Review- BATMAN/ FLASH: THE BUTTON- THE DELUXE EDITION

My son asked me if I would read this before reading Doomsday Clock. He assigned it to me as weekend homework reading before his next visit. His mother bought him this book, so full disclaimer: I didn't pay to read this book. My son is 12 and I won't let him read Watchmen, which I suppose makes it a sort of forbidden fruit for the lad. Alas, I am not sure how much enjoyment he will derive from this or Doomsday Clock without understanding the reference points of Watchmen. I explained things to him as best as I can without revealing certain, age-inappropriate things about the series. 

BATMAN/ FLASH: THE BUTTON- THE DELUXE EDITION (DC, First Printing, 2017; Hardcover)

Collects Batman #21, 22, and Flash #21, 22 (cover dates June-July, 2017)

Writers: Tom Cook and Joshua Williamson

Artists: Jason Fabook and Howard Porter

Colorists: Brad Anderson and Hi-Fi

Wow, talk about your assumed knowledge, self-referencing works. This is the prequel to the main event which spun out of DC Rebirth #1, that 80 page comic that was a reset of a reset of reset, or something like that. This story is a fun, action packed read, but falls flat on its face overall because the writers assume that everyone has a working knowledge of Watchmen and the DC Universe. While the majority of readers do, someone like my son who has a budding interest in comics simply didn't understand a lot of this. Reading the book with his confusion in mind and looking at it through his eyes made me look for clues to explain the story to a “civilian”. The pickings were slim.

S P O I L E R S abound- you have been warned. So Doctor Manhattan is likely the “god” that is somehow pulling the strings and has left The Comedian's button in the DC Universe? To what end? Alan Moore would be rolling in his grave if he were dead. If DC is trying to blur the lines of all ret-cons and reboots into one cohesive universe, using Reverse Flash (Thawne) seems even more confusing. Maybe this is my Marvel thinking, but wouldn't every single attempt at altering Flash's history by going back in time change nothing and only create alternate timelines?

While I am not a DC expert, I have a mild working knowledge of their continuity. Even so, I found some of these reference points to be confusing. I know that this is all make believe, but all of this ret-conning and rebooting has made a mess of things.

Like I said above, as fun a read with nice artwork that it is, it's a thin story. The prequel is little more than a stunt, which I suppose is appropriate since this Doomsday Clock event is one of the biggest stunts since The New 52.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Super thick coated stock with a medium sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. Go DC!

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: This particular printing has a lenticular dustjacket. I can't recall of another collected edition with this feature. Very cool. The single issues boasted this feature, so this was a nice nod to that. The hardback has a glossy laminated casewrap.

Review- DC Universe: Rebirth #1

There was no true cover image of the second printing online, so I scanned my copy. 

Continuity is the best and worst thing about comic books. The modern day fan hates it with a passion, using the argument that since they are all make believe stories, anything should go so long as they like it and don't deem it to be offensive. The older fans (as in 40+ year olds like myself) believe that continuity is what makes the serial nature of comic books so important and unique. The story never ends because the story never has to. It's all a piece of a giant jigsaw puzzle and it should all fit together neatly.

Unlike television or movies, these characters can age at a fraction of the time that the audience does. The people that bought the earliest adventures of Batman and Superman off of the stands are either dead or are very old, and it is unlikely that they are still following them. Which gives us the argument of change. Characters can change with the times, but the times should not change the core of the character. The New 52 was an attempt at rebooting, updating, and streamlining things. DC's last attempt at this in the 1980s was successful. The New 52 was successful at first but fans left in droves as it went on. The changes to many characters were so drastic that many fans felt like DC abandoned the core of the characters at the expense of the here and now. Comic books have always been an escapist pleasure. Where do you go when the real world, in all of it's ugliness and chaos, becomes the modern day escapist superhero? Deconstruction-style writing destroyed the classic superhero. Now it is time to destroy deconstruction.

DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (DC, Second Printing, cover date July, 2016; Squarebound softcover)

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artists: Gary Frank, Ethan Van Scriver, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Phil Jimenez, Matt Santorelli, and Frank Prado

Colorists: Brad Anderson, Jason Wright, Brad Anderson, Hi-Fi, and Gabe Eltaeb

I was in a comic shop the day that the first printing came out. 80 pages of stories for three bucks? Nah. Pass. Lots of hubbub ensued over the next few days online, and I thought about going out to snag a copy, only to find it sold out. A sqarebound second printing with a $5.99 MSRP was announced to go on sale two weeks later. It's like a skinny trade...for six bucks. Why not? Apparently this too has sold out, as there is a third printing available as well.

S-P-O-I-L-E-R-S from here on out. If you haven't had this spoiled yet elsewhere and still don't want it spoiled by this late date, then turn back now.

The story is divided into four chapters and an epilogue, with the thread of it all being The Flash, the Wally West version. He uses the Speed Force to break through into the world as it currently stands, trying to get everyone to remember what was been wiped away. He starts by enlisting the help of the world's greatest detective, Batman. We see various heroes from various Earths (Johnny Thunder as an old man in a nursing home, for example), and things are all tied together with Flash/ Kid Flash/ Wally West.

The cliffhanger, of course, is in the apparent integration of the Watchmen into the main DC Universe. Alan Moore will undoubtedly be casting spells and doing hexes on Geoff Johns over this.

I'll admit that the initial reports that DC is going to ret-con the New 52 continuity away by integrating the Watchmen into a new/old continuity sounded like the most godawful idea that I've ever heard. It still sounds like a terrible idea after reading this. Much like Spider-Man making a deal with the devil himself, Mephisto, to save his Aunt May's life in exchange for erasing his marriage with Mary Jane Watson in One More Day was a terrible idea that resulted in a lot of good comics, let's hope that the uncomfortable, awful excuse that Doctor Manhattan created the New 52 and made people forget the real DC Universe is quickly swept under the rug and never mentioned again so that things can move forward so we can have classic continuity with modern sensibilities. In short, how you get back there is unimportant, so long as you get there.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Is it a comic? Is it a prestige format book? Is it a skinny graphic novel? 80 pages, squarebound...I don't know what you would call this.

Paper stock: Good weight glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound.

Cardstock cover notes: The laminated cover is super flexible, more like a very thick paper or a very thin cardstock. I like how the books lies flat in your hand like a big comic book.