TITLE: Flashpoint
AUTHOR: Geoff Johns
PENCILLER: Andy Kubert
COLLECTS: Flashpoint #1-5
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $22.99
RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Flashpoint had the tall task of being the transition story between the old DC Universe and the new one. Ten years from now that will be what people remember this story for. But if you take that element away, Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert still manage to put together a fun, intriguing story.

Our tale begins when Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash, wakes up at his desk and realizes the world has changed, and not for the better. While his previously dead mother is alive and well, Barry’s powers are gone, and his wife Iris has no idea who he is. The world is caught in the middle of a war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s kingdom of Atlantis. Superman does not exist (at least as we know him), Thomas Wayne has become Batman to avenge his dead son, Hal Jordan is not Green Lantern, and the superhero community is at odds on how to handle the war. Clearly, someone has tampered with the timestream. Now, with help from Batman, Cyborg (who is viewed as America’s greatest hero) and a few other heroes very different from the ones he knows, The Flash must regain his powers and fix the time stream before the changes become permanent.

Obviously the scope of Flashpoint is huge, which is why it spawned 16 spinoff miniseries’, and a few one-shots. I opted out of many of them for money’s sake (Batman: Knight of Vengeance was the most notable exception), but it’s still fun to explore this altered world through The Flash’s eyes. Flashpoint has a Back to the Future, Part II vibe to it. This alternate Batman makes a great supporting character, sort of the cynical Han Solo to Barry’s ambitious Luke Skywalker.

Oddly enough, one of the elements that makes Flashpoint endearing is that at five issues, it’s shorter than your average DC event comic. Blackest Night was eight issues, Final Crisis was seven, Amazons Attack was six, Infinite Crisis was seven, etc. The main Flashpoint story doesn’t linger for too long, and that’s a good thing. It keeps the story moving at a decent pace, and keeps things fresh. It’s still an epic event, but it’s not as drawn out, and at times contrived as some event comics can be.

One of the keys to Flashpoint‘s success is the way it integrates the theme of lost loved ones. Barry Allen lost his mother as a child and now has her back, but in the meantime he’s lost everything else. In contrast, Thomas Wayne has lost his son, but is now desperately trying to help The Flash alter the timeline so that Bruce will live and he will die. The overall theme for Flashpoint seems to be that you just can’t have it all.

There’s also a big twist during the story’s climax that I loved. I won’t spoil it, but trust me, it’s a good one.

In the grand scheme of things, Flashpoint isn’t necessarily a fantastic story, but it’s definitely a very, very good one. The alternate timeline plot device is used effectively, the characters we meet (Batman in particular) are intriguing, and it manages to tug at your heartstrings. Johns and Kubert’s job was to get us from the old DCU to the new one, but they did so in a very entertaining fashion worthy of both their reputations.

RATING: 8.5/10

Image 1 from book hound.wordpress.com. Image 2 from comixology.com.

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