Book Review: Flashpoint Beyond

The world of Flashpoint returns! After sacrificing everything to help the Flash put the universe back together and save Bruce Wayne's life, Thomas Wayne wakes up in a world he thought was no more. Forced to don the cowl once again, Batman prowls the streets of Gotham searching for answers to how this world still exists, but what he starts to uncover will send him hurtling around the globe. But the answers Thomas is seeking will have drastic effects on the DC Universe and its past, present, and future!

This collection of Flashpoint Beyond #0-6 was released in December 2022 by DC Comics.

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.

Comic Books of the Week (4/27/11)

Brightest Day #24 (of 24) - the final issue where all things are answered, sort of. After last issues surprising reveal of Swamp Thing returning to the DCU proper, this issue completes the saga (for now) of the white lantern. It also opens up plotlines for upcoming Aquaman, Firestorm, and Hawkman series - plus the upcoming Search For Swamp Thing mini. I have to say that overall I enjoyed this mini, mostly because it really helped return so many great characters back into the spotlight - a spotlight that should continue in the next year. For that, this mini worked for me.

Justice League: Generation Lost #24 (of 24)- again, another final issue. This one sort of ended as I expected - as a lead-in to a new Justice League International series. But the overall story was long, drawn out, and in the end not quite so satisfying. In hindsight, this is probably one I could have skipped entirely and been perfectly fine with doing so. Ah well.

Justice Society of America #50 - the anniversary was a mixed bag. I loved the first 10 pages because of George Perez' art. The next six pages is sort of a prelude to the later part of the issue - kind of dull and the art by Freddie Williams II not so appealing (hard to follow Perez). The next 10 pages didn't give me anything new story-wise (seen it all before) and the Howard Chaykin art was pretty uneven. The final 20 pages read like a regular issue of the book - with Tom Derenick art which was good. The story deals with Jay Garrick becoming mayor of Monument Point, the return of Degaton, and a mystery involving Jessie Quick that will be the focus of future issues I am sure. So, overall, it was only 50% for me.

the Flash #11 - "the Road to Flashpoint" continues - with an intervention? Seriously? For a book about speedsters, this issue was sort of a drag. I get that there needed to be some interaction between Barry and his supporting cast (Iris, Jay, Wally and Bart) but this wasn't the best way to do it. I was bored. The only saving parts were the stuff with Hot Pursuit and the Reverse Flash.

Comic Books of the Week (4/13/11) part 3

Birds of Prey #11 - Catman and the Huntress are back together again, but a lot of water has passed under the bridge since their last encounter. Are the sparks still there? Definitely. Are there more walls between them? Absolutley. Is this a great issue? Oh Yeah! Gail Simone waves a wonderful plot with characterization that is spot on (and it should be since she also writes Secret Six where Catman hangs his cowl regularly). Huntress is shown as a being smart and strong. Catman is shown with complexity and compassion. The art by Pere Perez is amazing too (I'd be happy if he were the new full-time artist - I like his work). Great issue.

the Flash #10 - "the Road to Flashpoint" continue as Barry finds out more about Hot Pursuit. Bart is brought in to act as counterpoint, a "bad cop" (unintended) to Barry's good. The tension in those scenes is thick. Why does Hot Pursuit want to handle this time-crisis on his own? Why does Barry want to handle the investigation of Hot Pursuit on his own? Why all the tension between Barry and Bart? Great stuff. Geoff Johns continues to weave an engaging story. The art by Francis Manapul was also very good. I must also mention Brian Buccellato whose coloring this issue really sets the tones nicely.

Comic Books of the Week (2/9/11) part 2

Adventure Comics #523 - the title changes over from the Legion of Super-Heroes feature to the Legion Academy feature with this issue. Paul Levitz continues the writing of all things 31st Century and one of my favorite artists, Phil Jimenez, is on board for the art chores. I have to say I am loving this new feature and hope to see it for a long time. The Legion Academy is the training facility for young heroes - and the new crop of students looks very interesting. Old favorites from the LSH are around too - as instructors and such. If you are a fan of the LSH, you need to be getting this title too.

Birds of Prey #9 - "the Death of Oracle" story continues with Black Canary facing her biggest regrets (thanks to new villaness Mortis. Still, Dinah shows why she's the outstanding heroine that she is! The rest of the gals are in a tight spot too, but they can handle themselves (loving Lady Blackhawk in this series). And Hawk gets taken down a peg or two - always needed every now and again to keep that ego in check. I love what Gail Simone is doing on this title.

Flash #9 - "the Road to Flashpoint" begins here with major focus on Barry Allen, a vrey strange murder mystery and the introduction of a very interesting new biker character. All this is going to lead into the mega-event "Flashpoint" in a few months, when Professor Zoom decides to rewrite history and puts the entire DCU into a tailspin. Looking forward to that and the various crossovers that entail. Geoff Johns is doing outstanding work with this book and I have full faith in him for "Flashpoint" too.

John Byrne's Next Men #3 - where in the world is Bethany? This issue opens with that and allows Byrne to go light on the backgrounds (it does work for this environment though). We check in with the others lost in time too - Nathan in Nazi Germany, Jasmine in Victorian England, and Toni in Civil War South. There Byrne puts his artist talents to work, rendering each period well (clothes, backgrounds, etc.). The issue ends with a shocking reveal to Bethany, but we have to wait for next issue to see it. Looks like then we'll also get more on the "betrayal" her captor keeps alluding to. Good stuff.

Comics of the Week (12/29/10)

The last comic book commentary for 2010 - let's get to them!

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #2 - The Caped Crusader is added by Captain Marvel as Psycho-Pirate causes Christmas chaos in Gotham City. The story was fairly straightforward but fun.

Flash #8 - the spotlight issues on villains continues with the "origin" of Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash. I like these occasionally as Geoff Johns fleshes out the villains nicely. Interesting that despite his best efforts, Thawne could not change his fate to become a true villain.

Green Arrow #7 - the art on this issue was very nice, but the story seems to be dragging its heels. It seems as if this book has to run on a slow speed just so it can stay in tune with Brightest Day. I hope the pace picks up soon.

Green Lantern #61 - yawn. This Green Lantern issue was mostly a focus on the Red Lantern and the Spectre. Not a Green Lantern in sight. Not one I enjoyed at all.

Justice Society of America #46 - the "Supertown" story arc continues. I'm sort of on the fence on this one. It almost seems like the writer had a story in mind for a long time and the JSA just happens to be the super-heroes shoe-horned into it. This book may be a candidate for being dropped in 2011.

Teen Titans #90 - J.T. Krul has really turned this book around in a few short issues. I'm enjoying the new line-up with the addition of Robin (Damien). Now, if this storyline could pick it up a notch I would be happy.

Comics of the Week (5/12/10)

Adventure Comics #11 (#514) - while this issue is still a part of the "Last Stand of New Krypton" arc, it also serves as a nice connection to the new LSH series beginning next week. Here we get the final mission of Mon-El, which really is sort of another reworking of the concepts from the old Valor series from the 90's. We also get some nice interplay between Brainiac 5 and his evil ancestor.

Birds of Prey #1 - Gail Simone and Ed Benes come home again, bring on a new era of the BOP team. All the favorites are still here: Oracle, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk and Huntress, and being thrown into the mix are (the newly resurrected) Hawk and Dove (Dawn). With Hawk's involvement, it thus justifies the "Brightest Day" banner. The creative team packs a lot into this first issue, making it a good read.

Booster Gold #32 - with Dan Jurgens off the book to work on a new Time Masters mini, the creative reigns are given to Giffen & DeMatteis. This alone concerned me. Within the first page, the book's tone has changed dramatically from the issues that come before. Sure, Booster is still time jumping for Rip Hunter but the writers go whole-hog on the bwahahaha humor. It was a startling jolt, and I am not sure how much I am digging it. I'll give them a few issues before I decide about keeping it or dropping it.

The Flash #2 - continuing the momentum of the debut issue, Barry Allen has his hands full as he faces new enemies and a bizarre murder mystery. And tying into "Brightest Day", we've got more on the recently resurrected Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness).

Justice League: Generation Lost #1 - a new mini series by Giffen and Winick reunites the old JLI gang (Booster, Fire, Ice, Captain Atom) as they attempt to figure out what the newly resurrected Max Lord is up to. And believe me, it is something really really big. The humor isn't as heavy here which I attribute to Winick's influence. This book could actually be enjoyable. I am willing to give it a few issues to get into its flow.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #16 - last issue Starfire joined the cast. This issue, we meet two new GLs for the Vega System. The cast continues to grow on this book and I worry that it will mean we won't get as much depth and spotlight on individuals. This book is on my conditional list for the time being - with the possibilty of dropping fairly soon.

Comics of the Week (4/14/10)

Adventure Comics #10/513 - once more a disjointed issue for me because it is tying into the Last Stand of New Krypton arc in the Superman titles. I'm still going to pick the book up because, as announced this week, the Atom (Ray Palmer) will be getting a feature in this book in three issues (#516). Looking forward to that as Ray had a major role in Blackest Night.

Booster Gold #31 - Dan Jurgens puts in his last issue on the title - but it nicely done. A good done-in-one kind of thing while being an epilogue to the last arc at the same time. That's kind of sad because I have loved this book under the guiding hand of Booster's creator. The good news, also announced this week, is that Dan is going to be the guiding force behind a Time Masters mini which will include Rip Hunter, Booster and other heroes searching for the missing Batman. Nice. Meanwhile next issue Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis take over this book. Not sure how I'll like that. It might mean the beginning of the end of Booster's run. We'll see.

Brightest Day #0 - the biweekly mini kicks off with a teaser issue of sorts, and count me as very happily teased. Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi do an outstanding job touching on all of the twelve resurrected from the end of Blackest Night. I'm very intrigued by what is going on with Deadman, and I love seeing Aquaman and Mera back together (and the same for the Hawks). The stuff with Firestorm as well as Hawk and Dove also have me wanting more. All in all, I am very pleased with who this mini will be focusing on over the coming years, and I am planning to pick up a number of other books that'll be falling under this banner. I love getting excited about a new title.

the Flash #1 - and speaking of, Barry Allen is finally back in his own title. Count me very excited for this one. Again, Geoff Johns does wonders and Francis Manapul's art fits this book nicely. It has a silver age feel with modern touches (like Barry and the CSI focus - very popular in modern TV dramas). So glad to have a good Flash book back in the pull-bag again.

Secret Six #20 - Gail Simone continues to rock this title, and J. Calafiore's art adds the creepy perfectly as always. Catman is between a rock and a hard place, and he makes a decision. Word of warning: don't cross Catman! This arc is going to get violent and messy, and this book serves that up so well. If you feel a little "unclean" and "disturbed" after reading this one (like I do), the creative team is doing their job properly. Oh, and Gail will be back doing the new Birds of Prey title - which I am so picking up. You know these books will cross over at some point, and I'll be loving that.

catching up on Comic Books

Hey, blog-readers! It has been awhile. My apologies. I thought I'd take a few minutes and give some summaries of titles I've been getting these past few months.

Blackest Night - issue 8 just came out this week, concluding this epic event. And, believe me, this has ended up pretty well. I loved how this whole mini pitted friends against friends, living against the dead (and in some cases newly dead), and made some uneasy allies among the various Corps. This series has brought some characters (like Mera) back into the forefront of the DCU, and those that have been brought back to life in this final issue will set a nice foundation for the coming year as well as the Brightest Day bi-weekly mini starting later this month. As for the tie-in minis, those focusing on Superman, the Titans, the Flash and the JSA were my favorites. I could have skipped the Batman and Wonder Woman ones and most of the one-shots and been fine. Also, tie in with that the regular Green Lantern title which ran a nice parallel to the main mini series quite nicely.

Flash: Rebirth - this one finally ended, with a little delay due to production, but the end result was well worth it. Barry Allen is back where he belongs, full throttle. This sets up very nicely for the first issue of his new series coming also this month.

Justice League: Cry For Justice - this mini ended with two big changes to the archers of the DCU - Red Arrow and Green Arrow. This changes are the primary focus of the Rise And Fall arcs that are running across the main Justice League title, an Arsenal mini series (yup, Roy is changing back to his old name) and on the Green Arrow title. This is some heavy stuff but a very cool new direction to take the characters.

Over on Justice League of America, James Robinson and Mark Bagley are taking the roster into a new direction. In the first few issues it started out being a Titans graduation party but the roster is settling it out a little bit. All of this is following on well from the "Cry For Justice" mini too.

I have not been so thrilled though with the direction the Justice Society of America main title has gone along with it's spin off JSA All-Stars. The creative teams are taking things off in weird directions that just doesn't do it for me.

Similary too, Teen Titans has lost a lot of its focus since the creative team changed a few months ago. Over on REBELS, I think the Starro story line dragged out a bit too long. I am hoping these books can pull it back in or they're close to the chopping block for me.

Meanwhile, both Booster Gold and Secret Six continue to shine in their own ways. These creative teams are perfect and that should help keep the books entertaining month after month. Gail Simone is also going back to a relaunch of Birds of Prey in May, so that's another I'll be adding to my pull list.

I'll give Adventure Comics some slack for being up and down. Loved the focus on Superboy Prime during Blackest Night and the Legion back up. Not so thrilled with the issues tying in to the Superman books but oh well. On the plus side, the Legion is getting its own title again in a few months with Paul Levitz as the writer. Very psyched for this!