Board Thread:Comics/@comment-31215960-20180128165005/@comment-31215960-20180128165202

Convergence: Flashpoint Books 1 and 2: A glowing, spoiler-filled review by Thomas Fuller This is a series of reviews of the ten Convergence tie-ins collected in the trade paperbacks Convergence: Flashpoint Book 1 and Convergence: Flashpoint Book 2. In my opinion, these stories are easily the best stories to be published by DC Comics in 2015 and are among the best superhero comics of the 2010s. All ten stories star characters from the post-Crisis On Infinite Earths, pre-Flashpoint incarnation of the DC Universe, and are set in Gotham City, which was taken to the world of Telos just before Flashpoint. Most of these stories star characters who are very different from their New 52 counterparts and all of these stories are very friendly to long-term fans. Regardless of how good or bad any other stories from the Convergence event are, these stories more than justify its existence.

Convergence: Superman This is one of the best Superman stories ever written, and it’s the best story in Convergence. It’s a celebration of the enduring, joyful marriage of the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane, and a celebration of Superman’s human-but-noble character. The story allows Clark and Lois to have a baby (something they wanted to do but couldn’t in earlier stories). We get to see Emil Hamilton (who, when we last saw him, was the minor villain Ruin, but is revealed here to have reformed) and Jimmy Olsen again (Jimmy even gets to fly the Whiz Wagon one last time, because everyone loves a flying car). And that doesn’t even cover the crossover aspects of the story! Most of the pre-Flashpoint tie-ins pit their heroes against Flashpoint characters (which is great thematically and works well individually). Superman’s opponents here are mostly members of the band of heroes Barry Allen assembled during Flashpoint, and it’s fun to revisit them (Flashpoint Batman was killed at the end of that story, so it’s a bit surprising to see him alive again, but I’m not complaining). Superman is having none of this “let’s you and him fight” gladiator stuff, and while he does get drawn into the fighting, he manages to befriend some of the Flashpoint heroes as well. This is one of the most optimistic, heartwarming stories in the whole event. It also serves as both a second grand finale to Superman’s Post-Crisis history (the first grand finale was Paul Cornell’s Reign of Doomsday, also excellent) and the beginning of the Post-Crisis Superman’s current resurgence.

Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle Nightwing and Oracle get married. That, and the buildup to it, is reason enough to read this story. Mostly though, this is the tale of Dick and Barbara battling Flashpoint’s Hawkman and Hawkwoman (who don’t have any previous appearances). These are a pair of brutal, ruthless villains with no scruples, and they give this story’s heroes a hugely difficult fight. Starfire, Mr. Freeze, and Black Canary make welcome cameos.

Convergence: Speed Force This is the best Flash story since 2011. Wally West and his kids battle Flashpoint’s Wonder Woman with help from Fastback (a very out-of-place Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! character). It’s a simple, character-driven-but-action filled story that doesn’t feel a need to resolve any long-running plot thread from Wally’s life because Wally already has his act together. When this story was published Wally had been absent from comics for about half a decade. Seeing him in action again is a delight, and Flashpoint Wonder Woman makes a suitable villain. Like Convergence: Superman, this story is also the beginning of a hero’s current resurgence (although, unlike Convergence: Superman, it doesn’t seem to have been planned as one).

Convergence: The Titans There are some cool scenes of Starfire, Donna Troy, Cyborg, and Changeling fighting the Extremists of Angor here, but at heart this is an Arsenal story. Arsenal (Roy Harper) was treated abominably in three terribly-written stories (Justice League: Cry for Justice, Rise of Arsenal, and Titans: Villains for Hire), where he lost his daughter, relapsed into drug addiction, and became a villain. Convergence: The Titans does for Roy what Green Lantern: Rebirth did for Hal Jordan: it undoes the damage done by previous bad writing to a good character. I wasn’t an Arsenal fan before I read this story, but am one after reading it.

Convergence: The Atom Ryan Choi (Ray Palmer’s successor as the Atom) was killed by Deathstroke in Titans: Villains for Hire. Now, Ray Palmer (who has traumas of his own) tries to be a hero in spite of fragile mental health. Then Ryan is resurrected (in an appropriately absurd fashion) and the two of them gain a satisfying and much-needed victory over Deathstroke. There’s a brief fight with an Extremist from Angor but the crossover aspect isn’t really relevant to this story.

Convergence: Batman and Robin This is an enjoyable little valentine to Grant Morrison’s seven-year Batman run. In it, Batman, his son Damian (created by Morrison), batfamily black sheep Jason Todd, the flying, red-tinted Batmobile that fires non-fatal explosions (created by Morrison), and Jason’s sidekick Scarlet (created by Morrison) face a gathering of traditional Batman rogues and the Extremists of Angor. Like so many of the best recent Batman stories, this one is all about Batman’s role as a father. Alfred Pennyworth and Superman make welcome cameos. The story isn’t as ambitious as it could have been, but it doesn’t need to be.

Convergence: The Question This is the grand finale to Greg Rucka’s Renee Montoya stories. In it Renee reconciles with her father, confronts Two-Face (Flashpoint Two-Face shows up but the regular Two-Face is the villain here), and teams up with the Helena Bertinelli Huntress and the Kate Kane Batwoman. I’ve never been a major Renee fan but this is her finest hour.

Convergence: Batgirl Stephanie Brown’s brief but popular stint as Batgirl was fairly light-hearted, and so is this story. She, along with Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, and Flashpoint Catman, take on the Flashpoint equivalent of Gorilla Grodd. The story does reconfirm that Tim and Stephanie are in love (not something we see in the New 52), but it’s not very ambitious or finale-esque. The purpose of this story is simply to revisit the characters and the stakes don’t need to feel all that high, so they don’t.

Convergence: Justice League Mera (pining for Aquaman after being reunited with him during Brightest Day) and the female members of the James Robinson incarnation of the Justice League, have a big battle with Flashpoint Aquaman and his forces. There isn’t a ton of character depth on display here (Supergirl, Vixen, Jade, Jesse Quick, and Zatanna are basically just here to fight and quip) but from a pure action standpoint this is a fun story filled with likable heroes.

Convergence: Harley Quinn This is basically a continuation of Gotham City Sirens, with a heavy reliance on the tried-and-true “villain reforms but has to un-reform” plot. Seeing Harley lose a chance at genuine happiness is appropriately sad, yet it’s nice to see her interacting with Catwoman and Poison Ivy again (plus there’s a great moment where Ivy’s skin colour changes back to green as soon as her powers return). Sirens ended with a falling-out between these three women, so it’s fun to see their friendship restored. However, the crossover element (Harley fights- and kills – Captain Carrot of Zoo Crew fame) fails to entertain here.