Flashpoint

Centering on Barry Allen—aka the Flash, “the fastest man alive”—this collection of the five-part miniseries follows Barry’s realization that his world is not as he has known it, with certain details being “off.” His long-dead mother is alive, many of his superpowered colleagues are different in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, and he himself is without his speedster abilities. As Barry unravels the mystery, he discovers there’s a limited window of time in which to set things right, or else the alternate reality will permanently supplant his own. This series was created as an “event” intended to shake up DC’s continuity, supposedly to attract new readers, resulting in the controversial “New 52” imprint-wide reboot. All of that sprang from this Johns-scripted miniseries (with solid artwork by Kubert) that starts out with much to interest both new and old readers. Unfortunately, it collapses under its own weight about halfway through and, along with resetting things to the current “New 52” status quo, results in a narrative hash, with too many plots and character points. The result is of interest mostly to see from whence the “New 52” sprang, and its events will most likely be glossed over with the next inevitable company-wide “fix.” (Nov.)