What is Flashpoint? Got me. But all day on the DCU blog, The Source, they'll be teasing what's happening.
Last night, David Hyde VP of Publicity for DC warned, "If you want to experience FLASHPOINT later this year without any teases or spoilers, look away and look away fast, because throughout the day today we’ll be dropping little hints about what’s in store for the DC Universe in FLASHPOINT."
He promised that every 2 hours after 9 AM EST, there'd be something new.
Just now on Twitter, Geoff Johns called it an event by him and Andy Kubert.
Update – Down in the comments kennyg took time off from playing Grammy winning American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz to remind us all of this two page teaser for Flashpoint that ran last year. Should make the speculation more fun:
Here's the first tease, labeled: Part I: Whatever Happened to the World's Greatest Super Heroes?
Next Update:
Josh: Looks like we're headed towards an elsewords scenario here. No Superman or Batman as we know them. I would also accept a "Bruce Wayne as Ace Rothstein" story!
Conor: Clearly this is Batman. And since this is Batman that would be a good indicator that the first promo is Superman, but people are making a strong case in the comments for Green Lantern, and I'm leaning that way too.
Next update:
Josh: I'm drawing a blank on this one. Martian Manhunter? Aquaman? Wally West? Snapper Carr?
Conor: My guess is J'onn J'onzz, but it could easily be Arthur.
Next update:
Conor: If this is Green Lantern maybe the first one IS Superman.
Next update:
Conor: Umm… uh… Wonder Woman? And… um… *scratches head*
More as we know it.
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“Spaceship never crashed”? Superman never came to earth maybe? Is it going to be an alternate universe story?
@TheGoddamnDeadpool Seems like there will be all kinds of time ripples that Barry and Wally and the rest of the Flash family will have to fix. Sounds interesting.
maybe green lantern or superman??
someone is messing with time.
After reading the latest issue of Flash I assume it’s Reverse Flash going back in time and removing all of the non-flash related heroes. Flash family must then go back and correct the past.
Since War of the Green Lanterns will be happening at the same time, I have to imagine that this is a away to help the struggling Superman franchise with a crossover event written by Johns himself.
Seems like alternate universe stuff. Superman doesn’t crash, Bruce Wayne is running casinos instead.
Second tease image is up. The image is the same, but the text is “He spends his day running Wayne Casinos.”
Bruce’s parents don’t die in that alley, therefore no Batman.
christ congrats on the seahawks win man
good luck with the bears
i still could be green lantern for me. ships doesn’t crash hal is never green lantern.
superman i under stnad too but i think we will see something else on him later on today. like “he grew up a luthor.” or something.
Interesting. I loves me some time travel, and I’ll take some Wally anywhere I can get it. I’m on board.
So this would imply that Reverse Flash (assuming he is the main villain) knows every hero’s secrets. I wonder how he gains that knowledge. Also, that knowledge paired with time traveling abilities would make for a serious threat. This could be a very high-stakes event.
Possible next one: She never left Themyscira ?
@gobo: Or (according to her new timeline), the island was never attacked.
I think what this is, is the Reverse Flash messing with the timelins
This sounds like fun.
I am loving the new Flash series and have been looking forward to this event for a while. I’m glad the cryptic clues have started. That means were close.
I like what DC are going with their events, Flashpoint and War of the Green Lanterns seem to come naturally from the stories.
Can’t wait for either of them.
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/01/13/part-iii-whatever-happened-to-the-worlds-greatest-super-heroes/
A third one. J’onn J’onnz?
My guess for the third one is Superboy.
Third guess is J’onn, I don’t think there’s a Superboy in this Flashpointverse
@gobo @WheelHands Or can we assume that her weirdo new timeline is ALREADY a result of whatever Flashpoint is about?
I’m guessing:
1) Green Lantern…Hal never got the ring
2) Bruce…who runs the casinos as a way for his dad to keep him out of the rest of Wayne Enterprises
3) Clark…when he crashed on Earth the government got him instead of the Kents
@cmwnyc: Interesting idea, but I think JMS had his own agenda in mind. Then again, he’s not writing WW anymore so I guess they could do whatever they wanted.
As for the third one, I’m leaning towards J’Onn, but reluctantly. If the villain can prevent the Waynes murder, why couldn’t he/she just stop Dr. Erdell from beaming J’Onn down from Mars? I love speculation.
@TheShelf I agree, he must be messing with the other heroes since he can’t do anything to the flash without screwing up his own timeline.
my guess JMS came up with an idea and dc ran with it in brightest day and such.
i agree with wood so far on the guesses.
@Wood I like your ideas Jason
Still no “awesome.” Way to go, Josh.
Also: this tease seems like pretty standard Geoff Johns fair: a straightforward, almost head-slapper of an idea that he’s going to do a lil’ magic with. I’m on board.
We don’t know that the spaceship is Superman. It could just as easily be Abin Sur.
Does this implies that to fix this, the flashes will have to have the Wayne’s murdered, again?
…interesting twist
I’s say the latest is Martian Manhunter or Aquaman. Experiements on aliens is a staple of sci-fi, so my money is on the martian.
I’m increasingly becoming a DC exclusive fan. DC’s output resonates with me in a way Marvel’s doesn’t right now.
@JNewcomb I feel the same way about DC right now too.
Jazzed for Flashpoint!
to me FLASHPOINT means one singular event that creates the fire, SO because it was the first listed i see it as what if Superman never came to Earth, no JLA, maybe other heroes don’t get created as well. Perhaps a hero-less world?
Also i see Bruce Wayne, the Casino guy as maybe being an underworld figure. Gotham is so dirty on its own, i can’t see a Gotham Casino as a legit business. @Josh–ACE ROTHSTEIN! YES! haha
I think the last one HAS TO BE Martian Manhunter…especially if its in the past, like a 1950s alien landing thing. That could be good.
@JNewcomb @SpeakerDad — ME THREE! haha
if i had to guess about whos promo is whos. It’s Johns, so he would throw up GL first. Abin’s ship never crashing (i dont consider Kal’s pod a ship in the first place).
Obviously second is bruce, but i think WOOD is right, third is supes. If clark was captured by the gov’t early on, he’d have no knowledge of his powers and would be easy to keep in a lab.
I think J’Onn’s will be something along the line of Mars was never destroyed or he burned with his people.
Now I’m excited!
4th one is “Where is his ring” which is almost certainly GL. So sounds like we’re back to Superman as the likeliest subject for #1
1: Superman
2: Batman
3: Martian Manhunter
4: Green Lantern
Hoping there’s a Wonder Woman one coming. It’s still odd to me how she seems to get shunted to the side for big events like this. I guess she’s technically not “in this universe” right now, though so maybe she won’t be affected by Flashpoint.
What if these aren’t as obvious as we think they are? “Where is his ring?” could refer to Barry’s wedding ring, especially considering Iris and Thawne’s history of violence and Thawne’s targeting of people Barry loves.
@Anson17 maybe the time paradox in WW is a precursor to Flashpoint?
@wallythegreenmonster: Not a bad theory, but Superman isn’t solely responsible for the age of superheroes in the DCU. Bruce’s crusade was already underway when Superman surfaced in Metropolis, and 2814 had Abin Sur as its lantern. So while I’m sure you’re on to something with the definition of flashpoint, I doubt changing Superman origins would eliminate the possibilities of other heroes.
I’m intrigued by the fourth one. So this doesn’t neccessarily mean that Abin Sur never gave Hal his ring, but rather that the ring for 2814 is missing entirely? Interesting. More please.
@wordballoon That’s actually a pretty interesting theory.
@hakaider It could also be Hawkman’s cock ring, which has only re-appeared in several un-edited scripts from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey.
Anyone remember this two-page teaser for Flashpoint?
http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage//upl_images/flashpoint.jpg
It shows Barry Allen with teh Reverse-Flash uniform coming out of his ring (does that tie to “Where is his ring?”), a giant vault-looking door with the Superman “S” on it guarded by armed soldiers, and armored Wonder Woman in front of Big Ben… and more.
Also, this article is somewhat interesting. It does a better job of remembering the 1999 “Flashpoint” Elseworlds book than I could attempt:
http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/comics/article/over-analyzing-dcs-flashpoint-teaser-100611
@kennyg Thanks. I added that spread to the article. Good remembering!
@DrColossus Also, what better way to hurt Barry Allen than removing those he cares about
I meant to add to “giant vault-looking door with the Superman “S” on it guarded by armed soldiers” that it could tie to “They experimented on him in a lab for years.” Also, “The spaceship never crashed” may actually refer to Green Lantern instead of Superman. If it were Superman, wouldn’t is be more likely to say “His spaceship never crashed”?
Also, what if “Where is his ring?” is really meant to be “Where is his ring?” since the Reverse Flash uniform is coming out instead of the Flash uniform.
It’s very interesting how these were written so ambiguously that they could apply to more than one person in some cases.
the preview art points to superman for the third one and green lantern for the first one and barry for the ring one but its been so long since that came out who knows how the story has changed.
im done speculating at this point…. all i know is to quote larfleez, i want this to be “MINE”
@wordballoon Touché.
@Jack239 Interesting observation.
He, his, him, his?
Sausage fest.
(This is basically my contractual obligation at this point.)
On The SOurce the 4th file is named “ajprt23skidoo.jpeg”
Any meaning to that?
23 skidoo is slang for “Go Away” so what does ajprt mean?
It’s a Geoff Johns event, presumably starting after the conclusion of Brightest Day, so the “his ring” teaser may be referencing whoever becomes the White Lantern. I doubt they would tell a year long story then not use him for the next main event, especially with the same writer at the helm.
@Lucien21 Man, that is like “Lost” fan analysis of a clue! I think the “ajprt” part is just a coding element – APJ is Apache Java Protocol. RT could be “re-tweet” or something. Doesn’t look significant, but I hope I’m wrong – naming the files with a clue would be a cool strategy. I’m a sucker for viral marketing and stuff like that.
My guess is the last one is either Aquaman and Mera or Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
I say the fifth one is a marriage between Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I can imagine a conflict of sorts between the Amazon’s and the Atlanteons.
after reviewing the teasers as well as the preview i have this to say. (sorry these speculations are all over the place, i am at work and notice more and more the more i look at it)
@Slockhart – there is a white ring in the 2nd page so you can’t be far off.
@Jack239 – exactly
– Wonder woman(?) is pictured in an alternate costume in front of Big Ben. keep in mind, her uniform has always been the most American, so perhaps an arranged marriage or some other event sent her abroad instead of to the good ol USofA.
– Bruce Wayne spends his DAYS doing many things, it’s what he spends his nights doing that we read. It shows batman twice in the preview, i doubt he will be out of cowl.
-the preview shows France under water. Im assuming this is Aquaman related, but you never know. Perhaps him and WW were wed, preventing war between France and Britain.
…and i’m spent, see you all in 2 hours
I really hope that’s the last update… iFanboy’s got somewhere to be at 7pm EST…
Definitely J’onn for the lab one. Hal for the ring. Aquaman and Mera for the marriage. Though, Wonder Woman and Luthor would be neat!
The Last one is Carter and shira
@paulmontgomery – naaaah that would be to easy it might be Black Adam and Wonder Woman?
experimented in lab is the flash.
knowing that Johns likes to bring back DC Characters who’ve fallen into obscurity, i think Josh is onto something and i’ll i’m guess this will be a Snapper Carr centered event. =p ok not really, but guessing is fun.
What about Wonder Woman and Aquaman for the fifth one? They’re both royal the war could have been between the Amazons and Atlantis.
If that last tease has anything to do with Hawk peole I will be a little upset.
I wonder who’s job it was to release these teasers every few hours and if he found it as ridiculous as I did.
Zoom’s gonna change the past. Sounds super sweet
@Poopmonster I would doubt it. Public relations and marketing is what they like to do and get paid for.
@Poopmonster Actually probably not. I do production design for work and this sort of thing was basically something that took 5 minutes of the designer’s day. The webmaster then plugged it into the blog with an auto publish time and date. They both hit the bar after work not thinking more of it then they had to.
I think the last one is Wonder Woman and Aquaman. That full page from the preview has WW in front of Big Ben (which is on fire) and Paris underwater…
@SteenAR Good one!
I’m willing to bet that the most recent update has to do with Aquaman.
New picture is named “reipun5iuy.jpg”
I think Aquaman and Wonder Woman for the last one is a good guess. This is a Flash centric story and the theme is about his closest allies (probably all) being removed from the playing field. Should make a good story, I hope it’s an Elseworlds so they can go crazy with it.
After reading Flash issue 8 with the retcon style of Thawnes origin it could be a similar angle here. Reverse Flash removing all of the heroes from Barry’s world, something like that.
The guesses seem pretty accurate to me.
There are some answers posted on the DCU blog this morning. The casino one is obviously Batman, the ring one is Flash, and the marriage is definitely Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/01/14/flashpoint-may-2011/
Not definitely Wonder Woman. You could read that logo as wings instead of a double u.
@JNewcomb It’s Wonder Woman, they just combined the W and the Eagle.
Looks interesting… did not see the flash one coming but it makes sense, so what the saceship never crashed could be green lantern???
the ship crashing is Abin Sur, not Superman’s because maybe Krypton didnt explode. that somehow the changes to the time stream let Jor-El avert that diaster. Would Barry let Krypton blow up to set the time stream right again?
@MikefromGotham – Now that would be a tough choice, Batman would do it but Barry is more of a good hearted guy so he wouldn’t do that unless there was a very strong reason, remember Barry and Wally are the conscience of the JLA.
I know, that’s what I was thinking too. Let a planet full of billions die so your idea of the time stream and your friends lives are set the way you remember them being…that’s a tough one. But if the ring is the Flash, the rocket must be Abin Sur, and Superman is just off the board without the destruction of Krypton.
Why does Barry have a Zoom suit coming out of his ring?
“Age Of Apocalypse” DC style. Also I agree about Bruce and days vs nights. I mean running CASINOS in the DAY?
@hakaider hats off to you for guessing correctly it was about FLASH!
Problem is with Zoom is that you can never get rid of him because he is always a threat from SOME time in the past or future. That’s why I felt there was no resolution in Rebirth. “Jail? Sure that’s gonna last.”
Now here we are, what, less than a year later, and Zoom is free again doing Zoom shit. It’s the same threat again, except now it involves the entire DCU apparently. I am there but I just hope when Flash finally wins (any doubters?) , that we can put Zoom to bed finally. At least for some significant amount of time.
And I really want them to stop spinning the Rogues as semi-sympathetic. That’s why Zoom has to be the big heavy all the time in Flash. I’m not one for one dimensional antagonists, but still. Make em clearly evil.
I read this elseworlds story already…. and it was also titled “Flashpoint”