Review: 'Flashpoint' #4

By Don M. Ventura

Flashpoint #4

DC Comics

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“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Unknown

I stopped for a minute while I was reading Flashpoint #4 and asked myself a question, “has Geoff Johns ever made me laugh?”

Not that I could recall. The question came to mind because I got the distinct feeling that the writer was trying to push my gut in with his wacky new creation Element Woman, a character who I expect will inspire more grimaces than smiles. After the Flash, Batman and Cyborg are cornered by soldiers, Element comes to the rescue and offers the heroes a juice drink. She does the same again when visiting the home of the Captain Thunder kids.

Element Woman is supposed to be eccentric I suppose, because she is easily distracted and begins conversations at inopportune times. But this is extremely superficial and lacking the finesse that someone like Brian Michael Bendis has achieved in establishing Mark Spector’s idiosyncrasies in his brilliant Moon Knight.

The issue plods along and simply feels like it’s on a mission to get to the final page, and we’re left feeling empty when a major character is executed. As readers we don’t really care because, while we are familiar with the character in the regular DCU, the book has taken almost no time to establish him in this series.

I feel as though Flashpoint started with a great deal of energy, but it’s winding down unsatisfactorily.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Flashpoint Issue Five Cover

Today DC Comics, via their blog, released the cover to Flashpoint #5. This is the issue where everything truly changes in a flash...

Enjoy

Video Review: 'X-Men' #12 and 'Flashpoint' #3

Cristian is serving up a whole lotta reviews this week! And why not? There were a stack of big books that came out last Wednesday! You can see all of Cristian's reviews on his YouTube Channel here. This week Cristian has reviewed Moon Knight #2, X-Men #12, Uncanny X-Force #11, Superboy #8, Secret Six #34 and Fear Itself #3.

Review: 'Flashpoint' #1

By Don M. Ventura

Flashpoint #1

DC Comics

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There were three important acts in Flashpoint #1, DC Comics’ summer event that is expected to be a big game-changer for the DCU come this Fall.

The first act, which establishes the plight of our hero—Barry Allen—works on every note. The final act, which reveals how drastically the world has changed is also an enormous success in its jaw-droppingness. It’s the middle act where the story falters. But I’ll come to the second act chronologically.

The story opens with Barry Allen waking up in the crime lab of Central City Police Department. Immediately he realizes things aren’t right. Captain Cold, it would seem, is now the city’s protector. Barry races into action—or so he attempts. Barry no longer has his famous Flash ring. Barry is no longer the Flash.

DC to Publish a Single Book on 8/31/11: 'Flashpoint' #5

Cover to Flashpoint #4 (shipping on August 3rd).

Well this is a bold move.

DC, seemingly saying that Flashpoint is a game-changer for the DCU, is planning to solicit a single book for August 31st: Flashpoint #5. Being the final issue of the publisher's big event, you might expect that this is the issue that Flash saves the day and puts everything back to normal.

Apparently that is not the case. The official solicit reads as follows:

"Because of its impact on the DC Universe, Flashpoint #5 is the only title that DC Comics is currently soliciting to arrive in stores on August 31."

Wow. That is a lot to live up to, but it pretty exciting to see DC taking such bold steps to refresh their titles. I think this move might also solidify the importance of the supporting Flashpoint titles now that it seems apparent that there is going to be carryover into the current DC continuity.

This also solidifies Reverse Flash as a major villain in the DCU, considering he is the single villain responsible for the resulting Flashpoint continuity shift. I think I just got a little more excited for DC's big event.

More to come!

August Flashpoint Titles

DC Comics via their blog are releasing their August Flashpoint titles.

I am really looking forward to the Wonder Woman book. I guess this is a Wonder Woman day.

'Flashpoint' Teaser: Today the World Changes

Tomorrow begins our five-month journey into a new DCU as Flashpoint races into comic shops and DC's mega-crossover event begins. With a whopping sixteen mini's tied to Flashpoint, penned by Geoff Johns and drawn by Andy Kubert, the book is has a lot to sell readers on before all of the alternate-timeline books publish in June.

DC released this new teaser tonight, featuring the Johns quote: "Tomorrow the World Changes." I'm sold!

Flashpoint #1 hits comic shops tomorrow!

Flashpoint: Is This A New Begining?



 things will change in a flash?

 
Flashpoint is DC Comics big summer event. A fun story that turns the DCU upside down.

Something from Barry Allen's (The Flash) past is changed, thus altering the history of the DCU and its characters.

This is an epic event where readers will be introduced to other versions of their favorite heroes while at the same time causing The Flash to push himself to the limit as he tries to put things back.

If you read the interviews and look closely at the adds DC promises there will be lasting effects.

Aquaman and Wonder Woman from Flashpoint

Really???

Comic book fans are not stupid. We've heard this a million times. The words "lasting effects" is part of the sell. We know the point of the story is to watch The Flash fix things.....

Right???



Well, I am only speculating here but maybe this time DC Comics is keeping their word.

What? You don't believe me?

Well I did a little checking and all of DC titles that have long arcs going right now are all finishing up in July and no writer will comment on what's happening in their regular books come August or September.

So, it's really all together possible that there is going to be a huge shake up in all of DC titles before the end of the summer going into the fall...which is, right when Flashpoint ends.

hmmm.

I really have no idea what any of this could mean. We've seen the mini series that will showcase these alternative versions of Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman, just to name a few. Could DC actually be thinking of making these books THE BOOKS?

I mean, why not. Why not have some fun for while and give fans something

incredibly new to read. Naturally things will go back but why not spend the next year or so showing us another world while behind closed doors DC works out their plans for when things do go back.

Or maybe I have it completely wrong. I am sure by Comic Con we'll have the answers but either way something HUGE is happening. How drastic is yet to be seen.

Stay Tuned Commuters.

Maybe its time to get really excited about DC again.

Wonder Woman's DNA

As a fan of superhero comics I am looking forward to DC's Flashpoint series.

As a fanboy I am looking forward to Flashpoint's Wonder Woman mini series.

Why?

Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (A.K.A. DnA).

They hardly do me wrong. I have been a fan since their Legion run back in the early 2000s.

CBR has an interview with them about their two Flashpoint mini series, Wonder Woman and Lois Lane.

Check it out here.

Flashpoint: Month Two

All day today DC, via their blog, has been teasing their second issues to their Flashpoint mini series.

I am looking forward to these titles more and more.

Here is one such book but you check out the rest here.

Happy Friday.



FLASHPOINT: THE OUTSIDER #2
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by JAVI FERNANDEZ
Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
On sale JULY 27 • 2 of 3, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

DC Releases More 'Flashpoint' Character Designs

The Source’s Flashpoint Friday brings us some interesting new images from the mind of Andy Kubert. First up is Aquaman, whose slight alterations in his costume color and hair are enough to understand that the character has gone through some “darker” changes in the world of Flashpoint.

But there’s more to it than that. Kubert says the following about his Aquaman design:

“For Flashpoint, he’s military, tough and rugged with a scar on his face. You can see a lot of Sgt. Rock in his look…but that’s probably in my genes! I gave him the buzzcut to help with his background and decided to keep the trident like the original one…why mess with a good thing?”

Flashpoint Universe is Earth M?

Gene Ha, artist on the upcoming Flashspoint: Project Superman may have accidentally given away too much in his interview with Newsarama.

The story may not be about an altered Earth....but an alternate Earth.

Earth M.

Watch the interview here

Stay Tuned Commuters.

Flashpoint Character Designs

It's Friday...so that means DC via its blog , is providing fans with Flashpoint news, interviews and teasers.

Today we get a tease on a character design with a question...

"First up, who is Element Woman?"

I bet it's a character who can do things with elements and look damn sexy while doing it...

Utterly.

MOO

The Flash Stops His Run

Per DC Comics its Flash title will end with issue 12.

DC has not given much details as to why...but if you look at the numbers it has nothing to do with sales.

More likely it has to do with the FLASHPOINT event...which we will then see something new for world's fastest man.

Stay tuned for more information as it comes through.

More Flashpoint titles revealed: FINAL UPDATE

Straight from DC's Blog here are the other titles spinning out of 'FLASHPOINT',

I will continue to update this post as more titles are announced throughout the day...

So far these seem much more interesting than last weeks.

UPDATE: These titles are WAAAAAY much better than the titles announced last week.

First up,

Could 'Flashpoint' be leading to an Ultimate DCU?

Many are asking "is Flashpoint going to have a long lasting effect on the DC Universe."

If you have not been paying attention "Flashpoint" is a story coming out of the Flash books were an event from the Flash's past changes...thus altering the whole universe and our heroes. So it's up to the Flash to put things right again.

This is not a new idea and typically...the altered event is corrected and everything goes back to status quo.

But for many years now DC has either revamped or refocused its heroes and characters.

So then, why do another big event and use this as a tool to set up new angles on books...but if this is not the reason for the series then why do the story at all.

Today DC Comics Executive Editor Eddie Berganza made this comment towards fan's questions about the story...

“The fun part of FLASHPOINT is that it leads to this level of wild speculation. All I would say right now is that the speculation hasn’t been wild enough.
The last thing anyone should do is to hold back their imagination.”

So that got me thinking... what if  Flashpoint is meant to leads us into a new universe of characters to be read regularly?

I mean, why not?

Marvel has had success with its Ultimate line and with Wildstorm no longer in publication there is tons of talent out there ready to bring us new books.

So there you have it. Maybe we are not going to get a new Aquaman but just another Aquaman?

Just speculating Commuters...just speculating.

Flashpoint news....FINAL Update

On this special Friday...DC Comics via their blog will be announcing the creative teams and the first covers to eight of the FLASHPOINT miniseries...

I will be updating this post throughout the day.

First up...

Flash Facts: Stuff to know about Flashpoint

Per DC's Blog  every Friday (for a few weeks now) DC provides fan's with some info on the upcoming story. Today writer Geoff Johns gives us some details...

What is the FLASHPOINT? Is there a moment where everything in the DC Universe as we know changes?

When you open up the first issue, you’ll enter an entirely new world that will be both familiar and new. Flash will learn what the universe would be like if the world’s greatest super-heroes never became the world’s greatest super-heroes. When, how and why everything changes and what that means to the future of the DC Universe will be answered in the series. Oh, and Andy Kubert has done an absolutely unbelievable job on the book. Wait until you see what’s happened to Aquaman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

We’ve seen the blackboard in the pages of TIME MASTERS 6. Ok, we’ll bite. Who or what is S!H!A!Z!A!M!?

You’ll find out what S!H!A!Z!A!M! is in the very first issue of Flashpoint. What we didn’t want to do with this series was the expected. You won’t just see the DC Universe shaken up, you’ll see characters you’ve never met who’ve come into existence because of the historical damage done to the past. From Element Woman to Blackout to the Outsider to the Resistance. In a strange way, these new characters include S!H!A!Z!A!M! It may be the most radical change when it comes to the core DC Universe, but not quite…

Fans want clues about FLASHPOINT. What storylines might they want to revisit for an informed idea as to where we are headed?

Honestly, none. The Flash series and The Flash: Rebirth give you the foundation for Barry today, but even then Flashpoint #1 will tell you everything you need to know. You’ll meet the world and characters as you enter the story. But if you want to get really into it and meet some characters that are going to be making appearances you could pull out that copy of Batman: Year One, remind yourself who Steve Trevor is, check out Peter Milligan’s amazing run on Shade the Changing Man, prepare for Green Lantern Abin Sur’s return and make sure to pick up Dan Jurgens triumphant return to Booster Gold in May! Booster Gold is the only monthly book that ties into Flashpoint for obvious reasons and it’s great to see Dan back on it!


Getting excited Cape Town Commuters?

'Flashpoint' Thursday? DC Teases Some More a Day Early

DC's official May solicitations arrive on Monday, but they decided to spoil the goods on what is sure to be the biggest book on their lineup that month: Flashpoint #1.

Before we get to the solicit, DC announced that the books are double-stuffed at 40 pages with a $3.99 price point. I can't imagine many fans upset at paying one buck more for 20 additional pages. Especially when those pages are written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert.

Flashpoint -- Action Figures

Because you asked for it...

FLASHPOINT tie in toys...for ages 35 and up!