"whattheheckjusthappenedthatwastotallyamazing-
andihardlytookabreathandwhendidauquamanhaveit-inhimtoeverbeabadguyandhowdidtheyjustgetaway-
withallofthat...andwowohwow!!!!!!"
Whew...ok now back to adult mode. DC animation is in full form with Flashpoint. With a winning production team of Geoff Johns (who wrote the original story), James Krieg (Screenplay), and Andy Kubert (illustration), along with a whole slew of amazing voice talent who you can check out on IMBd, it was bound to be a dang good watch anyway; but I was blown out of the water.
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| Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan
In other reviews I have read, there have been many negative connotations regarding this animation. The way I feel about it is this - it does stray from the comic story line a bit, and it is a bit more graphic than your average Saturday morning cartoon genre, hence the PG-14 rating, and it is a bit shocking seeing your favorite Super Heroes in a different personality presence.
But, isn't that what makes a good story?
Isnt that what constitutes as good art?
When something or someone stirs a passion inside of us or challenges something we were accustomed to believing?
I find a lot of times that the fans in the comic book industry are are a little too strong or critical on the very people who make the industry possible. It is a very strange catch-22, if you ask me.
I believe it is 100% ok to have an opinion, to have a voice, and to by all means be an individual...however, I do not believe it is ok to invoke those feelings and beliefs so strongly on others - that it influences the sales or purchases of products within an industry that collectively we are all hoping will thrive.
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With this being said, here is a generic review of Flashpoint Paradox:
WARNING SPOILERS not a lot but some...
While visiting his mother's grave, lamenting his inability to save her when she was killed in a home invasion when he was a child, Barry Allen (the super-speed superhero known as the Flash) is alerted to a break-in at the Flash Museum by Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, and Top. Defeating the Rogues, he discovers that they have been hired by his arch-enemy Professor Zoom to lure him in as part of a plan to destroy Central City. With the help of his allies in the Justice League of America, Barry foils Zoom's plot. However, Zoom taunts over the death of Barry's mother. Despite Batman's urging not to let Zoom get to him, Barry runs off.
The next day, Barry awakens to discover that the world has radically changed around him: his powers have disappeared, his mother is alive, his wife Iris is married to someone else, and the Justice League does not exist. In this new timeline, Aquaman and his Atlantean forces have sunk most of Western Europe, while Wonder Woman has led the Amazons in conquering Great Britain. The Atlanteans and the Amazons are at war with one another after a failed attempt at peace resulted in Wonder Woman murdering Aquaman's wife Mera. Government agent Cyborg has put together a team to end the war by taking out the two leaders, and approaches Batman to join them, but he refuses, causing the President to abandon the plan. Instead, pilot Hal Jordan is assigned to fly an alienspacecraft in a bombing run on the Atlanteans.
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| Aquaman is one mean motha! |
Barry visits Wayne Manor, but is attacked by Batman, who he realizes is not Bruce Wayne (who died in this reality) but his father Thomas Wayne. Attempting to explain things to an incredulous Thomas, Barry retrieves his Flash costume from the ring in which it is kept, but Professor Zoom's costumes appears in its place, causing Barry to believe Zoom is responsible for changing history. Convinced to help Barry by the knowledge that Bruce lived in the original timeline, Batman helps him recreate the accident that gave him his Flash powers, only for Barry to wind up being severely burned.
In London, Steve Trevor attempts to exfiltrate undercover reporter Lois Lane, but is discovered by the Amazons and killed. With Trevor's information, the Amazons hunt Lane down, but she is rescued by the local resistance and falls in with them. Meanwhile, amongst the remains of Paris, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor are attacked and killed by Aquaman's forces while tracking the energy trail of Aquaman's new superweapon: a captured and weaponized Captain Atom.
Realizing that his memories of the original timeline are fading, the injured Barry insists Batman recreate the accident again, this time resulting in the successful restoration of his powers. Although he regains his powers back, Barry discovers that he is unable to travel through time himself because there is another super-speedster using Speed Force in this timeline, preventing Flash to gather enough energy to break the time barrier.
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| Oh, it is just all good and fun and a mix of EVIL on the side. |
Flash seeks to recruit more allies instead, beginning with Superman, who in this world is a prisoner of the government after his ship crashed into Metropolis, rather than Smallville. With the aid of Batman and Cyborg, they break into the bunker in which the withered Superman is held and liberate him. Empowered by the yellow sun, Superman holds off the government agents who confront the group, but then flies off in fear and confusion. Flash collapses as his memories continues to alter, and is taken to the home of Billy Batson and his foster siblings to recover. Learning of Jordan's failed attack and the beginning of the final battle between the Atlanteans and the Amazons, Flash convinces Batman to join them in an attempt to stop the war.
On board Batman's jet en route to Britain, Batman shows Flash a message intercepted from Lois Lane of a super-speedster she captured an image of, who Flash identifies as Zoom. As they wonder why Zoom would let Lois live if she saw him, the jet is shot down by the Atlantean fleet, and the battle begins. Batson and his siblings combine into Captain Thunder (the Captain Marvel of this world) to fight Wonder Woman, while Flash, Cyborg and Batman occupy Aquaman only for Batman to be gravely wounded. At this point, Zoom reveals himself to Barry and explains it was not he, but Barry himself who was responsible for changing the timeline when he went back in time to save his mother and caused the fabric of reality to fracture. The battle continues around them with Wonder Woman using her lasso to force Captain Thunder back into Batson and killing him, and Superman arriving too late to save Cyborg from Aquaman (culminating in a wounded Aquaman giving the order to trigger the Captain Atom bomb). As the explosion tears across the landscape, Zoom mocks the Flash, when he is suddenly shot through the head and killed by the injured Batman, leaving Flash to be the only user of Speed Force in this timeline. Before dying, Batman urges Barry to fix everything, giving him a letter addressed to his son, Bruce. Barry races back in time, and stops his earlier self from preventing his mother's death.
Barry reawakens at his desk, and finds that everything is back to normal (although all the heroes in this timeline have their costumes slightly altered because this is now The New 52 timestream). He visits Batman to tell him about everything that occurred and gives him the letter from his father, prompting the tearful Batman to tell him: "You're one helluva messenger."
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| Bats and Flash having a tender New 52 moment. |
Now if you need to read "Flashpoint" again or hhhmmm...for the first time, no fear GEEKSELIXIR is here! and well Instocktrades. These people are just fantastic. I purchased the whole flashpoint set ( 6 trade paperbacks) for only $55.59 and the shipping is free because my order was over $50! Yes miracles do happen folks.
To read the Flashpoint series in order you need:
* Flashpoint
* Flashpoint: Batman
* Flashpoint: Wonder Woman
* Flashpoint: Superman
* Flashpoint: Green Lantern
* Flashpoint: The Flash
* Flashpoint: Batman
* Flashpoint: Wonder Woman
* Flashpoint: Superman
* Flashpoint: Green Lantern
* Flashpoint: The Flash
I will be receiving my order any day now to re-read the series and catch up on the ones I missed. I am giddy with excitement! And check out Flashpoint Paradox, I think you will enjoy it.
