Flashpoint is a very strange beast to tackle. It's overall effect on the comics world, specifically to DC Comics, is phenomenal. Before DC decided to backtrack and try and shoo away many of the rioters at their door, this was the book that singlehandedly ended the DC Universe. It's just a difficult miniseries to talk about, but given how DC Universe: Rebirth #1 is due this Wednesday and will ultimately have a similar effect, I find it fitting to look back on what sort of put us on this odd track of the last five years.
Flashpoint was originally intended to be just a story about the Flash, a miniseries covering Barry Allen doing odd things in an alternate universe. However, Geoff Johns, the creator, though it would be better that this be the next "crisis" and that this would restart the line, eventually spawning the New 52 and resetting everything so that all pre-existing continuity was gone...sort of.
Look the New 52 is finally ending and we can finally move on, okay?
Thus, because it was meant to be just a Flash story, it doesn't carry weight of something like a crisis. There are stakes, yes, but for an alternate world and mostly for Barry Allen on his own.
If you've never read it, I'll cover the initial plot, but be warned that there will be spoilers. You've had five years to read this story/ watch the (fairly accurate) film adaptation.
The story begins with Barry Allen waking up at work to find a world in which the Flash doesn't exist and his mother survived. Through a series of events, he also finds out that Aquaman and Wonder Woman are about to wage a war that would destroy the world, Superman is missing, and Batman is an old murderer. The Justice League does not exist and he doesn't even have his own powers to go zooming around and find people.
Basically, the premise is, "What if Barry Allen's mother never died?" I would say it's, "What if Barry Allen never became the Flash?" which is similar, but given that his mother being alive is the real reason behind all of this, then that's what we have to go with. I'll get into why both of these don't make much sense in a moment, but already you should be able to tell that this isn't the strongest premise for a "crisis" level event.
Let's look at the other "major" crises that DC experienced to force their hand in rebooting things:
- Crisis on Infinite Earths: Several universes now exist to occupy the multiverse, and as such this has angered and summoned forth the world-destroyer, the Anti-Monitor. A grand, epic story that brings everyone into the fold.
- Zero-Hour: Hal Jordan is mad with power and is preparing to essentially overhaul the universe and the heroes are powerless to stop him. Okay, not quite as good, but still has scale.
- Infinite Crisis: Heroes claiming to be of other worlds are returning, and some of them want revenge. A pretty decent story that involves some old faces, and is a clear sequel to the crises from before.
- Final Crisis: Darkseid is making his last attempt at conquer by searching a book about literally everything and is willing to pay whatever price, featuring the death and return of many heroes. This event, while somewhat confusing, is huge in its story.
Flashpoint, though, is basically: "Barry Allen awakens in a world without the Flash, and must fight to find answers before time runs out." It's an alternate universe tale that takes place in the main DC Universe (sort of?). One of the more confusing things about Flashpoint is indeed its ending, though I blame DC more on that one since they were the ones that decided to make this five-issue miniseries their big reboot after the cataclysmic events of Blackest Night were still being felt.
I keep complaining about this series, but there actually quite a few moments that I enjoy in it. Here's where we'll get into some spoilers, by the way. Regarding the moments, I rather enjoy Barry getting to see his mother for the first time, and it is a little jarring to see her and him together. The regaining of his powers is cool, too, in how he has to essentially earn Thomas Wayne's respect and trust. His clashes with Thawne are classic, and the end of it all between he and Bruce is all very touching.
Sadly, the rest of the book is basically just the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman and just seeing how everything is going to end up. I keep mentioning "scale" and this book does have it. However, it only has scale for its own story. It doesn't have a big feeling of grandiose that the other major events have. Flashpoint doesn't feel like it deserves its effect.
The big panel of Barry running through the different worlds is clearly meant to be what causes the New 52 to come about, but in reading it, the moment just comes out of nowhere. Pandora (though we don't know its her until later) tells her of the merging that is set to occur and then bam, Barry is back on Earth. There are just so many questions, like why this moment is causing the merging between worlds to happen now. How was Pandora able to manipulate this? Even in "Trinity War" this isn't even explained, since that book was essentially just a set up for Forever Evil.
Not to mention how little sense the ending makes in the context of the New 52. Justice League Vol. 1: Origin was supposed to be the first time any of the League members met (most of them, anyway). But at the end of Flashpoint, Barry and Bruce clearly know each other. This led some to speculate that the New 52 isn't actually the only continuity, and that there is still a pre-Flashpoint continuity that exists, it's just that the characters we've been following for the past five years are in the post-Flashpoint era.
Nowadays, this has been confirmed. Books like Titans Hunt and the current "Final Days of Superman" Arc indicate that there will be a merging of the two stories. It's not the cleanest way to tie things up, but it at least lets the ending of Flashpoint make some sense right now: the pre-Flashpoint universe went on while the "merged" universes that Pandora had a part in were intended to be what we followed. Do I have any idea how this is all going to work itself out? No, but I hope it does so well.
I think the best way to experience Flashpoint is through the film, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox. For starters, it probably won't take you as long to get through. Plus, there isn't the confusing scene with Pandora in it. All of the key moments from the miniseries are still in the film and it's not all that bad as a standalone DC Animated movie. The implication of the animated universe is that the movie had the same effect, but we seem to be straying more from that idea as time passes and we're all the better for it.
Flashpoint is best read only as a Flash story. It isn't an amazing story, but if you're curious about it as a Flash fan--or you just want to see why people are so salty over the origins of the New 52 five years later--it's worth a read. I mean, it's only five issues. However, Flashpoint does not read well in terms of overall change in the universe. It lacks any real impact throughout the story and tries to cram it all down in the final issue, with the only moments that pay off relating to Barry Allen and not the rest of the DC Universe. With "Rebirth" approaching we may finally be able to put it behind us, and for now all we can do is hope that they rectify their mistakes and make this reboot/ relaunch/ retrying to get fans back on board one that makes sense.
Sort of. At this point, nothing makes any sense in comics. But that's why we read them.
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