Flashpoint Facts is a regular feature where we get you caught up everything you need to know in the world of Flashpoint. Heck, you don’t even need to read any of the previous articles, we’ll get you up to speed right now! This is all the Flashpoint news you need – with a healthy dose of speculation, too.
We’ve known for a while that Flashpoint will have a main five issue series scripted by Geoff Johns, with pencils by Andy Kubert. We’ve also known that something has caused major changes to the DC Universe, with only Barry Allen (probably) remaining the same, or at least remembering how the world used to be. Big, groundbreaking stuff, right? Never been done before?
Kidding of course, it’s been done to death – but as always, it’s the execution, not the idea necessarily that matters. And we’re a sucker for alternate universes, so you know, whatever. We’re there.
Anyway, good news is, we now know what the first issue of Flashpoint is going to be about, as reported on DC’s The Source Blog:
FLASHPOINT #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by ANDY KUBERT
1:25 Variant cover A by ANDY KUBERT
Variant cover B by IVAN REIS and GEORGE PEREZ
Everything You Know Will Change in a Flash!
Not a dream, not an imaginary story, not an elseworld. This is a Flash Fact: When Barry Allen wakes at his desk, he discovers the world has changed. Family is alive, loved ones are strangers, and close friends are different, gone or worse. It’s a world on the brink of a cataclysmic war – but where are Earth’s Greatest Heroes to stop it? It’s a place where America’s last hope is Cyborg, who hopes to gather the forces of the Outsider, the Secret 7, S!H!A!Z!A!M!, Citizen Cold and other new and familiar-yet-altered faces.
It’s a world that could be running out of time, if The Flash can’t find the villain who altered the time line!
Welcome to FLASHPOINT!
On sale MAY 11 = 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US = Rated T
Okay, so a couple of important things we now know from this solicit. First of all, DC is full fledged using the video game rating system. I believe T means “Teen,” which if Teen Titans is any indication, means that several people will get their faces ripped off in the first issue.
Second thing we know is that a lot of the series will be dealing with how sleepy Barry Allen is – so sleepy, in fact, that he fell asleep at his desk, and wakes up in another universe. I did that once, but it was a universe where I was blogging for VH1, which was REALLY WEIRD.
Third – and only actual thing you can glean from this solicit, if you’ve made it through my terrible fake commentary so far: there’s a singular villain who has done this to the DC Universe. Smart money points to The Reverse Flash, of course. He’s Barry’s archenemy, can travel through time, and already had an entire issue of The Flash devoted to how he was screwing up the time stream. In fact, I’d be super surprised if, by issue two or three we don’t discover that Reversi isn’t behind this.
However, Johns has a tendency to give us a straightforward, expected villain, and then pull the rug out from under you. Specifically, there’s always a bigger, more dangerous threat out there. Think Black Lanterns, and then Nekron; or Sinestro, and then Parallax. My guess is that we encounter Reverse Flash, but either he’s working for someone else, or more likely, RF and Barry are forced to work together to repair the timeline. Or hey, it could just be a straightforward story.
So, non-plot point that came out with this solicit is that the main series will be 40 pages each issue for $3.99, and then $2.99 at regular length for all the assorted one-shots and miniseries. There’s some nice rundowns here and here about what that means in total, but the big takeaway is: you probably only need to buy the main series to understand what’s going on. That’s only $20 for 200 pages, or ten cents a page. I’m good at math.
Not only that, but for your money, you’re going to get free rings and buttons! Rings and buttons, you guys! I used to make those for my Jazz Band in High School, and now it’s caught on with DC. You’re welcome.
The special Flash ring will be given away at comic book stores with a purchase of Flashpoint #2, a smart way of keeping sales up for the inevitable second issue dip. Buttons will have logos on them, like the ones we showed you last time, and be given away at comic book stores, and at conventions. No pictures yet, but we’re guessing they’ll look like a ring, and buttons respectively. Flair!
Hey, actual comics! Flash #9 came out this past week, and with the exception of Time Masters: Vanishing Point #6, is the only comic so far actually dealing with Flashpoint. Spoilers on, folks, but a new anti-hero named Hot Pursuit showed up, driving a cool future bike, and looking for Barry Allen. Turns out Hot Pursuit is… Barry Allen, come back in time to prevent Flashpoint. Why isn’t Barry running? Is he evil now? Will he be able to stop Flashpoint from happening? That would be weird, right? Like, Barry Allen comes back in time, stops Flashpoint, and DC is all like, “Oh, never mind you guys, Hot Pursuit saved the day.”
Anyway, we’re just starting off with this arc, which will lead right into Flashpoint #1, so more news forthcoming. Only other little tidbit from the book is Barry talking about how Reverse Flash changed the timeline to kill his Mom, and how that was “wrong.” Sure we weren’t correct about Hal Jordan’s Dad coming back in Blackest Night, but maybe here we’ll get a Mommy/Barry reunion? We shall see.
Last little bit, as we discussed last time, Flashpoint will essentially be kicking off in Booster Gold #44 in May. There’s nothing too shocking or new on the cover: Cyborg is the real American hero; Wonder Woman has ditched the Jeggings for armor and a sword; and Batman is running casinos, so you know he’s evil. It’s the fourth panel that’s the most fun, as it gives us a clue that Superman is, perhaps, locked behind a big steel door.
I love two things about this image in particular: first, that someone took the time to cast his logo in giant steel, in case anyone forgets who’s locked behind the gigantic door; and second, that there’s a tinier door in the corner, so people can come in and out.
In a greater sense, I wonder if this isn’t the catalytic event for Flashpoint: if something changed in Superman’s origin, say he was locked up as a potentially dangerous alien, instead of adopted by the Kents, would the rest of the world change this drastically? The only evidence we have to decide is every Elseworlds story and Superman riff, ever. So probably not.
That’s it for this time – and at this point, other than preview pages, I’m not quite sure what other news we could find out about Flashpoint. Solicits for the first three or four issues will hit before the first issue even goes to comic book stores, so we’ll certainly find out a bit more about the event. Next week, slow news day depending, I’ll offer some speculation about what will happen after Flashpoint is over – the theories are doozies.
Related Posts:
Flashpoint Facts #1: Flashpoint Cover, Logos, Action Figures, and a Tease of a Blackboard
DC Comics Releases Line-Up Of Flashpoint Mini-Series
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