Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Future Imperfect #5 of 5
Marvel Comics
David, Land, Leisten & Woodard
"Future Imperfect" wraps up its five issue mini-series with a hard hitting installment. The premise of the book has had an underlying tone that the plot to kill off Doom couldn't possibly ever get anywhere. After all, "Secret Wars" is slated to go through the end of the year at a minimum. However, this issue puts Doom in harm's way as he battles the Maestro. This comic definitely caters to the fans of the twenty-year old, original, "Future Imperfect" story, but this issue seems to be aimed at "Secret Wars" readers specifically. I enjoyed the book and the mini-series and recommend checking it out.
Maestro looks to obtain the weapon that's strong enough to take down Doom. The only thing standing in his way is Rick Jones. Rick is the weapon's guardian. Wheelchair bound and sitting at over one-hundred years old, Jones doesn't seem to provide much of a threat to the Maestro. However, Jones uses his history with the Maestro/Hulk/Banner to get under the skin of the Maestro.
The mini-series took great care to introduce (or re-introduce) some characters from the original series but they all very much play a background role in this comic book. With the exception of Rick Jones and the Maestro having words in the first few pages, the rest of the book is all action.
Doom and the Maestro battling is a good action sequence but it isn't sprawling. The pair fight, for the most part, on a rock ledge in a cave. This is a good idea because it really focuses on the powers. It also plays into the ending. The ending to the comic is as clever as the ending to the original story all those years ago.
Land on art does a very good job. His pencils are not overly detailed or heavily inked and it works in this issue because of the heavy reliance on action. The book looks loud and world-ending and the artwork helps to sell that very well. The visuals in this story might surprise you if you don't typically care for Land's work.
"Future Imperfect" takes an old story, dusts off the characters and tosses them into "Secret Wars." The comic book manages to become relevant to the crossover as the plot to kill Doom brings Doom into this issue. While this comic book is mostly action, the book manages to throw in some good storytelling as Rick Jones takes some verbal shots at the Maestro and David throws in a surprise at the end. Overall, I enjoyed this series and the ending a lot. I definitely recommend it for fans of the original series and for "Secret Wars" fans that are looking for something that ties into Doom a little more closely.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
