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Flashpoint Beyond #0
- Writer:
- Geoff Johns
- Artist:
- Eduardo Risso
- Letterer:
- Rob Leigh
- Publisher:
- DC Comics
- Price:
- 5.99
- Release Date:
- 2022-04-12
- Colorist:
- Trish Mulvihill
When Barry Allen traveled back in time to save his mother's life, he caused a ripple through the fabric of the time-space continuum, affecting the lives of everyone near and dear to him. A new reality came into play where Superman was not the greatest superhero in the world, and Bruce Wayne died on that fateful night. This made his father, Thomas, a violent and angry vigilante and turned his mother, Martha, into a twisted psychopath. Published by DC Comics, Flashpoint was Geoff Johns' masterpiece, a once-in-a-lifetime game-changer for the comic book industry that opened up a new world of possibilities. Riding on the critical success of Doomsday Clock, Johns returns to that alternate world he helped create with artist Eduardo Risso, colorist Trish Mulvihill, and letterer Rob Leigh in tow, in Flashpoint Beyond #0 as Thomas Wayne takes on the mantle of Batman once again.
Flashpoint Beyond #0 opens with the Mime and the Marionette helping Bruce sift through the lair of the elusive Time Masters. They are there to retrieve Janey Slater's watch, lost in time but a valuable trinket nonetheless. As Batman collects what he came for, brushing aside Marionette's concerns, the story cuts away to a timeline that is supposed to be no more. Doctor Thomas Wayne gets a rude awakening when he realizes he is back in the same timeline he fought so hard to erase. The world is only getting worse day by day, and it is hard living by the standards set by his son, the better Batman. If there is one person who can set all this right, it can only be Barry Allen, the fastest man alive.
Time is a flat circle; all things that have come to pass will repeat themselves, leaving behind a trail of guilt. Despite being just a prelude to things to come, Flashpoint Beyond #0 has a lot to unpack, not only emotionally but also in the narrative. Both Thomas and Bruce try to tamper with time in their own way to give the other the life they deserve. Writer Geoff Johns draws parallels to the events of Flashpoint as a groggy Thomas Wayne wakes up to relive the horror that he sacrificed everything to rectify. In his desperation, Thomas latches on to the tiniest glimmer of hope he can find, but this macabre world always finds a way to chew him up and spit him out. A gripping tale from start to finish, Flashpoint Beyond #0 just scratches the surface of a broader mystery.
Eduardo Risso and Trish Mulvihill's artwork gives a hauntingly beautiful look to the book. Risso's continuous lines and bold inking create an eerie atmosphere that embraces the cold, dark world of Flashpoint and forges it into a fiery pit of death and despair. The art aptly captures the expressive faces of the characters as they go through a roller coaster of emotions. Mulvihill deepens the shadowy feel with a muted palette of colors. There is a predominance of red and blue tones in the background, bringing a theatrical appearance to the artwork. The splash pages and wide panels showcase the action in all its glory and infuse the book with spectacular, gut-wrenching scenes.
Flashpoint Beyond #0 does not let its foot off the gas at any moment, raising more questions than addressing them. While a plot-driven tale, the book is quite heavy on exposition. Information is not relayed in the traditional sense, however, but instead through character interactions, passive voiceovers, or progression of the story. As the prologue alludes to much greater events, a new villain, the Clockwork Killer, rears their head and promises to tie into the larger plot. As the political situation heats up with Aquaman's aggression reaching Thomas' doorway, he has no other choice but to put the lofty ideals of his son aside and embrace his darker self. Flashpoint Beyond #0 ends by ushering in new misadventures for Thomas Wayne, while Bruce's actions can create a flashpoint of consequences throughout the known multiverse.