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Back to the Futures End – Issues #32-35

Hey Match-heads, Shag here! Today our good friend Tim Wallace continues his coverage of DC’s weekly event, The New 52: Futures End! If you missed the previous installments, click here! Warning, Tim’s entries contain SPOILERS for the related issues of The New 52: Futures End. Consider yourself warned!  

Be sure to follow Tim’s regular work over on his exceptional site, Kord Industries: A Blue Beetle Blog! Get all your Ted Kord, Jaime Reyes, and Dan Garrett goodness there! Get even more Tim-time over at the Legion of Super-Bloggers! You can also stalk Tim on TwitterFacebook, and Google Plus. And now, let’s turn it over to Tim…

Sorry about the delay folks! I just got back from five years in the future. It was crazy! People didn’t trust superheroes, superheroes didn’t trust each other. Dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria! But like LeVar Burton said on “Reading Rainbow”, “You don’t have to take my word for it”…

The New 52: Futures End #32

Five years from now in New York, Terry McGinnis and Plastique are sort of on a date. Well, grabbing a slice of pizza together and discussing how future Batman had told Batman Beyond not to interact with five years Batman, because FYB would try to stop BB from preventing the future. Meanwhile five years Bruce is chatting with Mr. Terrific, trying to persuade him to delay the launch of the uSpheres. It backfires and Mr. Terrific decides the launch is happening in 24hrs, and drives the point home by broadcasting live all over Times Square!

New 52: Futures End #32

In California, E2 Lana Lang helps Grifter get a new identity, via an E2 registration card…and a marriage? Yup, he’s now Cole Lang! Back on Cadmus Island, Fifty Sue dons Deathstroke’s mask and swears she’ll kill Brother Eye. While in New York, Dr. Yamazake finds himself without a body after his transporter malfunctioned. He blames everyone but himself, but especially Firestorm! How does a being with no physical body get revenge though? He creates a containment suit!

New 52: Futures End #32

Next, Madison Payne and Jason Rusch are trying to split the Firestorm form back into their respective bodies. After further failed attempts, they decide to investigate the scene of the accident that fused them –Dr. Yamazake’s lab.

New 52: Futures End #32

 Then, somewhere in Earth orbit, the Stormwatch crew manages to make it home…unfortunately Father Time isn’t happy to see them. She’s even more upset when they refuse to give her the Engineer…so she sicks Godzilla like monsters on Frankenstein and company!

New 52: Futures End #32

The New 52: Futures End #33

Picking up exactly where the last issue left off, Father Time and S.H.A.D.E., face off with Stormwatch for refusing to give up the Engineer…until the Atom shrinks and jumps down Father Time’s throat!

New 52: Futures End #33

Shrinking down to “Fantastic Voyage” proportions, Ray discovers Father Time’s secret…his true face! In Las Vegas, Faraday and Rock discuss Ethan Boyer (a name we haven’t seen in a while!). They want him because of his expertise in genetics. So…they send Fifty Sue to convince him to come over to Cadmus. After her mission is complete, she just happens to bump into Grifter’s buddy Justin. She overhears Grifter telling him about his “marriage” to Lana Lang, so in classic Fifty Sue fashion she sucker punches him and takes his phone. “How come you didn’t call me first?” she asks. In New York, Batman Beyond and Plastique, with the help of A.L.F.R.E.D., scan for signs of Brother Eye but find nothing. Not satisfied, Terry asks A.L.F.R.E.D. to continue scanning. Good thing too, because at that moment, Lois Lane’s phone lights up with the symbol of Brother Eye! In no time we see it spread across the country…all the way back, to the remains of cyber-bug Plastique!

New 52: Futures End #33

Elsewhere Jason tries to coach Madison through the intricacies of being Firestorm. She’s got flight down to a “T”, but they’re still working on transmutation, but worse, they can’t separate! They arrive at what’s left of Yamazake’s lab to look for answers…instead they find Yamazake…the new Doctor Polaris!

New 52: Futures End #33

The New 52: Futures End #34

With Doctor Polaris on the attack, we learn something else about the new Firestorm…Madison doesn’t know how to fight! Jason tries to talk her through it, without much luck, until Polaris tosses a cement truck at them. Then she turns it into a teddy bear! Too bad it’s a teddy bear with the size and weight of a cement truck.

New 52: Futures End #34

In Earth orbit, Stormwatch continues to battle Father Time’s monsters while the Atom tries to reason with Father Time’s true self. The creature is a refugee, Brainiac destroyed its home. It explains that the Engineer is compromised, since Brainiac already had control he could easily take control again. Ray quickly pulls a shrink gun, reducing Father Time down, and escaping to reveal all he has learned.

New 52: Futures End #34

Frankenstein is prepared to kill the creature, but gets gunned down by a S.H.A.D.E. agent first. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Faraday rallies his troops. He wants Grifter to retrieve a vault of DNA samples from the ocean floor. Boyer starts mouthing off, upsetting Fifty Sue who can’t kill him…yet. Instead she makes one of his hands disappear! (she’s starting to remind me of Bill Mumy in the “Twilight Zone” episode “It’s a Good Life”).

New 52: Futures End #34

And in New York, A.L.F.R.E.D. goes offline shortly after detecting a blip while scanning for Brother Eye…and that’s when “The Thing With Two Heads” future Bat-Joker arrives on the scene!

New 52: Futures End #34

The New 52: Futures End #35

Back in New York, Firestorm crawls out from under the giant teddy bear, in time to see Doctor Polaris preparing another attack. Cal/Tim is also nearby, and goes into hero mode trying to help civilians. Madison, distracted by Cal’s presence get’s hit by a piece of shrapnel thrown my Polaris.

New 52: Futures End #35

Cal, surprised to see Firestorm in action, uses the moment to swing a lead pipe at the villain, only to have it swung right back at himself! Motivated by love, Madison manages to surprise Jason and herself by blasting Polaris right out of his containment suit!

New 52: Futures End #35

In Vegas, we get an oddly tender moment when E2 Lana decides Fifty Sue needs a mother, whether she likes it or not.

New 52: Futures End #35

In Earth Orbit, everyone is baffled by the fact that Frankenstein appears to be dying. Ray thinks it may have something to do with the arm transplant he did several issues back. The Nth metal in Hawkman’s blood may be healing Frank, making him vulnerable to physical harm. Father Time, locked up in a specimen jar, isn’t helping any either. Hawkman, along with Engineer and the Creature Commandos (wo-hoo! I love these guys!), is working on cleaning up S.H.A.D.E. HQ, while Black Adam has flown off to handle some personal business. Amethyst decides the best way to save Frankenstein is to take him back to Earth for some magic therapy. While in New York, it’s…well, something I never thought I’d see or type…Batman versus Batman Beyond versus Bat-Joker with Plastique caught in the middle!

New 52: Futures End #35

Well, that was interesting to say the least! Again, apologies for the delay, but more on the way soon I promise!

Shag here again! That’s it for this month! Thanks again to Tim for this fantastic coverage! Tim will return with further coverage of, The New 52: Futures End! Let us know what you think of this weekly series in the comments.

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2 Comments

  1. Keith G. Baker says:

    Once again, glad someone else is reading this for me. Big thanks, Tim.

    My main question is: Have they ever explained why Mr. Terrific is dressed like the Tasmanian Devil from the Global Guardians?

  2. Tim Wallace says:

    No, Keith, they have not…and now that you’ve pointed it out I can’t unsee it, lol

Leave a Reply to Keith G. Baker