Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Andy KubertFLASH FACT: The war between the Amazons and the Atlantians has arrived. The battle between Diana of Themyscira and Emperor Aquaman will tear this world apart — unless The Flash can fix it!
Does DC’s big summer event live up to all the hype?
Find out after the jump, and be warned: spoilers ahead.
If we were to make a list of all of the things Flashpoint #5 was supposed to do, it might look something like this:
-Conclude the Flashpoint saga
-Explain (in part) the transition from the DCU to the DCnU
-Tell a good story
If just addressing those needs, the book is somewhat successful. The Flashpoint saga is indeed ended, the much-talked about 2 page spread leading to the DCnU is present, and the story works in broad strokes.
However, that is only part of the tale.
The story takes an unexpected turn, as the villain behind the Flashpoint Universe turns out to be Barry Allen. It was Barry’s attempt to save his mother’s life that lead to the fracturing of the timeline that lead to the Flashpoint Universe. And so, because he was responsible for breaking it, it is his job to reunite it. The machinations of this are confusing, somewhat in direct contrast with each other, and very reliant on Flash backstory (such as the “using someone as a lightning rod” bit to travel through time to them, introduced during Wally West’s turn as the Flash). But hey, this is better than just ending all the DC books and starting fresh. It’s at least giving us something.
Allen winds up doing what he does best (running) and in the process, unites three timelines: the Vertigo, Wildstorm, and the DC Universes (as instructed by a mysterious woman who also shows up in a very small cameo in Justice League #1). A very flimsy explanation is given as to why there are three timelines that need to be united, but the point is made: three are now one, and here we are in the DCnU. From the final (admittedly touching) scene featuring Bruce Wayne and Barry, the world that they are currently living in feels the same as the pre-Flashpoint world. That is to say, they don’t think anything has changed – even Barry is oblivious to his new costume and younger self.
The ending of the Flashpoint saga itself was well handled, with all characters being true to the alternate versions of themselves, and with a clear understanding of why things happened the way they did. We get some nice characterization of Barry Allen — the hero who selflessly gave his life during Crisis on Infinite Earths — who undid the entire universe to try and selfishly save his mother, the woman who meant so much to him. It adds nice depth to Allen, sometimes a one dimensional character.
It is in the action scenes that Andy Kubert’s art really shines — the first double page spread of the issue in particular looks gorgeous, and the sheer magnitude of the story really shines through in the art. My only real criticism of the art is the aforementioned two-page time change spread; the image simply isn’t very clear on what exactly is going on. The “three timelines” are separated by thin blue lines of – I don’t know, the cosmos? With an epic piece of artwork like that, you should be able to ignore the words and get some idea of what is going on, but that is nearly impossible here.
Overall, the issue just feels rushed. This plan was clearly in place for a long time — Flashpoint was teased at the end of The Flash #1 from back in April of 2010. A six-issue miniseries could have told the story much better, as this fifth issue feels like two issues sewn together, and the seam is not very well hidden. The final battle of Thawne V. Flash, against the backdrop of Aquaman V. Wonder Woman, is exciting and fun and would have made for a great penultimate issue. I say that because the second half of the issue, where Barry confronts his mother, reunites the timelines and sets foot in the DCnU, could have used more room to breathe and grow.
So there you have it — the death knell of the old DCU and the birthing pains of the DCnU, all wrapped up in a lot of speed lines.
Final Verdict: 7.3 – Reluctantly Buy
