FLASHPOINT #1 by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope

With all the hoopla going on about the DC Comics reboot taking place in September, and with the weirdness I’ve been hearing about Flashpoint, I decided I’d better find out what was going on. So I picked up a copy of Flashpoint #1 and settled in for what turns out to be a very trippy trip indeed.

The weirdness starts out on the first page because we discover pretty quick that the narrator of the story, usually Barry Allen, was MIA. Someone else is telling the story, and I’m not going to reveal that because it’s a great surprise.

The opening pages reveal some of the Flash’s history, most notably the murder of his mom. Turns out in our world, the world BEFORE Flashpoint, Barry had solved the murder of his mom, but he can’t prove it. Barry wakes up from a nap and people start giving him all kinds of information that just doesn’t make sense. Miss Alchemy. Citizen Cold.

Barry’s mind starts spinning. And so does mine. Andy Kubert’s art is fantastic, though, and I loved his panel breakdowns and the colors. Lots of action and lots of color.

It doesn’t take long for Barry to realize the ring containing his Flash uniform is missing – and so is his speed. The fall down the stairs is hilarious, and it’s meant to be, but it’s kind of spooky at the same time. Barry’s not supposed to fall, I mean, he’s the Flash.

Until he wakes up and he isn’t.

On the next couple pages, he gets even more surprises: his mom’s alive too, and Iris isn’t even interested in him.

The two page spread of Batman in action above Wayne Casinos is freaking beautiful, and it’s the strangest thing to behold. Wayne Casinos? Yep, people are not who you think they are in this new world. Wait till you see who’s under the mask. And wait until you see how the rest of the heroes have turned out.

The Shazam concept is pretty cool, and is based on the original idea for the character back in the 1940s. The whole six-into-one thing reminds me of Captain Planet now, but it was new back then. Kubert draw a nice Mr. Tawny, though.

Johns turns the world on its ear. Aquaman and Atlantis have sun Western Europe. Wonder Woman and the Amazons have conquered Great Britain and claimed it for their new home.

Then there’s the whole meeting between Barry and Batman. I can’t say too much about that without giving it away. The surprises are worth it. I’m really impressed with what’s being done, but I’m glad this isn’t the real DC world.