Comic Reviews: THE NEW DC!!!!! Justice League #1 AND Flashpoint #5!!!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!!!!

Justice League #1

Flashpoint #5(of 5) AND Justice League #1

SPOILERS like you wouldn't believe
 
Today is the day DC fans have long been waiting (or dreading). This my friends, is the start of the new DC Universe, in which many well-known (and beloved) characters will be rebooted, recharged, or in the case of Batman and Green Lantern, pretty much stay the same. But before we get into speculation, are these two books any GOOD?

Well, yes, in a nutshell. First off, in Flashpoint #5 we finally get to see how everything goes back to square one.  Flash, alongside Thomas Wayne Batman, Cyborg, Emperor Aquaman, and literally every single other character that had a tie-in Flashpoint miniseries in a massive war zone. Flash is attempting to do battle with Professor Zoom, whom he believes is the cause for the Flashpoint universe. Well, the revelation behind this is pretty unexpected, and definitely casts the whole event in whole new light. You see, it's revealed that the Flashpoint universe is actually The Flash's fault. I won't go into details, but this leads to a pretty great sequence in which Barry Allen must confront his mother, the one person that he went to all of this trouble for. The Flash then faces the hardest decision he has had to make, and answers it by attempting to go back in time and prevent his past self from preventing the death of his mother. During this time, he is visited by a mysterious stranger who tells him that there are three timelines which must be merged together in order to prepare for a catastrophic event. As the Flash uses all of his speed force to prevent the Flashpoint universe, he blacks out, and wakes up in the new DC universe.

The scene I've just described really puts the entire event in perspective, and (in my eyes) justifies the new DC universe. This is the new status quo folks, and if it is at all like the final moments in Flashpoint, we are in good hands. Geof Johns and Andy Kubert end the event with a very touching moment between Flash and (of all people) Batman, as Bruce Wayne receives a letter from his father (who we know is the Batman of the Flashpoint universe). It's a great moment for a character that is extremely well known as being dark and brooding, but it's still in character as even a passing Bat-fan would know that above all, Bruce would do anything to make it that his parents were never killed.

Flashpoint #5 (of 5)

Now we switch gears to the all-new Justice League, again written by Geof Johns, but this time drawn by the unmistakable Jim Lee, whose very name causes spasms of joy from comic book nerds. Championed as the start of the new, "accessible" DCU, does Justice League deliver? Kind of. Instead of being what the solicitations promised (the Justice League basically kicking ass and taking names), the first issue focuses on the formation of the new DCU Justice League. Taking place five years in the past, we see Batman attempting to apprehend a masked assailant, who we learn is an alien. Green Lantern is summoned by his ring to investigate the extraterrestrial that is wreaking havoc on Gotham, and thus, the seeds of the Justice League are sown.

Like I mentioned, this issue focuses primarily as a set-up for the upcoming new DC, and while there is action within its pages, there really isn't enough to back up the hype around it. However, Johns seems to be having a blast writing this book, and it really shines in the exchanges between Hal Jordan and Bruce Wayne. Honestly I found these moments between the two characters to be extremely entertaining, and the are easily the standouts of the issue.

Jim Lee seems to have loosened up on his style since his glory days, but it's still gorgeous. He's one of my favorite artists, so I may be a little biased, but anytime I get to see his work in the funny books I am a happy man. Justice League may not be everything that was promised by DC, but it's still a great read, and a definite buy for anyone interested in the new DC universe.