New 52: Futures End #4 Review

Can this weekly series be compelling or is destined to flounder under the weight of its potential? Read on to find out.

The official description from DC:

Where is Red Robin? Who wants to steal from the world’s most famous man? And whatever happened to Stormwatch?

There’s a lot that can be said about this title, as it continually delivers a corny narrative that seems to be a bit bloated even in comparison to other franchises that followed its same schedule. Even so the creative team manages to craft something that’s more than worthwhile as this outing proves that the further this path gets the more interesting it’s bound to become. In short: this release represents a solidification of what the  rest of this comic might some day become.

Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen continue to craft this dark future for the New 52. There’s a tremendous amount of text in this release but for me the script actually became a turning point of sorts, as the various pieces set up in the previous issues finally began to come together. The authors do a solid job taking the journeys of Grifter, Frankenstein, Batman Beyond, Red Robin, Lois Lane and even the ill-fated Stormwatch into their careful hands while leaving nuggets that are bound to garner some interest even among the most discerning members of its dedicated audience.

The visuals handed in by Aaron Lopresti offer up a consistent vision that realizes the quirks of this expansive cast. There are a lot of players in the mix, and that right there can be an instant problem with a tale that engulfs this connected universe. But after a few quick pages this talent proves he’s more than up to the task, delivering high quality panels with only a handful of lackluster moments. The colors by Hi-Fi continue to be spot on to what they need to be, I honestly have no complaints.

New 52: Futures End #4 breaks some roadblocks as it proves that this is a viable journey with enough narrative meat to garner both fan and critic attention. Recommended.