The New 52: Futures End #21

By Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen, Cully Hamner & Hi-Fi

Welcome to History 101. Please take your seat.

This week we’re given a history lesson on what really happened in the war we’ve been hearing so much about. Red Arrow from Earth 2, and Green Arrow from Earth break down the story and give some more depth to what’s lead us to their desired CADMUS confrontation among others.

Brian Azzarello and his fellow writers this week deliver us a flashback issue and comically interject with an impatient Barda every so often. For those of us who’ve been reading since the beginning “the war” aspect has been a big part of this series. We’ve seen many heroes fall, some use the confrontation as a means to disappear and others a way to make a stand in their new home. The war aspect is something we’ve seen a lot in relation to Red Robin’s attempt at shying away, but this time around it’s nice to see the other side of it, to find out how the Earth 2 refugees dealt with this scenario.

The art this week is done by Cully Hamner and the colors once again done by Hi-Fi. Hamner does well to make this issue his own by delivering some eye-popping scenes alongside similar character deigns we’re used to in this series. A scene showcasing the fleet in hot pursuit of the Earth 2 refugees shows his talents off well. It’s a large panel, taking up half the page, and has a red blast pulsing behind the escaping airships. The style is almost sketched looking, but very intricate. Hi-Fi accompanies this panel with a mix of red, pink, and purple making up the background. The ships pop in the forefront in light blues and white. The whole scene feels as if the vacuum of space is pulling on their ships.

This week served to give us more insight into how the Earth 2 heroes came to be here as well as remind us how angry Barda gets when she has to be patient.