This issue of Flashpoint opens with Deathstroke, looking worse for wear, commanding some sort of pirate ship on the high seas.
They spy another vessel, one belonging to Travis Morgan, the Warlord(!), except this ship is utterly decimated; its crew long dead. We pan out, and see where we are: Paris, with the Eiffel Tower now a wrecked hunk of metal, about to sink into the ocean!
Barely after Deathstroke gives the order to turn the ship around--fast--a giant wave of water hits it, and some unwelcome visitors climb aboard:
After this the issue cuts back to Gotham City, where Barry Allen and the Thomas Wayne Batman continue their...discussion about just where Barry is. None of this world seems real to him, and he insists he must be in some parallel dimension. He is not relieved when he opens the secret compartment in his ring, only to see the costume of Professor Zoom shoot out!
We then get our first glimpse of Wonder Woman--like Aquaman, now a bloodthirsty warrior, in her first meeting with undercover special forces agent Steve Trevor!
The issue ends back with Batman and Barry, who are preparing to harness a nearby lightning storm, with the idea of getting Barry his super-speed powers back. Batman flips a switch, but something goes horribly wrong, leaving Barry Allen a smoking, crispy-fried hunk of flesh! To be continued!
Much like Brightest Day, it seems that Flashpoint will be offering just little glimpses of Aquaman. Good thing there's a whole Flashpoint Aquaman book--Emperor Aquaman--out next week!
We then get our first glimpse of Wonder Woman--like Aquaman, now a bloodthirsty warrior, in her first meeting with undercover special forces agent Steve Trevor!
The issue ends back with Batman and Barry, who are preparing to harness a nearby lightning storm, with the idea of getting Barry his super-speed powers back. Batman flips a switch, but something goes horribly wrong, leaving Barry Allen a smoking, crispy-fried hunk of flesh! To be continued!
Much like Brightest Day, it seems that Flashpoint will be offering just little glimpses of Aquaman. Good thing there's a whole Flashpoint Aquaman book--Emperor Aquaman--out next week!
13 comments:
How rude! Even though my comic supplier has offered me 3 of the 5 issues of this series at 75% off, I'm glad I decided to stop ordering after #1. I don't need to read "What If... The DC Heroes Were All Rob Liefeld Characters?" The only way I could get off to Diana holding Mera's severed head is if she also wore some guy's testicles as earrings, 'Nam style. If you're going to set out to be offensive, it should be an all or nothing proposition.
Word Verification: Brain. I have one, and it's telling my hands to not even bother picking up that ten foot pole to whack this comic with. About face and walk far away.
Yeah, I'm not a gorehound in the least; the cover is just too much, by a head. On the other hand, I'm a sucker for these alternate Earth, post-apocalyptic tales wherein you see the ruins of famous landmarks. Tough choice.
Question about armor: I get the helmet, shoulder pieces, etc., but why is it you never see anything around the neck? Seems like that would be a major target for a slashing stroke and definitely an area you'd want to protect. Just ask Mera, there.
As much as I'm NOT liking any of the Jim Lee redesigns I've seen for the September books, I wouldn't mind seeing Ocean Master get a solid wardrobe tweak. Nothing too different, just updated. Then again, let Ivan Reis redesign it, since he did the Brightest Day costumes.
I'm with Frank and Joseph above...when this cover image first appeared I was momentarily taken aback, like in "WTF...?!?" shock.
This is just....offensive. (Although I recall a similar EC cover from the 50s, haha!)
DC doesn't want my money, and I am not going to give any to them. Need to tell my comic store not to even get me the Emperor Aquaman series, either. Blech.
Ocean Master & Arthur are apparently very close and cooperative now?!? This and the overall super bloodthirsty portrayal of both Arthur & Diana is making me have serious doubts about Geoff's upcoming Aquaman series, does he really think THIS is what readers want? Plus Diana holding Mera's head on the front cover! This is just wrong on so many levels. :(
Must...say...something...positive...
I liked that the Fisherman was a part of Deathstroke's band of pirates!
There I did it ;)
Joe Slab
Guys, it's a dystopian alternate reality; it's an excuse for the storytellers to play against type. Comics, TV shows, they do this all the time. I don't think we have to worry that Johns is going to make Aquaman a bloodthirsty tyrant in his ongoing series because that's how he's presented here.
Ryan, I agree with you. This is a Mirror, Mirror" or "What If?" world. That's fine. I just don't want to play in this sandbox.
Geoff Johns is very hit-or-miss with me, and with this it's another miss (his Avengers, later JSA, etc) instead of a hit (his Flash, his STRIPES, his Hawkman).
@Russell
All valid points, however I just want to point out that Tony Bedard is writing Emperor Aquaman and we've been running some quotes from him on the Shrine's twitter feed...His take on Aquaman and Mera sound spot on to me (check 'em out) so it may be worth giving Emperor Aquaman a shake, even though we know that some of it won't be pretty.
Joe Slab
My book has totally different cover art relating to the main story in the the book not the upcoming showdown between Aquaman and WW. I am really liking Flashpoint so far. I think the creatives are having fun before they get down to the reboot in September.
I think flashpoint is great. Really liking the story. We all knew Wonder woman would kill Mera ( i mean you have to be pretty dense if u didnt get that part from all the covers and Bedard interviews). I actually got the othe cover, because, an i agree with everyone else here, it was a " oh, no you didn't" moment when i saw that cover. Too far, Mr. johns, too far.
still getting Emperor, also. I just love Aquaman too much to pass up on this (even if i KNOW Geoff Johns, and the entire flashpoint story as a whole, will favor Diana over Arthur in this war).
Just MINDBLOWING. I want to see aquaman in his own series again.
Aquaman's got his own series coming, and it's going to be done by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. Gonna be interesting. This Flashpoint stuff takes some getting used to. I think it'll read better in graphic novel form.
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