New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Flashpoint #5:  OK, here's the thing.  This issue is the best of the series.  It's clear:  we're given cause, effect, and consequence.  Barry Allen decided to go to the past to save his mother from Reverse Flash.  However, Reverse Flash was in transit at the time Barry does so (presumably on the way to kill Flash's mother).  By altering the world while Reverse Flash was in the time stream, Barry created a time paradox, causing Reverse Flash to have left one time stream only to enter another.  In so doing, Reverse Flash now existed independent of Flash, whereas, before, he was always tied to Flash since he needed to ensure that the Speed Force reached him in the 25th century.  I'm not saying that makes sense, per se, but I'm saying that, in the context of time-travel stories, it makes more sense than we usually see.

The problem is that this issue feels like a one-shot, not the culmination of a five-issue mini-series that changes everything we know about the DC Universe.  Because Johns never lays the groundwork for this reveal (in fact, this issue is the first one where we really see Reverse Flash), the revelation that it was Barry that caused the change in the first place falls entirely and hopelessly flat.  I feel like we probably could've had an entire issue based on that reveal, with Reverse Flash revealing the truth and then Johns detailing the events surrounding Barry's decision to save his mother and his efforts to do so.  Without seeing that, we just have to take at face value that Barry was so grief-stricken that one day suddenly decide to shatter time.  It's a hard sell for only a few panels. 

Moreover, once we settle all that, we rush through Barry's tearful conversation with his mother by cramming a lot of conversation into three pages and end the issue with no real idea what changed.  We get some mysterious figure telling us about three timelines (though I'm pretty sure the DC Universe has had many more than three) and, boom, suddenly, we're in the "present."  The scene between Flash and Batman at the end is well done, but it still falls flat, since it gives us no hint anything really has changed.  In fact, if we didn't know about the reboot, reading that scene would leave you to believe nothing, at all, is different.

At the end of the day, I feel like it's that problem right there that doomed "Flashpoint."  This series was nothing more than a regular old "Flash" story.  It's pretty clear that DC seized on something Johns had planned just for "Flash" and used it to change everything.  You can tell because it's rushed, a fact made all the more shocking when you're talking about Johns and Kubert, who are the best at what they do.  In the end, it's a forgettable story, not really the memorable bridge between the two realities -- the old DC Universe and the new DC universe -- but a rushed attempt to explain an editorial decision that almost would've been better presented without comment.

All that said, "Brand New Day" in "Amazing Spider-Man" proved that you can reboot a series so long as you don't totally disregard continuity AND you tell a great story.  For example, I'll be a lot more comfortable with the reboot if we get confirmation that Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne were, for a time, Batman and Robin.  If we learn those events didn't happen, however, I think it'll be hard to get over that, at least immediately, given that I thought their stories were some of the best ones the Bat-books have ever told.  Similarly, I hope we don't see Superboy returning to the era where he was constantly lamenting the fact that he was "just a clone."  This whole endeavor of rebooting the line has a lot of excellent possibilities, but it also has some serious pitfalls.  We'll see how it goes.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)

Batman:  Arkham City #4:  Didn't we already know that Hugo Strange was the villain?  I want to say we did.  Or, at least, we saw enough of his face in the last issue to guess?  At any rate, this issue moves along pretty well.  Dini is literally putting all the pieces in place (Poison Ivy in the Cenral Gardens, for example) for the game, and I'm getting increasingly excited for it.  He also throws in some nice touches, like mentioning the awesome exploding foam from the last game.  By the by, Mark Hamill's voicing of the Joker is so iconic that I can't help but hear his voice reading the Joker's lines in this issue.  Similar to the "inFAMOUS" comic, I'm not sure I would recommend this series to anyone who's not going to play the video game.  But, if you are (or you played the first one), it's a fun read.

Batman:  Gates of Gotham #4:  Meh.  I can't say I'm overly intrigued at this point to find out the true identity of the Architect.  I mean, I guess in theory it might not be either one of the Gates brothers, but it seems pretty likely that it's somehow one of them.  I liked this series better when it was basically a vehicle for Dick Grayson to play older brother to Tim, Cassandra, and Damian.  I mean, you still see that in this issue, with Dick comforting Tim after his defeat, something I'm not quite sure you'd see Bruce doing in the same way.  But, unlike the first few issues of this series, the "mystery" has more or less taken over the focus, and I can't say it's all that interesting.  Although it's tangentially related to the Wayne family, it's not enough to deliver on the series' initial promise, that somehow the heirs of the Wayne family -- Dick, Tim, Cassandra, and Damian -- were going to right some historic wrong that involved the family.  I'll reserve judgment until we see how Higgins ends it, but I have the sense that I'm going to wind up disappointed or, at least, bored.

Batman Beyond #8:  Of all the titles I collect, this one is the one most affected by the reboot.  Beechen was doing an excellent job creating the world inhabited by Terry and his supporting cast.  Despite the fact that I'm happy to see news that the title will return in some form at some point, DC definitely disrupted what Beechen was doing here by suspending it for the time being.  This sort of title -- one built on seeing familiar characters in a new light -- needs time to blossom, to build the layers of the story.  DC shut down the title just as Beechen was finding his rhythm.  This issue is particularly an odd one to complete the series, given that Terry hardly appears in it and it centers around a villain I don't recognize.  Although we might see some winners from the reboot, the disappearance of this series is definitely one of the losers.

Dungeons & Dragons #9:  If I had one small complaint about this series over the past few issues, it was that the background of the characters wasn't entirely clear.  What was Juliana doing at Al'Bihel?  Why was Varic guarding her, particularly if he's an Earth-born elf and not eladrin?  Rogers resolves almost all these issues here.  First, I have to say, before I get into the issue, that Rogers does an amazing job pulling together all the stories he's told over the last few issues.  Fell's Five getting lost through the portal because of the extra World Key gave us the Al'Bihel flashback, which sets the stage for the quest that Juliana's father, Toveliss, sends Fell's Five to complete in this arc.  It's really masterful and just gives you a sense that Rogers is in total control over the overarching story he's telling here.  Looking at the story itself, it's clear that Juliana was at Al'Bihel to collect the Guide of Gates, which Toveliss wants to use to crush his enemies.  Rogers doesn't explain how Fell's Five just happened upon Toveliss -- given that previously we learned that they could've landed anywhere at any time -- but, as Toveliss says, "there are no coincidences in the Feywild."  Along those lines, we learn that the giant who was trying to build the portal in the first arc has likely returned on his own quest for the Guide of Gates.  Again, it was a pleasure to watch this intricately woven plot -- for the whole series -- continue to develop.  Technically, the banter was as good as ever.  (More Bree!)  The only drawback to this issue was the art, which was shared by three different artists, often willy-nilly.  It occasionally disrupted the reverie that this book normally inspires.  But, it doesn't mean I'm not waiting impatiently for the next issue! 

Flashpoint #4:  Honestly, although I enjoyed this issue, I have no idea how Geoff Johns is going to wrap up this story in just one issue.  At this point, it seems clear that the fact that he doesn't have time to wrap up the story is more or less the story.  As Flash says in this issue, it's probably impossible for him to be able to undo everything Thawyne has done, since it requires knowing the exact details of so many different variables.  After all, some things have to stay different given the upcoming reboot.  At this point, then, it's just a matter of what exactly Flash and his alternate-universe Justice League are going to be able to change and how exactly they're going to achieve that.  Even that, though, seems like a tall order in one issue, given that Thwayne just makes his first appearance on the last page of this issue.  Johns is a pretty amazing writer, so I have faith in him, particularly since all the issues so far have been pretty exciting.  So, we shall see.  In terms of the book itself, it appears that the Enchantress, and not Element Woman, was the traitor, though I can't say I really care all that much.  Also, the big emotional moment -- the death of one of the Captain Thunder kids -- was lost on me given that I'm still not really familiar enough with minor DC characters to know who they are.  I'm not sure why Johns has decided to focus on these fairly minor characters, since I feel like that time could've been better spent focusing on why exactly Aquaman and Wonder Woman hate each other.  At any rate, it's time to just get the reboot started.

Superboy #10:  This issue actually isn't terrible.  (Hurrah!)  We get the history of Tannarak, the immortal wizard who's been manipulating all the Hollow Man events over the last few issues (and, apparently, millenia).  Lemire does actually really tie up some loose ends via this tour of Tannarak's history, so at least I'm not as confused as I was.  However, I'm still not entirely sure why he picked Smallville as his next pied-à-terre, unless he predicted the arrival of Superboy.  I mean, if he didn't predict it, what were he and the Tooks doing for the last 125 years?  Were they just lucky that Conner appeared and gave them a decent vessel?  (Boy, that sounds dirty.)  I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this issue so much is that, for the first time, we actually got some decent art.  It made me realize how much I really, really dislike Pier Gallo's pencils.  At any rate, I'll be glad when we move into the reboot.

X-Factor #223:  After we spent some time last issue spinning our wheels, this issue essentially sends us onto the street burning rubber.  Cerberus is the latest supernatural canine entity on Rahne's trail, and Werewolf by Night leaves her to try to stop him.  X-Factor arrives to help, after Siryn (or, Banshee, I'm not sure what we're calling her now) used her powers to "convince" Pip to locate her.  Rahne, meanwhile, goes into labor and is "helped" into a cabin by a mysterious young man.  David does a good job of injecting some excitement back into this story.  He's managed keep track of a lot of different characters, adding new ones into the story without losing focus on the existing ones.  It's always been one of his strongest skills, and he displays it to great effect here.  Morever, we get Madrox and Siryn realizing that Layla probably resurrected Guido, given his uncharacteristically aggressive behavior.  I'm guessing the post-Rahne arc is goign to be the search for Guido's soul and, really, how cool will that be? 

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)

Flashpoint #1:  After a lot of hype, "Flashpoint" finally begins.  Johns, as expected, does a great job of establishing the background of this world without getting lost in the details.  He manages to convey Barry’s confusion over finding himself in a different reality while at the same time outlining the grim contours of this new reality.  At this stage, I would just note two things.  First, one of my problems with this sort of story is that I feel like authors go too far at times in drastically altering the personalities of existing characters.  Although I don’t know what happened to lead them to their “present” path, I don’t know if I buy that Aquaman and Wonder Woman would slaughter tens of millions of people.  It’s a “nature v. nurture” debate, to be sure, but something  about making well-known heroes into homicidal super-villains always rings a little false to me in these sorts of stories.  Second, I’m not as familiar with the DC back bench as I am Marvel’s.  That’s obviously not Johns’ fault, but it means I didn’t catch who all of Cyborg’s potential Justice League members were.  It's another consequence of these reality-warping stories, since the authors generally need to promote some heroes off the back bench to show how different everything is.  But, since these were the only two things that made feel moderately frustrated when reading this issue, I can live with it, since usually these sorts of stories drive me crazy.  (Plus, pretty much anything Johns does here is going to compare favorably to "Fear Itself.")

Flashpoint #2:  First, let’s talk about the ending.  I was all ready to roll my eyes at the Flash becoming the Flash again by re-doing the experiment that made him the Flash in the first place.  Seeing his scarred (and possibly dead) body on the last page was a surprise and made me excited to see what else Johns was going to do with this series.  I hadn’t quite realized from the first issue that Aquaman and Wonder Woman were at war with one another, so I assume we’ll be getting more information at some point on how that happened.  (I’m also guessing Iris is the mole feeding Wonder Woman information, but I could definitely could be wrong about that, because how would she know Cyborg was organizing a Justice League?  Maybe it’s Element Woman and she’s not as crazy as everyone thinks she is?)  Finally, Johns really infuses this series with a sense of urgency with the idea that Flash has to right this new timeline before he forgets the prime timeline.  I’ve always been confused by the Flash’s original origin (and that phrase right there pretty much sums up my problems with DC), since it seems like Thwayne traveling into the past to kill his mother happened somewhat recently (in the real, non-comics timeline) and wasn’t something intrinsically part of his original origin.  Johns at least acknowledges that by having Barry comment on how he doesn’t remember his past before his mother was killed, so he knows it’s possible for him to forget the prime reality.  But, as I was in Johns' "Flash" series, I always wind up a little confused when Barry talks about his past.  Focusing on the series' plot, at this point, I have two problems.  First, why does Reverse Flash let Barry know it’s him behind the change?  It seems very 1960s “Batman” TV show.  Is he also going to put him in some "foolproof" death trap and tell him how to undo what he's done, since it’s impossible for him to escape, "ba-ha-ha!”  [Sigh.]  Second, why does Barry remember the events in the first place?  Why is he the only one that remembers?  Did Thwayne do that on purpose?  If so, why?  Given that this series only has five issues, I'm hoping Johns moves quickly in answering these questions.

Flashpoint #3: Johns really moves us forward in this issue, but I wonder if it's enough.  First, the Flash regains his powers (though, unfortunately, in the eye-rolling manner that I thought Johns avoided in “Flashpoint” #2).  We also find Superman, who (brilliantly, on Johns’ part) has no powers because the government denied him exposure to the sun after he was taken from his rocket, which, in this reality, destroyed several city blocks of Metropolis when it crashed into Earth.  Element Woman is indeed the traitor and Lois Lane finds the Resistance in England.  No information yet on why Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war, but we know it’s happening “tomorrow.”  All in all, Johns keeps the pace of the book moving.  He also takes some time to add in some grace notes, like Barry’s frustration with Thomas Wayne’s dial-up connection.  Heh.  However, with only two issues left, I have to wonder at what point Reverse Flash is actually going to appear.  I mean, Johns isn't giving himself a lot of room here to resolve the situation without making it feel rushed.  We shall see, I guess.

Red Robin #25:  Nicieza had me thinking “WTF?” at the end of this issue, in mostly a good way, which is an impressive feat.  First, this issue is funny, if you know, you look past the fact that the humor is based on Tim imminently being raped.  Nicieza softens that edge a little:  part of the reason you can see it as funny is that you know it’s not going to happen, because Tim is too good of a planner for it to happen, a sense that gets proved correct when Black Bat arrives to save him.  Moreover, the issue has some real legitimate suspense.  I actually did, for a moment, think Black Bat had killed Tim, or, at least, in some way, turned against him.  Also, the reveal that someone who’s not Ra’s al Ghul also sees Tim as a possible adversary/successor is interesting, particularly because that’s about all Nicieza reveals about “Know-It-All.”  The cliffhanger ending is also fascinating:  did Tim really kill his father’s killer?  I can’t wait to see!  However, despite all the good, the issue has some sloppy moments.  First, Tim apparently knows that the woman planning on raping him is a half-sister of Ra’s al Ghul, but, not only did he honestly not appear to know that last issue, he also refers to her as “Mysterious Hooded Lady” at the end of this issue.  So, did he know or not?  Moreover, it’s unclear how she – and, by extension, Ra’s al Ghul – was connected to Know-It-All.  Did she choose the Catacombs where Know-It-All kept his base by accident?  It seems unlikely, but, then, if she knew Know-It-All's base was there, is Know-It-All working with Ra’s al Ghul?  That also seems unlikely, because I can’t see Ra’s being cool with someone operating to eliminate assassins, not promote them.  I’ve really enjoyed the “Red Robin” series so far, but every arc seems plagued by these questions:  not questions that the author purposefully leaves for the reader, but questions that the author seems not to realize he’s raising or failing to resolve.  At any rate, the best part of this issue was the reveal of Tim’s sweet new pad on Park Row.  How cool is that?  It seems to really establish Tim as his own hero.  However, that raises the issue of what, exactly, is happening to Tim in the reboot, given that “Red Robin” isn’t one of the series being rebooted.  Is he going to return to being Robin?  Unlikely.  Is he going to team with Nightwing?  You’d think his name would be in the title if so.  Is he just going to be part of the Teen Titans?  Disappointing, if true. 

Secret Avengers #15:  Given how amazing Nick Spencer’s “Fear Itself” tie-in issues have been, I can’t wait to see what he actually does with the title when he gets to call the shots.  This issue had moments when I feared we would veer into eye-rolling, but, like Kieron Gillen in “Generation Hope” #9, Spencer really manages to sell his story.  Using a tabloid publishing a story about Captain America not being dead as the vehicle for showing the Black Widow’s grief is really a stroke of genius.  As I said, it could’ve turned out really, really badly, but it doesn’t.  Instead, Spencer gives us one of the best meditations on superhero death that I’ve ever read.  On some level, all the characters here are right in their own way, which makes it such an interesting issue.  The ability of superheroes to return from the dead is both a blessing – as the “Unexpected Truth” staff posits – and a curse – as Natasha argues.  You can see that curse through Natasha’s pain here as she holds out hope that Bucky isn’t really, really dead (or, at least, if he is, could be resurrected).  Given that Bucky’s death got short shrift in “Fear Itself” #4, I thank Spencer for allowing us to see, somewhere, someone grieving his loss.

Superboy #8:  Well, at least we’re getting somewhere.  Lemire, probably inspired by the upcoming reboot, stops the diversions and misdirections and takes on the “Hollow Men” plot he’s been building since the first arc of the title.  The problem is that I still can’t really say I care.  He’s trying to make it seem like some planetary (actually, interplanetary) level threat, but it stills all seems kind of…goofy.  Having the Phantom Stranger manipulate events – from forcing Superboy to sit through a history lesson to using his crows to steal Simon’s weather machine – makes the events of the issue feel particularly forced.  Of all the titles I get, this one is the only one that I’m excited to see being rebooted.

Superboy #9:  Yadda yadda yadda, some guy was pretending to be the Phantom Stranger, yadda yadda yadda, danger.  I don’t know.  I don’t know why this series really, really rubs me the wrong way, but it does.  Despite the potential of the characters in this series, Lemire hasn’t really made me care about them.  Morever, the Hollow Men story just isn’t all that interesting.  Conner will defeat the Faux-tom Stranger, Smallville will be saved, Psion will find a way not to kill Simon, etc.  Is it time for the reboot yet?