Comic Talk ™: FLASHPOINT

This Monday, as they often do the first of the week, the Comic Geek Speak guys had a "Comic Talk" episode where they discuss whatever might be on heir minds regarding comics - current books that are exciting them, future projects they might speculate on, or whatever else. It's a free for all episode.

One of the questions posed to the group was what is getting you excited in comics right now. And the discussion invariably turned to the upcoming Flashpoint event from DC. One of the hosts, Brian “Pants” Christman, is a huge Flash fan, but even he’s not excited for this big “event.”

And in the talkback thread, this is what I had to say:

Put me in the same camp as Murd and Pants. I was very, very excited for the Flashpoint story when it was first announced. Like Pants, Flash is my guy - and as much as I enjoyed the Wally West series - Barry Allen's my Flash. So, when I heard Johns had something planned, and that Andy (Adam? I can't keep them straight) Kubert was drawing it and was working way ahead, I couldn't wait.

Then DC announced 15 EFFINGmini-series to go along with it. No way. I am burned out on events, have been for a long time. I did get into Blackest Night fairly heavily - for me - but what I read, I enjoyed, and I wasn't buying any regular DC titles that crossed into it, so I didn't have to deal with my characters getting hijacked by the event.

But with the deluge of Flashpoint crap coming down the pipe - regardless of the quality creators they are announcing - I'm not even sure if I'll pick up the Flashpoint book itself. I'll get the George Perez one because it's Perez (and I am intrigued by him collaborating with Peter Milligan), but other than that. I'm tapping out.

And this started a really good conversation between myself and one of the moderators on the CGS boards, David D., when he analyzed my rant in this way:

So it sounds like, as Blackest Night didn't cross over into books you were reading, it sounds like, if I am reading you right, you didn't feel pressured to get those books, and you didn't feel the need to get mad at it, checked out some things, and enjoyed it.

But Flashpoint- crossing over (or "hijacking" to use your word) even less regular, existing titles, and instead putting out a lot of minis and one-shots about ALTERNATE VERSIONS of characters (makes it hard to accuse any of the existant versions of being hijacked), is pre-judged as "crap" and has you feeling like now you don't even want to check out the main book?

There are a lot of thing I tend to agree with you on, but I don't get this one.

And that got me thinking more about why I am so irritated with Flashpoint and all the hype surrounding it.

But I’ll get into that tomorrow …

chris