Action Comics: Futures End #1 Review

Written by: Sholly Fisch
Art by: Pascal Alixe and Vicente Cifuentes
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 3, 2014

A Tree grows in...Ethiopia?

It's time to put all of our favorite books on hold a bit for the latest BIG EVENT.  Yep, it's September and that mean that DC is going to do something special whether us fans like it or not.  This year, we travel five years into the future.  The Futures End that is.  A dark time of Brother Eye, Fifty Sue, OMACS and craziness.  If you haven't been reading the weekly, too bad.  Actually, it doesn't seem to matter much, at least not in this book.  That's because we travel five years into the future to see Superman doing what he does best...gardening.  Hmm...



Superman is trying to help Ethiopia by planting crops. Crops that are bound to fail.  However, he doesn't give up hope and hope is what this issue is about.  Meanwhile, people across the globe are receiving Super powers and we get to see what they do with them.  Some do good, some do bad and others just keep on keeping on.  By showing this, Sholly Fisch reminds us what makes Superman so great. He has all the power in the World, but still helps and inspires people.  The book ends with the hope and inspiration of these others coming back to the Man of Steel and paying it forward.  We get a happy Superman and crops in Ethiopia.

Okay.  I get the concept of the book and at any other time I would welcome it.  Superman is one of my favorites and Sholly Fisch nails why.  He is a great guy.  However, why the hell is this a Futures End book?  It is just a story forced into the event.  DC, don't insult your fans like this.

Pascal Alixe and Vicente Cifuentes share art duties and on their own I may have appreciated their styles, but they don't go well together.  The switch just took me out of the story.

This issue may have the "Futures End" tag in the title, but besides a couple of name drops, it could really take place at any time.  That is it's charm, but also it's downfall.  Sholly Fisch gives the reader a tale of what makes Superman so great.  Spoiler alert...it's not his strength, invulnerability or ability to fly.  Nope, it's what he does with his gifts that inspire people to become better people themselves.

Bits and Pieces:

I'm confused by this issue.  It's a nice little Superman story, but an unnecessary Futures End one.  Sholly Fisch shows why Superman is an inspiring hero, but at the same time DC shows how to force an issue into an event.

6.0/10