Justice League: Futures End #1 Review

The Futures End tie-ins keep coming and Major Spoilers has your review of the newest Justice League.  Your review is one click away.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: FUTURES END #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jed Dougherty
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Editor: Rickey Purdin
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99/$3.99

Previously in Futures End: The great war between Apokolips and Earth-2 has shattered the DC Universe in some way.  What way isn’t clear other than many things have changed five years from now.  This is what has been happening with the Justice League.

I THOUGHT THESE WERE ONE-SHOTS?

The major flaw with the Futures End tie-ins this month has been their lack connection (or tie-in if you will) to the Futures End story.  While some of the issues have been good, their relevance to the event has been loose at best.  The one upside to them, good or bad, is the self contained nature.  They’re done in one and little previous knowledge is needed going in.  Unfortunately with Justice League: Futures End #1, that isn’t the case.

To my surprise, this issue is actually part two of two, the first taking place in what I can only assume is Justice League United.  I was quite disappointed to see this not only because it goes against what I believed these tie-ins to be, but also because I had no reference of what had come before.  Jeff Lemire writes a decent story involving members of the Justice League (most of them from the Justice League United title) as they stop Captain Atom freeing and escaping with the villains in prison on Mars.  It’s fun enough and there is a lot of action but the overall feeling I had once finished was quite underwhelmed.  Once again, the backstory and events alluded to are more interesting than what actually takes place.  I want to read the story that shows Captain Atom blowing up millions of people or what Martian Manhunter did to be thrown into the Mars prison, but that’s not what we’re given.  I really hope these events are addressed at some point (maybe in the Earth-2 weekly coming next year?) because they’re ideas that could make for some great stories.  Nothing Lemire does with this issue is particularly bad, just boring, and ends up being another forgettable tie-in comic.

WELL THIS DOESN’T HELP

Jed Dougherty’s art just isn’t to my tastes, to put it bluntly.  It strangely reminded me of Walt Simonson art but extremely less refined.  Characters, Cyborg in particular, have an odd look and almost appear stumpy.  Proportions are off at times and there are moments where faces are cringeworthy, the panel of Captain Atom standing in his kitchen being the worst.  Dougherty is clearly enthusiastic about what he’s drawing and there are pages that have a lot going on but none of it looked like what I would expect from a high profile book such as Justice League.  It’s sad because the art could have made up for the shortcomings of the story, but that just isn’t the case.

THE BOTTOM LINE: JUST WALK ON BY

Justice League: Futures End #1 is a completely skippable book.  It ties loosely to the Futures End event with a story that is continued from another title.  Once again, the background events are more compelling than what takes place and would be more interesting to read.  The artwork doesn’t help any and is nothing what I would expect from a Justice League book.  I’m sure the creative team had the best intentions but this issue doesn’t work.  If you see this one on the racks, just walk on by and skip it.