find her at the top of the ship preparing some sort of vessel (looks like one of Brainiac’s old collecting ships from the DC animated series).
Back on Earth in New York, Lois Lane watches as the entire island slowly becomes encased as purple energy shots from the spears and starts shielding everything off. Following that, a gigantic Brainiac thing (the one from the cover), rises from the ground. The issue then ends with Superman flying in to put a stop to this mess.
Thoughts
Now this is what I call a marked improvement over the last issue. The story really felt like it really started to pick up with Brainiac now arriving on the scene and things are getting exciting (though I wasn’t a fan of how the Engineer was treated this issue. Felt like she got the shaft after everything that has happened to her). It really renewed my interest in the book after last time and the great artwork by Patrick Zircher helped a lot as well. Hopefully, the comic can keep up this momentum. We are getting close to the end and I hate for the comic to trip up again.
Most Memorable Moment
Uh-oh! Looks like Batman is starting to nag again.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
