Flashpoint Beyond

Flashpoint Beyond #0-6

by Geoff Johns, Jeremy Adams, Tim Sheridan

The world of Flashpoint returns! After sacrificing everything to help the Flash put the universe back together and save Bruce Wayne's life, Thomas Wayne wakes up in a world he thought was no more. Forced to don the cowl once again, Batman prowls the streets of Gotham searching for answers to how this world still exists, but what he starts to uncover will send him hurtling around the globe. But the answers Thomas is seeking will have drastic effects on the DC Universe and its past, present, and future!

Collects Flashpoint Beyond #0-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Superheroes, Fiction, Comic Book

232 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2022

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Flashpoint has always been one of my favourite stories. I had high expectations for this book but was afraid that it would not live up to the original. I am glad to say they did not go that way and decided to make this different from Flashpoint but keep many of the elements that make this a Flashpoint story.

Flashpoint should not exist anymore, but it does. How, why, and who is responsible? This is what Thomas Wayne intends to find out and make them pay. As he has already made his peace with this world coming to an end. However, the world is moving on. With it's own heroes and villains and their trials and tribulations. Also, the reverberation is felt in the main DC universe.

Being a continuity lover, I really enjoyed the crossover elements of the Doomsday Clock, the Button and Crisis books in this book. I also liked the Time Lords being put into their place. Good artwork, good story (not rushed), the mystery was a bit obvious but still ok. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read I guess.

It starts off really well like setting up whats going on with this universe and how is it still there after "The button" and the seeing how Thomas tries to kill this world but Barry Allen here gets taken out and so the dominos colliding and this world going even more insane like with the secret of Superman revealed, war between Atlantis and Amazons raging on, and the big mystery of this "Clockwork killer" and who it turns out to be and the new Two-face too maybe? Its all a big challenge for Thomas but meanwhile in the present Bruce has been tinkering with some snow globe and Rip and the Time masters are after him and how these two collide tells the mysterious story of this series.

Its not a bad read and starts off well like I said, but then the revelation happens and in a way it maybe cool with Bruce expecting stuff from his father and it felt too flat or rushed and there was nothing to lead into it but then again it had some cool moments of Father and son and son expecting great things from his dad and finally paying off the easter egg of whatever the letter was and maybe it could be considered great that way!

But then the last 2 pages with Watchmen stuff kinda spoiled it for me, it looked a bit lame, but this sets up the next series Johns is doing aka JSA really well but I doubt many people will like Johns still trying to play with Moore's toys.

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot better than I thought it'd be! I know I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed this one a lot more than Flashpoint. I know, I know, but this one was able to focus more on the "fun" aspect of Flashpoint, now that we have an idea of who these characters are, after previous installments.

It does require you to read the first Flashpoint, the Button and Doomsday Clock, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Recommended.

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the single monthly issues . . . . . . .
There was a time when I would shun and stay away from DC Elseworlds and Marvel What If? books simply because the story didn’t matter. When it was all over . . . . so what? However, since then with the multitude of parallel worlds, different versions of Earth and other planets, and the multiverse - - as well as continuity in regular superhero titles being thrown out the window - - I’ve adjusted my thinking about all of the above. If the story holds my attention and isn’t impossible to understand then I’ll read it. A good story is paramount, and that’s more important than whether or not it’s an imaginary tale (as DC used to call them).
The settings for FLASHPOINT BEYOND are enchanting and the character development (especially Dr. Thomas Wayne) is exceptional. Bravo to Johns and crew. Also, the art team is impeccable on this series.
That leads us to the big question . . . beyond the good story, does this series mean anything? Or, are we all back to square one when it ends?
Hold that thought. I’ll tell you what I think in the concluding paragraph. Keep in mind that as FLASHPOINT BEYOND neared its’ final issues DC announced that this would lead into THE NEW GOLDEN AGE followed by a new JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA series and a STARGIRL mini-series, all written by Johns.
The opening issues hearken back to the original FLASHPOINT series, where Barry Allen/Flash traveled back in time to save his mother’s life and ended up changing reality. In the new timeline, Bruce Wayne was murdered in front of his parents. His father, Thomas Wayne, became Batman - a violent and angry version who isn’t averse to using a gun and/or killing. His wife, Martha, goes mad and becomes The Joker. With Thomas Wayne’s help, Barry Allen fixes things and changes reality back, thereby saving Bruce Wayne’s life.
Now, in FLASHPOINT BEYOND the reality of Thomas Wayne/Batman’s world has returned, Atlantis is at war with the Amazons, and Superman is under government captivity (Subject 1). Retaining his memories of the first mini-series, Thomas Wayne knows something is up and spends the rest of the series playing detective, trying to figure out how this happened as well as a way to restore everything so his son will live to become Batman. There are some fun twists that Johns throws in such as a different Two-Face, Psycho Pirate, and the Penguin managing Wayne’s casino as well as serving as his butler/servant (no Alfred in this reality). Before the series ends, the character of Thomas Wayne is explored in more depth and becomes likable and someone to root for. He did not have that effect on me in the first series.
Meanwhile (or simultaneously) Bruce Wayne/Batman enters the secret Time Masters museum, discovers the blackboard with cryptic messages, and removes a snow globe that he believes holds the answers. This brings him to the attention of Rip Hunter and the Time Masters and a decisive confrontation. In Issue #5, Bonnie Hunter explains everything to a television audience and lays out the DC (Divine Continuum) like a family tree with a Space (Ominiverse) / Time (Hypertime) separation and branches including the Metaverse (Prime Earth), Multiverse, Dark Multiverse, Limbo, Vanishing Point, and the Sphere of the Gods. That’s a lot to swallow.
Which brings us to the end of this compelling saga, where I suspect many readers may be saying so what? Because nothing changes. Bruce Wayne and Thomas Wayne are still alive, just in different places.
I think the point is that Johns wanted to establish the ability to tell stories in multiple timelines without having to constantly tie them together (although the new Justice Society so far seems to be overlapping). I don’t care as long as the stories are this interesting. I just know that Johns is a pretty reliable scripter. And, if he wants to tell more stories of the Thomas Wayne Batman I am definitely interested. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flashpoint Beyond is a jumbled mess with some great moments in a otherwise overly long book just setting up the next big multiverse mission.

Which sucks because I actually enjoyed Doomsday Clock alot, and thought Johns did a real solid job with that.

But Flashpoint Beyond basically is a story about Thomas Wayne wanting to erase his universe again after what happened. He remembers Bruce and it all but somehow his universe is back. So he goes to reverse it, not even looking or entertaining the idea his universe still means something. Which leads to a big reveal that's overly long but enjoyable.

Overall looks great, some cool moments with Thomas Wayne and his wife, and Two Faces son, but the multiverse jumble mumble is on full display here, overexplaining how things are what they are now because of certain events, and what could have been summed up in a few panels took 4-5 pages sometimes to explain the "science" behind it.

But overall a decent read, especially if like Flashpoint, but feels half baked.

[Mithun Sarker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nothing matters" to "We can't live a life for those we've lost"

Name: Flashpoint Beyond
Written by Geoff Johns along with Tim Sheridan and Jeremy Adams

As the name suggests Flashpoint beyond is the sequel to the fan-favourite Flashpoint event. Though this book takes place after multiple events after Flashpoint, such as Tom king's Batman run, Infinite Frontier and Justice League Incarnate. At first, I thought this was just another cash grab, but to some extent it was. But in the end, I would say it's a good sequel.

The story wasn't all that predictable. The twist was genuinely great. Liked how the story played out. Loved the character development of Thomas Wayne. He went from nothing matters to everything matters. The art was fabulous. Every page was beautiful. Though it feels like this isn't the end as the ending had a lot to answer.

Ratings-
Storytelling: 8/10
Artwork: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.25/10

Either way, pretty good series. The artwork along with the writing was pretty enjoyable. The next plot teasers, however, are not a fan.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flashpoint Beyond starts off perfectly
With an ominous start and a perfect set up to a sequel of the original, I was excited. Flashpoint was the first comic I ever read after all.
I loved it not just because Batman was red and used guns and that was cool to my 12 year old eyes. But I continue to love it as it has held up even as an adult. Through the large scale universe ending conflict (which i usually dislike), it felt personal. We had Barry Allen at the centre who just wanted to see his mom.
The storytelling was straightforward, the art was simple and the world was cool as hell. Sadly Flashpoint Beyond loses all of that.
Don’t get me wrong, Batman still wears red, Superman is still an interesting “what-if”, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are still in a pissing contest.
But this book is so concerned with timeline mumbo jumbo that makes no sense and hardly impacts the story at all in the end. It never explains anything and leaves you with a frustrated look on your face and more questions. What a waste.
This may be slander but Thomas Wayne Batman is not a good protagonist. He’s an interesting as hell side character, but as the star of the show, he just feels like a generic, rude Batman who changes at the end of the story simply because it’s the end of the story.
One of, if not my main problem with this book is that every character besides Batman is swept aside. There’s some very interesting things going on in the background with Wonder Woman, Task Force X and Superman. But they’re just mentioned here and there and it just made me realize how bored to shit I was with the main story. (Side note: what the hell? Why is Dexter Dent doing backflips, disarming guards and sneaking into secured asylums yet when his mentally unstable mother holds a gun to him, he shuts down? Do we get an explanation for how he’s James Bond Jr? Nope)
The art is so good that it’s kind of bad. I don’t like to criticize art, but Kubert’s art fit the story perfectly last time. It was gloomy, rainy, colourful and gave us just enough detail. This is all detail. It’s too good in a way because it’s just like looking at something objectively without artistic individuality. If that’s your thing, all the more power to you, but the world just looked so objective and boring that it made the walls of text even more painful to read. Eduardo Risso should have been the main artist on this book. I don’t even like his style all that much but it would have fit the world perfectly and made it a much easier read.
Also surprise surprise. The Joker is the main villain. Jesus Christ can we try another villain once in a while? And to make it worse, the writers make you wait 5 issues before revealing it as if we haven’t figured it out already and as if it’s not the first and worst idea they had. (Fun fact for all my Millennial and Gen Z readers out there: she is literally living in your walls)
I have to say, this one stung a bit. To go from a personal story of living with grief to 7 issues of DC editorial just explaining why the books don’t make any sense these days, this one hurt.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Flashpoint universe was destroyed - so why is Thomas Wayne back there again, as if nothing happened? A universe-spanning mystery sets the stage for the next era of the DCU as Geoff Johns returns to the universe that launched the New 52 to bring it crashing down one last time!

Look, I'm a sucker for Geoff Johns books, we all know this. And Flashpoint Beyond is a Geoff Johns book to a tee - it's full of continuity nods, it weaves retcons into the narrative so seamlessly it's as if they were already there, and it sets up a whole lot more than it actually resolves. Even with assistance from Tim Sheridan and Jeremy Adams, this is still quintessentially Johns, so you know what you're getting.

The central mysteries weave well together, from why the Flashpoint universe is back to what this has to do with the Clockwork Killer roaming the streets of Flashpoint!Gotham, and even the framing sequence featuring the Time Masters and our universe's Bruce Wayne makes sense by the end of everything. Johns' plot may not be obvious from the get-go, but by the time the book's over, every moving piece's role in the narrative has been explained.

The artwork's gorgeous too - Xermanico's pencils have always been impressive, and the Mikel Janin opening and closing pages for each issue are of course wonderful as well.

Flashpoint Beyond could have been an unnecessary cashgrab type return, but in the hands of Geoff Johns, it's an epilogue and a prologue all at once. It looks great, it reads well, and it has me excited for the future of the DCU.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sometimes wonder about DC. For the past they have been coming up with these big events and introduce tantalizing concepts that make for interesting stories. Flashpoint is a great example of this, as the idea of a one-time alteration of the main DC universe made for a fun sandbox full of interesting riffs on the characters comic book fans know well. Yet as is so often the case, the idea ended up becoming a victim of its own success. Flashpoint beget numerous spin-offs, all of which built upon the concept without extending it. But then came the latest of DC's seemingly never-ending series of reboots, and with it the revival of the Thomas Wayne Batman that was so popular with fans. And now there's this limited series, in which a Thomas Wayne who had accepted the demise of his timeline now working out the mystery of its survival.

The final product isn't terrible. Geoff Johns is a skilled storyteller, and most of what he does works. But as with the Batman Who Laughs a great one-off idea starts to wear thin upon repeated use. There's the central mystery of the continuing existence of the Flashpoint timeline, some related mysteries that Thomas Wayne has to unravel, and a looming threat that is left unresolved at its end, which conveniently leaves the door open for future cash-grabs-turned-series should sales warrant it. While it's enjoyable enough, it lacks the stakes of the original Flashpoint series, which thrived on unsustainability of the world that had been created. What exists now is still fun, but increasingly in need of additional jolts of sensationalism to sustain the same rough level of interest. Perhaps DC would be better off just embracing multiple timelines from the start, rather than the Very Special Series that gets cheapened with every revisit.

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original Flashpoint by Geoff Johns was a somewhat uneven crossover event, but there's no question the best thing that came out of it was the Flashpoint Batman and Flashpoint Joker. Now, Johns and his collaborators have found a way to bring these fascinatingly flawed characters back to life and into the newly revamped DC multiverse, not so much a retcon but more of a ret-reboot (retboot?). I think this is a more successful integration of the Flashpoint universe into continuity than Johns' Doomsday Clock or Joshua Williamson's Batman/The Flash: The Button; certainly, I hope it sticks this time. We also get hints at some of what's to come for Earth-1 Batman as time travelers Rip Hunter and company fail to stave off Batman's meddling with the time and space continuum. I think DC's approach to resurrecting its multiverse with this and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is a positive move. Getting rid of the multiverse in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths ultimately limited DC's ability to tell alternate versions of its characters, so now the possibilities for creativity are endless without disrupting the core continuity of its line.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Callum Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashpoint is one of my favourite DC comics, and this follow up is genuinely so much better than I thought it was going to be. There is a clear mirror with the first flashpoint storyline, with main timeline Bruce trying to save his father's timeline at great risk to his own, whilst his father fights to save his sons timeline (which he thinks doesn't exist anymore because his one still does when it shouldn't...make sense?), yet come to accept that this one is worth saving too. I'm a huge fan of this alternate timeline with a more brutal batman, a female joker and now even a Robin that completes its ode to Dark Knight Returns. Connecting with The Button and Doomsday clock (and by extention, Watchmen) this adds really nicely to the flashpint story without overcomplicating things with too many characters.

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A return to the Flashpoint universe, intertwined with an increasingly cosmic mystery for the Thomas Wayne Batman. An interesting read, though the ending feels a bit rushed, and the resolution might not be the most accessible except to hardcore DCU fans. (B+)

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just over twelve years ago, the original Flashpoint mini-series ended, and it did two things: kicked off the New 52 era where DC rebooted many of their series as a new jumping on point for readers and marked the end of my buying of monthly comic books after over three and half decades. It also served as the base plot for the more recent Flash movie as well.

I've still been keeping tabs, from time to time, on the DC line via the DC Universe Infinite service. I've read both more recent books as well as plenty of classics. I decided to give the 2022 mini-series Flashpoint Beyond a look as well.

This mini did a couple of things that writer Geoff Johns likes to do: look back at the past and tease out to the future. He does both of these fairly well. He did it a bit the first time with the original tale, and he does it here again. We get a revisit to the Thomas Wayne-Batman world, we get some old faces and some new, and the ending very much acts as a teaser to several of his projects that followed this: a new Justice Society of America series and the mini Stargirl and the Lost Children, two books I very much enjoy.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads is glitching on my phone these days. The longer my reviews get, the app aborts. I lose the review. I have to start over.

Anyway, Geoff Johns has a new reputation these days. He’s been working in the field long enough that he can safely be considered to come from a prior generation. This new generation thinks of him as the failed architect of the DCEU. With Flashpoint Beyond, which he tackles with members of the current generation, he ably demonstrates that he still has plenty to show for all his insights into the past and future of DC, and superheroes in general, comics. It’s a testament, too, to the enduring strength of the original Flashpoint. This is a classic sequel to a classic.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Flashpoint Beyond (2022) issues #0-6

This is a sequel to the 2011 "Flashpoint" miniseries, while also telling a story set in the main DC Universe, all with the shadow of "Watchmen" cast over the narrative. I loved the beginning and the end, but found some of the chapters in the middle to be less strong. Overall, this was an enjoyable read for me.

Final rating = 4.5 stars

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of pointless. Probably timed for release of the Flash movie and it was a set up for other things Geoff Johns wants to do, but the story just rehashed what happened in Flashpoint previously. It’s also sad that Flashpoint is basically the preeminent Flash story now. A disappointment

[Javier X · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole bunch of mambo jambo mixing stuff from Flashpoint, Doomsday Clock, The Button, Dark Crisis and and overall it felt messy, and like an excuse to make a sequel that was like an interlude to jump to another multiversal time-paradoxical plot.

[Charles Theiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There was this overarching meta B-plot that really ruined the experience for me, made me feel like I couldn't enjoy it without reading the "Great Darkness" event.

[Green Megs &Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashpoint is a top tier story line and the DC cinematic universe destroyed it. RIP

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the mystery aspect that you don’t know the truth behind everything till the last issue as well as the tie ins to rebirth and current dc comics.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of Flashpoint should have ended the Flashpoint universe, so why does it still exist? Thomas Wayne is on the case. Meanwhile someone is also murdering people who are time travelers in the regular DC universe. Geoff Johns gets some assistance from Tim Sheridan and Jeremy Adams but this is very much a Geoff Johns book. It weaves in and out of books like Flashpoint, The Button, Doomsday Clock and Dark Crisis effortlessly retconning what is needed (and it does spoil Dark Crisis towards the end so read that first.) It also sets up the next Geoff Johns book, JSA. Great stuff.

[Saifullah Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Fabok's art would have made it a whole lot better and some more action.But I like how it ends and how there will be more story of flashpoint

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mini-series. I know some people were complaining that it focused mostly on Batman, instead of the entire Flashpoint world. But personally, this is the one Batman I do like, so I won't complain.
I found the story deeply compelling and loved that it really fit into what was going on currently in the DC Universe.
I'm so glad the Flashpoint world idea wasn't abandoned. I know the original concept lead into the New 52 and, thus, it got a bad name because of it, but in retrospective, it was a great concept.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow someone has reset the events of Flashpoint so that they never happened. Thomas Wayne is alive again as the Flashpoint Batman but remembers everything that happened before - and is determined to put things right. Except someone called The Clockwork Killer - whose victims’ bodies are found with their innards replaced with clock parts - is stopping him.

Now, Thomas Wayne, the Flashpoint Batman, lookin’ for the fight of his life, is on the trail of the clockwork maniac, maniac, and has gotta detect like he never detected before - this is… Flashpants Beyond!


(Hat tip to Jayson for the awesome banner)

The title references Flashpoint, the book that kick-started The New 52 over ten years ago, the cover is designed to look like those early New 52 books, and the first issue is also drawn by Flashpoint Batman artist Eduardo Risso, and yet… this isn’t really a Flashpoint sequel. Not least because Flash himself is barely in it. It’s unexpectedly more of a continuation of the Doomsday Clock storyline, the Watchmen sequel that Geoff Johns wrote a few years ago.

Johns’ two original characters from that storyline - Mime and Marionette - reappear, the whole clock theme repeats throughout, there are references to Doctor Manhattan - and then there’s that final page. Except it’s not really a continuation either as that Watchmen stuff barely progresses here. At best it’s a superficial reprise.

If you’re a Papa Johns fan, you may be a tad miffed to discover he only wrote the first bumper issue. He co-writes the rest of them with Jeremy Adams and Tim Sheridan (never heard of either) but, if you didn’t know that, you probably wouldn’t notice as I didn’t think the writing was all that different from most of Johns’ output. That is, ordinary and competent up to a point.

It’s amusing how Johns tries to spin the disaster that was 5G (“Generation 5”), the DC launch that never was, as somehow being “averted”, rather than being cancelled by corporate and Dan DiDio getting fired!

Besides the alternate take on Batman and Joker, I wasn’t all that taken with anything else in the original Flashpoint world so revisiting all of that malarkey wasn’t terribly interesting to me. About the only slightly compelling thing Johns does with that stuff is with Superman’s reason for being sent to Earth. And, despite the “Nothing matters. Everything matters!” mantra being repeated throughout, I don’t think any of it does matter as we see things being rejigged effortlessly throughout with no consequences.

Similarly, we slowly discover that all this book is doing is basically table-setting for new DC titles (like The New Golden Age by Geoff Johns, which started in November). Or is it? Johns presents a ton of potential new books for DC to explore but, given how he did the same with Doomsday Clock and nothing was done following that (Tom King’s Rorschach series was unconnected and standalone), I’m dubious whether DC will actually pick up the batons being offered here and follow through with any of it not being directly written by Johns.

The Clockwork Killer storyline, the centrepiece of this book, wasn’t a well done mystery. There were no clues that the reader was given so there was no way of figuring it out for yourself - instead we have to wait and watch for Flashpoint Batman to somehow put it all together (although it’s kinda obvious who it is considering Flashpoint Batman has one other notable, and evil, character in his world and we don’t see them for much of the story). The framing device of Bruce Wayne Batman and the obscure characters he’s interacting with was dreary and convoluted to say the least.

The book did have me intrigued to keep turning the pages to see why we were revisiting Flashpoint/Doomsday Clock, and for the reveals, which Johns is pretty good at. Xermanico, Eduardo Risso and Mikel Janin’s art is excellent - Xermanico’s especially looks great and detailed with striking imagery dotted throughout.

Unfortunately though Flashpoint Beyond quickly becomes a slow-moving and vague narrative and ultimately reveals itself to be a filler-filled load of pointless nonsense. In that sense it’s a fitting “sequel” to the original Flashpoint which was much the same and could safely be skipped by anyone wanting to jump into reading The New 52. If you’re planning on reading Johns’ New Golden Age, you needn’t have to read Flashpoint Beyond as it’s little more than a weak - and I use this label in the loosest sense - “murder mystery”, beefed up with unnecessary exposition and world-building, with a short sizzle reel in the closing pages of attractions to (possibly) follow.

Flashpants Beyond? Eh. I wouldn’t.

[Mitchell George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flashpoint, alongside War of the Green Lanterns, was pretty much my introduction to not only DC Comics, but regularly buying comments to begin with. It's not the most flawless storyline, but its depiction of the DC Universe gone to hell is great. So, when I learnt that the storyline was being extended - in a sense - in the form of Flashpoint Beyond, I didn’t have a ton of hope. What other stories did they have to tell about a truly failed world?
Thankfully, Geoff Johns knows for Flashpoint Beyond, less is more… most of the time, at least.

Thomas Wayne - the Batman of the Flashpoint timeline, who became so after the death of his son, Bruce Wayne, at the hands of Joe Chill - awakens to find himself back in the Flashpoint universe, having existed for years in the core DC Universe. Convinced something is wrong, and that this universe shouldn’t continue to exist, Wayne begins a hunt across this hell-on-earth, seeking a murderer who is killing individuals who can - or could, potentially - affect the past and future of the Flashpoint universe. It’s a story that does take some wider strokes as to the situation in the Flashpoint universe, but the core of the story is something far more personal to Thomas Wayne and the inhabitants of an even more broken Gotham City, and the moments it really zeros in on these relationships and mentalities is where the story really shines.

Flashpoint Beyond's placement in the timeline is a little hard to place - the cataclysmic end that Flash barely averted seems to haven't occurred, with Aquaman and Wonder Woman’s war in Europe still waging on, and various characters who had seemingly died in the events of Flashpoint still alive.
Thankfully, despite being an almost ‘grimdark’ depiction of the DC Universe, most characters maintain some decent level of depth and don’t just fall into murderous caricatures of their ‘true’ character. Particular standouts are, of course, Thomas Wayne violent nihilism, the soft-spoken (yet constantly wired-to-kill) ‘The Superman’ and the fantastically depicted Clockwork Killer, who’s somewhat shlocky reveal is substantiated by the depths of their reasoning and motivation. Despite being barely-seen offshoots (sans the Flashpoint Batman), these are characters I very quickly came to care about, and despite the constant murmurings of ‘nothing matters’ in the Flashpoint universe, I very much cared what happened, especially when the story took a more razor focus.

What really pulls Flashpoint Beyond together is it's thematic core. Thomas Wayne's most core tenet is the fact that, having existed beyond the Flashpoint, knows that his is a universe that never should’ve been. Thus, through all the horrific actions he inflicts on the world around him, he constantly states ‘none of this matters’. This constant, repeated nihilism, coupled with the Time Masters needling ‘our’ Batman with the fruitlessness of his goal, almost had me agreeing with these tenets. Nothing matters in the Flashpoint universe - it hasn’t really mattered for thirteen years, so why would it matter now? The rejection of this nihilism, to believe in hope even in the worst world imaginable, displayed in the rebellious natures of The Superman’s camp, or in the final moments of the last issue, is genuinely beautiful, and an amazing coda to the established concept of ‘nothing matters’.

After all, everything matters.

Easily the most frustrating element of Flashpoint Beyond is its place in the wider DC setting. Interspaced between events occuring in the Flashpoint universe, we frequently cut back to not only Batman (who began this entire situation) but also long, droning, honestly annoying tirades about the state of the greater DC Universe, it’s timeline, and the concepts of the multiverse and new ‘Omniverse’ that really pull away from the core story depicted in Flashpoint Beyond. Having been a lapsed reading, without reading events like Rebirth, Doomsday Clock, or Death Metal, I don’t have much context for all these expansions to the universal setting of the DC Universe, and whilst I laud Johns for attempting to catch readers like me up to speed, it feels hard to follow at the best of times, and is outright annoying to have the best parts of Flashpoint Beyond moved aside for these extended lectures.

Flashpoint Beyond could’ve been nothing more than a cash grab, an attempt to needlessly extend the story that changed DC forever. Whilst it’s place in the greater context of the DCU (or is it DCO - the DC Omiverse?) isn’t great, nor remotely interesting, the core of this story - that even if it seems nothing matters, EVERYTHING does, in fact matter, alongside its depiction of a DC universe gone to hell is incredibly engaging. It is a far more personable exploration of this wartorn setting, even without a dozen tie-ins to flesh it out, and has single handedly bloomed new love for the DC Universe in my veins.

Everything Matters.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like Johns's previous Doomsday Clock, this seems like a hollow exercise with no real point except to cash in on a name brand. In the original Flashpoint, the Flash changes things to save his mother and in the process alters the world to a much worse place with Thomas Wayne as Batman instead of Bruce. Thomas works with Barry Allen to change things back. This time, it's Bruce who saves Thomas by recreating the Flashpoint world inside of a couple of artifacts affected by Dr. Manhattan. While Thomas tries to unravel how his world is back, everything is unraveling with the Atlanteans and Amazons still at war and a Kryptonian fleet on the way. Meanwhile someone is killing people who in Bruce's timeline are time travelers. Some of it is interesting, but there are a lot of red herrings. While Thomas travels to England and other places, the whole thing could have been solved without ever leaving Gotham.

This isn't as banal as Doomsday Clock was, but it really lacks the emotional punch of Flashpoint. Probably because this Thomas Wayne is a brutal psychopath. Saving him isn't like saving Bruce in Flashpoint; Bruce's Batman was not a saint but much more worth saving. If Bruce was going to save a version of his father, why this one? Why not one who wasn't a piece of shit? Well because then you couldn't trade on the Flashpoint name brand.

It kinda makes sense that Bruce wants to let his father have another chance to be a hero, but the ethical concerns of this are never considered. I mean he recreates this timeline that suddenly winks countless beings into existence. Many of those on Earth are suffering from the war between the Atlanteans and Amazons and soon will suffer from the Kryptonian invasion. Other than Rip Hunter and the "Time Masters" scolding Bruce for using their toys, no one really considers whether it's right to recreate this fairly awful Earth just so Thomas can get his mojo back. Instead of recreating this world, he really should have just strapped his dad into a virtual reality thing.

It's kind of sad that after great runs on JSA, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Justice League, Johns Peter Principled himself into helping to create the failed "Snyderverse" and now is reduced to trying to stoke the embers of former greatness in an attempt to return to prominence. (2/5

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPKULTUROWY KOCIOŁEK:
Flashpoint: Powrót to krótka komiksowa seria, w której scenarzysta Geoff Johns (wraz z kilkoma pomocnikami) ponownie zabiera czytelnika do świata znanego z Punktu Krytycznego. ”Powrót” ten naznaczony jest jednak pewną swobodą twórczą, która potrafi być intrygująca, zwłaszcza dla największych fanów uniwersum DC.

Thomas Wayne trafia do świata, który przestał istnieć. Po raz kolejny przemierza on ulice Gotham. Miasta, które czeka zagłada i on doskonale o tym wie. Musi on znaleźć sposób na zapobieżenie zbliżającej się tragedii. W tym celu będzie mu potrzebna pomoc Barry’ego Allena, który niestety w tej rzeczywistości nie jest Flashem. Jest to kłopot, z którym bohater będzie musiał sobie jakoś poradzić, nawet jeśli oznacza to dość drastyczne działanie. Jakby tego było mało, nie wszystko idzie tak, jak zostało zaplanowane i kłopoty zaczynają się znacząco piętrzyć.

Zarys historii brzmi dość ciekawie i w dużej mierze scenariusz taki właśnie jest. Fabuła potrafi być dosyć angażująca. Przewracając kolejne strony komiksu, z napięciem obserwujemy poczynania Thomasa Wayne’a i jego śledztwo mające na celu odkrycie sekretów otaczającego go świata. Na jego drodze pojawia się ponadto sporo znanych z uniwersum bohaterów, którzy tutaj występują jednak w dosyć zróżnicowanych (czasem zaskakujących) rolach.

Geoff Johns wykorzystuje więc tu gotowy świat jako szkielet do rozwijania własnych pomysłów. Dzięki temu początek albumu pochłania się niezwykle przyjemnie i z wielką ciekawością chce się dowiedzieć co będzie dalej. W pewnym momencie (rozdział 4) do głosu zaczyna jednak dochodzić pewna charakterystyczna dla całego uniwersum schematyczność. Opowieści zdecydowanie nie brakuje dynamiki, ale pewne wydarzenia zaczynają być przewidywalne, a i sami bohaterowie z początkowo intrygujących i zaskakujących ról stają zaczynają zyskiwać znane sobie cechy. Nadal całość trzyma w napięciu i prezentuje się lepiej niż dobrze, ale po wyśmienitym początku można byłoby wymagać od historii trochę więcej....

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/flash...

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flashpoint Beyond is deeply confusing unless you've read all the major event series produced by DC over the past several years. Honestly, I read this with the Flashpoint Beyond Wikipedia page open so that I could immediately read a recap of each issue with all the deep cuts explained. I feel like that requirement is a mark of bad storytelling...

...and yet, I really liked doing the work? And I definitely came out of Flashpoint Beyond a happy camper. The gist is that at the end of Flashpoint (or maybe a related mini-series), the Thomas-Wayne-as-mean-Batman dimension was trapped in a snowglobe. Now, Batman has reawakened that world in the hopes that his father (or a version of his father) can still live. Meanwhile, in the snowglobe world, we track Thomas Wayne as he mysteriously finds himself back alive, even though he's pretty certain he sacrificed himself to save his son.

Basically, everyone's confused, which fits the vibe of the story quite well. Ultimately, Thomas needs to find his place in his world before the Time Masters defeat Batman in our world. There's a whole lot of timey-wimey nonsense, but if you read that Wiki page, it all kinda makes sense! I'm not really sure what it means for the status quo going forward, but I enjoyed Flashpoint Beyond on its own as a great-looking, very heady comic book.

[Daniel Freer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow nothing short of amazing

I read the world of Flashpoint featuring batman which has the penguin and Thomas Wayne batman on the cover and that's a collection of stories from the Flashpoint time-line and that was fantastic but it wasn't 1 story and the 1 about batman/Thomas Wayne was amazing but short and I did like the book very much but thought it was a batman story standalone and was again pleasantly surprised how good all the stories were. THIS ONE HOWEVER IS ALL BATMAN and it's just amazing. I was not for 1 second not fully engaged and loving every panel of this comic. With every page it got more and more interesting and the story and different characters, the way they are so different but also similar to their non Flashpoint personalities. If you like the Flashpoint time-line and liked Flashpoint Paradox when Thomas Wayne helps Barry allen, you'll LOVE this story and love the way its been interweaved into this. I am a huge Geoff Johns fan and I am again NOT DISAPPOINTED in fact I came away from this liking his writing even more and would love if this was somehow an ongoing story. Bravo and I hate when people say that cause it's so chazzy and blah but in this case seriously I wish I could call for encore lol