The last issue of Flashpoint Beyond dropped a bombshell by revealing the identity of the Clockwork Killer, and this week’s issue takes it even further. If you look at the preview, you will be spoiled quite a bit; what’s funny is how this also includes information about Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, this series is something else, and with the current publishing schedule having Flashpoint Beyond and Dark Crisis released on the same dates, I have to wonder what makes them similar and different. This issue does a great job of separating the two via the Divine Continuum.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Flashpoint Beyond #5!
The opening helps to establish that Flashpoint Beyond takes place after Dark Crisis, explaining the involvement of Flash (Barry Allen) and Batman (Bruce Wayne). We are treated to the talk show discussion with Mister Terrific and Dr. Bonnie Baxter, allowing her to go into deeper detail about the Divine Continuum. I like how the writers try to separate events as something that affects time or space. It seems that Omniverse and Hypertime are the two spheres of influence, and when some character attacks, that is when we have either a change in space or time, respectively.
No matter how you look at it, we are treated to some beautiful character art by Mikel Janin. Those two panels featuring every lead character for those events are just wonderful to look at and will make you want to check your bookshelves to see if you have all the events that helped to shape DC Comics. I applaud the writing team for trying to sort out the mess and create clarification, but the quick manner leaves me wanting a deeper dive into the differences. Maybe we’ll get more in the next and final issue?
After that big opening scene, we are thrust back into the world of Flashpoint for a clash with Thomas Wayne and Oswald. I’ve said it before, but the writers have done a fantastic job with this alternative version of Penguin; he is way more human than Thomas in these scenes. His character growth shows how much he worries and cares for Dexter Dent, recognizing that he is just another child of Gotham being tossed into the world’s wicked ways. I hope Oswald gets to stick around if the world of Flashpoint survives.
Dexter is in for it as he is with his mother and Martha at Arkham Asylum. Luckily, Dexter happens to be right in the path of the person Thomas wants to see, so that should buy him some safety, but we are learning more about Gilda Dent, and it doesn’t look good for Dexter. I am enjoying the added depth to characters like Martha and Gilda. Still, I also want to know more about the pending Kryptonian invasion mentioned in previous issues. It seems like there is quite a bit added to this world, in character depth and actions, which might call for another Flashpoint miniseries, and this is something that I wouldn’t oppose. Now I find myself countering Thomas’s belief that nothing matters.
As the issue comes to a close, we are in quite the situation with Martha and Thomas looking at changing history. While that is happening, we also see Rip and Bruce looking to have their issues with time and change. The setup has me excited for this last issue, but this is building to one heck of a finish that this miniseries will need to live up to. I hope Jeremy Adams, Geoff Johns, and Tim Sheridan can make that happen. Xermanico, Mikel Janin, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Jordie Bellaire have been delivering the goods with very personal and character-driven art; also, there is a Neal Adams tribute on page four. See if you can find it.
The writing team has created their own Secret Crisis that explains what happens in the Omniverse vs. Hypertime, making the Devine Continuum very interesting. I can’t wait to discover more of it, but we still have the world of Flashpoint to survive through.
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