DC Comics Flashpoint *SPOILERS*

[Silent December]

DC's Big Summer event is now underway with the release of Flashpoint #1 and Booster Gold #44 earlier this week so I though we'd get a thread going to discuss. I'll update this first post regularly with relevant info:

Here's a checklist of all the issues involved (part 1):

MAY
Flashpoint #1
Booster Gold #44

JUNE
Flashpoint #2
Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance #1
Flashpoint: Secret 7 #1
Flashpoint: Abin Sur - The Green Lantern #1
World of Flashpoint #1
Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1
Flashpoint: Deathstroke and
the Curse of the Ravager #1
Flashpoint: Frankenstein & the
Creatures of the Unknown #1
Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1
Booster Gold #45
Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1
Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1
Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1
Flashpoint: Grodd of War #1
Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1
Flashpoint: The Outsider #1
Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1
Flashpoint: Reverse Flash #1
Flashpoint: Project Superman #1
Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries #1
Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1
Flashpoint: Canterbury Cricket #1

Here's a map of Flashpoint Earth

Here's an interesting article on the event:

https://www.newsarama.com/comics/post-flashpoint-silence-raises-questons-110520.html

I thought I was burned out on on big Summer events but after picking up Flashpoint #1 I gotta say that my interest has been peaked. Interestingly enough Booster Gold #44 has sold out and gone back to press after being out just a couple of days. Thoughts?

 

[The Mike]

Well in traditional Geoff Johns style he shot his load premature literally filling Issue 1 with too much really. I love Johns but as a writer he seems to hit you hard with Issue #1 and then run out of steam by the end of the arc. Rebirth, Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, especially Brightest Day all had fantastic beginnings and meh endings.

Booster Gold was interesting especially seeing Doomsday at the end.

Interestingly enough there aren't any DC solicits the week the last issue of Flashpoint comes out and all associated say that it's going to change current continuity and current status quo, that I'm more interested in.

 

[Silent December]

I'll make sure to discuss all things Flashpoint here and not on Facebook Mike lol

I'm always weary of these DCUverse reboots if in fact that ends up happening. I really dislike universe sweeping events that will "change everything you know" only to have everything go back to statue quo next issue. But as you pointed out Mike the fact that we only get the last issue of Flashpoint that last week of August, and all creators signing non-disclosure agreement makes me think this time things might actually stick, time will tell.

 

[Agent0028]

Man...I'm just getting into more of the DCU. I'm not ready for a universe wide reboot (if it is that).

So what is flashpoint going to be about?

 

[The Mike]

Basically The Flash wakes up, the entire universe has changed. Up is Down. Left is Right. Aquaman is a baddass. He tries to right the issue through the arc although Johns has eluded to the idea that Barry won't be able to fix it completely and that the DCU will change because of both the original intervention and his changes.

@ the Facebook talk about the spoiler heard around the world.

 

[Silent December]

@ the Facebook talk about the spoiler heard around the world.

Round the world? no way, did I?

 

[Agent0028]

Flash has never really interested me, so I probably won't wind up reading this, but I'm interested to see how it affects the universe. It seems like DC does this alot. I just spent some time on Wikipedia brushing up on the whole Infinite Crisis (or one of the Crises anyway) and 52 and One Year Later in order to understand what the hell is going on in Batman: Face the Face TPB.

 

[jrice73]

Man...I'm just getting into more of the DCU. I'm not ready for a universe wide reboot (if it is that).

So what is flashpoint going to be about?

Spoilers...







Basically, its DC's answer to Marvel's House of M. Apparently, Eobard Thawne/Professor Zoom has done something that has caused Barry Allen to be pulled into an alternate reality. Barry basically wakes up at his desk in Central City's CSI lab, walks downstairs and his mom's alive and kicking and promptly gives Barry a big hug. Also, Iris West does not who he is. But the biggie--he was never struck by lightning after being doused with those chemicals and therefore Flash DOES NOT exist. This reality apparently has nothing to do with the 52 universes in the DC multiverse as Skeets explains to Booster Gold, who has also been pulled into this crazy, mixed up world. There is no JLA, Cyborg is the USA's biggest hero, Captain Cold is apparently an anti-hero, Aquaman and the Atlantneans are trying to takeover the surface world, Bruce and Martha Wayne were murdered leaving Thomas to take up the cowl and Superman is nowhere to be seen along with a sluice of other craziness.

Booster was talking to Rip Hunter about his chalkboard and what was on it after coming back from looking for Bruce Wayne in the timestream. Booster looks at the chalkboard and basically tells Rip he's hungry so he goes to raid Rip's fridge. And that's when Booster gets pulled into this world right as he is looking in Rip Hunter's fridge for a sandwich (that was funny).

Bottomline--all that stuff that was on Rip's chalkboard has come to pass in this crazy alternate reality. Whoever wrote that stuff may have also wrote all the clues about "52" that took place a couple of years back after Infinite Crisis. Barry and Booster need to hook up and get themselves on the same page fast.

 

[cjf28]

No one is talking about this?

Im enjoying it WAY more than I thought I would.

The batman series with the surprise villian was a TERRIFIC twist. and if the relaunch has the same kind of stories, this may be a nice surprise.

 

[thenammagazine]

No one is talking about this?

Im enjoying it WAY more than I thought I would.

The batman series with the surprise villian was a TERRIFIC twist. and if the relaunch has the same kind of stories, this may be a nice surprise.

Kinda worthless given it's not even gonna be relevant in less than a month.

 

[cjf28]

I still read it as a "what if" story. And it was great.

while the STORY is gone in a month, the talent it took to right it should still be there. I hope they use it

 

[amusedjester]

I liked it more than I thought I would. I would recommend the Batman, Aquaman and Wonderwoman stories more. It is certainly an interesting take on the characters we have known. I liken it to a trainwreck happening before you're very eyes. You know something bad is about to happen and you wonder how far it will go and in the end all you can say is, "Oh Crap!". Then the story ends.

 

[thenammagazine]

I liked it more than I thought I would. I would recommend the Batman, Aquaman and Wonderwoman stories more. It is certainly an interesting take on the characters we have known. I liken it to a trainwreck happening before you're very eyes. You know something bad is about to happen and you wonder how far it will go and in the end all you can say is, "Oh Crap!". Then the story ends.

Usually it's the opposite with DC for me. All that build up, and you're expecting one of those life-altering endings and it fizzles like a dud.

 

[cjf28]

The ending to Flashpoint may be a dud ( wouldnt surprise me).

But the mini series contained within the "Big event" have some nice writing in them.

Definitely enjoying Abin Sur. and LOVED the Batman series

 

[amusedjester]

Usually it's the opposite with DC for me. All that build up, and you're expecting one of those life-altering endings and it fizzles like a dud.

I think it's because it's a 3 parter and the fact that anything they do is going to be erased anyway, it gave the writers a little bit more freedom on where to take the characters and the story.

I'll have to check on Abin Sur.

 

[Kamandi]

September is New Coke month at DC.

 

[Agent0028]

I gotta agree with Alex on this one. If the story is entertaining its doing its job even if it's not going to exist in a few months. Isn't it an alternate universe that wouldn't exist after the story is done anyway?

 

[karamazov80]

No more insults here please. Or infractions may be forthcoming.

 

[amusedjester]

For Green lantern flashpoint:

Spoiler:

There really wasn't anything dramatic that happened in the story. Perhaps because they talked about the blackest night so briefly then moved on to Abin's need to save the earth, to getting his hand cut off and suddenly becoming the white. It was too quick and choppy for me.

For Batman flashpoint:

Spoiler:

This has got to be THE best of all the titles for me. Slow on the first issue, almost boring. Second ended with a WTF moment. But the third, when Martha was almost sane at the end and asks what happens to their son? Cliffhanger, literally! Fade to black and perfect. This redeems Azzarello for me for that crap story he pulled back on superman

For Aquaman and wonderwoman:

Spoiler:

I think the tragedy of what happens to these two sides just because some factions wanted to have the power is really what makes this whole Flashpoint succeed for me. Here, it seems evil triumphs and the good characters fail because they're not really the good characters we know. Which now I think of it is the whole success of some of the flashpoint titles.

If they can pull this type of writing off in the new DC(particularly i the 3rd book of batman), then I will hang on. But even if they could I doubt they would be able to sustain that type of momentum.

 

[Agent0028]

Is the Batman a good stand alone alternate universe story, or does one need to read all of Flashpoint? I'm not big into DC to read a crossover like this (most of it would be lost on me), but I love Batman and from what I've heard it sounds good.