Exploring the World of Flashpoint

DC Comics’ Flashpoint series is in full swing and the impact of the series looks to be huge in light of the recently announced restructuring of the publishing line in its wake. Before September hits, the Flashpoint continuity is being fully explored in a wide array of tie-ins and miniseries shipping through August. Normally, these type of books appear to be nothing more that attempts to capitalize on event branding, but we’re seeing that some of these books have some real substance in the early going.

Spoilers for a number of Flashpoint series will follow, but you should see them coming.

PTB: We’ve talked about how many tie-ins and miniseries there are for Flashpoint, and over the last two weeks a slew of previews showed up. Two books in particular caught my attention: Abin Sur – The Green Lantern and a book with Frankenstein! The Frankenstein book features art by Ibraim Roberson whose work I really enjoy, but I read this interview and knew absolutely nothing about the DC characters they were referring to.

KevinMLD: Frankenstein was resurrected as part of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers of Victory project and I was a big fan. While he’s made a few appearances here and there since the series, in my opinion Frankenstein and Klarion the Witchboy should have received a real push after Seven Soldiers. They were just fun books. This is a title I’ll definitely be checking out.

PTB: World of Flashpoint looked like it could be great too and the preview showing the flooding of Paris pulled me right in. I have no idea who that family was supposed to be. Is it Zatanna? There are suggestions that she knew what would happen given the line “No… It’s too soon,” and “I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect husband, or a happier life.”

KevinMLD: World of Flashpoint is kind of an interesting book. The girl in question is Traci Thirteen. She’s a character with whom I’m not very familiar. She’s a witch that was part of a back up story called Coven that ran in Teen Titans not too long ago. Her father is a prominent member of H.I.V.E. in this book. It looks like it’s setting things up to be Traci vs. all of H.I.V.E. to save the world, but she may already be too late. Traci does seem to have faint, dream-like memories of her previous life, even though we were told only Booster Gold and Barry Allen would remember it. I’m wondering if this scene was just there so the writers could explain to unfamiliar readers who Traci Thirteen was in the old DCU.

PTB: I couldn’t tell if that’s an anthology book or just focusing on what we see in the previews. It’s interesting that Abin Sur will be returning given what’s happening in War of the Green Lanterns.

KevinMLD: I’ve also had a chance to read the Abin Sur Green Lantern title and I definitely enjoyed it. The Green Lantern status quo isn’t that far off from what we’ve seen in the past. Nekron’s Black Lanterns are rampaging across the Universe and the Guardians have yet to formally confront them. Sinestro is still a Green Lantern and he’s obsessed with restoring order by defeating the Black Lanterns. Abin Sur is the Green Lantern of 2814. He’s obsessed with the sanctity and preservation of life. The Guardians dispatch him to Earth to recover the White Lantern “life” entity. In the process he’s determined to save humanity from itself. We also learn that Sinestro is holding Atrocitus hostage and wants to know about the prophesy of the Flashpoint. In the old DCU, Atrocitus held the secrets of the prophesy of the Blackest Night.

PTB: That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. After reading your description, I couldn’t help but think that Abin Sur might have been the best choice for the White Lantern during Brightest Day. I asked about “Rac” last time, and based on the Flashpoint: Secret Seven preview it looks like that might be Shade the Changing Man.

KevinMLD: Indeed, Rac is a Changing Man. It’s unclear to me whether that means he’s THE Changing Man or not. I’m not familiar enough with his history to make that judgment. I didn’t really enjoy this book at all, but that might be the result of my lack of familiarity with the original concept.

PTB: Finally, the Batman: Knight of Vengeance book looks great (with art by Eduardo Risso) but what really struck me was that it seemed to be a straight up Batman story with Thomas Wayne as Batman. Brian Azzarello writing really helps.

KevinMLD: I didn’t really appreciate just how old Batman had to be from his appearances in the main Flashpoint series. In this book, we learn he’s got to be in his late fifties (which makes sense). This is a dark book which reminded me of The Dark Knight Returns at times. This Batman is a mean old coot who has no problem killing his enemies. Azzarello’s Batman work has been hit or miss for me to date, but I definitely enjoyed this issue.

PTB:It’s a real good sign that at least some of these books are telling their own stories in the Flashpoint continuity and not trying to tie in to the main plot.

KevinMLD: That’s been the case with everything I’ve read so far. These are just other stories set in this world. Though Thomas Wayne does ask Jim Gordon if he had the opportunity to completely change the world would he take it.

Read more about DC Comics’ Flashpoint on MyLatestDistraction,
and follow each issue of the series here:

Flashpoint #1 / Flashpoint #3 (coming soon)