Marvel has created the best alternate futures in comics. There are some who would say this is an opinion, but you merely have to look at how many Marvel futures have been successful, and how many DC ones have. Marvel has “Days of Future Past”, the Wastelands, and one of the most interesting of them all, the 2099 future. Introduced in the early ’90s, the 2099 series of books was pretty successful, creating some amazing versions of Marvel heroes like Spider-Man 2099. Over the years, the House of Ideas has tried to bring the line back to prominence, and The End 2099 #1 is the latest attempt. As far as it goes, it’s certainly fine, but it’s taking ideas from all over the history of Marvel for a story you’ve read numerous times over the years.
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Writer Steve Orlando lays out a rather standard story. Galactus has become Abyssus after being taken over by Knull, with Dracula acting as his herald. They destroy a server planet, causing chaos that sets the stage for the 2099 characters to show up, and Silver Surfer goes to Mephisto for help. The story then becomes a challenge between Abyssus and Mephisto, with each of them grabbing champions; Mephisto from the 2099 timeline and Abyssus from across the Marvel Multiverse. There’s a surprise character joining the battle at the end as a spoiler.
Rating: 3 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Entertaining and well-paced | Is completely composed of old ideas without bringing anything new |
| The art is fantastic | Abyssus is a terrible idea. |
Let’s be real for a moment — there’s nothing original about this story. It’s basically just Marvel Super Heroes Contest of Champions set in the future. There’s even a little bit of Marvel Super Heroes Secret War, with Orlando having Mephisto create his own version of Battleworld. The set-up is entertaining and makes sense, but it’s hard to ignore the lack of new ideas. There’s nothing original in this story, which is partly a thing that defines superhero comics, but it doesn’t use any of the old ideas in new ways, which is what makes superhero comics worth reading. It’s not bad, but it’s great either.
Ibrahim Roberson’s Art Is the Best Part of the Book
Ibrahim Roberson is one of those artists who a lot of fans haven’t heard of or don’t remember his name, but he’s been doing amazing work for ages now. The first time I saw his work was in the amazing Old Man Logan series, and every time I’ve seen him since, it’s been awesome. The End 2099 #1 is as standard a superhero event comic as you can get, but his art makes it all look fantastic. I’m not at all a fan of the idea of Knull and Galactus brought together as Abyssus, but the double-page spread of the massive monster coming to destroy the planet Ioda is fantastic, and sets the scene for the rest of this book’s amazing art.
Honestly, Roberson’s art is the real MVP here. This isn’t a story that is going to impress anyone with its bog-standard beats, but Roberson’s art is definitely going to make people take notice. There are some excellent action scenes, the character acting is great, and the detail is good. Roberson is one of those artists who can draw just about any character well, and that’s on display when he gets a chance to render the various groups of heroes after the contest starts. This is a gorgeous-looking issue, and it definitely helps buoy the rather cliché script and almost takes the book to another level.
The End 2099 #1, from a writing standpoint, feels like yet another example of Marvel coasting and hoping that the title will sell the book. The story is something you’ve read a hundred times from the publisher, so if you’re going in looking for anything groundbreaking, you won’t find it. If you’re a lapsed 2099 fan looking to get back into that future, then I don’t really think this book is for you either, because so little of it actually deals with the characters you probably want to see. It’s the definition of fine as a story, with art that definitely makes the story itself feel better, but can’t make it an original, interesting thing on its own merits. It’s a slightly below-average story with above-average art, but it will probably lead to some cool fights down the road. So, it has that going for it.
2099 The End #1 is on sale now. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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