A Week in Ink: 24

Flashpoint No. 1

Geoff Johns' masterfully crafted Flash story has hit shelves and in this Scarlet Speedster's tale of multiverses the history of DC has been forever altered.

Johns' manages to throw caution to the wind as Barry Allen awakes on an all-too-familiar, yet strangely alien world. As Allen soon discovers, his lightning quickness has been quelled and nothing is as it seems. Characters that were alive have passed on, while others have yet to even arrive on earth. This inverted account of the DC universe has Allen seeking the only sensible leader in these dark days: Batman.

Teased months ago, this incredible imagining gave hints to the upcoming madness using taglines such as "The Spaceship never crashed," and "He spends his days running Wayne Casinos." With a hop in its step, Flashpoint may topple its competitors as the greatest cross-company event of the season.

With Andy Kubert working his magic on this issue's unique take on world's greatest heroes, artists Sandra Hope and Alex Sinclair (Superman: Earth One and Blackest Night respectively) add their personal touches to the soon-to-be must read of 2011.

With the first issue flying off standsthis month the epic saga will sadly be put on hold until early June, when the true meaning of Flash's nightmare will be unveiled.

Fear Itself: Spider-Man No. 1

While this Spidey side-arc has yet to coincide with the Marvel's main event, the web slinger's foray into the depths of madness had its moments of pure fan service, while still maintaining the gloomy ambience of this summer's cataclysmic event.

As Matt Fraction weaves a web of mystery and intrigue with Fear Itself, writer Chris Yost makes his voice heard amid the overwhelming cacophony that is the current Marvel Universe.

Yost manages to eloquently illuminate the thoughts of Parker without making him feel like he's lost his Avengers aura. Emotion runs rampant with Spider-Man as his personal attachments begin to interfere with his work life and even a hilarious, upbeat character like the wall crawler is losing that essential spark.

This dramatic paradigm shift has shed light on a side of Peter Parker that is only evident in the most dire of situations, and when it comes to what Fraction has planned for his grand orchestration, Yost manages to play perfectly in tune. Regretfully, Mike McKone, the issue's artist, seems to be in a whole different key.

McKone mixes the dark nature of the comic with a relatively bland palette of colors and an overall lack in detail. This subpar artwork detracts from the overall appeal of the comic, though all hope is not lost as this is merely the team's first attempt at Spider-Man's needed involvement.

While this issue certainly lacks the same plot as its mainstream anchor, Yost manages to create a viable option for those looking to gain insight into the wall crawler's darkest dreams.

Star Wars Jedi: The Dark Side No. 1

When referring to a classic trilogy set in a galaxy far, far away one tends to mentally block the sad, cruel images of Jar Jar Binks, the inexplicable Darth Maul, and the likes of a droid army with a universal "off" switch.

Dark Horse has shoved so much of Lucas' crap down the throats of every Star Wars fan that a few are actually becoming a Sarlacc pit themselves. For any who have been confused by the whimsical imagery of the aforementioned references, this issue should be avoided like a Mandalorian Slaver.

Taking place before the first monstrosity Lucas called a prequel, Qui-Gon Jinn is sent to investigate a possible revolution in one of the planets in the Telos system. Complacent and wise as he is, a Jedi must always be paired with an angsty Padawan who will, albeit obviously, wreck the mission with their arrogance.

The writer, Scott Allie, makes no attempt to try and change the only good character to come out of Episode I and that is perhaps for the best. Allie does make strides in progressing the characters around the beloved hero: his relatively unknown Padawans.

This fleshing out of characters paired with the comic's quite blatant title will equate to some truly heart wrenching moments in the Jedi Master's life.

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