FLASHPOINT 5 :
To start off, I haven't read a DC comic in ages as I have always been a Marvel person though I always kept up on Batman as that is one DC character I enjoyed reading. I decided to join the party and see how this new "DC 52" pans out and this was the issue to trigger the events to the "new" DC. So, I have no idea what has happened in the previous 4 issues but I can take an educated guess from what I read in this book.
Issue starts of the Flash ( Barry ) fighting it out with Anti-Flash in some world that was created by Barry when he went back in time to save his mom from being murdered by Anti-Flash. Never turns out the way its supposed to the hero's mind. Anyways, Anti-Flash or is it Reverse Flash?, makes Barry remember what he did and how that has made the bad Flash live outside any type of timeline that has ever been created by Barry or anyone else. He informs Barry that he can't be hurt by him at anytime. Might be true but Batman ( in this world it's Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce ) puts a quick end to that nonsense by taken matters end to his own hands with a sword no less. Batman, though victorious, falls as the battle takes it's final toll on him, but before dying he gives a letter to Barry with Bruce's name on it and tells Barry to make things right once more. As Barry starts to do just that he is drawn into a timeline where his mother is there talking about the end of the world. Barry wants his mother to live and fix the world at the same time but they both know that is impossible. Mom persuades him to let her go so she can be with her husband in the afterlife and so the world may be put back in order. Right as Barry is almost done doing that an unknown masked female states that there are three time lines and that to be put everything back to order that Barry must sacrifice everything. Flash wakes up and goes to see Batman ( Bruce Wayne ) and tells him what has happened and delivers the not that Thomas Wayne asked him to give. We are left with the assumption that the world is back together but Flash has memories of the other timeline and we do not know what the note said.
Rating : 3/5 - Don't know how this issue compares to the other part of the mini-series but this issue was fast paced and set up the new universe with some lingering questions on the past ones and if and why the other ones are combined to make only one as they never existed. A good jumping on point for new readers and from what I have heard from others a great point to jump off.
JUSTICE LEAGUE 1 :
Book starts off by stating that this is happening 5 years in the past as we see Batman running after some creature as he is being chased by authorities in helicopters. Batman catches up to the creature and is interrogating him but is then interrupted by Green Lantern who can't believe that Batman is a real person. The creature manages to get away and destroys the helicopters which Green Lantern then helps on damage control. Next few pages Batman and Green Lantern track the creature and get to know each other. Green Lantern is very arrogant and confident in his new found powers and can't believe that Batman is "just" a man in a suit while every other superhuman that has been spotted has had some type of power. We flash to a high school game where there is a young man that is just demolishing the opponent with all the scouts wanting to sign him to their college. Obviously has some type of power. This man will grow up to be Cyborg. As Batman and GL find the creature underground planting some type of computer to a wall GL and his attitude alerts the creature to their presence and decides to blow himself up while yelling out "For Darkseid". Thankfully GL has quickness on his side as well to everything else and contains Batman and himself within a protective casing. They decide to track down this super powered human which is also known as an alien, Superman. Batman states he has never met him but he is bad news as he has studied him from afar. GL states no worries and I can handle this. As GL enters a building where they assume Superman is, GL is shown to be forced physically out of the building by a red blur. Superman looks at a stunned Batman and states he is not easy to handle and what can he do for them.
Rating : 3.5/5 - A good starting off issue. Not much downtime per se and gets to the point of introducing us to part of the roster of the future Justice League. Other than Batman I never really liked these characters individually but as a group the interactions can be quite entertaining. I like how Superman comes off as a bad ass but GL's attitude will wear then if it stays this way for lone. No opinion on Cyborg as not enough to comment on. Overall, a very good first issue with enough to at least want me to finish the first arc which is stated to last 6 issues.
SECRET AVENGERS 16 :
I assume this issue is before the Fear Itself storyline as Steve Rogers is in his Commander getup but I could be wrong as he shown with Captain America's shield. This is a fill-in issue that may have some impact in future story lines. It starts of with the group of Steve, Beast, Black Widow and Moon Knight descending in a hidden city under Cincinnati. The reason they were able to detect it was that the Beast found trace particles from a Von Doom time machine. They decide to investigate under the belief that the Shadow Council might be doing something with it and that can only be a bad thing. Once they arrive they find an old Russian car that is atomic powered. They are chased through the city by jeep and through the air by a helicopter. After Black Widow takes care of the jeep Steve takes down the helicopter. They realize that the whole city is modeled after Von Doom's time machine and that as with his the city has four pillars to power the machine. Problem is that the pillars are hundreds of feet tall and are at least two miles apart from each other and heavily guarded. Figuring they only need to take one out for the machine not to work Beast is able to rewire the atomic car they have been driving into a sort of "dirty" bomb and set it on course for one of the pillars. They are able to escape the city through the passageway they came in from as they whole city is obliterated. Beast ponders on how many people he has just killed while Steve responds by saying how many people he saved instead.
Rating : 1.5/5 - The story was ok per se but with everything else going on in the Marvel Universe this issue seems like a story that does not belong and was just written til the Fear Itself storyline is done with and the rosters of the Avengers are reworked. I rather have had another of the "interview" story lines that have been running in recent Avengers books than this. Hopefully next issue gets this series back on track.
UNCANNY X-FORCE 14 :
Story begins the previous day from last issue with Archangel ( Warren ) and Dark Beast ( Hank ) flying towards home base within the North Pole discussing how the ascension of Archangel will change the world for the better. Warren insists on everyone treating him more as an equal, a brother in arms, than a Lord or Leader. We jump to present day with the X-Force group confronting Warren and his group. Fantomex trys to redirect Warren as Logan and Betsy debate on killing Warren. Warren was prepared for that and as Wolverine attacks Warren he is incinerated by Genocide. The battle is on between the two groups as it looks like X-Force is over matched and seeing that they are able to use a smokescreen to escape though stays behind and informs Warren she has not given up on him just yet. Rest of the group tends to Logan and debate on what to do next as Betsy takes a tour within the North Pole with Warren as they talk about Warren's gradual transformation into Apocalypse. Warren is called away by Hank informed that it was time to meet at an arranged meeting point. Warren is carrying Genocide to some Mid-America town and is dropped there as Warren talks to a little boy and tells him to go tell his mommy that he loves her. As mom and son hold each other's hand Genocide annihilates the town like a nuclear bomb was dropped on it as Archangel watches from above.
Rating : 4/5 - Yet another quality issue from the creative team. Though I didn't know where they could go with this story they just upped the ante. Mutants already have blown up a city ( see Civil War mini-series ) and we saw what happened after that. This can only be worse as there is a precedent already for doing this. Wolverine is on the shelf, Psylocke is locked away and it is looking grim for everyone. This book is one of the best right now and this issue does not disappoint.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 668 :
We jump right into the fight that had started at Bryant Park with the Avengers and FF fighting all sorts of spider people. Love the fact that they show a lot of Pete's old costumes. Peter is picked up off the ground and is confirmed to be the real deal but is sent away from the fight as to not confuse the other heroes on who they are fighting. As Peter mopes away from the fight he runs into Mary Jane and Norah and they end up watching current girlfriend Carlie assisting the police in subduing some more unruly spider powered citizens. We are taken to Jackals hideout while his having a conversation with the still unidentified lady that looks to be the head bad person in this event. Back to Peter and we see that he was able to convince people via a live news feed to be better people and that they couldn't allow the few spider powered people to continue to cause problems but to join up with him and police themselves. So with the help of the heroes they do just that. JJ Jonah arrives on scene and after giving a pep talk he deputizes everyone. Peter makes it back to work, Horizon Labs, and finds out that it has now be named the CDC for the epidemic that is happening. Reed Richards happens to be there and was working with the unknown scientist in Lab 6. Still no reveal though. Anti-Venom is seen swinging around "curing" people with their super powers. This does not go unnoticed as Madame Web watches from afar. Peter meets up with Calie at the police station and she informs him that she has a lead that the Jackal is behind all of this. They head out to one of his known hideouts. As they break in to investigate, within the shadows are enemies ready to pounce.
Rating : 3.5/5 - Nothing really major happened here but Slott makes it entertaining and with this being a long storyline this just fleshes it out a little more. Obviously there is more to come and it will get more intense as Jackal is a known thorn in the side and with Madame Web "knowing" what is going to happen and implying that Peter will have to kill this story will only get better.
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