The Flash: Futures End #1 Review

First things first, I must say that I am not a fan of Robert Venditti’s work. There is nothing he has done that I have extraordinarily enjoyed. At best his titles from Valiant, such as X-O Manowar, have been serviceable if not entirely exciting reads. Yet I find his Flash run so outlandish I have no recourse but to review it, yet beware of spoilers.  

  Venditti seems to be under the extremely erroneous impression that all one needs to do is write some sci-fi/time travel mumbo-jumbo and “presto”, you have a Flash story. That must be the case since that’s all that has been going on in the title since Venditti took the reins. The character work has been shoddy, the pacing indifferent, and the artwork  of Brett Booth doing nothing to energize the experience of reading it. All that has been going on is just following the adventures of a “Future” Flash in the backdrop. These faults find no safer a home than in this month’s The Flash: Futures End #1. While we have seen “Future Flash” do some mildly heroic/interesting things, this issue sees fit to negate all of that. Rather than having grown, this issue makes it out that Future Flash’s entire goal was to kill the Reverse-Flash. Yep, that was it, and in front of the villain’s own nephew – Wally West.  

  Not only does this constitute as a very heavy handed and wasteful use of the character created by Manapul and Buccellato, but it also makes laughable one of the most important scenes in Flash history. There is no heart to it, and it comes off as a weirdly unfitting “shock” moment. Not to mention that Future Flash then decides to compound the problems by beating Wally’s other hero, Barry Allen, to a pulp. There is no rhyme or logic to it, other than the tried and tired premise of “I’m from the future and are therefore right”. It’s hackneyed and really just a lazy point on Venditti’s part. The only point that I can give this issue is that Wally seems genuinely worried about Barry’s well-being. It’s a small touching moment due not to Venditti, but rather what these characters should represent. A loving mentor/mentee relationship.  

  It is somewhat ruined by then having this be the impetus for yet more revenge cycles. Enough Venditti, this isn’t an interesting story arc and adding more “pathos” isn’t helping it out. Venditti needs to put this arc to rest and fast, otherwise leave this series to another writer who will perhaps make it enjoyable instead of an angst ridden slog. While not truly terrible, its biggest crime is being boring. Which is probably a bit worse, don’t you think?