Review // Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint

You may or may not know this about me, but I'm obsessed with comics. I'm sure I'll get plenty of hate for this, but my favourite comics come from the DC Universe. There's just something about tortured heroes, truly psychotic villains, extraterrestrials, parallel Earths, doppelgangers, and everything in between that really gets me. Not to say I'm not a fan of Marvel, because I most definitely am... it's just DC (for me) has them beat.

Okay, so one of my favourite heroes of ALL TIME is The Flash/Barry Allen. His mother was murdered by a rival from the future, his father went to prison, his enemies were absolutely brutal... And yet this character always had a light to him that eased the pain. Of course, I love all of the speedsters (Garrick, Mercury, West, Allen, etc.), but Barry was the one I loved most. Imagine how devastated I was at the end of Crisis? And then imagine how thrilled I was at Rebirth?

So the other day, I did a rewatch of The Flash starring Grant Gustin (don't even get me started on how much I enjoyed the show and how much I will miss Gustin's portrayal of my fave) and decided to do a re-read of the most important events of The Flash's life. I chose Crisis and Flashpoint because they both did a great job of capturing not only this fan favourite, but all of the important characters who make up the DC Universe.

So here are my thoughts:

Release: 1985-1986
Author: Marv Wolfman / Illustrator: George Perez
Length: 359 pages

In this series, The Monitor searches through the Earths to gather their mightiest heroes to help him in his fight against the Anti-Monitor. If they don't beat the bad guy, the entire multiverse will be destroyed and replaced with an anti-matter universe, with the Anti-Monitor as everyone's lord and master. Not good.

Important characters, aside from The Monitor, are Harbinger and Alexander Luthor Jr. (the son of Earth-3s Lex Luthor and Lois Lane). I remember liking this Luthor until Infinite Crisis. I'll be reading and reviewing that one later.
There's a ton of lead up to the triumphant(?) end. Many people, including heroes, die. I'm talking about TONS OF PEOPLE!! Picture Supergirl and Superman's reaction *shocked gasp*

The Flash sacrifices his life to destroy the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon, leaving behind his tattered suit and ring, a legacy for Wally West. I was left heartbroken yet full of relief that his sacrifice wasn't in vain.

The only real drawback to this series was the many unnecessary scenes and dialogue. It didn't translate well to the modern age for me. The humor wasn't funny, the nostalgia missed the spot, and I was more annoyed than intrigued.

Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars, loving the many moving parts to achieve one end.

Release: 2011
Author: Geoff Johns / Illustrator: Andy Kubert
Length: 166 pages

If you could go back in time to prevent the most tragic and significant moment in your life, would you? Should you?

These questions are answered in Flashpoint. Kinda. It's not like Barry did it himself, but one change to his past led to catastrophic events in the present.

Aquaman and Wonder Woman are destroying the world in their bid to kill each other and rule the world. The Batman isn't Bruce, but his father. Cyborg is the new timeline's equivalent of Superman while Kalel is being held as a military lab experiment. So much has changed and Barry is the only one who can fix everything.

I was just happy to have Barry back, starring in such an incredible tale. I think my favourite scene is at the end, when he gives Bruce that letter from Thomas. AMAZING!!

This story gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. It will never get old (maybe it will in a few decades *shrug*) and I encourage fans to give it a re-read too!