Batman #21 Preview/Discussion

[Buried Alien]

R.I.P Eobard Thawne, you done f*cked up now

Man...DC has gotten into a rut with resurrecting Eobard Thawne only to kill him off again almost immediately. How many deaths is this for him now (not even counting TV)?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Frontier]

Man...DC has gotten into a rut with resurrecting Eobard Thawne only to kill him off again almost immediately. How many deaths is this for him now (not even counting TV)?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

3? 4? He' starting to catch-up to Joker and Luthor at this rate .

[Buried Alien]

3? 4? He' starting to catch-up to Joker and Luthor at this rate .

Thawne could soon threaten Kenny's (SOUTH PARK) record.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Scott Taylor]

If anyone deserves to be killed over and over, its Thawne. Stupid miscreant.

Very interesting issue with all the Watchmen parallels. And I liked the lenticular cover.

[Frontier]

Thawne could soon threaten Kenny's (SOUTH PARK) record.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

It's even more impressive when you realize Thawne's managed to come back from the dead, despite two continuity reboots, while still being exactly the same character.

"I always win, Flash."

.

[Buried Alien]

It's even more impressive when you realize Thawne's managed to come back from the dead, despite two continuity reboots, while still being exactly the same character.

"I always win, Flash."

.

Yeah...did the Thawne we saw come and go in BATMAN # 21 this week have memories of his experiences in the universes/timelines of Pre-COIE Earth-One, Post-COIE (Pre-FLASHPOINT) Earth, and New 52 Earth?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Zero Hunter]

I took it as this was the Thawne last seen in Flashpoint. I am not sure if he is the same one that has been running around since then or a totally alternate version. A very good issue all around.

[Frontier]

Yeah...did the Thawne we saw come and go in BATMAN # 21 this week have memories of his experiences in the universes/timelines of Pre-COIE Earth-One, Post-COIE (Pre-FLASHPOINT) Earth, and New 52 Earth?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

He probably should, if this is really Post-Crisis Thawne, who was still basically Pre-COIE Thawne with some more character background, in the body of his New 52 self restored to his original form.

[Calvinr]

Twice in the same week.

There are way too much parallelisms between this issue and Watchmen just like happened the same with Trinity 8 and Infinite Crisis 1.

First, it is very obvious by the iconic nine panel grid of Watchmen that is used until the end of the issue, after the prelude with Saturn Girl, that Dr. Manhattan is assuming control of reality, shaping it.
All the issue since the apparition of Eobard is a homage to last moments of the presumed real button owner, the Comedian. All the beats of the flashback of Comedian murder by Ozymandias and the investigation of Rorschach of the button are relieved by Batman and Eobard.

1. Unexpected apparition of a ally. (Batman though it was Barry, the Comedian saw Ozymandias)
2. Punch in the face (one to Eddie Blake, 11 to Bruce)
3. A destroyed paper (the burned map for Blake/ the letter for Bruce and Eobard also mentioned that Thomas burned just before destroying the letter)
4. Bruce in the floor in the exact same position of Blake.
5. Bruce crashed through the monitor just like Eddie was thrown through the window.
6. The button is picked by someone intrigued by it's mistery (Rorschach /Eobard)
7. That is killed by Dr. Manhattan with his powers.

And then we have at the same time that Batman is fighting the fist fight between players and in Watchmen the fist fight between the lesbian couple and all the street comotion at the same time Veight is giving us the final flashback to the Comedian's death before the clock reaching 00 /12.

Of course it seems decompressed. The original version of this event ocurred in ... 12 panels.

This is certainly more an idea of Geoff Johns, and King only had to script the issue.
So, don't blame him... it was actually very well executed, if you know what you need to see.

Never realised this at first, after re-reading your right the Watchmen parallels are clear as day, great spot btw, and I also agree about that being Johns' idea, that's definitely something he'd do.

[poroto678]

This was AWESOME!

Jason Fabok is the best DC artist right now. Story was dynamic, fun, interesting. Thawne was scary, which is always good. The button-related events were soo cool!!

Hopefully Williamson won't **** this up.

[Arnoldoaad]

This was Amazing!
Really freacking good

[AlexanderLuthor]

People should really give this a read with Watchmen in mind. As other posters have pointed out the issue did an excellent job of referencing back to it. While I'm sure Johns had a major hand in it, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss King's role - as he showed in Grayson, he has a firm grasp on DC lore and is particularly good at homages. I really love how this grand narrative is in the background (well, the foreground here) of all of DC's titles right now. It gives the line a sense of continuity we haven't seen in a long time

[rui no onna]

If anyone deserves to be killed over and over, its Thawne. Stupid miscreant.

Very interesting issue with all the Watchmen parallels. And I liked the lenticular cover.

Agreed. Very much looking forward to Flash #21 next week. I really appreciate DC's biweekly shipping and how that jives to make the crossover issues a weekly thing.

I'm glad I decided to get the lenticular variants, too. Although it's probably weird that I enjoyed the lenticular effect on the advertisement for Teen Titans: Judas Contract in the back cover more than I did the actual cover.

[Lee]

I took it as this was the Thawne last seen in Flashpoint. I am not sure if he is the same one that has been running around since then or a totally alternate version. A very good issue all around.

At the end of Flash #19, the imprisoned New 52 Eobard Thawne was struck by blue lightning and freed of his constraints. He suddenly regained memories of Flashpoint and being killed by Thomas Wayne. He's now wearing a "reverse" version of Flash's current suit (chin strap, Jim Lee seams, circle around the emblem etc). So not exactly the classic costume, but much more traditional than the New 52 version.

In Batman #21 Thawne talks about having been dead for some time, so it's uncertain if he retains any of his New 52 memories, or considers that version of his life to be "real". Upcoming issues of The Flash will probably clear some of this up.

[btmarine23]

Is there any mandatory reading in Flash I should try and catch up on before next week? I pretty much am only reading Tec, Batman, All-Star, Teen Titans and Superman/sons. I am behind on Batgirl/BOP…haven't read any Flash in a long time.