"Untitled:" So, there's a lot to get through with this issue, and unlike the others, the entire story is predicated on spoilers. So, if you don't want it spoiled, don't read any further. All others, get ready. When the summary reaches 88 words, you're gonna read some serious shit. Previously, Batman was tasked with finding Judge Dent's twin kids.
Summary: We open to Commissioner Gordon talking to the Penguin about the state of Thomas Wayne and his double life. Gordon’s still shaken by the comment Wayne made about changing the world if he had a chance, to which Gordon takes as Thomas telling him he needed to do more. Penguin reassures him that he and Thomas are best friends, and Gordon’s off to see the Oracle. It becomes blatantly obvious that this Oracle is very different from the Barbara Gordon version. Mostly because of the low tech. Also, the sheer number of cats. Yes, the Oracle of Flashpoint is a wheelchair bound Selina Kyle, however, unlike Barbara, she is a full quadriplegic. She informs Gordon that a John Doe was pulled out of the river this morning, missing his eyes, and after some checking, she found that this guy delivered pizzas near Arkham, and that she has tracked his car. She knows the Joker is behind it, and begins to cry, asking Gordon why the Joker was still alive. Gordon wipes her tears away and she asks him about why he never had a family, to which he talks about how he never got married or had kids because he was just too busy. She tells Gordon that Thomas will do everything to make it right with those kids, but it will never be right. We cut to Gordon checking out the car, and lying to Thomas about where he’s been that day. Wayne wants to come down to the station to help Gordon, but he tells Wayne that he will call him if anything comes up, and hangs up, and walks towards Wayne Manor. We barely see a shadow in a window. Inside, we see the children crying on the floor, with the Joker standing over them. The Joker talks about joy and fear and about when one is lost, you go crazy. When you lose both, you just go mad. I’m pretty sure that’s the same thing, but I’ll let it slide. We cut to a bar in Gotham where Batman is looking for answers, and after speaking up that he didn’t see anything, former detective Harvey Bullock gets the brunt of Batman’s wrath until the bartender, Renee Montoya stops him and says that she’ll show him what he needs to see. She explains as they head into the basement that the Joker delivered a pizza to the bar, and apparently someone was dumb enough to have a slice. The idiot is tied up in the basement laughing uncontrollably. Batman puts the man out of his misery by snapping his neck, reminding us that Thomas Wayne's feelings about murdering people are similar to Bruce Wayne's feelings about endangering minors. He tells Montoya to blame him for it, and walks out. He calls Oracle to tell her about the pizza thing and she tells him she knows… she told Gordon about all this a few hours ago. Finally up to speed, he races towards Wayne Manor. Inside the darkened manor, Gordon has his weapon drawn and is checking each room in the place. Finally he hears crying and heads towards that and sees the Joker with a gun pointing it at the young boy. Gordon dives in delivering a bullet straight to the villain’s chest. The lights come up, to reveal what he hit: the female twin dressed as the Joker, standing on stilts, and duct tape covering her mouth and hands. Realizing his mistake, he runs to help the young girl, but she’s dead. A knife comes from behind Gordon as his throat is slit by the actual Joker, and we see that the Joker is, in fact, a woman. Batman gets a video message from Gordon’s phone of the young boy with Gordon’s glasses and laughing in the background. The camera pans over to Gordon, crawling towards his gun, but just as he reaches it, the Joker steps on his hand and kicks his neck more, opening the wound more, essentially killing him. We then get a close-up of the Joker’s smile which has been stitched into a permanent smile. Batman rushes inside shouting: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME, MARTHA? Serious shit... I told you.
Highs: The story here has been really top notch and impressive. The noir-esque art here really works well, as does the reimagining of this new Gotham.
Lows: I would like to see more of the villains in this version. That's my only complaint... which is something.
Verdict: A. This has been a great miniseries and I anxiously await the next and final issue. If you're picking up one Flashpoint series, I'm thinking this might be the winner. Care to sum up my excitement and anticipation, Yo Gabba Gabba kid?
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