Flashpoint #5 It Begins Here

In 1956, DC Comics successfully revived superheroes, ushering in what became known as the Silver Age of comic books. Rather than bringing back the same Golden Age heroes, DC re imagined them as new characters for the modern age. The Flash was the first revival, in the aptly named tryout comic book Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956). This new Flash was Barry Allen, a police scientist who gained super-speed when bathed by chemicals after a shelf of them was struck by lightning. He adopted the name The Flash after reading a comic book featuring the Golden Age Flash. After several more appearances in Showcase, Allen’s character was given his own title, The Flash, the first issue of which was #105 (resuming where Flash Comics had left off).

The Silver Age Flash proved popular enough that several other Golden Age heroes were revived in new incarnations. A new superhero team, the Justice League of America, was also created, with the Flash as a main, charter member. Since Barry Allen ushered the Silver Age of Comics it is only fitting that he bring us the New Age of Heroes in 2011. It started in Flashpoint #5 Barry is the key in bringing back the DCU to its current state in the new Justice League #1. As Barry was in the Time stream to fix things there was a mysterious hooded character that said the universe was spit into three parts Barry was the key in bringing them back together but at a cost so characters from DC’s Vertigo and WildStorm publishing groups were folded into the main superhero continuity. What is that cost perhaps the death of his mother we do not know exactly what the cost is.

The final chapter of Flashpoint was well written and had a finality that Crisis never did as if the universe was whole and complete. There is a clean slate now the comic creators can go any direction they want and revisit issues from the previous incarnation of reality or go in a completely different direction. There is a freedom from the continuity of the past age of DC Comics. The ending of the story was very emotional with Barry giving a letter to Batman (Bruce Wayne) from Batman (Thomas Wayne) from the realty he just changed. It truly was a fitting end to a series of a very hard to understand chaotic story arc. Now we are engaged in an experiment of DC to change things for the better. Perhaps this is the start of something great in the comic world from the Senior comic publishing company. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. 🙂 Walt