Copyright © 2011 by Michael A. Burstein
Flashpoint #5 (DC Comics, Late October 2011 cover date; released August 31, 2011)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Justice League #1 (DC Comics, October 2011 cover date; released August 31, 2011)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Jim Lee
If you’re one of the few who’ve managed to avoid all news of this comics upheaval, there are some spoilers in this reviews. Not many, but some.
Those of us who have been long-time fans of the DC Comics superheroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all their colleagues, have been awaiting August 31st with both hope and trepidation. A few months ago, DC Comics announced that with the end of the Flashpoint miniseries, they were rebooting the entire line, much as they did back in 1985-1986 when the Crisis on Infinite Earths series allowed the creators to envision a world in which the main superheroes were new, and not saddled with fifty years of continuity.
Today, DC Comics released the last issue set in the old DC universe, Flashpoint #5 [image at right], and Justice League #1 [image below], the first of the new 52 #1 issues coming out this fall. The reasons for the reboot are fairly straightforward: for many years, comic sales have been falling, and comic book companies routinely need to do something to promote their characters and generate sales again. In our modern climate, where the Internet allows even the most casual fan to know something of the business of comics, this is a fairly obvious statement. DC Comics in particular has been looking for something to spark renewed interest in their characters, and no one can deny that the announced sales of Justice League #1 have possibly gotten a lost comic book superhero audience interested again.
However, art and commerce have always had an uneasy relationship, and so the real question that should be in everyone’s mind is not if the stunt will sell, but is the stunt good? Are the stories being told worth the media hype?
The question is not one that can be answered completely until the rest of the 52 new #1 issues are released, but if this week’s pull list is an indicator, the signs are hopeful indeed.
Flashpoint #5 ends a story in which Barry Allen, the character most identified as being the Flash by casual fans, has been thrust into an alternate timeline in which the world is literally about to end. Two countries, the Amazonians of Paradise Island and the Atlanteans of the sea, led respectively by this world’s versions of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, are at war, and as Flashpoint #5 begins, it is clear that the war will end with the loss of all humanity. The Flash knows that to stop the war he must fix history, but it turns out that fixing history will come with a great personal cost.
Given all the media attention, it is no spoiler to say that the Flash does succeed in fixing the timeline. But the decision that he makes to save the world will resonate with anyone who has ever lost a loved one. Furthermore, although the story ends with the reboot of the universe, it appears evident that the Flash still recalls something of the old world and the alternate world, and that there may be another entity manipulating events from behind. For long-time fans, this is a satisfying finish to the old DC universe, as it keeps Barry Allen as front and center as he was during the 1980s’ Crisis that first changed the world, and allows us to feel that what happened before Flashpoint still, in some small way, matters.
More important for DC Comics is how Justice League #1 comes off, as this comic serves as the jumping-on point for what they hope will be many more readers for years to come. The issue does not disappoint. Set five years in the past, the story shows the first meeting of the superheroes Batman and Green Lantern when they were starting out. People who have been reading about these superheroes for years will find their characterization to be spot on. There are no changes (so far) to make a long-time reader confused or bewildered; indeed, this long-time reader found himself nodding at how true to their characters the first meeting felt.
But it is for the new reader that the comic book shines. There is no need for any background knowledge on the part of the reader to enjoy the story. Who are Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, and Vic Stone? The story tells you just as much as you need to know, as we are thrust into an action-packed adventure and a DC universe in which the heroes are new to their game, not trusted by the public, and both cocky and unsure of themselves as they try to save their world.
If you were once a reader of DC Comics who has since drifted away, pick up both issues to see how the old is respected as the new sweeps it away; and no matter who you are, pick up Justice League #1 for a great place to start enjoying the world of DC Comics.