Future State has been depressing

[Robotman]

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like most of the Future State stories are real downers. Gotham is in a totalitarian state with shoot on site orders for all masks, a possessed Wally has murdered countless people and members of the Flash Family, everyone and everything is dead in Immortal Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing takes place in a post-apocalyptic world were again, everyone is dead, the Titans’ world is a nightmare with a mass graveyard for all the fallen heroes, etc.

I have found myself feeling depressed after reading my weekly DC Comics.

If this was truly Didio’s original vision for 5G, he really out Didio-ed himself.

[Goldrake]

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like most of the Future State stories are real downers. Gotham is in a totalitarian state with shoot on site orders for all masks, a possessed Wally has murdered countless people and members of the Flash Family, everyone and everything is dead in Immortal Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing takes place in a post-apocalyptic world were again, everyone is dead, the Titans’ world is a nightmare with a mass graveyard for all the fallen heroes, etc.

I have found myself feeling depressed after reading my weekly DC Comics.

If this was truly Didio’s original vision for 5G, he really out Didio-ed himself.

Only Justice League was good in my opinion, the rest is much as you write.

[married guy]

I've skipped everything except the 2 Aquaman issues. (I haven't read #1 yet and I only ordered #2 yesterday)
I figured from the start this was going to be something I needed to avoid like the plague.

[Goldrake]

I've skipped everything except the 2 Aquaman issues. (I haven't read #1 yet and I only ordered #2 yesterday)
I figured from the start this was going to be something I needed to avoid like the plague.

FS Aquaman 1 was a let down for me, let's see what the second issue is like, but not expecting much of it either.
Justice League, I recommend however, not great but enjoyable.

[Jabare]

This is just an event I enjoy it for what it is.

Gotham still feels like Gotham to me. No matter how hard Batman or others try that city is just in a perpetual downward spiral.

But the theme of this event is definitely Dark Future.

I think Justice League is par for the course, obviously something bad happens but it's like something you'd see in a normal Justice League story.

Shazam's been interesting so far, dark, but still interesting. I'm mixed on Titans but I don't mind the older Nightwing and Starfire. BeastBorg is terrible tho, I'm not sure who greenlit that.

for what it's worth this event isn't nearly as depressing as Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Probably the most depressing DC story in a decade.

[OBrianTallent]

Completely agree and a total waste of money. Unfortunately DC seems intent on using much of this train wreck as a springboard for their future.

[Robanker]

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like most of the Future State stories are real downers. Gotham is in a totalitarian state with shoot on site orders for all masks, a possessed Wally has murdered countless people and members of the Flash Family, everyone and everything is dead in Immortal Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing takes place in a post-apocalyptic world were again, everyone is dead, the Titans’ world is a nightmare with a mass graveyard for all the fallen heroes, etc.

I have found myself feeling depressed after reading my weekly DC Comics.

If this was truly Didio’s original vision for 5G, he really out Didio-ed himself.

What did you expect? It was Didio's baby. The marching orders every time he got his druthers was "do it over again, but darker and faster this time."

It's come out several times that the direction writers were given for New 52 was "D A R K I S G O O D." This was clearly more of the same. The appeal was seemingly "we cut forward and the world is a mess-- watch as this new generation saves it!"

That's a novel gimmick but when it's what they keep doing it no longer works.

[Adekis]

I'm real sick of Dark Timelines. I have been since... I don't know, maybe Flashpoint? I know that's more of a Dark Present than a Dark Future, but you get the idea.

And DC has done Dark Futures so often now, it honestly starts to feel like an inevitability, like when you have a world with Batman and Superman in it, the natural outcome is that everything goes to hell.

I sure don't like that.

[Goldrake]

I'm real sick of Dark Timelines. I have been since... I don't know, maybe Flashpoint? I know that's more of a Dark Present than a Dark Future, but you get the idea.

And DC has done Dark Futures so often now, it honestly starts to feel like an inevitability, like when you have a world with Batman and Superman in it, the natural outcome is that everything goes to hell.

I sure don't like that.

exactly, seems a contradiction, why there is a need of superheroes when everything goes bad, with them or without.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like most of the Future State stories are real downers. Gotham is in a totalitarian state with shoot on site orders for all masks, a possessed Wally has murdered countless people and members of the Flash Family, everyone and everything is dead in Immortal Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing takes place in a post-apocalyptic world were again, everyone is dead, the Titans’ world is a nightmare with a mass graveyard for all the fallen heroes, etc.

I have found myself feeling depressed after reading my weekly DC Comics.

If this was truly Didio’s original vision for 5G, he really out Didio-ed himself.

If those were the only books you read, then yeah, it'd seem like a depressing event. Buyt JL, Supes, WW, Supes/WW and a lot of the backups were just uplifting, classic DC superhero fanfare. Not to mention a few of the back ups.

[lemonpeace]

If those were the only books you read, then yeah, it'd seem like a depressing event. Buyt JL, Supes, WW, Supes/WW and a lot of the backups were just uplifting, classic DC superhero fanfare. Not to mention a few of the back ups.

you mention the back-ups twice but I 100% concur. there are 30+ stories in Future State and a lot more variety than people are giving it credit for.

I'd also like to add, is Gotham really THAT much more depressing that the corrupt decaying crime ridden hellscape it usually is by default? I feel that one is the biggest reach to point at and cry depravity at when it's juxtaposed against how Gotham always it. also, Immortal Wonder Woman takes place at the end of time....why would everyone be alive an incalculable amount of time later? and there is a Nubia back-up in that same story that's pretty much standard superheroics, no more depressing than your standard Wonder Woman story. 30+ stories, unless you read all of them and came to this conclusion, the "Future State is soooooo dark" take is intellectually pretty disingenuous.

[lemonpeace]

also, and I feel this bears reminding, a lot of these creators are fresh faces to DC; many of which weren't working for DC when Didio was still around. many (all) of them are writing stories trying to showcase what they can do in the hope for more work at the company, it feels unfair and pretty disrespectful to chalk it up to "oh Didio's machinations again! so grime, much depression". if it ain't for you, fine, it ain't for you, but Didio is gone. ain't no more scapegoat, if you don't like Future State it ain't some boogeyman making your comics bad, the book's just not for you. you can't possibly grasp what's in front of you if you're irrationally holding onto the past, only those who move forward will ever know fellas.

[Robotman]

also, and I feel this bares reminding, a lot of these creators are fresh faces to DC; many of which were working for DC when Didio was still around. many (all) of them are writing stories trying to showcase what they can do in the hope for more work at the company, it feels unfair and pretty disrespectful to chalk it up to "oh Didio's machinations again! so grime, much depression". if it ain't for you, fine, it ain't for you, but Didio is gone. ain't no more scapegoat, if you don't like Future State it ain't some boogeyman making your comics bad, the book's just not for you. you can't possibly grasp what's in front of you if you're irrationally holding in to the past, only those who move forward will ever know fellas.

Ok, well I guess it’s just me then. They’re all uplifting stories and that means I should really make an appointment with my psychiatrist

But really, if half or even a fourth of your company’s stories have everyone dead or have your heroes shown to be complete failures, I don’t think it’s just me being a cranky old fan. But I probably shouldn’t have included the Batman line as something unusually dark, as that’s pretty much the MO of the franchise.

[Morgoth]

Well, it's still not entirely fair to call the Future State absolutely dark and depressing, not all the stories there are like that. In Flash and Titans it went too far (that's why they are the worst FS titles, IMHO), but considering that all this was written when their ''biggest fan'' was in charge, I won't say that this is surprising. But these events still won't happen, so it doesn't matter.
And regarding Gotham titles, well, it's Gotham, it's Batman titles, what did you expect?

[Godlike13]

I found it more anticlimactic. Beyond the concepts the stories themselves are pretty mundane. Barring a few exceptions. Mainly FS WW. That book was just rad. Felt new and fresh.