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Flashpoint
The World of Flashpoint: Featuring the Flash
Don't miss this Flash volume collecting GRODD OF WAR #1, KID FLASH LOST #1-3, LEGION OF DOOM #1-3, REVERSE FLASH #1 and CITIZEN COLD #1-3. Not a dream, not an imaginary story, not an elseworld. This is Flash Fact: When Barry Allen wakes at his desk, he discovers the world has changed. Family is alive, loved ones are strangers, and close friends are different, gone or worse. It's a world on the brink of a cataclysmic war – but where are Earth's Greatest Heroes to stop it?
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2012
25 people are currently reading
481 people want to read
About the author
Scott Kolins
691 books10 followersScott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer and creator for multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
November 15, 2022
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: It sees villains through a lens of inadequacy and delusion, who, by indiscriminate bloodshed, seek satiation of desire.
Notes: It sees villains through a lens of inadequacy and delusion, who, by indiscriminate bloodshed, seek satiation of desire.
June 26, 2015
I will confess I watched "The Flashpoint Paradox" Justice League movie prior to reading this, and let me tell you, I was blown away at how dark this story arc is. This is like "What If?" on steroids.
The movie goes into some explanations I won't get into, and I tried to forget I knew that, because I haven't read The Flash, Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint yet, which I think is probably the backstory. All I know is, I don't want this life for any of the DC characters I know and love. One of the interesting things is seeing what this crazy world does to the various characters as you know them. Villains end up on the other side. Sometimes, they stay just as villainous. Sometimes, they are worse, unchecked in a world where the Justice League as we know it never existed or has fallen by the wayside. Where Wonder Woman has become an autocrat who leads ruthless, murderous Amazons who delight in killing humans.
This one isn't for the kiddos. Very violent and has some disturbing imagery. Probably the most disturbing in the story about Gorilla Grodd, who has pretty much taken Africa and claimed it for his own, and it ain't pretty. I couldn't look away. I'm starting to wonder why AU seems to be so dark and dreary. Maybe so that the reader will repeat, "It's only a book. It's only a book. It's only a book," and wipe their foreheads. While the first story is about Flash, this is really more like an anthology featuring different characters from the DC verse in the aftermath of Flashpoint.
Flash is a cool character. I like him more all the time. Interesting that this is my first official solo Flash graphic novel. I'll be reading more.
The movie goes into some explanations I won't get into, and I tried to forget I knew that, because I haven't read The Flash, Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint yet, which I think is probably the backstory. All I know is, I don't want this life for any of the DC characters I know and love. One of the interesting things is seeing what this crazy world does to the various characters as you know them. Villains end up on the other side. Sometimes, they stay just as villainous. Sometimes, they are worse, unchecked in a world where the Justice League as we know it never existed or has fallen by the wayside. Where Wonder Woman has become an autocrat who leads ruthless, murderous Amazons who delight in killing humans.
This one isn't for the kiddos. Very violent and has some disturbing imagery. Probably the most disturbing in the story about Gorilla Grodd, who has pretty much taken Africa and claimed it for his own, and it ain't pretty. I couldn't look away. I'm starting to wonder why AU seems to be so dark and dreary. Maybe so that the reader will repeat, "It's only a book. It's only a book. It's only a book," and wipe their foreheads. While the first story is about Flash, this is really more like an anthology featuring different characters from the DC verse in the aftermath of Flashpoint.
Flash is a cool character. I like him more all the time. Interesting that this is my first official solo Flash graphic novel. I'll be reading more.
March 30, 2016
This was fine. Not great but decent. These Flashpoint tie-ins are getting tiresome.
May 11, 2012
I think I'm starting to see the pattern in these "Flashpoint" books - DC are marrying up their big hitters with their small fry to round out these books. The "Flashpoint: Batman" book had little to do with Batman while "Flashpoint: The Flash" has very little to do with the Flash.
I read this expecting a book about the Flash, a superhero I've never read before, but ended up reading about someone called the "Reverse Flash" (which sounds vaguely sexual), a laughable "villain" called "Citizen Cold" who has ice guns a la Mr Freeze and battles some other villains called the Rogues; a villain called Heatwave who has fire guns (does anyone have any real powers anymore?!) tries to destroy a hockey stadium (really), and a cyborg called Cyborg stops him; there's a talking telepathic gorilla called Grodd whose story was interesting if only because his personality was so destructive and complex; and then the book finishes with Kid Flash living out a semi-Matrix like nightmare.
While the gorilla story was half decent, the other stories felt like parodies of superhero comics. The effect of twisting characters' personalities and histories (which is the whole point of Flashpoint) is wasted if the reader doesn't know the characters well enough in the first place to appreciate the changes, so I don't know if the book was incredible for pre-existing Flash fans but it had no effect upon me.
But then dull characters like Heatwave and Citizen Cold (really stupid names, really stupid outfits, and no powers but guns that shoot fire and ice) should have no place in supposedly sophisticated adult comics anyway, they're just cheap and derivative by-products of a past age.
Kid Flash's storyline was interesting as I got to learn about how Flash and his family (there are a whole bunch of Flashes much like Batman and his many Bat-people and Robins), something called the Speed Force, but the parts that so deliberately ripped off the Matrix with the concept of a virtual world while the actual body lives in a bio-pod took away some of the originality of the story.
Overall it was an underwhelming book with underwhelming characters. The writing was ok, the art was pretty decent, but Flash fans looking for Barry Allen in all his glory will have to do with the brief moments (maybe appropriately brief seeing as he's so fast, even for his own comics?) he does appear and make do with the Z-list characters presented as the main course here instead.
I read this expecting a book about the Flash, a superhero I've never read before, but ended up reading about someone called the "Reverse Flash" (which sounds vaguely sexual), a laughable "villain" called "Citizen Cold" who has ice guns a la Mr Freeze and battles some other villains called the Rogues; a villain called Heatwave who has fire guns (does anyone have any real powers anymore?!) tries to destroy a hockey stadium (really), and a cyborg called Cyborg stops him; there's a talking telepathic gorilla called Grodd whose story was interesting if only because his personality was so destructive and complex; and then the book finishes with Kid Flash living out a semi-Matrix like nightmare.
While the gorilla story was half decent, the other stories felt like parodies of superhero comics. The effect of twisting characters' personalities and histories (which is the whole point of Flashpoint) is wasted if the reader doesn't know the characters well enough in the first place to appreciate the changes, so I don't know if the book was incredible for pre-existing Flash fans but it had no effect upon me.
But then dull characters like Heatwave and Citizen Cold (really stupid names, really stupid outfits, and no powers but guns that shoot fire and ice) should have no place in supposedly sophisticated adult comics anyway, they're just cheap and derivative by-products of a past age.
Kid Flash's storyline was interesting as I got to learn about how Flash and his family (there are a whole bunch of Flashes much like Batman and his many Bat-people and Robins), something called the Speed Force, but the parts that so deliberately ripped off the Matrix with the concept of a virtual world while the actual body lives in a bio-pod took away some of the originality of the story.
Overall it was an underwhelming book with underwhelming characters. The writing was ok, the art was pretty decent, but Flash fans looking for Barry Allen in all his glory will have to do with the brief moments (maybe appropriately brief seeing as he's so fast, even for his own comics?) he does appear and make do with the Z-list characters presented as the main course here instead.
March 7, 2012
One of my least favorite of the Flashpoint books that came out.
April 13, 2012
Opening this volume is the Reverse Flash one-shot, and it’s really quite odd. Written from the point of view of Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, it tells a pseudo-origin of the character and how he came to be, then tries to talk about how he changed Barry Allen’s life for the worse. However, if you’ve not been reading the earlier Flash series, then this probably won’t make any sense to you anyway. I can see people picking this up after seeing Reverse Flash in the main Flashpoint series, but I can also see them coming away even more confused than when they started. Artist Joel Gomez doesn’t do much to help sell the issue either, with sketchy drawings that don’t do any of the characters justice. Thankfully, this is just a one-shot and not a mini-series, but if this is how the book opens, I’m wary of what to expect next.
Also written by Scott Kolins, the Citizen Cold mini-series takes up the second spot in this trade, and it’s a vast improvement on his Reverse Flash one-shot. Kolins spent a lot of time with Geoff Johns working on the Flash series, which really elevated Captain Cold and the Rogues into a force to be reckoned with, and this experience with the characters means that Kolins can write an enjoyable, if inconsequential, mini-series. This is a nice warping of Captain Cold’s usual role as the leader of the Rogues into their major antagonist, and it isn’t afraid to use the fact that the Flashpoint reality will be rewritten soon anyway (Read: People die). Kolins’ art has changed over the last few years, but it is still recognizable as his, and perfect for the Rogues and Captain Cold - he is my definitive Flash artist, and that goes double for these villains. Unfortunately, if you aren’t a fan of the previous Flash series that Kolins worked on, this mini-series is probably not going to appeal to you, since most of the characters won’t mean anything to you at all. If you are, however, then you’re in for a treat.
The misnamed Legion of Doom mini-series is slotted in third, and this series isn’t really very good, to be fair. I think it’s the first of the series I’ve read that I actively disliked - even Secret Seven wasn’t bad, just strange. This series focuses on Heatwave as he is incarcerated in a maximum security prison and attempts to break out to get his revenge on Cyborg. Most of this consists of him brutally murdering people for no reason, with at least one gorey death per issue, which are all over the top and unnecessary. I think this series falls into the trap of “This is a What If?/Elseworlds, so we can kill everyone and it’s fine.” The plot isn’t even well resolved. The art isn’t bad however, with the same artist on each issue for a change. Still, that isn’t enough to save it from a horrendous plot - if this is what Adam Glass writes like, I don’t think I’ll be checking out his New 52 series, Suicide Squad.
Gorilla Grodd gets a one-shot all to himself next, in Grodd of War, which again falls into the trap of killing characters left, right and centre because they can, with both Catman and Congorilla meeting gruesome ends within the 20 pages. The writing isn’t bad however, with Sean Ryan’s portrayal of Gorilla Grodd ringing true as he feels angry that he has been ignored in favour of the more threatening Aquaman and Wonder Woman, and takes it out on everyone within reach. This is a good fun book, despite the violence, since it actually seems to serve a purpose as opposed to how it was handled in Legion of Doom. Ig Guara’s art is superb as well, bending his style nicely to the grotesque scenes and the more subdued areas with Grodd monologuing to himself. Much better than the previous one-shot in the collection, definitely.
Kid Flash Lost brings up the rear, written by Sterling Gates with art by Oliver Nome and Scott Kolins (again. Should this be World of Flashpoint Featuring Scott Kolins?), and this is definitely the best of the bunch in this trade. If you are a fan of the Flash family, you will love this little trip down memory lane as Bart Allen and a new Hot Pursuit attempt to rewrite the timestream and get everything back to the way it’s meant to be. There are references to pretty much everything that has happened in the past 10 years in Flash comics, and even if you don’t get them all, you’ll really feel the heart and soul that Kid Flash is putting into his quest to save his grandpa, the Flash. There’s a clever twist right at the end with the naming of the mini-series which I thought was a great way to end the series, and the art is fairly consistent throughout, though Kolins’ pages do tend to stick out a mile compared to Nome’s; their styles aren’t really compatible at all, but considering Kolins does about 5 pages of the final issue, it’s not really a problem.
Overall, this is a trade which is easy to neglect. Kid Flash Lost is the shining star in the mountain of mediocre, and the Reverse Flash and Legion of Doom stories really drag the whole thing down. Grodd of War and Citizen Cold aren’t bad, but I think you won’t be missing much if you just leave this one by the wayside, which is a shame.
Also written by Scott Kolins, the Citizen Cold mini-series takes up the second spot in this trade, and it’s a vast improvement on his Reverse Flash one-shot. Kolins spent a lot of time with Geoff Johns working on the Flash series, which really elevated Captain Cold and the Rogues into a force to be reckoned with, and this experience with the characters means that Kolins can write an enjoyable, if inconsequential, mini-series. This is a nice warping of Captain Cold’s usual role as the leader of the Rogues into their major antagonist, and it isn’t afraid to use the fact that the Flashpoint reality will be rewritten soon anyway (Read: People die). Kolins’ art has changed over the last few years, but it is still recognizable as his, and perfect for the Rogues and Captain Cold - he is my definitive Flash artist, and that goes double for these villains. Unfortunately, if you aren’t a fan of the previous Flash series that Kolins worked on, this mini-series is probably not going to appeal to you, since most of the characters won’t mean anything to you at all. If you are, however, then you’re in for a treat.
The misnamed Legion of Doom mini-series is slotted in third, and this series isn’t really very good, to be fair. I think it’s the first of the series I’ve read that I actively disliked - even Secret Seven wasn’t bad, just strange. This series focuses on Heatwave as he is incarcerated in a maximum security prison and attempts to break out to get his revenge on Cyborg. Most of this consists of him brutally murdering people for no reason, with at least one gorey death per issue, which are all over the top and unnecessary. I think this series falls into the trap of “This is a What If?/Elseworlds, so we can kill everyone and it’s fine.” The plot isn’t even well resolved. The art isn’t bad however, with the same artist on each issue for a change. Still, that isn’t enough to save it from a horrendous plot - if this is what Adam Glass writes like, I don’t think I’ll be checking out his New 52 series, Suicide Squad.
Gorilla Grodd gets a one-shot all to himself next, in Grodd of War, which again falls into the trap of killing characters left, right and centre because they can, with both Catman and Congorilla meeting gruesome ends within the 20 pages. The writing isn’t bad however, with Sean Ryan’s portrayal of Gorilla Grodd ringing true as he feels angry that he has been ignored in favour of the more threatening Aquaman and Wonder Woman, and takes it out on everyone within reach. This is a good fun book, despite the violence, since it actually seems to serve a purpose as opposed to how it was handled in Legion of Doom. Ig Guara’s art is superb as well, bending his style nicely to the grotesque scenes and the more subdued areas with Grodd monologuing to himself. Much better than the previous one-shot in the collection, definitely.
Kid Flash Lost brings up the rear, written by Sterling Gates with art by Oliver Nome and Scott Kolins (again. Should this be World of Flashpoint Featuring Scott Kolins?), and this is definitely the best of the bunch in this trade. If you are a fan of the Flash family, you will love this little trip down memory lane as Bart Allen and a new Hot Pursuit attempt to rewrite the timestream and get everything back to the way it’s meant to be. There are references to pretty much everything that has happened in the past 10 years in Flash comics, and even if you don’t get them all, you’ll really feel the heart and soul that Kid Flash is putting into his quest to save his grandpa, the Flash. There’s a clever twist right at the end with the naming of the mini-series which I thought was a great way to end the series, and the art is fairly consistent throughout, though Kolins’ pages do tend to stick out a mile compared to Nome’s; their styles aren’t really compatible at all, but considering Kolins does about 5 pages of the final issue, it’s not really a problem.
Overall, this is a trade which is easy to neglect. Kid Flash Lost is the shining star in the mountain of mediocre, and the Reverse Flash and Legion of Doom stories really drag the whole thing down. Grodd of War and Citizen Cold aren’t bad, but I think you won’t be missing much if you just leave this one by the wayside, which is a shame.
March 10, 2019
En çok sondaki Çocuk Flash - Kaybolmuş hikâyesini beğendim. Diğer hikâyeler ortalamaydı.
February 3, 2013
Oh boy. Was this EVER terrible.
*There will be spoilers in this review*
I'm giving this a two star rating because the Citizen Cold Story was okay (1 star) and the Kid Flash story was okay (another star). But everything in between these two stories is Buh-Rue-Tall!!! Brutal!
This collection starts off with a recap of what The Reverse Flash contributed to getting the DCU into this Flashpoint mess. You see, he's the one that killed Barry Allen's mother all those years ago, setting up the domino effect that leads to Barry's role as The Flash (this is all revealed in in previous issues of The Flash). As we learn in Flashpoint, Barry is so outraged when he learns that Thawne is responsible, that he goes back in time via Cosmic Treadmill and prevents the Reverse Flash from committing the murder. The resulting timeline is the Flashpoint timeline.
In the Flashpoint timeline, Captain Cold, now Citizen Cold, is Central City's greatest hero... thus we have a flat, three-issue snore-fest pitting Cold against his fellow Rogues. The only purpose of this story is to draw it out clearly for readers that the Flashpoint timeline is whackadoodle and here's the proof: Cold is a hero! (Gasp, shock, OMG, whatever) But really he isn't. Really he is not much different than the Captain Cold of the regular DCU timeline... people just call him a hero. Big Whoop.
Next up is a story about Heatwave trying to break out of the Legion of Doom which is now a flying prison in the Flashpoint timeline. This is possibly the worst DC comic ever made. Utterly inane. It reads like a grade 7 student wrote it (Adam Glass), containing some of the worst grammar imaginable. The story-boarding is horrible: the action either happens off-panel or doesn't sync up with what the characters are saying (one moment the Legion of Doom is in a swamp and then suddenly on the next page it is flying over Detroit.) Everything is so hap-hazardly assembled... a total slap-dash attempt at storytelling. A serious, shameful low-note for this series and brand. I think the only reason it was published was to establish that Cyborg is a major hero in the Flashpoint timeline.... but really, he's not!!! He's pretty much the same Cyborg!!!!
In a Grodd one-shot, we learn that the gorilla president is bored of being ruler of the African continent, so he decides to attack Europe. Yup! It took 30 pages for Sean Ryan to get that point across. *facepalm*
Finally we have a Kid Flash story that is actually pretty good and is significant in the rebirth of the DCU. In this storyline the artwork outshines everything else in this volume and the writing is clear and coherent. The Kid Flash story actually DOES crossover with the events of the main Flashpoint series, so unfortunately, you have to wade through all the muck of this edition just to get to something important.
2/5
*There will be spoilers in this review*
I'm giving this a two star rating because the Citizen Cold Story was okay (1 star) and the Kid Flash story was okay (another star). But everything in between these two stories is Buh-Rue-Tall!!! Brutal!
This collection starts off with a recap of what The Reverse Flash contributed to getting the DCU into this Flashpoint mess. You see, he's the one that killed Barry Allen's mother all those years ago, setting up the domino effect that leads to Barry's role as The Flash (this is all revealed in in previous issues of The Flash). As we learn in Flashpoint, Barry is so outraged when he learns that Thawne is responsible, that he goes back in time via Cosmic Treadmill and prevents the Reverse Flash from committing the murder. The resulting timeline is the Flashpoint timeline.
In the Flashpoint timeline, Captain Cold, now Citizen Cold, is Central City's greatest hero... thus we have a flat, three-issue snore-fest pitting Cold against his fellow Rogues. The only purpose of this story is to draw it out clearly for readers that the Flashpoint timeline is whackadoodle and here's the proof: Cold is a hero! (Gasp, shock, OMG, whatever) But really he isn't. Really he is not much different than the Captain Cold of the regular DCU timeline... people just call him a hero. Big Whoop.
Next up is a story about Heatwave trying to break out of the Legion of Doom which is now a flying prison in the Flashpoint timeline. This is possibly the worst DC comic ever made. Utterly inane. It reads like a grade 7 student wrote it (Adam Glass), containing some of the worst grammar imaginable. The story-boarding is horrible: the action either happens off-panel or doesn't sync up with what the characters are saying (one moment the Legion of Doom is in a swamp and then suddenly on the next page it is flying over Detroit.) Everything is so hap-hazardly assembled... a total slap-dash attempt at storytelling. A serious, shameful low-note for this series and brand. I think the only reason it was published was to establish that Cyborg is a major hero in the Flashpoint timeline.... but really, he's not!!! He's pretty much the same Cyborg!!!!
In a Grodd one-shot, we learn that the gorilla president is bored of being ruler of the African continent, so he decides to attack Europe. Yup! It took 30 pages for Sean Ryan to get that point across. *facepalm*
Finally we have a Kid Flash story that is actually pretty good and is significant in the rebirth of the DCU. In this storyline the artwork outshines everything else in this volume and the writing is clear and coherent. The Kid Flash story actually DOES crossover with the events of the main Flashpoint series, so unfortunately, you have to wade through all the muck of this edition just to get to something important.
2/5
January 14, 2019
The last TBP in the Flashpoint Series books. Think I read the series in the wrong order, nevertheless I was able to connect the dots and fill the gaps. In this TBP we are first introduced to the story of Reverse - Flash who is the greatest enemy of The Flash and the story really holds good.
Then we are Introduced to Citizen Cold, not Captain Cold in this universe. Snort being Snort he tries to play a Hero, again Snort has a certain Moral compass and he still holds that here, although he does some gruesome things still it is Snort whom we are talking and that Story is interesting as well.
Legion of Doom comes into the picture and this story revolves majorly around Heatwave and Cyborg, we also see Plastic Man, Black Manta, Thinker and many others in this mini-series which deals with how all of them take their revenge on Cyborg for putting them behind the bars.
Then we see the King Grood who is bored to death for not having anyone to fight or rip their skull out and this storyline doesn't fit so much into the narrative I guess.
At last, we have Kid Flash who is struck in the 31st Century where Brainiac has occupied the world. Then we see how they pursue to change the past, the usual Flash thing and I wouldn't want to break your surprises there, Kid Flash reaches the Flash finally and gives his piece of advice, then the story ends here.
On the whole, this TBP is really good compared to the most and I would rate it next to the Batman TBP which I loved the most.
Then we are Introduced to Citizen Cold, not Captain Cold in this universe. Snort being Snort he tries to play a Hero, again Snort has a certain Moral compass and he still holds that here, although he does some gruesome things still it is Snort whom we are talking and that Story is interesting as well.
Legion of Doom comes into the picture and this story revolves majorly around Heatwave and Cyborg, we also see Plastic Man, Black Manta, Thinker and many others in this mini-series which deals with how all of them take their revenge on Cyborg for putting them behind the bars.
Then we see the King Grood who is bored to death for not having anyone to fight or rip their skull out and this storyline doesn't fit so much into the narrative I guess.
At last, we have Kid Flash who is struck in the 31st Century where Brainiac has occupied the world. Then we see how they pursue to change the past, the usual Flash thing and I wouldn't want to break your surprises there, Kid Flash reaches the Flash finally and gives his piece of advice, then the story ends here.
On the whole, this TBP is really good compared to the most and I would rate it next to the Batman TBP which I loved the most.
September 28, 2018
None of the stories feature Flash, and are in fact about the Flash villains and one story with Kid Flash. Okayish stories, only exception being the Reverse Flash one-shot who has quickly turned out to be one of the favourite and scariest villains for me.
Grodd of War - 2.5/5
Kid Flash Lost - 3/5
Legion of Doom - 2.5/5
Reverse Flash - 4/5
Citizen Cold - 3/5
Average Rating - 2.8/5, rounded off to 3 stars.
Grodd of War - 2.5/5
Kid Flash Lost - 3/5
Legion of Doom - 2.5/5
Reverse Flash - 4/5
Citizen Cold - 3/5
Average Rating - 2.8/5, rounded off to 3 stars.
May 27, 2024
Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring the Flash
Citizen Cold is the hero of Central City. Heatwave is causing problems for the prison system as he concocted a plan to kill Cyborg. Gorilla Grodd commences on a suicide mission to invade Europe and Bart Allen realises there is something wrong with the world and Barry is the key to saving everything.
'Flashpoint' is almost upon us and the clever twists in the world shown here set up the epic reset of the DC Universe.
Citizen Cold is the hero of Central City. Heatwave is causing problems for the prison system as he concocted a plan to kill Cyborg. Gorilla Grodd commences on a suicide mission to invade Europe and Bart Allen realises there is something wrong with the world and Barry is the key to saving everything.
'Flashpoint' is almost upon us and the clever twists in the world shown here set up the epic reset of the DC Universe.
July 21, 2016
And that's it for Flashpoint! Overall I'm really happy I read all of it, obviously I enjoyed some stories more than others but it was a great way to learn more about the DC world AND get me excited about season 3 of The Flash (even more than I already was, that is). And I did discover some pretty awesome characters!
As for this specific volume...
Grodd of War: Not the most memorable issue ever, I've actually already forgotten most of it. I do find Grodd a more interesting character than I thought, and I won't be unhappy to see more of him in other series.
Kid Flash Lost: That. Was. AWESOME!!! And the reason why this volume gets four stars. Great run from start to finish, I really liked Bart Allen and I'm hoping they find a way to introduce him to the TVverse now!! And from what I understand he's in Teen Titans, which is great, because it's what I'll be reading next \o/
Legion of Doom: Quite gory, a bit too much for me, but oddly captivating, mainly because I was really interested in finding more about this version of Mick Rory. He's... a bit different from the Heatwave I know, but I did recognise some traits.
The Reverse Flash: Nice study of the character, and a good insight on the Flashpoint itself.
Citizen Cold: Not the best issue to finish on. I'm definitely not sold on this Captain Cold (that's what happens when you cast Wentworth Miller for the live action version though), and although the parts with the Rogues were interesting, it just wasn't the greatest. Would have much preferred ending it all with Kid Flash.
A few thoughts about the whole of Flashpoint while I'm at it:
- A lot of characters were missing, some surprisingly. I would have preferred to have a Black Canary storyline to that Canterbury Cricket thing, for instance.
- The treatment of female characters is... not always great. Especially when you add those missing characters mentioned above. I'm guessing they put a lot of them with Wonder Woman's furies, which explains why they don't get much spotlight but... yeah.
- Characters I want to see more of, and that I would love seeing in the TVmovieverse: Booster Gold, Kid Flash, Traci Thirteen (from the World of Flashpoint), Project Superman's Subject Zero now that I know who he is, Deadman.
- Characters that were not at all like I imagined them: Captain Cold, Heatwave,Jason
- 5 favourite stories (alongside the main one): Kid Flash Lost, Batman Knight of Vengeance, Lois Lane & the Resistance, World of Flashpoint, Abin Sur
- 5 least favourites: The Canterbury Cricket (seriously, as a rule, me and giant insects do not mix), The Secret Seven (I still... don't have a clue what that was about), Hal Jordan, Green Arrow Industries, Citizen Cold.
As for this specific volume...
Grodd of War: Not the most memorable issue ever, I've actually already forgotten most of it. I do find Grodd a more interesting character than I thought, and I won't be unhappy to see more of him in other series.
Kid Flash Lost: That. Was. AWESOME!!! And the reason why this volume gets four stars. Great run from start to finish, I really liked Bart Allen and I'm hoping they find a way to introduce him to the TVverse now!! And from what I understand he's in Teen Titans, which is great, because it's what I'll be reading next \o/
Legion of Doom: Quite gory, a bit too much for me, but oddly captivating, mainly because I was really interested in finding more about this version of Mick Rory. He's... a bit different from the Heatwave I know, but I did recognise some traits.
The Reverse Flash: Nice study of the character, and a good insight on the Flashpoint itself.
Citizen Cold: Not the best issue to finish on. I'm definitely not sold on this Captain Cold (that's what happens when you cast Wentworth Miller for the live action version though), and although the parts with the Rogues were interesting, it just wasn't the greatest. Would have much preferred ending it all with Kid Flash.
A few thoughts about the whole of Flashpoint while I'm at it:
- A lot of characters were missing, some surprisingly. I would have preferred to have a Black Canary storyline to that Canterbury Cricket thing, for instance.
- The treatment of female characters is... not always great. Especially when you add those missing characters mentioned above. I'm guessing they put a lot of them with Wonder Woman's furies, which explains why they don't get much spotlight but... yeah.
- Characters I want to see more of, and that I would love seeing in the TVmovieverse: Booster Gold, Kid Flash, Traci Thirteen (from the World of Flashpoint), Project Superman's Subject Zero now that I know who he is, Deadman.
- Characters that were not at all like I imagined them: Captain Cold, Heatwave,
- 5 favourite stories (alongside the main one): Kid Flash Lost, Batman Knight of Vengeance, Lois Lane & the Resistance, World of Flashpoint, Abin Sur
- 5 least favourites: The Canterbury Cricket (seriously, as a rule, me and giant insects do not mix), The Secret Seven (I still... don't have a clue what that was about), Hal Jordan, Green Arrow Industries, Citizen Cold.
April 10, 2013
Funny enough, the Flashpoint Event is all about Flash, and yet, this is non-essential to the storyline. There's some decent stuff, mostly the first story about Prof. Zoom, and some of the Kid Flash stuff but otherwise, not really my thing.
June 1, 2012
The blandest and least interesting parts of Flashpoint!
September 13, 2014
The other volumes are so much better than this world without a Flash volume. This was dry and boring.
December 21, 2020
Some stories are good but some are average. Overall a good read.
May 12, 2022
I read this as part of the overall epic - and it was epic! Reading the crossover in the correct order really added a nuance to the story that would otherwise be missed. A very enjoyable story!!
January 12, 2019
In 2011, every DC Comics fan was told of a major event happening in that a massive reboot of the entire DC Universe was going to occur and that it would all be in part to a storyline guided by the character of Barry Allen/The Flash.
With the last major story having been the Blackest Night and the Brightest Day, Flashpoint would be the last actual story of the Post-Crisis DC Universe. All in part to the machinations of the Flash.
Barry Allen finds the world that he had known before has changed from how had remembered. With Barry Allen having been dead for years and then resurrected his memories are muddled. But he is not the only one back from the dead but also his futuristic rival Eobard Thawne/The Reverse Flash. Barry realizes that his power in tapping the speed force has it so that he cannot change the past, Eobard's power with the negative speed force is different in that change has happened. With Eobard having harmed Barry's own family. This, in turn, causes Barry to try his hardest to change it back. Unfortunately, he wakes up to a world far worse than he could have known.
A world in which he would have saved the life of his family but his friends either fail to become heroes or become villains. As this story goes on for Barry attempting to change back the world to the way it was before it was changed, he races against time as the rest of the world goes on to its eventual destruction.
Eventually, it does return, or should I say reform to what we know as the New 52 DC Universe. Flashpoint becomes an epic read. With a miniseries dedicated to the horrific world that no longer exists. Readers gain incredible insight into just how bad yet at the same time how unique this world was.
Each collection of this miniseries has the change known as the Flashpoint effect occurs for each of its heroes in various ways. Like it was said in the animated movie, “Ripples of distortion radiated out through that point of impact shifting everything just a tiny bit. But enough. Enough for events to happen slightly differently.”
This world of Flashpoint is with the Flash. Well, everything that is Flash related from Barry Allen and others. Starting it off is Eobard Thawne, who is instrumental in causing Barry Allen to cause Flashpoint. In many ways, this part of the story is more of a direct follow-up to what had happened in “The Road to Flashpoint” story. This story has a disgraced Eobard Thawne going as far back to “Flash: Rebirth” as to how he eventually decided to hurt Barry, from attempting to kill Barry or prevent him from becoming the Flash. Attempting to kill Iris to successfully killing others in his life.
The second part of this story deals with how Barry Allen not being the Flash ended up causing Leonard Snart to pose as Central City’s great hero living up the life as the upstanding Citizen Cold while getting rich off disposing criminals while secretly being a killer and a thief. So instead of openly being a criminal like he was in the original universe, in Flashpoint, he’s a fraud and murderer. It's pretty cool but I really wish this had him really being a hero. It's still a well-written story, from Snart fighting the Rogues instead of working with them. As well as seeing Barry Allen not having met either Iris or Wally. Wally's also not a speedster but Pied Piper is still his friend and the real hero of the story.
The third part of the story deals with Mick Rory, Snart’s longtime partner in crime still a raving pyromaniac but never having met Snart. In this case, he’s a violent criminal that kills a superhero and is sent down to a top-secret prison alongside other criminals. But what really makes this story strong is that it involves Plastic Man as a vicious criminal instead of the good man that he was in the real universe. As well as seeing how Cyborg is the greatest hero in the Flashpoint Universe. This is a man who is a real leader, well versed and capable in taking the fight to the enemy. He can and does deserve to have his own comic as well as being upgraded to the Justice League. Still, I do miss his friends in the Teen Titans as well as those close to him like Sarah, who isn’t in this story.
The fourth part of the story involves a world where Gorilla Grodd not only rules the Gorilla City but in his insatiable appetite for power he ends up ruling all of Africa. But despite all that he’s conquered, he’s become bored. So, when it turns out that there is a conflict between the Amazons and Atlantis, he is eager to join the fight.
The final part of the story answers a question that I have wondered? What happened to all the other speedsters? Barry Allen and Wally West are answered but what happened to Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Bart Allen in Flashpoint? This story answers it but its answer left me feeling very sad. Barry Allen REALLY screwed it up. This story essentially ends Flashpoint as well as ends a much-beloved set of characters that will not be seen again in the New 52 Universe. For some unknown reason, Bart Allen aka Kid Flash ends up living in the aftermath of the destruction of the Earth alongside another person, Patty Spivot. The world is taken over by the Superman villain Brainiac. Flashpoint has happened as well as the Amazons and Atlanteans having destroyed the world, and in a world without a Superman to lead him to Earth, Brainiac eventually takes over a wasteland with only these two people. I can only presume that Bart and Patty survive because they were performing an experiment with the Speed Force around the same time Flashpoint was created and it somehow led them to a strange future. Patty and Bart stop Brainiac and, in the end, must travel back in time to help Barry make sure that Flashpoint is erased.
It ends tragically but at the same time beautifully, as beautiful as it was when Barry saved the world in Crisis of Infinite Earths.
It was an interesting read and I do like how this managed to fit in explanations to other members in the life of the Flash Family, the Rogues, other criminals, former Teen Titans, and even Young Justice. This could be read as a prelude but also a fitting ending to the Post-Crisis.
Great collection. A-
With the last major story having been the Blackest Night and the Brightest Day, Flashpoint would be the last actual story of the Post-Crisis DC Universe. All in part to the machinations of the Flash.
Barry Allen finds the world that he had known before has changed from how had remembered. With Barry Allen having been dead for years and then resurrected his memories are muddled. But he is not the only one back from the dead but also his futuristic rival Eobard Thawne/The Reverse Flash. Barry realizes that his power in tapping the speed force has it so that he cannot change the past, Eobard's power with the negative speed force is different in that change has happened. With Eobard having harmed Barry's own family. This, in turn, causes Barry to try his hardest to change it back. Unfortunately, he wakes up to a world far worse than he could have known.
A world in which he would have saved the life of his family but his friends either fail to become heroes or become villains. As this story goes on for Barry attempting to change back the world to the way it was before it was changed, he races against time as the rest of the world goes on to its eventual destruction.
Eventually, it does return, or should I say reform to what we know as the New 52 DC Universe. Flashpoint becomes an epic read. With a miniseries dedicated to the horrific world that no longer exists. Readers gain incredible insight into just how bad yet at the same time how unique this world was.
Each collection of this miniseries has the change known as the Flashpoint effect occurs for each of its heroes in various ways. Like it was said in the animated movie, “Ripples of distortion radiated out through that point of impact shifting everything just a tiny bit. But enough. Enough for events to happen slightly differently.”
This world of Flashpoint is with the Flash. Well, everything that is Flash related from Barry Allen and others. Starting it off is Eobard Thawne, who is instrumental in causing Barry Allen to cause Flashpoint. In many ways, this part of the story is more of a direct follow-up to what had happened in “The Road to Flashpoint” story. This story has a disgraced Eobard Thawne going as far back to “Flash: Rebirth” as to how he eventually decided to hurt Barry, from attempting to kill Barry or prevent him from becoming the Flash. Attempting to kill Iris to successfully killing others in his life.
The second part of this story deals with how Barry Allen not being the Flash ended up causing Leonard Snart to pose as Central City’s great hero living up the life as the upstanding Citizen Cold while getting rich off disposing criminals while secretly being a killer and a thief. So instead of openly being a criminal like he was in the original universe, in Flashpoint, he’s a fraud and murderer. It's pretty cool but I really wish this had him really being a hero. It's still a well-written story, from Snart fighting the Rogues instead of working with them. As well as seeing Barry Allen not having met either Iris or Wally. Wally's also not a speedster but Pied Piper is still his friend and the real hero of the story.
The third part of the story deals with Mick Rory, Snart’s longtime partner in crime still a raving pyromaniac but never having met Snart. In this case, he’s a violent criminal that kills a superhero and is sent down to a top-secret prison alongside other criminals. But what really makes this story strong is that it involves Plastic Man as a vicious criminal instead of the good man that he was in the real universe. As well as seeing how Cyborg is the greatest hero in the Flashpoint Universe. This is a man who is a real leader, well versed and capable in taking the fight to the enemy. He can and does deserve to have his own comic as well as being upgraded to the Justice League. Still, I do miss his friends in the Teen Titans as well as those close to him like Sarah, who isn’t in this story.
The fourth part of the story involves a world where Gorilla Grodd not only rules the Gorilla City but in his insatiable appetite for power he ends up ruling all of Africa. But despite all that he’s conquered, he’s become bored. So, when it turns out that there is a conflict between the Amazons and Atlantis, he is eager to join the fight.
The final part of the story answers a question that I have wondered? What happened to all the other speedsters? Barry Allen and Wally West are answered but what happened to Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Bart Allen in Flashpoint? This story answers it but its answer left me feeling very sad. Barry Allen REALLY screwed it up. This story essentially ends Flashpoint as well as ends a much-beloved set of characters that will not be seen again in the New 52 Universe. For some unknown reason, Bart Allen aka Kid Flash ends up living in the aftermath of the destruction of the Earth alongside another person, Patty Spivot. The world is taken over by the Superman villain Brainiac. Flashpoint has happened as well as the Amazons and Atlanteans having destroyed the world, and in a world without a Superman to lead him to Earth, Brainiac eventually takes over a wasteland with only these two people. I can only presume that Bart and Patty survive because they were performing an experiment with the Speed Force around the same time Flashpoint was created and it somehow led them to a strange future. Patty and Bart stop Brainiac and, in the end, must travel back in time to help Barry make sure that Flashpoint is erased.
It ends tragically but at the same time beautifully, as beautiful as it was when Barry saved the world in Crisis of Infinite Earths.
It was an interesting read and I do like how this managed to fit in explanations to other members in the life of the Flash Family, the Rogues, other criminals, former Teen Titans, and even Young Justice. This could be read as a prelude but also a fitting ending to the Post-Crisis.
Great collection. A-
March 25, 2021
Había dejado a medias Flashpoint y por fin este año lo retomé. Este volumen es super crudo. Parece un cómic de Vertigo por el tratamiento de la violencia. Son retazo de lo que el mundo experimenta después del Flashpoint. En los volúmenes anteriores veíamos la guerra de las amazonas contra los atlantes en Europa. El Batman de Thomas Wayne y la vida de pirata de Deathstroke entre otras cosas. Acá vemos los villanos de la rogué gallery de Flash hacer de las suyas. Es especialmente cruda la historia de Heatwave y la Legión de Mal. La historia de Grodd también es impactante y te deja con ganas de saber que más pasará en este mundo altenativo. Seguiré leyendo. Muy recomendado.
August 30, 2023
Flash in the Pan
Reverse Flash from the beginning to the end is a terrible story. It expands on how Zoom tries to destroy the Flash's life. It just feels like more of the same. The saving grace of this book is Citizen Cold. What a wonderfully awful story he has. Being a totally horrendous character disguised as a superhero. Not going to spoil it for you, just read it. Kid flash story is just a fill in tale to round out the book. Started out good, then it just fizzle out. Pun intended.
Reverse Flash from the beginning to the end is a terrible story. It expands on how Zoom tries to destroy the Flash's life. It just feels like more of the same. The saving grace of this book is Citizen Cold. What a wonderfully awful story he has. Being a totally horrendous character disguised as a superhero. Not going to spoil it for you, just read it. Kid flash story is just a fill in tale to round out the book. Started out good, then it just fizzle out. Pun intended.
August 13, 2017
The whole Flashpoint arc including the tie-ins, until this moment are one of the best stories of DC Comics ever made! The story divided the Multiverse in two and create The New 52 arcs. The only way to really enjoy the whole world of Flashpoint is reading the central arc and the tie-ins in the reading order that you can check online. 61 issues that redefine the evolutionof comtemporary comics for DC.
August 25, 2017
The main FLASHPOINT
book was awesome.
The companion series meant to
elaborate on / cash in on
the main story line.
These stories are progressively
more and more
half assed and derivative.
What in the FLASHPOINT
comic is a clever and innovative
way of seeing
a long standing character
becomes pedantic
upon reviewing
in the hands of a less gifted
writer.
another example of a
clever idea
killed by corporate greed.
book was awesome.
The companion series meant to
elaborate on / cash in on
the main story line.
These stories are progressively
more and more
half assed and derivative.
What in the FLASHPOINT
comic is a clever and innovative
way of seeing
a long standing character
becomes pedantic
upon reviewing
in the hands of a less gifted
writer.
another example of a
clever idea
killed by corporate greed.
October 1, 2020
Oof.... Barry ran too fast this time. Obviously, one of the best Flash comics of all time. Wonder Woman vs Aquaman, Thomas Wayne Batman and Superman is a scrawny kid! Needless to say, the story from the beginning was very intriguing and other than that, it's a Flash Comic Book, people! It's obviously the best. The storyline was really cool, Nora Allen's storyline is one of the most emotional I have read in a very very long time. What more?
Well..... Run Barry...Run!
Well..... Run Barry...Run!
July 5, 2022
I enjoyed this Flashpoint tie-in collection. The idea of alternate reality books means creators can go wild and they do here. Grodd, Citizen Cold, Heatwave, and more are shown to be brutal. While none of the books is required reading, there is some fun stuff here. The Grodd and Legion Of Doom stories were my favorites. The artwork varied throughout the books but none of it was bad. Overall, a decent collection in a scary world.
May 29, 2017
A quick and enjoyable read. I am reading another series of comics that maybe take place after flashpoint and it's different. I really don't know how the speed force it supposed to work or how time travel is supposed to work so that's something I'd like to be explained and remain stable.
April 10, 2022
This contains the 'Reverse Flash' one shot which is a must read for understanding Flashpoint storyline.. Quite good...
Then, an one shot of Grodd, which is good as well...
But then, we see Citizen Cold, Kid Flash and Legion of Doom story arcs which are average
Then, an one shot of Grodd, which is good as well...
But then, we see Citizen Cold, Kid Flash and Legion of Doom story arcs which are average
May 4, 2017
There's too much violence, blood and gore in this one. And Grodd. *shrugs*
June 1, 2017
3.5 really
September 22, 2017
Reverse Flash #1 is awesome!
April 5, 2018
Citizen Cold - 2,5/5
Gorilla Grodd - 2,5/5
Legion of Doom - 2/5
Kid Flash Lost - 3/5
Reverse Flash - 3/5
Gorilla Grodd - 2,5/5
Legion of Doom - 2/5
Kid Flash Lost - 3/5
Reverse Flash - 3/5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews