Comic Books of the Week (5/11/11) part 3

Last comic posting for the week - let's do the "timewarp" again!

John Byrne's Next Men #6 (#36) - Tony's story in the Civil War continues. I love how John Byrne portrays this strong African-American agent stuck in a time that would be very difficult for a woman of her race and intelligence. His attention to detail in this period is outstanding and his artwork is amazing as always. Is it any wonder he's one of my all-time favorite comic book creators? I really thank IDW for believing in his vision and storytelling abilities. I hope this book runs for a long time because it is like he's giving us this great novel that has plenty of time to unfold.

the Flash #12 - the "final issue" for the moment, this arc comes to a close as "the Road to Flashpoint" concludes. Zoom is back, Hot Pursuit makes a fatal miscalculation, and Bart and Barry work together. Where do we go from here? That's easy - Flashpoint! What happens to this book after that? Time will tell. Solid issue by Geoff Johns and guest artist Scott Kollins and regular artist Francis Manapul.

Flashpoint #1 (of 5) - and things change in an instant! Thanks to Zoom, Barry Allen wakes up in a world that is drastically different. I love how Geoff Johns portrays Barry's methods of figuring things out - very police detective like. The art by Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope is solid, especially for such a wide-sweeping story. I love this reality's Batman - very grim and gritty. I love how Victor Stone is portrayed as well - a great character who doesn't get enough usage (good to see it here). The rest of the heroes (and I use this term loosely) of this world are intriguing as is the set-up of the war of the world between the armies of Aquaman and Wonder Woman. This series has a nice epic feel to it right out of the gate - and with all the tie-in minis to give us backstory it should allow us to explore this new playground nicely over the next couple months. Finally, fantastic revelation on the last page. I like it! Barry is going to need all the help he can get to put things right.