Flashpoint #5

SPOILERS AHOY!

Could someone please explain to me what happened here? I realize Barry Allen went back in time to save his Mom, and that created the Flashpoint universe. It was a warped universe where DC could kill as many characters as violently as it wished because nothing counted. Got it.

So to “fix” this universe, Ripped Costume Barry (from the end of Flashpoint) ran into the timestream and caught up with New Costume Barry from the beginning of Flashpoint, and stopped him from saving his mother. Then the costumes merged and turned into Collared Barry, the DCnU version. During that transformation, some strange lady talked about merging three timelines into one. (I’m assuming that’s Vertigo, DCU, and Wildstorm? If not, I’m stumped.) I don’t know who that lady is, but I guess she is prepping Barry for some upcoming crossover?

So then Flashpoint ends with Barry delivering a letter to crying Bruce Wayne, and they both think everything is normal.

That’s it, right? I mean, there were a bunch of pages about the Flashpoint world blowing up and Reverse Flash existing outside the timestream, but none of that actually mattered, right?

When you think about it, Flashpoint is an amazing achievement. Rather than spend the last few months flooding the market with comics celebrating the soon to be erased history of the DCU, they spent those months with a TON of books giving backstory on a world that didn’t matter at all. It’s an odd choice.

I mean, Flashpoint did what it needed. But it boils down to one plot point: Barry Allen went back in time to save his Mom, thought better of it, but still messed up continuity and created the DCnU. That’s it, right?

(I’m being a tad unfair, Geoff Johns had a few poignant moments with Flash saying goodbye to Bat Dad and Flash Mom, and those were nice scenes. Andy Kubert’s art was pretty dynamic and exciting too.)

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