Preview: Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industires

Here is a preview of Green Arrow Industries that is coming out this week.

Review: Flashpoint: Reverse Flash #1

3 out of 5

    Over the past few years, Geoff Johns has gone through the DC Universe and has reimagined many of the Silver Age heroes and their arch-villians. He has done this with the Green Lantern and Sinestro, Aquaman and the Black Manta, and is now currently in the process of doing the same thing with the Flash and the Reverse Flash. Even though Scott Kolins is writting this issue, I can tell he is just following the outline given to him by Johns of what Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, is suppossed to do.
    As far as the story goes in this issue, it reminds me a lot of the Reverse Flash's spotlight issue in Flash #9, which was coincidentally written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Scott Kolins, the writer of this book. If you do own Flash #9, then you really do not need to pick this up because it basically rehashes the same story. That said, the Reverse Flash is still a very interesting character. Scott Kolins does a good job of telling the reader the Reverse Flash's plight while also explaining why he has become the sick and twisted man that is hell bent on destorying Barry Allen's life. I would have truely enjoyed this issue if I had not already known the entire story that was inside it.
    As far as the art goes, I consider it a mixed bag. I personally enjoy the art inside this issue, but I can easily see how some people can detest it. Joel Gomez uses a style that is a cross between Francis Manapul and Fabrizio Florentino with the use of what could be watercolors in very scetchy outlines of people. The characters are all drawn well, but the backgrounds of all the scenes are very sparse and leave much to be desired.
    Overall, this book is an interesting insight into the mind of the Reverse Flash. If you own Flash #9, though, then you already heard everything that is in this book. So if you don't own Flash #9, I recommend this book, but if you do, then you basically already own it.

Review: Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1

1 out of 5

L.O.D. Pin gets a 5 out of 5

    Ok, first thing's first, I only bought this book for the L.O.D. pin that came with it. The book was just a bonus. That being said, let us get to the actual review.
    Flashpoint: Legion of Doom is about a villian I have never heard of before named Heatwave. Heatwave, if you cannot tell by his name, has a thing for fire. Heatwave loves fire so much that he actually wants to become fire. How can one do this, you may be asking yourself. Simple, kill one half of Firestorm and try to get the other half to fuse with you. Naturally, this incredibly stupid plan fails and Heatwave is sent to a massive prison created by Green Arrow Industries in the middle of the swamp. From there, I assume you can guess the story.
    Besides having a really generic prison escape story, Flashpoint: Legion of Doom suffers from a horrible script. Heatwave says some of the stupidest lines I have ever read in a comic book (This is coming from someone who has read Captain Britain and MI 13: Vampire State). I kid you not when I say,"I've got a hunger burning in my gut. The only way to stop it is to satisfy my appetite," is the opening line of the book! No, really? Are you sure, Heatwave? Trust me, Heatwave says some even more stupid things latter on.
    The script problems are a real shame because the art in this book is really not bad. Rodney Buchemi has done a really good job with his pencils which are complimented perfectly with Jose Marzan's inks. If Adam Glass had done some revisions, he could have easily redone the dialouge in a way that the art would not have to be changed, thus making this book readable. Alas, this book sucks and if it did not have the pin to go with it, then I would not recommend it to anyone.

Review: Flashpoint: Grodd of War

3 out of 5

    So Flashpoint has arrived and is changing characters left and right. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are genocidal maniacs, Deathstroke is a pirate, and Thomas Wayne has actually pulled off being a darker Batman than his son, Bruce. Like these previous characters, Gorilla Grodd has changed from his normal self in his own one shot title, Grodd of War.

    In normal DC continuity, Gorilla Grodd is a telepathic, talking gorilla that resides in Gorilla City in Africa, where he constantly tries and fails to overthrow his king and conquer the world. In Flashpoint continuity, Grodd actually succeeds. He has overthrown his king and led the armies of Gorilla City in conquering all of Africa, but that is not enough. Dispite Grodd's great accomplishments, almost no one outside of Africa has ever heard of him because they are too busy worrying about Aquaman sinking half of Europe and Wonder Woman conquering the British Isles.

    As far as the script goes, there are no real problems. The dialouge is servicable and shows Grodd's feelings of discontent to the reader. The story is really just backstory for Grodd because I assume he has a bigger role to play at some point in the main Flashpoint book. Just like in every other Flashpoint title, Grodd of War has a few amusing cameos in it. Catman is always entertaining. The art is very polished as well. Over all, the book is pretty good for a one shot backstory. If you have the money, then pick this up, but I don't think you will miss anything if you don't.