Well, Flashpoint continues…
(Spoilers ahead, folks!)
To be fair, this issue was an improvement over the last one. Flash attempts to regain his apparently lost speed powers, and Batman is offering him a hand. Meanwhile, Emperor Aquaman and a crew of underwater minions wipe out a boat that wandered a bit too far into enemy waters with Deathstroke at the helm.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that this isn’t the Bats we all know and love. On that fateful night in Crime Alley, it was Bruce Wayne who died. His father, Thomas Wayne, is alive and well. Although, calling him “well” might be stretching things.
Of all the topsy turvy things done with DC characters in this miniseries, Thomas Wayne is the most interesting. For starters, I don’t think anyone has ever before asked the question: What if Thomas Wayne lived? If someone did, I simply missed it. (Not unheard of.) If someone didn’t, it’s surprising no one has in Batman’s decades of print.
Where Bruce was dark and brooding, Thomas is downright depressed. Unlike his son, Thomas has few qualms over killing criminals. In the last issue, he casually tossed one over the ledge of a building. When Cyborg saved said criminal, he pressed this reality’s Bats, who just said, “They slipped.”
“They slip a lot,” Cyborg quipped.
This may sting a little...
In this issue, we learn that Thomas Wayne’s penchant for murder isn’t just directed at others. The man’s still pretty distraught over the death of his son, and, when Flash discusses restoring the timeline, he’s ready and willing to alter it so that he can die rather than Bruce.
To put it delicately, this guy’s hurting.
Unfortunately, as interesting as this issue was, it still just doesn’t have the feel of some universe-changing event. Flashpoint is apparently supposed to “reboot/relaunch” the entire DC Universe. Everything goes back to #1 after this, and every series starts anew. (Supposedly…)
That’s all well and good. I honestly have no problems with DC rebooting things to try appealing to a new audience and boost sales. That’s how the industry works. It happened in 1986 with John Byrne’s Superman: The Man of Steel. My generation was pretty excited over it. The last one was pissed.
Well, now it’s our turn.
Everything old is new again...sort of...
However, while I’ve no problems with rebooting continuity once in a while to start fresh, I think there’s a certain waiting period involved. You see, this isn’t the first time DC’s tried to reboot something. Within the last seven years, they’ve already attempted to restart Superman twice. The latest one, Superman: Secret Origin, isn’t even a year old!
But all that aside, let’s just look at Flashpoint. For something that’s supposed to reboot the DC proper, this still just feels like a Flash adventure. Superman is nowhere to be seen. Green Lantern has yet to make an appearance. Even Batman is still a supporting character at best. In fact, if “Road to Flashpoint” is any indication, this is all the result of a single Flash villain (Reverse Flash) seeking revenge against Barry Allen.
You were expecting the Anti-Monitor?
When Crisis on Infinite Earths remodeled DC Comics for future generations, it involved EVERYONE. Each and every character had a role to play. Some were minor. Some were almost forgettable. But they were there.
If this was a single story taking place only in the Flash comics, it would be was hell of an awesome story. Unfortunately, since it’s supposed to be a universe-spanning epic that changes all of DC’s reality as we know it…it just doesn’t live up to the hype.
Three out of five stars. It would’ve been two, but Thomas Wayne deserved an extra.