The New 52: Futures End #9

By Brain Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, Jeff Lemire & Patrick Zircher

Brian Azzarello, along with fellow writers Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire bring back Frankenstein for another “Melmoth’s beard!” moment (I just love saying that) in issue #9 of this time-traveling series.

Azzarello, along with his fellow writers give more insight into Grifter’s role in this issue, as well as giving us a deeper glimpse into the “horrors” of Cadmus Island. This is an island with tons of secrets (too bad Lois Lane…you’re really missing out) and Grifter’s role becomes increasingly compelling. His dynamic with Deathstroke is fun to see, as both characters present that “edge” when being portrayed on the page. There is also a nicely put together fight scene (as depicted on the cover) between two titans slugging it out.

Another concept this issue brings up is the perils of time-travel. Something that followed Terry into the past the very first issue is going to be a game changer for Mr. Terrific and his technological advances. This issue is broken up into several “mini-comics”, much like the design of previous issues. We’re given glimpses into ever changing story-lines. The Frankenstein, Amethyst, and Doctor Palmer story is one of the most fun to read. Their scene in this issue especially raises some questions for what will come next. Their role in this series seems to be bigger than everything else.

Patrick Zircher is the artist on this week’s issue. The art in this series has been consistent for the most part. Without going into too much detail (No spoilers! You have to read it!) the scene with Frankenstein and the others features a lot of detail and panic on the characters’ faces, as well as overall design. Frank is looking great with his brand new arm, but not everyone is pleased to see him with it. The Superman fight scene is met with a lot of darker colors, and even gets shot out into the dark night skies before the next story comes into play – Mr. Terrific’s scene is bright white as he looks over his newest discovery. The initial punch by Superman is an incredibly detailed panel that the colors by Hi-fi bring to life very well. The glass shattering behind them followed by the two brutes delivering a “PAK”, “CHAK”, and “POK” to one another.

This issue tries to mention as many of the ongoing stories as possible and even delivers some big events. Grifter’s role has been enticing since his first appearance in the series and it continues to grow with much promise.