"This is the World We Made:" The story follows Traci 13, a teenager with magical powers, who, besides having a tattoo of the number 13 on her head, remains relatively unchanged characterwise. However, as of the last issue, her father has put together a group to blow up half the world to rid everyone of the Amazons and Atlanteans. Traci doesn't think its good to throw the humanity baby out with shitty character bathwater.
Summary: As we resume the story, Dr. 13 has Traci on the floor bleeding after hitting her in the head. After trying to talk some sense to her father, she teleports out, realizing its a lost cause. Arriving back at her friend Madame Xanadu's house, the teen finds her blind psychic friend dying on the floor. Xanadu hands Traci some tarot cards and tells her that they will lead her where she needs to go. What follows is Traci meeting a number of disconnected characters, that if put on a legitimate team, I would read every issue AND pay for them. That's how serious I am. Care to sum up my gidding feelings following reading this, boys?
- The Hermit- Traci lands in a building in Tokyo, where the entire country is patrolled by Red Tornado robots. Its too soon for an earthquake joke, so don't bother looking for one here. But I will say, in a completely unrelated way, that I love the movie Tremors. Anyway, after exploring the building she runs into an incomplete Tornado bot, who has not been painted. It is bored and lonely and is unable to wake its maker. If you've seen Edward Scissorhands, this is basically the same thing: T.O. Morrow is dead... and has been for a while. The robot won't help her until she can wake Dr. Morrow. So... no luck there.
- Justice- Traci ports to Brazil, where a group of rebels is fighting the Nazis. This group is led by Natasha Irons, niece to John Henry Irons aka Steel, but here she has a metal arm, and Rhianna hair. Traci slows time down so the two of them can talk. After Traci tells her of her fathers plans, Natasha thinks that its a good plan, and wishes she had family that smart. So... lost cause, pretty much.
- The Chariot- We check back with Grodd's Africa, as Traci lands on a pile of dead bodies stacked outside Namibia, and when she tries to port out, she is knocked out and chained up. She awakens, hanging from chains as three gorilla soldiers, led by Monsier Mallah, charge at the teen to eat her. She uses her magic to set the three aflame. Mallah is excited at the concept of dealing with a witch so he unleashes his pet, the feral Changeling, better known as Beast Boy. Beast Boy goes to attack Traci when he stops suddenly and turns into a fly and flies into Mallah's nose. Then expands to his human shape, blowing Mallah's head off. Wow... everytime we go to Africa, there's violence. Where's Toto when you need them? She thanks the Changeling and says she'd love to have him, but he's needed in Africa. So, we leave the depressing and poorly constructed African wars gorillallegory.
Temperance- Inside a bar in Queensland, Australia, a red haired bartender stops a fight and asks two patrons to leave, citing that there is no fighting in his bar. Traci falls through the doors of a bar in and is helped up by the red haired bartender. The bartender introduces himself as Guy Gardner.
- Yeah, my thoughts too, James. He tells the teen that if she's going to start trouble she needs to leave. He opened his bar, Warriors, as a chill-out establishment, all about beers and watching sports. He explains that he was a rage-aholic long ago, but after converting to Buddhism, he moved to the most peaceful place on Earth (Man... Flashpoint is weird). Traci throws the card away and ports out, wishing him good luck on the peace.
- The High Priestess- Landing in Antartica, Traci begins to freeze, but luckily finds her person fairly quickly. Circe, the sorceress, is chained up in a cave, apparently from trying to spoil the assassination plot at Wonder Woman's wedding. Without even asking what it is, Circe turns down Traci's recruitment, and Traci begins to leave. She turns and undoes the chains binding the sorceress, and she tells Traci some important info as she goes off into the ice. She tells Traci to beware those that she chooses to support, as every person is going to try and remake reality in a way that suits them. This is accompanied by a picture of the world surrounded by the pictures of Batman, Cyborg, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman... and Grifter from the W.I.L.D.C.A.T.S. Huh... foreshadowing much? With a kiss on her savior's head, Circe disapears, and Traci heads out.
- The Pope- I actually had to look up what the card was for this one, because we are just shown a symbolic statue in a Gotham City cathedral. Traci is met with a young priest with black hair with a couple white streaks. I'll try and let you try and figure this one out. The priest gives her a warm blanket to warm her up and talks to her about everything. She confesses that her mentor couldn't help her and she was just on a wild goose chase. The priest notes that perhaps it wasn't about them joining her, but her learning from each of them. The priest explains his past- a troubled youth who was addicted to drugs, then joined the Brother Blood cult, only to die and be resurrected. He explains that God works in mysterious ways that all will be revealed in time. She thanks Father Todd. (Jason as a priest? Really DC?) and heads to the last location.
- The Magician- Arriving in her own home, she prepares to take her father on with magic, believing herself to be the card. This is quickly proved false as he knocks her out with an energy blast, as he is imbued with magic. Apparently, he inherited all the magic of the family. Eh ending, after all.
Highs: Very new takes on old characters, and with the exception of Nat Irons, I love every character that she interacts with. The art is really stellar here too.
Lows: Our protagonist is rather boring and whiny. Great side characters with a bad lead can kill a story/show/movie faster than anything. That's Storytelling 101, and you must pass it. Or not.
Verdict: B+. What more can I say? This seems to be required reading for Flashpoint and it has been pretty decent.
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