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Convergence #1.7
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One
A CONVERGENCE tie-in graphic novel!
Once, there were infinite Earths. Then there came a Crisis…a Zero Hour…a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. But some worlds must now fight for their future—in the Convergence!
The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 doomed cities from throughout time and space and sealed them behind impenetrable domes. Now, after a year, the domes will come down—and the heroes and villains of 50 dead worlds must battle to be the last one standing!
In this
The Man of Steel must battle the Batman and Kal-El of the Flashpoint universe to protect the most important thing of his baby with Lois Lane!
THE Renee Montoya joins forces with an ex and an enemy—Batwoman and Two-Face—against Flashpoint’s Harvey Dent!
JUSTICE The women of the Justice League face off against the brutal determination of Flashpoint’s Aquaman!
Three legendary students of the Bat—Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain and Tim Drake—must put aside their differences to defeat Flashpoint’s Catwoman and Gorilla Grodd!
NIGHTWING/ Two of comics’ greatest couples collide as a reunited Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon fight for their lives against Flashpoint’s Hawkman and Hawkwoman!
The dark denizens of the Flashpoint Universe take their battle to the heroes whose world their own wiped out in FLASHPOINT BOOK ONE!
Once, there were infinite Earths. Then there came a Crisis…a Zero Hour…a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. But some worlds must now fight for their future—in the Convergence!
The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 doomed cities from throughout time and space and sealed them behind impenetrable domes. Now, after a year, the domes will come down—and the heroes and villains of 50 dead worlds must battle to be the last one standing!
In this
The Man of Steel must battle the Batman and Kal-El of the Flashpoint universe to protect the most important thing of his baby with Lois Lane!
THE Renee Montoya joins forces with an ex and an enemy—Batwoman and Two-Face—against Flashpoint’s Harvey Dent!
JUSTICE The women of the Justice League face off against the brutal determination of Flashpoint’s Aquaman!
Three legendary students of the Bat—Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain and Tim Drake—must put aside their differences to defeat Flashpoint’s Catwoman and Gorilla Grodd!
NIGHTWING/ Two of comics’ greatest couples collide as a reunited Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon fight for their lives against Flashpoint’s Hawkman and Hawkwoman!
The dark denizens of the Flashpoint Universe take their battle to the heroes whose world their own wiped out in FLASHPOINT BOOK ONE!
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2015
8 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Dan Jurgens
2,240 books285 followersDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 21, 2022
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Brightest at bookends, the best tie-ins to date, it has stories of weight: no fatter, they matter, and aren't near as sedate.
Notes: Brightest at bookends, the best tie-ins to date, it has stories of weight: no fatter, they matter, and aren't near as sedate.
August 6, 2016
Better than some of the other Convergence tie-ins but still a mixed bag at best. The only thing that sets this apart is there are no outright turds. High bar they've set, huh?
October 29, 2021
I thought this was very good, taking into consideration that I haven't read the full series or lack the qualities of a professional critic, I still thought this was very good.
Cities around the world, galaxies and dimensions are trapped under domes, separating them from each others for a year. Now the alien that trapped them has handed them all an ultimatum, the hero/s of each city must fight their counterpart and the loser along with their city will die.
Now my interest is not in that plot line as I said I haven't read the full series, but the stories collected here are about the consequences of the situation and how they are being dealt with (I love a good character study, even in comics).
While all 5 stories are enjoyable, for me the 2 of notable mention have to be "Just One More Thing" (part 1 & 2). Renee Montoya joins forces with an ex and an enemy against the Flashpoint's Harvey Dent. This story is filled with action and so much emotion as Renee also deals with the fact that her father is lying in a hospital bed dying. The underlying message to me is that regardless of the insanity going on around us, if we hold true to our virtues, as Lincoln said 'The better part of our nature' and we have faith that others will as well, then there is always hope that we can get a chance to make things better,if not right. This one alone for me me was worth the price of the TPB.
"Birds of Rage" (part 1 & 2) Nightwing and Oracle fight for the lives and the future of Gotham city against the Flashpoint's Hawkman and Hawkwoman. This is another great story where the action id great, but the message carries the story. Having faith in who you are, trusting that faith and holding true the ideal of right and wrong. A reminder that everyday people without the powers and gimmicks that put their lives out there,never knowing what lies in store for them, those are the real heroes (Superman "Doomsday").
All in all this was a great buy and I'm glad I didn't pass it up. The other 3 stories rock as well. If you can get your hands on a copy I think it's worth having.
Cities around the world, galaxies and dimensions are trapped under domes, separating them from each others for a year. Now the alien that trapped them has handed them all an ultimatum, the hero/s of each city must fight their counterpart and the loser along with their city will die.
Now my interest is not in that plot line as I said I haven't read the full series, but the stories collected here are about the consequences of the situation and how they are being dealt with (I love a good character study, even in comics).
While all 5 stories are enjoyable, for me the 2 of notable mention have to be "Just One More Thing" (part 1 & 2). Renee Montoya joins forces with an ex and an enemy against the Flashpoint's Harvey Dent. This story is filled with action and so much emotion as Renee also deals with the fact that her father is lying in a hospital bed dying. The underlying message to me is that regardless of the insanity going on around us, if we hold true to our virtues, as Lincoln said 'The better part of our nature' and we have faith that others will as well, then there is always hope that we can get a chance to make things better,if not right. This one alone for me me was worth the price of the TPB.
"Birds of Rage" (part 1 & 2) Nightwing and Oracle fight for the lives and the future of Gotham city against the Flashpoint's Hawkman and Hawkwoman. This is another great story where the action id great, but the message carries the story. Having faith in who you are, trusting that faith and holding true the ideal of right and wrong. A reminder that everyday people without the powers and gimmicks that put their lives out there,never knowing what lies in store for them, those are the real heroes (Superman "Doomsday").
All in all this was a great buy and I'm glad I didn't pass it up. The other 3 stories rock as well. If you can get your hands on a copy I think it's worth having.
May 28, 2024
I'm mostly going to focus on a smaller part of this book because it's the only reason I bought it.
I've never been a big fan of the multi-book, year-long comic-book crossovers. They're always supposed to be these grand, epic stories but they just end up overly long and mostly filler.
I am, however, a huge fan of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Specifically the pre-New-52 incarnation of the characters. These are the characters that have a history, a continuity that goes back decades and there's something really special about seeing them once more.
This book is more like a collection of short stories set around the Convergeance storyline, for the most part they're one or two shots that focus on heroes beating up other heroes, but at the heart of it they allow us to revisit characters that have been lost to the multiverse, set adrift while we cling to the New 52. None of the stories really jumped out at me except for the Nightwing/Oracle segment.
Because this Dick and Babs are the characters I fell in love with, the ones I watched grow up with all the unresolved sexual tension. I love the decades of history they share and it still kind of hurts that it was all thrown away. But it sure is goo to see these two again.
And it's not even that it was a particularly outstanding story, it was fine but nothing special. If anything it left me wanting because it's been too long since I've seen this Dick Grayson and this Barbara Gordon, I don't want to spend a couple of issues revisiting them, only for them to once again disappear into DC's black hole of rejected characters.
Hopefully, this does well enough that it won't be the last time I see these two characters.
Update
I want to revisit this version of Superman and Lois. It's really the only decent part of this book. I wanted to love the Dick/Babs story but it's disappointing it's the last time I've seen those two versions of the characters.
I've never been a big fan of the multi-book, year-long comic-book crossovers. They're always supposed to be these grand, epic stories but they just end up overly long and mostly filler.
I am, however, a huge fan of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Specifically the pre-New-52 incarnation of the characters. These are the characters that have a history, a continuity that goes back decades and there's something really special about seeing them once more.
This book is more like a collection of short stories set around the Convergeance storyline, for the most part they're one or two shots that focus on heroes beating up other heroes, but at the heart of it they allow us to revisit characters that have been lost to the multiverse, set adrift while we cling to the New 52. None of the stories really jumped out at me except for the Nightwing/Oracle segment.
Because this Dick and Babs are the characters I fell in love with, the ones I watched grow up with all the unresolved sexual tension. I love the decades of history they share and it still kind of hurts that it was all thrown away. But it sure is goo to see these two again.
And it's not even that it was a particularly outstanding story, it was fine but nothing special. If anything it left me wanting because it's been too long since I've seen this Dick Grayson and this Barbara Gordon, I don't want to spend a couple of issues revisiting them, only for them to once again disappear into DC's black hole of rejected characters.
Hopefully, this does well enough that it won't be the last time I see these two characters.
Update
I want to revisit this version of Superman and Lois. It's really the only decent part of this book. I wanted to love the Dick/Babs story but it's disappointing it's the last time I've seen those two versions of the characters.
June 29, 2019
(Read as Single Issues)
Convergence was batting about 25% good versus 75% bad in regards of the stories. This collection has probably the highest number of hits of any of the collections. Rucka's story featuring the Question, Huntress, and Batwoman (built around a Two-Face vs Harvey Dent confrontation) is probably the strongest of the entire Convergence series, mainly due to the characterizations. The Justice League women issues are okay, although setting Aquaman as a domestic abuser was a little off-putting. A pregnant Lois is the most memorable thing about the Superman issue. Nightwing/Oracle vs Hawkman/Hawkgirl is probably the weakest story in the collection, mainly due to the focus on the villainous Hawk-characters.
This was a decent collection of stories, which, in terms of Convergence, makes it a high point. Probably not worth the slog of the entire concept, though.
Convergence was batting about 25% good versus 75% bad in regards of the stories. This collection has probably the highest number of hits of any of the collections. Rucka's story featuring the Question, Huntress, and Batwoman (built around a Two-Face vs Harvey Dent confrontation) is probably the strongest of the entire Convergence series, mainly due to the characterizations. The Justice League women issues are okay, although setting Aquaman as a domestic abuser was a little off-putting. A pregnant Lois is the most memorable thing about the Superman issue. Nightwing/Oracle vs Hawkman/Hawkgirl is probably the weakest story in the collection, mainly due to the focus on the villainous Hawk-characters.
This was a decent collection of stories, which, in terms of Convergence, makes it a high point. Probably not worth the slog of the entire concept, though.
December 14, 2015
I pretty good romp through the DC Comics Universe that existed before the New 52 reboot. This tie-n book to the Convergence event was pretty good. I am pretty sure avid DC comics fans probably had smiles on their faces as they read this series. Ideally the folks at DC Comics are basically giving readers old and new another chance to look at older versions of their superheroes & heroines from the past few years. Perhaps this DC Comics way of apologizing to longtime fans about the reboot to the DCU. I will attempt to read and review as many of the tie-in collections as possible but I am not reading them all. Mainly this due to the fact I really do not remember much about the old universe because I jump back into DC comics in 2011 for the New 52 reboot. But I found alot of the stories in this collection to be be pretty good. The pre-Flashpoint Superman tale was one of the my favorites. I also enjoyed the Nightwing & Oracle tale and the JLA vs. Flashpoint Aquaman story was good as well. I am not going to judge the artwork in this collection because their several different artist who each try to give the reader a nostalgic feel for the early 2000s, 90s, 80s and etc eras of the DCU. But I think this volume was definitely worth a read.
August 11, 2020
Zbieranina przedflashpointowych "rozliczeń" starych serii w ramach przydługiego crossovera. Najbardziej podobała mi się wizja gotham z Renee Montoyą jako Question. Szkoda, że wszystkie te powroty starych postaci kończą się bijatyką.
April 11, 2019
Oh boy, DC you are wack-a-doo. This is the worst event/crossover/whatever I have ever read, worse than Final Crisis or Millenium. I'm going to review all of the Convergence trades together right here, because I'm finding the same problems through all of them. So here we go!:
-I personally hate the plot to begin with-two heroes/teams are pitted against each other by a big villain and have to defeat one another so the winner's town/planet/whatever survives. It goes one of two ways: One side says "No!" and the other side says "Yes!" or "I have to save MY planet!" and they fight or both sides don't want to fight and team up to fight the main villain.
-THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY IN THE LEAST!
The dome is up and it blocks all superpowers and changes some folks to normal people (Atomic Skull is purely human as is several Supermen) but then Aquaman has his powers because he is Atlantean, ignoring that Supes and a ton of others are aliens. Man-Bat is still a bat!!!!
Cyborg is immobilized because of his "tech powers" but Metallo is fine?
Green Lantern's ring doesn't work under the dome, but the Legion flight ring does?
Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes dissapates/dies under the dome, but Swamp Thing is fine?
When some folks are defeated nothing happens, but when others are, they disappear and so does their world?
When the dome is lifted GL/Parallax flies out of his city and goes to another city, but not a SINGLE other character goes to another city to band together and try to defeat Telos?
Sometimes it's only 1 vs 1, sometimes it's many vs few, sometimes the fight takes place in a neutral nowhere, sometimes it happens in the city of one of the fighters.
-I've counted three separate stories where the hero shoots something at the villain and the villain yells "You missed!" and the hero defeats the villain because he didn't miss, he was aiming for something behind the villain.
-You can never tell which universe you are supposed to be reading at any point unless they look very different, like Kingdom Come or Justice Riders (old west). Otherwise, it's just random Batman vs random fang monster.
-Specifically in Batman & Robin, Red Hood shows up and B&R are surprised to see him but they already seem to know he's Jason Todd? And then Damian throws a fit the rest of the issue because Batman loves him more. But if they already knew, why is acting like this NOW and not when they first met? Or if this IS the first time they met, there should be way more story than "Jason, is that you under there?"
-Specifically in Superman: Man of Steel, John Henry Irons's (Steel) kids show up with suits of their own and their helmets have their exact hair patterns (which is just insane to start with) and they are surprised when Bibbo knows their identity.
-Specifically in Green Lantern Corps, Guy runs into Hercules and asks for his help to defeat the Anti-God, and he says he has defeated the Anti-God before but won't this time because he has to save a bunch of innocents. (wut) But Herc gives Guy his invincible battle armor and then in a few panels, the armor disappears after he charges his GL ring with Stewart and Jordan? This is truly bonkers.
-Specifically in the Red Rain crossovers (Wonder Woman & Swamp Thing issues), Vampire Joker can only be killed by a stake through his heart AND cutting off his head, but other vampires are killed instantly when they are staked through the heart.
-After Detective Comics, the "heroes" and "villains" decide to not fight and the loud voice overhead (Telos) says, "You will be punished for breaking the rules" and nothing happens! So...empty threats.
-The labeling of the books- Flashpoint, Zero Hour, Crisis, Infinite Earths. The first Flashpoint book has one side of each battle featuring a character from Flashpoint. But the second doesn't! And Zero Hour isn't a separate universe, it's just an event that happens in the regular pre-52 universe. Crisis means nothing because there are hundreds of Crises in DC and Infinite Earths is just what is happening. So these labels are very bad. It would be one thing if they were all labeled different universes, but nope. Just a couple events and vague terms over here.
-The only story I actually enjoyed was Booster Gold and that's because it barely had anything to do with Convergence, as if Jurgens thought, "Nah, I'm not gonna do this stupid thing."
-I personally hate the plot to begin with-two heroes/teams are pitted against each other by a big villain and have to defeat one another so the winner's town/planet/whatever survives. It goes one of two ways: One side says "No!" and the other side says "Yes!" or "I have to save MY planet!" and they fight or both sides don't want to fight and team up to fight the main villain.
-THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY IN THE LEAST!
The dome is up and it blocks all superpowers and changes some folks to normal people (Atomic Skull is purely human as is several Supermen) but then Aquaman has his powers because he is Atlantean, ignoring that Supes and a ton of others are aliens. Man-Bat is still a bat!!!!
Cyborg is immobilized because of his "tech powers" but Metallo is fine?
Green Lantern's ring doesn't work under the dome, but the Legion flight ring does?
Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes dissapates/dies under the dome, but Swamp Thing is fine?
When some folks are defeated nothing happens, but when others are, they disappear and so does their world?
When the dome is lifted GL/Parallax flies out of his city and goes to another city, but not a SINGLE other character goes to another city to band together and try to defeat Telos?
Sometimes it's only 1 vs 1, sometimes it's many vs few, sometimes the fight takes place in a neutral nowhere, sometimes it happens in the city of one of the fighters.
-I've counted three separate stories where the hero shoots something at the villain and the villain yells "You missed!" and the hero defeats the villain because he didn't miss, he was aiming for something behind the villain.
-You can never tell which universe you are supposed to be reading at any point unless they look very different, like Kingdom Come or Justice Riders (old west). Otherwise, it's just random Batman vs random fang monster.
-Specifically in Batman & Robin, Red Hood shows up and B&R are surprised to see him but they already seem to know he's Jason Todd? And then Damian throws a fit the rest of the issue because Batman loves him more. But if they already knew, why is acting like this NOW and not when they first met? Or if this IS the first time they met, there should be way more story than "Jason, is that you under there?"
-Specifically in Superman: Man of Steel, John Henry Irons's (Steel) kids show up with suits of their own and their helmets have their exact hair patterns (which is just insane to start with) and they are surprised when Bibbo knows their identity.
-Specifically in Green Lantern Corps, Guy runs into Hercules and asks for his help to defeat the Anti-God, and he says he has defeated the Anti-God before but won't this time because he has to save a bunch of innocents. (wut) But Herc gives Guy his invincible battle armor and then in a few panels, the armor disappears after he charges his GL ring with Stewart and Jordan? This is truly bonkers.
-Specifically in the Red Rain crossovers (Wonder Woman & Swamp Thing issues), Vampire Joker can only be killed by a stake through his heart AND cutting off his head, but other vampires are killed instantly when they are staked through the heart.
-After Detective Comics, the "heroes" and "villains" decide to not fight and the loud voice overhead (Telos) says, "You will be punished for breaking the rules" and nothing happens! So...empty threats.
-The labeling of the books- Flashpoint, Zero Hour, Crisis, Infinite Earths. The first Flashpoint book has one side of each battle featuring a character from Flashpoint. But the second doesn't! And Zero Hour isn't a separate universe, it's just an event that happens in the regular pre-52 universe. Crisis means nothing because there are hundreds of Crises in DC and Infinite Earths is just what is happening. So these labels are very bad. It would be one thing if they were all labeled different universes, but nope. Just a couple events and vague terms over here.
-The only story I actually enjoyed was Booster Gold and that's because it barely had anything to do with Convergence, as if Jurgens thought, "Nah, I'm not gonna do this stupid thing."
May 18, 2024
Convergence: Flashpoint: Book One
The year under Gotham City's Dome hasn't stopped life from continuing. The Man of Steel has lost his powers, but still fights crime, aided by his pregnant wife. Both Oracle and Batgirl try their best to protect the city and their friends, but the end of the world is coming.
Superb art and some great throwbacks to 'Flashpoint', this is a good prequel volume to 'Convergence'.
The year under Gotham City's Dome hasn't stopped life from continuing. The Man of Steel has lost his powers, but still fights crime, aided by his pregnant wife. Both Oracle and Batgirl try their best to protect the city and their friends, but the end of the world is coming.
Superb art and some great throwbacks to 'Flashpoint', this is a good prequel volume to 'Convergence'.
February 23, 2021
Do tej chwili myślałem, że najgorszym i najnudniejszym tworem New 52, jeżeli chodzi o większe eventy, jest The Culling oraz prawie każde większe wydarzenie powiązane z Supermanem. Do tego 'szacownego' grona dochodzi właśnie Convergence, które staje z nimi na równi, choć zaryzykowałbym stwierdzenie, iż jest nawet gorsze...
Podstawą jest fakt, iż każda ukazana tu historia łączy się pewnymi aspektami. Wszyscy bohaterowi mieszkają w miastach, które do swojej kolekcji 'włączył' Brainiac, a po roku pewien jegomość (Talos?!) zastępujący kosmiczny byt postanowił wyłonić ten najlepszy świat, posiadający najefektywniejszych herosów. Daje to nam swoiste Mortal Kombat, gdzie światy biją się ze sobą, aby nie przestać istnieć. Pomysł nawet niezły, tyle że Convergence towarzyszy całe zacietrzewianie pomniejszych dwu-zeszytowych fabuł, które finalnie prowadzą do jednego. Młócki. Zazwyczaj średnio ciekawej. Oferującej nam raczej więcej zapchaj dziur, niżeli wartościowych produktów. Jedyną zaletą takiego rozwiązania, jest możliwość zerknięcia na masę herosów z różnych okresów DC.
Dla starego, wiernego czytelnika może być to takie fajne mrugnięcie okiem, bowiem zobaczy raz jeszcze jakieś postacie, którym kiedyś kibicował, a które zniknęły np. po Kryzysie na Nieskończonych Ziemiach. Dla nowego czytelnika jak ja będzie to... bałagan. Nieciekawy, wprowadzający brak jakiejkolwiek logiki i konsekwencji w tym co dotychczas czytałem w New 52. Zatem pytanie: do kogo był adresowany w ogóle ten event? Tym bardziej, że całe multiwersum uporządkował chwilę temu Morrison. Jak ma się ta pozycja do jego The Multiversity? Nie mam bladego pojęcia.
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One zbiera pięć opowieści (zresztą siedem innym zbiorów towarzyszących Convergence również zbiera po pięć dwu-zeszytowych opowieści) które są tworzone przez pięciu różnych autorów i mają różne style graficzne. Najbardziej podobał mi się Superman Jurgensa i Nightwing/Oracle od Gail Simone. Reszta była mierna, i tym bardziej jestem zdziwiony, gdyż za The Question wziął się sam Rucka, ale nawet mistrzowi zdarzyć się może czasami wpadka...
Supermanowi za motyw związku Lois-Clark daję solidną trójeczkę. Nie jest to coś czego nie widziałem, ale w nawiązaniu do moich wspomnień z eventu Flashpoint i pewnych postaci stamtąd zaczerpniętych, byłem raczej pozytywnie nastawiony do całości. Plus ponownie widziałem ojca Bruce'a, Thomasa, jako Batmana.
Nightwing/Oracle daje nam możliwość spojrzeć na Barbarę Gordon, kiedy to poruszała się na wózku inwalidzkim, a i tak jest sobie w stanie w duecie z Graysonem poradzić z duetem Hawkman/Hawkwomen. W tle Black Canary. Całość nawet bawi, ale też nie zasługuje więcej niż na trójeczkę.
Renee Montoya jako Question działa bardzo mizernie. Liczyłem, że obecność Two-Face'a jakościowo podniesie wartość tego co widziałem, ale nie. Nawet gościnny występ Huntress czy Batwoman, która jest tutaj tylko, żeby pocałować się w pewnym momencie z bohaterką nie są warte uwagi. W najlepszym razie jest to tylko dwa.
Ukazana nam tu Liga Sprawiedliwości to dziwaczny twór złożony z kobiet, gdzie prym widzie Supergirl. Z zespole jest dodatkowo zielono-skóra bohaterka, która przypominała mi wersję She-Hulk wyposażoną w pierścień Zielonych Latarni... Plus napalony zły Aquaman, który ma chrapkę na tutejszą wersję Mery... Akcji jest tu co niemiara. Kilka dziwacznych pomysłów zaskakuje. Takie 2.5-3/5.
Największe barachło zostawiłem sobie na koniec. Batgirl nie dała mi kompletnie nic poza Catmanem czy wyrośniętym gorylem. Na dodatek nie ma tu nic wspólnego z Batgirl. Mamy Drake'a, Stephanie Brown i Cassandę Cain. Podziękuję. Nuda i przewidywalność wylewa się z każdej strony. 1/5.
Wizualnie najlepiej wypada raczej Supergirl i spółka, reszta ma średni poziom. Nic szczególnego, ale też oczy nie wypali. Co pasuje chyba do motywu przewodniego całego cyklu. "Byle było, a kasa musi się zgadzać...".
Podstawą jest fakt, iż każda ukazana tu historia łączy się pewnymi aspektami. Wszyscy bohaterowi mieszkają w miastach, które do swojej kolekcji 'włączył' Brainiac, a po roku pewien jegomość (Talos?!) zastępujący kosmiczny byt postanowił wyłonić ten najlepszy świat, posiadający najefektywniejszych herosów. Daje to nam swoiste Mortal Kombat, gdzie światy biją się ze sobą, aby nie przestać istnieć. Pomysł nawet niezły, tyle że Convergence towarzyszy całe zacietrzewianie pomniejszych dwu-zeszytowych fabuł, które finalnie prowadzą do jednego. Młócki. Zazwyczaj średnio ciekawej. Oferującej nam raczej więcej zapchaj dziur, niżeli wartościowych produktów. Jedyną zaletą takiego rozwiązania, jest możliwość zerknięcia na masę herosów z różnych okresów DC.
Dla starego, wiernego czytelnika może być to takie fajne mrugnięcie okiem, bowiem zobaczy raz jeszcze jakieś postacie, którym kiedyś kibicował, a które zniknęły np. po Kryzysie na Nieskończonych Ziemiach. Dla nowego czytelnika jak ja będzie to... bałagan. Nieciekawy, wprowadzający brak jakiejkolwiek logiki i konsekwencji w tym co dotychczas czytałem w New 52. Zatem pytanie: do kogo był adresowany w ogóle ten event? Tym bardziej, że całe multiwersum uporządkował chwilę temu Morrison. Jak ma się ta pozycja do jego The Multiversity? Nie mam bladego pojęcia.
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One zbiera pięć opowieści (zresztą siedem innym zbiorów towarzyszących Convergence również zbiera po pięć dwu-zeszytowych opowieści) które są tworzone przez pięciu różnych autorów i mają różne style graficzne. Najbardziej podobał mi się Superman Jurgensa i Nightwing/Oracle od Gail Simone. Reszta była mierna, i tym bardziej jestem zdziwiony, gdyż za The Question wziął się sam Rucka, ale nawet mistrzowi zdarzyć się może czasami wpadka...
Supermanowi za motyw związku Lois-Clark daję solidną trójeczkę. Nie jest to coś czego nie widziałem, ale w nawiązaniu do moich wspomnień z eventu Flashpoint i pewnych postaci stamtąd zaczerpniętych, byłem raczej pozytywnie nastawiony do całości. Plus ponownie widziałem ojca Bruce'a, Thomasa, jako Batmana.
Nightwing/Oracle daje nam możliwość spojrzeć na Barbarę Gordon, kiedy to poruszała się na wózku inwalidzkim, a i tak jest sobie w stanie w duecie z Graysonem poradzić z duetem Hawkman/Hawkwomen. W tle Black Canary. Całość nawet bawi, ale też nie zasługuje więcej niż na trójeczkę.
Renee Montoya jako Question działa bardzo mizernie. Liczyłem, że obecność Two-Face'a jakościowo podniesie wartość tego co widziałem, ale nie. Nawet gościnny występ Huntress czy Batwoman, która jest tutaj tylko, żeby pocałować się w pewnym momencie z bohaterką nie są warte uwagi. W najlepszym razie jest to tylko dwa.
Ukazana nam tu Liga Sprawiedliwości to dziwaczny twór złożony z kobiet, gdzie prym widzie Supergirl. Z zespole jest dodatkowo zielono-skóra bohaterka, która przypominała mi wersję She-Hulk wyposażoną w pierścień Zielonych Latarni... Plus napalony zły Aquaman, który ma chrapkę na tutejszą wersję Mery... Akcji jest tu co niemiara. Kilka dziwacznych pomysłów zaskakuje. Takie 2.5-3/5.
Największe barachło zostawiłem sobie na koniec. Batgirl nie dała mi kompletnie nic poza Catmanem czy wyrośniętym gorylem. Na dodatek nie ma tu nic wspólnego z Batgirl. Mamy Drake'a, Stephanie Brown i Cassandę Cain. Podziękuję. Nuda i przewidywalność wylewa się z każdej strony. 1/5.
Wizualnie najlepiej wypada raczej Supergirl i spółka, reszta ma średni poziom. Nic szczególnego, ale też oczy nie wypali. Co pasuje chyba do motywu przewodniego całego cyklu. "Byle było, a kasa musi się zgadzać...".
May 16, 2018
Convergence is a two-month weekly comic book event that cumulates the weekly series Earth 2: World's End and The New 52: Futures End maxi-series. This trade paperback pits Flashpoint characters against their Flashpoint counterparts and collects five of the forty tie-in issues: Convergence: Superman #1–2, Convergence: The Question #1–2, Convergence: Justice League #1–2, Convergence: Batgirl #1–2, and Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #1–2.
Convergence: Superman is a two-part tie-in written by Dan Jurgens and penciled by Lee Weeks and Dan Jurgens. This issue opens with Superman just regaining his powers, because the dome just went down, while he's trying to stop a crime. Apparently, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and himself were in Gotham City for a conference and were trapped there. Their opponents are the Justice League from the Flashpoint Timeline, which is led by Batman (Thomas Wayne), Captain Thunder, Cyborg, Green Lantern Abin Sur, and Kal-El. While Superman was on a reconnaissance mission he was attacked by the Justice League, while Kal-El finds a pregnant Lois Lane.
Kal-El kidnaps Lois Lane and brings her to the Batcave, where Batman a former surgeon could help her deliver her baby. Superman after hearing that his wife cried for help quickly dispatched Batman's team only to race home to find her missing. Superman was able to find her via her radio link and with hostilities cease – he can now concentrate on delivering her baby – a boy.
Convergence: The Question is a two-part tie-in written by Greg Rucka and penciled by Cully Hamner. The issue opens up with Two-Face and Renee Montoya teaming up to get some medicine for a local hospital. While visiting Two-Face as the Question, the dome comes down and the challenge issued by Telos, Two-Face attacks the Question as he finds his counterpart. Renee Montoya wakes up to the Huntress and Batwoman – her ex to help out.
Two-Face managed to find his counterpart Harvey Dent – a judge. Apparently, while every night while under the dome, Two-Face tried to kill himself, but every time he flipped his coin – it comes up unscarred. The Question figured that the dome was changing probability to let Two-Face live for some reason. So Two-Face manages to confront his counterpart – a judge to kill him for the sake of his world and his family. The Question, Batwoman, and Huntress manage to find Two-Face just in time as The Question jumps in front of the bullet to save Two-Face. In the end, Renee Montoya told Two-Face to be the good man, she knows he can be.
Convergence: The Justice League is a two-part tie-in written by Frank Tieri and penciled by Vincente Cifuentes. The issue opens up with Jesse Quick going into labor with Supergirl literally barging into the hospital. Jade, Vixen, and Zantanna comes by later with gifts – apparently they were in a middle of a baby shower when Quick went into labor and the dome went up. A year later, during a girls night out, a depowered Supergirl, Jade, Jesse Quick, Vixen, Zatanna are out clubbing with Mera, who was also trapped when the dome went out – missing her husband. It is then the dome went down, the challenged by Telos was issued, and their powers returning and Emperor Aquaman of Flashpoint kidnaps Mera – his love.
Rescuing Mera is easier said than done. Supergirl, Jade, Jesse Quick, and Zatanna fights what they thought was Emperor Aquaman, but it turned out to be Ocean Master in disguise. Meanwhile, Vixen has infiltrated Emperor Aquaman's army and managed to get to Mera only to be stopped by the real Emperor Aquaman. While Vixen could use the powers of marine life around the ocean to help her fight, Emperor Aquaman could control them and in turn Vixen. Supergirl manages to find the real Emperor Aquaman to fight, but his trident is laced with Kryptonite. In the end, it was Mera that dealt the final blow, by distracting Emperor Aquaman with his feelings for her.
Convergence: Batgirl is a two-part tie-in written by Alisa Kwitney and penciled by Rick Leonardi and Mark Pennington. The issue opens up with Batgirl, Black Bat, and Red Robin roaming a desolated landscape trying to find their challenger – rather for Batgirl to find her opponent. Apparently, Gotham City had voted Batgirl to be their champion – the problem: Stephanie Brown had hung up her cape and cowl when the dome went up. She manages to find her challenger – Catman from the Flashpoint Timeline, but he wasn't alone apparently the foe he's been fighting Gorilla Grodd might have been accidentally portal in with him, just as Black Bat and Red Robin was accidentally portal in with her.
Putting aside their challenge, Batgirl, Red Robin, and Catman agreed to takedown Gorilla Grodd together and to save their alley Black Bat who was severely injured by the telepathic gorilla. Apparently, it was Gorilla Grodd that killed all his friends and family, so he wants Grodd dead. However, with their combined effort, they couldn't take Grodd down. It is then that Batgirl got an idea, Catman and she would have to fight – if a winner were chosen they would be teleported back to their own realities. Catman decides to surrender, because he has no one left in his world and if Batgirl wins – Gorilla Grodd would also vanish with him. So, Batgirl knocks Catman out and wins the challenge.
Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle is a two-part tie-in written by Gail Simone and penciled by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons. Nightwing stops Mr. Freeze from stealing diamonds, but he quickly surrenders without a fight, because he feels that there was no point in living within a dome without any future. Later that night, Dick Grayson proposes to Barbara Gordon at dinner, but she refused him, before she could explain her reasons, the dome came down and the challenge was issued by Telos. Hawkman and Hawkwoman appear and come to Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon with a deal. Being the last of their kind and could easily defeat them if they fight (they just defeated the Justice Riders form Earth-18), they would surrender the challenge and have their Gotham City disappear as long as they are accepted as refugees in their city, but with them ruling it like Thanagar – their home planet. Nightwing refused and they are to fight in one hour.
While Nightwing has been battling the Thanagarians, Oracle was able to hack into their communication system of the Absorbascon and to send a hello from their Gotham City – a canary cry from Black Canary. Weaken by having the Batwing crash into them beforehand and now deafen by the Black Canary, the fight continues in earnest. In the end, the Thanagarian losses and concedes defeat – especially after Oracle destroys their Absorbacons. However, they are given sanctuary in their city and preserve their culture, but there will be no thinking of future colonization. The issue ends, happily ever after, with the two of them getting married.
For the most part, I really like most of the tie-ins found in this trade paperback. I'm not really sure if I liked this trade paperback better because of my familiarity of this version of characters and their counterparts, because I grew up with them and know them rather intimately compared to the other tie-ins or the writing is really better. While the issues are all formulaic and the virtually the same as the other Convergence tie-ins, I just felt closer to these characters and was glad that each and every one of them got some sort of closure.
The penciling is rather inconsistent as well, but that's par for the course for having so many different pencilers in one trade paperback, so the quality and consistency of the penciling would vary. If I had to choose, it would have to be Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons from Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle.
All in all, Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One is a wonderful collection of tie-ins for the Convergence event, which gives a nice closure to the pre-Flashpoint characters that I have grown to love. The writing and penciling varies, but that's par for the course for multiple writers and pencilers.
Convergence: Superman is a two-part tie-in written by Dan Jurgens and penciled by Lee Weeks and Dan Jurgens. This issue opens with Superman just regaining his powers, because the dome just went down, while he's trying to stop a crime. Apparently, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and himself were in Gotham City for a conference and were trapped there. Their opponents are the Justice League from the Flashpoint Timeline, which is led by Batman (Thomas Wayne), Captain Thunder, Cyborg, Green Lantern Abin Sur, and Kal-El. While Superman was on a reconnaissance mission he was attacked by the Justice League, while Kal-El finds a pregnant Lois Lane.
Kal-El kidnaps Lois Lane and brings her to the Batcave, where Batman a former surgeon could help her deliver her baby. Superman after hearing that his wife cried for help quickly dispatched Batman's team only to race home to find her missing. Superman was able to find her via her radio link and with hostilities cease – he can now concentrate on delivering her baby – a boy.
Convergence: The Question is a two-part tie-in written by Greg Rucka and penciled by Cully Hamner. The issue opens up with Two-Face and Renee Montoya teaming up to get some medicine for a local hospital. While visiting Two-Face as the Question, the dome comes down and the challenge issued by Telos, Two-Face attacks the Question as he finds his counterpart. Renee Montoya wakes up to the Huntress and Batwoman – her ex to help out.
Two-Face managed to find his counterpart Harvey Dent – a judge. Apparently, while every night while under the dome, Two-Face tried to kill himself, but every time he flipped his coin – it comes up unscarred. The Question figured that the dome was changing probability to let Two-Face live for some reason. So Two-Face manages to confront his counterpart – a judge to kill him for the sake of his world and his family. The Question, Batwoman, and Huntress manage to find Two-Face just in time as The Question jumps in front of the bullet to save Two-Face. In the end, Renee Montoya told Two-Face to be the good man, she knows he can be.
Convergence: The Justice League is a two-part tie-in written by Frank Tieri and penciled by Vincente Cifuentes. The issue opens up with Jesse Quick going into labor with Supergirl literally barging into the hospital. Jade, Vixen, and Zantanna comes by later with gifts – apparently they were in a middle of a baby shower when Quick went into labor and the dome went up. A year later, during a girls night out, a depowered Supergirl, Jade, Jesse Quick, Vixen, Zatanna are out clubbing with Mera, who was also trapped when the dome went out – missing her husband. It is then the dome went down, the challenged by Telos was issued, and their powers returning and Emperor Aquaman of Flashpoint kidnaps Mera – his love.
Rescuing Mera is easier said than done. Supergirl, Jade, Jesse Quick, and Zatanna fights what they thought was Emperor Aquaman, but it turned out to be Ocean Master in disguise. Meanwhile, Vixen has infiltrated Emperor Aquaman's army and managed to get to Mera only to be stopped by the real Emperor Aquaman. While Vixen could use the powers of marine life around the ocean to help her fight, Emperor Aquaman could control them and in turn Vixen. Supergirl manages to find the real Emperor Aquaman to fight, but his trident is laced with Kryptonite. In the end, it was Mera that dealt the final blow, by distracting Emperor Aquaman with his feelings for her.
Convergence: Batgirl is a two-part tie-in written by Alisa Kwitney and penciled by Rick Leonardi and Mark Pennington. The issue opens up with Batgirl, Black Bat, and Red Robin roaming a desolated landscape trying to find their challenger – rather for Batgirl to find her opponent. Apparently, Gotham City had voted Batgirl to be their champion – the problem: Stephanie Brown had hung up her cape and cowl when the dome went up. She manages to find her challenger – Catman from the Flashpoint Timeline, but he wasn't alone apparently the foe he's been fighting Gorilla Grodd might have been accidentally portal in with him, just as Black Bat and Red Robin was accidentally portal in with her.
Putting aside their challenge, Batgirl, Red Robin, and Catman agreed to takedown Gorilla Grodd together and to save their alley Black Bat who was severely injured by the telepathic gorilla. Apparently, it was Gorilla Grodd that killed all his friends and family, so he wants Grodd dead. However, with their combined effort, they couldn't take Grodd down. It is then that Batgirl got an idea, Catman and she would have to fight – if a winner were chosen they would be teleported back to their own realities. Catman decides to surrender, because he has no one left in his world and if Batgirl wins – Gorilla Grodd would also vanish with him. So, Batgirl knocks Catman out and wins the challenge.
Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle is a two-part tie-in written by Gail Simone and penciled by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons. Nightwing stops Mr. Freeze from stealing diamonds, but he quickly surrenders without a fight, because he feels that there was no point in living within a dome without any future. Later that night, Dick Grayson proposes to Barbara Gordon at dinner, but she refused him, before she could explain her reasons, the dome came down and the challenge was issued by Telos. Hawkman and Hawkwoman appear and come to Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon with a deal. Being the last of their kind and could easily defeat them if they fight (they just defeated the Justice Riders form Earth-18), they would surrender the challenge and have their Gotham City disappear as long as they are accepted as refugees in their city, but with them ruling it like Thanagar – their home planet. Nightwing refused and they are to fight in one hour.
While Nightwing has been battling the Thanagarians, Oracle was able to hack into their communication system of the Absorbascon and to send a hello from their Gotham City – a canary cry from Black Canary. Weaken by having the Batwing crash into them beforehand and now deafen by the Black Canary, the fight continues in earnest. In the end, the Thanagarian losses and concedes defeat – especially after Oracle destroys their Absorbacons. However, they are given sanctuary in their city and preserve their culture, but there will be no thinking of future colonization. The issue ends, happily ever after, with the two of them getting married.
For the most part, I really like most of the tie-ins found in this trade paperback. I'm not really sure if I liked this trade paperback better because of my familiarity of this version of characters and their counterparts, because I grew up with them and know them rather intimately compared to the other tie-ins or the writing is really better. While the issues are all formulaic and the virtually the same as the other Convergence tie-ins, I just felt closer to these characters and was glad that each and every one of them got some sort of closure.
The penciling is rather inconsistent as well, but that's par for the course for having so many different pencilers in one trade paperback, so the quality and consistency of the penciling would vary. If I had to choose, it would have to be Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons from Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle.
All in all, Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One is a wonderful collection of tie-ins for the Convergence event, which gives a nice closure to the pre-Flashpoint characters that I have grown to love. The writing and penciling varies, but that's par for the course for multiple writers and pencilers.
November 25, 2019
The reason I read this book was for the Superman arc--namely the first appearance of Jon Kent. And yeah... that delivered: Superman being a protective father-to-be; he and Lois working together to keep the Gotham they're trapped in as safe as possible; Superman trying to find a loophole in the cruel game that has been set--striving to protect the people he loves while also not having to hurt others. Really, this was classic Superman. Add into that some Thomas Wayne Batman, and you get a really compelling story--that was also very sweet, too, because... "Aw... look at the baby!" The page where Superman was delivering his own son, with Thomas Wayne looking on and offering advice as he could (since he couldn't bring himself to actually deliver a baby since the loss of his own son) was really well done and powerful. Honestly, as someone at the age to start a family, those two issues really meant something to me. That said... the next two story arcs were kind of "meh." I didn't have the emotional investment to care about The Question. (I'm sure she's an interesting character, but I can't say that she's ever appealed to me, and this particular story didn't make her stand out either--to me personally. It wasn't a bad story, it was just... a nice one-shot. It didn't grab me enough that I'm going to be searching for more Question graphics.) The one with Stephanie Brown as Batgirl was kind of nice, mostly because I just like the chemistry between her and Tim. But then, we get to the last story. The one with Nightwing and Oracle was definitely my second favorite. It was sweet, full of action, and just made me feel like pumping my fist in the air when the two of them took down the Hawks. Plus, it ended with a nice, sweet wedding. What more could you want from a comic with that couple? I'm curious what "Convergence: Flashpoint, Book Two" is all about--and especially how this Superman and his family will end up in the Rebirth universe. (I know, I know... I'm not exactly reading in order, but... I just pretend this is a prequel, and it all works out. lol)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2023
"HEY, GRODD! I'M HEADING BACK TO CAPE TOWN TO LOOK UP YOUR WIVES. SAY, IS IT TRUE WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT GORILLAS HAVING INCREDIBLY SMALL..."
- Catman trash talking Grodd.
Stories include:
- Clark and Lois hiding on a business trip get trapped in Gotham and end up fighting the Flashpoint version of the Justice League.
- The Question (Renee Montoya), teams up with Huntress and Batwoman to stop Two-Face from finding someone to kill him. WTF?
- The (all-female) Justice League fight an asshole version of Aquaman.
- Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) with Batgirl (Cass?) and Robin (Tim Drake) fight Catman and Grodd.
- Hawkman and Hawkgirl vs Nightwing and Oracle. Babs is a badass. Nice ending.
Two stories were good, two were meh, and one was just weird.
Two and a half stars.
- Catman trash talking Grodd.
Stories include:
- Clark and Lois hiding on a business trip get trapped in Gotham and end up fighting the Flashpoint version of the Justice League.
- The Question (Renee Montoya), teams up with Huntress and Batwoman to stop Two-Face from finding someone to kill him. WTF?
- The (all-female) Justice League fight an asshole version of Aquaman.
- Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) with Batgirl (Cass?) and Robin (Tim Drake) fight Catman and Grodd.
- Hawkman and Hawkgirl vs Nightwing and Oracle. Babs is a badass. Nice ending.
Two stories were good, two were meh, and one was just weird.
Two and a half stars.
October 25, 2015
You've got to love books that hope you're a moron, and have never read any of their other books. I have, which is why I know that all this is, is "Countdown: Arena" all over again.
December 4, 2015
With this volume at least, the tie ins were much better than the actual event. It was nice to revisit these characters, especially with Rucka writing the Question and Simone Nightwing and Oracle.
January 7, 2016
I came for the Clark and Lois story, was semi-interested in the other ones, and enjoyed the Babs and Dick one!
October 13, 2020
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One kicks off with us taking a visit around the various alternate worlds of the that Flashpoint and Convergence have thrown up! This gives a great look at what if's and other iterations of characters such Superman, Lois, Batwoman, The Question etc It then mixes them up to create a very combination of events! What at the at same time is brilliantly handled as well is the result that things taking place in the alternate realities have an impact in the on the normal continuity as well! This means of course that the books drops easter eggs all over the place setting up future plot lines! This means that characters from the alternate universe like Superman and Lois are clearly designed to have an impact on future plot lines!
The breadth of world building is brilliant throughout with us getting to see the various alternate realities and how they have developed and diverged from what we would regard as the normal universe! This has great what if qualities to it but also highlights ways that Earth Prime can develop and what that means for our band of characters! We also get character development throughout with us showing how Batgirl, Superman, Lois are dealing with the situation! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One also explores what drives our characters to battle and how they deal with it, how it is possible for their alternates to have turned into Super Villains! This gives Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One an razor sharp edge as it delves into what the characters are willing to do to others to protect their world!
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One art throughout is brilliantly handled with it neatly dovetailing with the script! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One pace is on the page from the start with characters doing battle and finding out what on Earth(s) is going on from the start is a fast paced story that never lets up! The framing of the panes is done is a cinematic style that neatly marries up with the script in a story that is full of pace and action from the beginning! The Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One never lets up as you see the various plotlines Converge and separate and how this impacts the range of character like Superman, Lois, Batgirl, The Question etc!
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One dives into the mythos of the characters and answers questions but at the same time sets up new plot points! These plots are also neatly done and have consequences that are neatly set for future plots! At the same time the characters are given time to do their heroics and this makes for a tone of adventure that neatly ties in Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One other tones of adventure and action etc creating epic pacing from the beginning that will keep you guessing and on your toes right from the start! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One is full of daring do with characters such as Superman, Batgirl and our characters doing the heroics, world building as we flip between all the alternate realities, character development as we get to see how our characters have developed in other worlds, team develop as everyone learns to get along, plot twists as characters motivations and events are totally unpredictable, adventure as our characters are really thrown into and action! Crisp High Five! Brilliant and highly recommended! Get it If You Can! :D
The breadth of world building is brilliant throughout with us getting to see the various alternate realities and how they have developed and diverged from what we would regard as the normal universe! This has great what if qualities to it but also highlights ways that Earth Prime can develop and what that means for our band of characters! We also get character development throughout with us showing how Batgirl, Superman, Lois are dealing with the situation! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One also explores what drives our characters to battle and how they deal with it, how it is possible for their alternates to have turned into Super Villains! This gives Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One an razor sharp edge as it delves into what the characters are willing to do to others to protect their world!
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One art throughout is brilliantly handled with it neatly dovetailing with the script! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One pace is on the page from the start with characters doing battle and finding out what on Earth(s) is going on from the start is a fast paced story that never lets up! The framing of the panes is done is a cinematic style that neatly marries up with the script in a story that is full of pace and action from the beginning! The Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One never lets up as you see the various plotlines Converge and separate and how this impacts the range of character like Superman, Lois, Batgirl, The Question etc!
Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One dives into the mythos of the characters and answers questions but at the same time sets up new plot points! These plots are also neatly done and have consequences that are neatly set for future plots! At the same time the characters are given time to do their heroics and this makes for a tone of adventure that neatly ties in Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One other tones of adventure and action etc creating epic pacing from the beginning that will keep you guessing and on your toes right from the start! Convergence: Flashpoint, Book One is full of daring do with characters such as Superman, Batgirl and our characters doing the heroics, world building as we flip between all the alternate realities, character development as we get to see how our characters have developed in other worlds, team develop as everyone learns to get along, plot twists as characters motivations and events are totally unpredictable, adventure as our characters are really thrown into and action! Crisp High Five! Brilliant and highly recommended! Get it If You Can! :D
January 24, 2023
Probably the best of these ancillary Convergence tie-ins. Greg Rucka writes a good Question story. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks get a head start on their return of the original Superman and Lois. Nightwing and Oracle finally get together as a couple while fighting a conquering Hawkman and Hawkwoman. There's actually some decent comics here for once. I still think all of this is completely skippable for all but completists but at least this one has some decent short stories in it.
April 7, 2025
Superman - mid, one labor and delivery
The Question - pretty dank, special guests Two Face, Huntress, and Batwoman oooof course
Justice League - emperor Aquaman is so nasty boy, one labor and delivery
Batgirl - go off Stephanie, one labor and delivery
Nightwing/Oracle - mid, Babs and Dick get married, and I just read Death Metal where they also get married, sooooo
Over all, lots of babies born??, mid collection
The Question - pretty dank, special guests Two Face, Huntress, and Batwoman oooof course
Justice League - emperor Aquaman is so nasty boy, one labor and delivery
Batgirl - go off Stephanie, one labor and delivery
Nightwing/Oracle - mid, Babs and Dick get married, and I just read Death Metal where they also get married, sooooo
Over all, lots of babies born??, mid collection
August 25, 2018
I liked four out of five of the stories here. The comics prior to Flashpoint were my least favorite of the eras, but it is nice to get some tales that really wrap up these characters before the next big shake up of the DCU.
March 29, 2019
What just happened? I read two of these Convergence books and figured nobody - and I mean NOBODY - can make this idiotic conceit work.
And here come Jurgens, Rucka and Simone to blow that theory away. This was fun (mostly).
And here come Jurgens, Rucka and Simone to blow that theory away. This was fun (mostly).
May 27, 2020
It is unfortunate that each book has the members learning of fight completely different, lack on consistency between books.
Batgirl : 3 stars
Justice League : 4.5 stars
Nightwing/Oracle : 4 stars
Superman : 5 stars
The Question : 3.5 stars
Batgirl : 3 stars
Justice League : 4.5 stars
Nightwing/Oracle : 4 stars
Superman : 5 stars
The Question : 3.5 stars
September 5, 2017
Flashpoint is resetting and everything is crazy
April 12, 2018
Interesting concept to see how a city would survive if it was completely cut off from the rest of the world and how its inhabitants start to get comfortable or lose hope. Hedonic Adaptation.
July 31, 2020
Mostly just a fan service set of stories, but sorta fun for what it is.
December 24, 2022
Probably the best of the Convergence tie in books I’ve read. But then, having Dan Jurgens, Greg Rucka and Gail Simone helps!
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June 24, 2023Read the Superman, Question, and Nightwing/Oracle stories. Reads like the defining authors of these post-crisis characters getting the chance to write the endings that the New 52 robbed them of.
May 4, 2025
Worth reading for the return of the original Superman and Lois!
November 30, 2025
Good to check in with a few post-Flashpoint dudes, see what they’ve been up to. And that’s it.
September 12, 2020
Admittedly I sought out this collection for the novelty of Superman and Lois Lane finally having a child (which due to comic book logic ended up traveling over to regular continuity despite not beginning there). But I ended up enjoying the whole collection.
Convergence was a kind of convenient gimmick event designed to cover a few months of comics while regular DC operations were transplanting from New York to California. But it gave the company, and fans, an opportunity to revisit classic comics and eras. This particular collection features crossovers with various elements of Flashpoint, ironically a fairly similar event, insofar as it replaced the regular DC lineup in preparation for the New 52 reboot.
I loved Flashpoint, so that was easy to revisit, from familiar elements like Thomas Wayne Batman or Emperor Aquaman to more obscure elements like South African Catman or Flashpoint Harvey Dent (who never became Two-Face).
But the showcases belong to the lead characters in these stories, including, yes, Superman and Lois, written by Dan Jurgens with all his signature tropes, providing art in the second installment (originally I was disappointed about this, but it seems more than appropriate in hindsight), with the real highlight being the art of Lee Weeks in the first one. Weeks had already made a name for himself at Marvel, but this was his DC debut, and he later became one of Tom King’s many standout collaborators in the pages of Batman.
The second story is Greg Ruckus’s last, to date, Renee Montoya adventure. Rucka has since become better known for co-creating Kate Kane, Batwoman (she’s here, too), but at the time he put far more time in on Montoya, in the pages of Gotham Central and then 52, where she befriends and then succeeds Vic Sage as the Question (one of the truly great arcs of a great comic), and from there snuck more Montoya work in as he could find it, since Batwoman had become the priority at that point, and Montoya’s Question never got the appreciation she deserved. I specifically had a problem with Cully Hamner’s art at the time, but I liked it better here, for whatever reason. Maybe just the distance of the disappointment that Montoya got such a raw deal (she’s still absent from the comics, for instance, and of course it’s Sage as the Question again), or the fact that she showed up as a supporting character in Birds of Prey earlier this year, I don’t know, or just letting myself enjoy the story, which is typically great Rucka material.
The Justice League is from the series begun by Brad Meltzer, although the status quo here is from the James Robinson comics. Its female members are in the spotlight here. Not bad but fairly small potatoes compared to the other stories in the collection.
The Stephanie Brown Batgirl spotlight was surprisingly great! I don’t know what happened to writer Alisa Kwitney, but she absolutely nailed this. She even managed to contextualize Tim Drake in a way I’d never seen or considered before, and as a reader who grew up with Tim in the ‘90s that’s probably saying something.
The biggest surprise was the revelation of enjoying Gail Simone for a change! She writes the Nightwing/Oracle story, although it leans pretty heavily on Oracle (Barbara Gordon), and it works beautifully. This was after Simone had already concluded her New 52 Batgirl run, in which she brought Gordon back into action, which was among the many things I haven’t enjoyed reading from her. But her work here completely works.
Also included in the collection are little summaries for the activities of all lead characters prior to DC continuity moving in a different direction, the points at which Convergence picks them back up.
I think it’s a fantastic collection. Maybe at some point I’ll pick up the others, some of the material from which I’ve read and enjoyed. And maybe I’ll make some additional pleasant discoveries.
A vehicle for happy endings, with a happy ending for this reader.
Convergence was a kind of convenient gimmick event designed to cover a few months of comics while regular DC operations were transplanting from New York to California. But it gave the company, and fans, an opportunity to revisit classic comics and eras. This particular collection features crossovers with various elements of Flashpoint, ironically a fairly similar event, insofar as it replaced the regular DC lineup in preparation for the New 52 reboot.
I loved Flashpoint, so that was easy to revisit, from familiar elements like Thomas Wayne Batman or Emperor Aquaman to more obscure elements like South African Catman or Flashpoint Harvey Dent (who never became Two-Face).
But the showcases belong to the lead characters in these stories, including, yes, Superman and Lois, written by Dan Jurgens with all his signature tropes, providing art in the second installment (originally I was disappointed about this, but it seems more than appropriate in hindsight), with the real highlight being the art of Lee Weeks in the first one. Weeks had already made a name for himself at Marvel, but this was his DC debut, and he later became one of Tom King’s many standout collaborators in the pages of Batman.
The second story is Greg Ruckus’s last, to date, Renee Montoya adventure. Rucka has since become better known for co-creating Kate Kane, Batwoman (she’s here, too), but at the time he put far more time in on Montoya, in the pages of Gotham Central and then 52, where she befriends and then succeeds Vic Sage as the Question (one of the truly great arcs of a great comic), and from there snuck more Montoya work in as he could find it, since Batwoman had become the priority at that point, and Montoya’s Question never got the appreciation she deserved. I specifically had a problem with Cully Hamner’s art at the time, but I liked it better here, for whatever reason. Maybe just the distance of the disappointment that Montoya got such a raw deal (she’s still absent from the comics, for instance, and of course it’s Sage as the Question again), or the fact that she showed up as a supporting character in Birds of Prey earlier this year, I don’t know, or just letting myself enjoy the story, which is typically great Rucka material.
The Justice League is from the series begun by Brad Meltzer, although the status quo here is from the James Robinson comics. Its female members are in the spotlight here. Not bad but fairly small potatoes compared to the other stories in the collection.
The Stephanie Brown Batgirl spotlight was surprisingly great! I don’t know what happened to writer Alisa Kwitney, but she absolutely nailed this. She even managed to contextualize Tim Drake in a way I’d never seen or considered before, and as a reader who grew up with Tim in the ‘90s that’s probably saying something.
The biggest surprise was the revelation of enjoying Gail Simone for a change! She writes the Nightwing/Oracle story, although it leans pretty heavily on Oracle (Barbara Gordon), and it works beautifully. This was after Simone had already concluded her New 52 Batgirl run, in which she brought Gordon back into action, which was among the many things I haven’t enjoyed reading from her. But her work here completely works.
Also included in the collection are little summaries for the activities of all lead characters prior to DC continuity moving in a different direction, the points at which Convergence picks them back up.
I think it’s a fantastic collection. Maybe at some point I’ll pick up the others, some of the material from which I’ve read and enjoyed. And maybe I’ll make some additional pleasant discoveries.
A vehicle for happy endings, with a happy ending for this reader.
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