Flashpoint #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope
Everything changes this issue as DC’s newest big event kicks off, and it does so with a bang. We’ve been watching the hype build for months, and while it hasn’t all been good, it’s nice to see that the book didn’t open up failing out of the gates. From underwhelming creative teams helming the tie ins series, to the Road to Flashpoint in The Flash being horrid, DC was doing a pretty good job of making this a hard book to look forward to, so I guess I want to open up by thanking Geoff Johns for doing what he does best.
Barry Allen wakes up at his desk with all of his memories of home, and not a clue as to what the hell is going on. Everything is different, from Citizen Cold being a ‘hero’, to Barry’s mom being alive, Iris and Barry not being together, oh, and there’s a biggie.
Barry Allen is not the Flash. He has no super powers, no speed force, nothing. There is no Justice League, no Superman, no Flash. And I think it’s the most interesting he has been since he returned. He’s a fish out of water for his parts in the issue, having to try and figure out what happened without the help of being the fastest man alive. Depending on how long Johns plays that out, I can see him getting some mileage out of it, as putting Barry in a situation where it will take his actual knowledge and mind to do something big, and not just go fast, might do wonders for making him matter as a character….at least in the eyes of this fan.
Last week I tore apart Fear Itself for what was essentially advertising tie ins with the event issue, and I felt the urge for a few minutes to do the same here. So what’s so different between the execution of the two? Flashpoint has never hid the fact that there are going to be a collection of minis to further develop the alternate world that has replaced the one we know and love, that rather then spend the core event building and putting over every aspect of the universe, that much of it would be told in other books. This issue goes ahead and introduces us to a fair amount of these characters, while at the same time introducing us to Batman and Cyborg. It gives us some idea into what to expect, and very well may have just sold me on a few that I was on the fence about. How does this compare to Fear Itself? The issue spent a great deal of time building up happenings in other titles without bothering to move the core story forward.
This issue does a nice job of creating a setting for us. A world ravaged on two fronts by Aquaman and Wonder Woman, one that lacks in any sort of unified heroic front. Cyborg and Batman get the most page time, despite the larger gathering we see, and discounting Barry, and it’s a wise choice. Cyborg does a nice job as the big time super hero, and his portrayal makes it believable that he might be ‘that guy’ in this world, he doesn’t come across like a supporting cast member or a background character as he tends to in most titles. Batman….is awesome. Just like in the proper DCU, his vote is what matters, his willingness to help is what influences others, but the real awesome part comes at the end, when Barry goes to find him.
Andy Kubert hits a home run here as this issue looks phenomenal. I love the character work on all of the new Flashpoint characters, I love the spreads, and I even love the Barry stuff. Andy has a natural big event feel to his pencils, so it’s not very hard to carry that over to this as this issue feels big just to look at. There’s a lot to like, and if Andy has been devoting himself to making Flashpoint look great, and that’s why I haven’t seen too much out of him….I can live with it. This looks great. This is classic Andy Kubert, and it has been a long time coming.
Johns sets everything up really nicely in this issue as he brings the same sort of plotting that he brought to the table in Blackest Night, building up a threat bigger than any one character while not stripping us of our point of view. There is a lot of good work done in the universe building, and a lot of interesting characterization for a whole host of new characters. We don’t know exactly where the series is heading just yet, but that’s kind of a good thing. Johns chooses to end the issue by displaying just how sweeping some of these changes are with a big reveal about a marquee character, and it winds up giving the book a much bigger cliffhanger than an attempt at ‘Let’s go save the world’!
What happened to the worlds greatest heroes? What happened to the world? Can Barry Allen do anything about it?
After one of the worst event preludes I’ve read in ages, one that did nothing to build the actual event, I’m happy to say that Geoff Johns hits a homerun here. Flashpoint is exciting, it’s different, and a lot of these new characters and concepts are just that much better once we see them executed. I am officially off of the fence on whether or not I’m getting the Batman mini, which is getting pull listed. Aquaman sunk westeren Europe? I want it. Wonder Woman slaughters a country? I want it. Now, what book is Captain Thunder in? Because I want that one too! This is one of the best opening issues to an event I’ve seen in forever, all the hype that had been sucked out of me by poor build up is right back where it belongs. I’m hyped for Flashpoint.
Overall?
8.5/10
