Review: Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1
DC Comics’ Tales From the Dark Multiverse have been fun, twisted takes on infamous storylines. Some entries have been better than others. Overall, it’s been interesting to see where creators take a known story and what they can do with the premise. Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint has Bryan Hitch writing and providing pencils for the world-changing event.
In this version of Flashpoint, Barry Allen doesn’t regain his powers. This leaves the Reverse-Flash to roam this world and do with as he pleases. Hitch takes things to interesting places using the over-sized issue as best he can. Like so many previous one-shots, this is a story that could easily have been a mini-series on its own. A lot is packed into the issue. While it doesn’t deliver a punch, it does entertain, especially for those that have read the original.
While Hitch as a writer and artist can be hit or miss for me, Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint is a solid entry into that world. There’s a logical progression that Hitch takes things as we see Eobard Thawne take advantage of the situation. But, more importantly, we get a debate about the “hope” that Barry Allen represents. Barry’s “hope” created Flashpoint and Thawne points out that hope was actually selfishness. That gets juxtaposed with this version of Batman which is Thomas Wayne who lost his son Bruce in the alley and his wife breakdown after. There’s something interesting and tragic about it all as we know the damage Barry did and wonder if Thawne and Thomas will repeat his mistakes. We also get to see more of what drives Thawne and he finds a new opponent in Wayne.
Hitch’s art is solid as well. While he doesn’t quite bring the motion that so many others do on the Flash, there’s a great use of Thawne’s movement in the art. There’s also the “doom” of Flashpoint without causing the comic to be a downer. This is a drab, depressing world, but Hitch doesn’t drag the comic down by focusing too much in that. The colors of Alex Sinclair and Jeremiah Skipper instead give us oranges, reds, and yellows, that create a mood without the comic itself being moody.
Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint does a solid job of revisiting Flashpoint and taking it in a logical direction that’s not just annihilation and war. There’s an intriguing idea behind what Bryan Hitch has created and where the story leaves it. It also creates some intriguing possibilities for the future and Thawne’s character. Like so many of the other “Tales From”, this is a “dark” world I wouldn’t mind revisiting and hope we get to see more of it.
Story: Bryan Hitch Art: Bryan Hitch
Ink: Andrew Currie, Scott Hanna Color: Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper Letterer: Rob Leigh
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics
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