It wouldn't be Flashpoint week without a chronology guide to the trade paperback reading order for the Flashpoint miniseries event and all the World of Flashpoint tie-in collections.
We're going to do this two ways -- a reading list for the entire Flashpoint saga in TPBs, and then how to read the entire Flashpoint saga issue by issue (with a guide to which miniseries appears in which trade).
All of this information will also be updated on the DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline and in a new update, coming soon, to the DC TPB Timeline ebook.
Flashpoint Trade Reading Order
* Flashpoint
* Flashpoint: Batman
* Flashpoint: Wonder Woman
* Flashpoint: Superman
* Flashpoint: Green Lantern
* Flashpoint: The Flash
Flashpoint's tie-in miniseries are in my estimation about the least connected to the main story than any other DC Comics crossover. It is entirely possible to read just the main Flashpoint miniseries and get a full story without reading the tie-ins; those tie-ins, however, flesh out major parts of the story and add much depth to the actions of the main characters; you'll see Wonder Woman and Aquaman differently, especially, if you just read the main series or read the tie-ins as well.
Because DC has mixed and matched the tie-in miniseries into five collections, often pairing stories that take place during radically different times in the Flashpoint saga, it's very difficult to read the tie-in collections cover to cover and get a linear story (for that, see our issue by issue list next). Basically I recommend reading Flashpoint itself first, and then the other books will fill in the details. The most significant connection between the tie-in books is that the "Project Superman" story in Superman takes place after the "Lois Lane" story in Wonder Woman; the "Deadman" story in the Batman collection takes place before the "Lois Lane" story in Wonder Woman, but that connection is much, much less important. A character from "Project Superman" also appears in the "Frankenstein" story in Green Lantern (but that appearance, I believe, is a continuity error); the "Green Arrow" story in Green Lantern and the "Legion of Doom" story in Flash are related, but also not in an important way.
Flashpoint Reading Order by Issues
Most of the major events in the larger Flashpoint saga take place in either the Flashpoint miniseries or the Wonder Woman and the Furies tie-in miniseries. Issue #3 of Wonder Woman includes an eight-month gap, and it's there that most of the Flashpoint miniseries takes place. To read the entire Flashpoint saga in issue order, a reader has to deal with a certain amount of "flashback" -- the third issue of Wonder Woman takes place both before the Flashpoint miniseries, and then in time with "current" events.
The Emperor Aquaman miniseries takes place both concurrent to Wonder Woman and also during the eight-month gap, so I've placed that series in its entirety after Wonder Woman; also the Lois Lane and the Resistance miniseries takes place mostly during the eight-month gap and then concurrent to Flashpoint, so I've placed that miniseries entirely after the last issue of Wonder Woman.
I have placed other books in line with whether they pre-date or intersect with Flashpoint, or where they intersect with the other tie-in miniseries.
| Flashpoint: Reverse-Flash #1 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Flashpoint: Project: Superman #1 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Flashpoint: Project: Superman #2 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Wonder Woman and the Furies #1 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Wonder Woman and the Furies #2 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Green Arrow Industries #1 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Legion of Doom #1 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Legion of Doom #2 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Legion of Doom #3 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Grodd of War #1 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Deadman and the Flying Graysons #2 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| The Canterbury Cricket #1 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Abin Sur - The Green Lantern #1 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Hal Jordan #1 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Flashpoint #1 | Flashpoint |
| Abin Sur - The Green Lantern #2 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| The Outsider #1 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Secret Seven #1 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Secret Seven #2 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Secret Seven #3 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Citizen Cold #1 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Citizen Cold #2 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Citizen Cold #3 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Flashpoint #2 | Flashpoint |
| The Outsider #2 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #2 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #3 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Hal Jordan #2 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Batman: Knight of Vengeance #1 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Batman: Knight of Vengeance #2 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3 | Flashpoint: Batman |
| Flashpoint #3 | Flashpoint |
| Flashpoint #4 | Flashpoint |
| Wonder Woman and the Furies #3 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Emperor Aquaman #1 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Emperor Aquaman #2 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Emperor Aquaman #3 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Lois Lane and the Resistance #1 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Lois Lane and the Resistance #2 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Lois Lane and the Resistance #3 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| Flashpoint: Project: Superman #3 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| The Outsider #3 | Flashpoint: Wonder Woman |
| The World of Flashpoint #1 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| The World of Flashpoint #2 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| The World of Flashpoint #3 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Booster Gold #44 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Booster Gold #45 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Booster Gold #46 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Booster Gold #47 | Flashpoint: Superman |
| Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #2 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Hal Jordan #3 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Abin Sur - The Green Lantern #3 | Flashpoint: Green Lantern |
| Flashpoint #5 | Flashpoint |
| Kid Flash Lost #1 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Kid Flash Lost #2 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
| Kid Flash Lost #3 | Flashpoint: The Flash |
There you go! I'm happy to answer questions about this reading order. Come back Monday for our final Flashpoint review, World of Flashpoint Featuring the Flash ... and then be here Thursday for the first Collected Editions review of the DC New 52, Justice League Vol. 1: Origin. Don't miss it!
I am loving your reviews of the Flashpoint trades, and as someone who collected Flashpoint and its related miniseries as floppies when they first came out I really appreciate your list of what issues to read when. Thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Wayne. As I said, couldn't let Flashpoint week go by without a Flashpoint reading order. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteAwesome list! So often the reading orders you find online are based mostly on the release dates, and really go back-and-forth between all the titles; I personally prefer trying to group issues together by the series/mini-series, but breaking off when it makes sense. i.e. basically the way you have structured the individual reading list here!
ReplyDeleteYet another bookmark added for one of your pages! :-)
This is a case where I thought DC's proposed reading order was really off the mark -- one of their checklists had the reader picking up Emperor Aquaman #1, then Wonder Woman #1, then Lois Lane #1, which would have been very confusing; this list tries to organize the miniseries as events happen.
ReplyDeleteThis reading order per issue is pretty awesome! I just bought all the TPB's and this list gives me a pretty good roadmap on when to read what. :D
ReplyDeleteRead many of these when the story dropped, but just picked up the rest via the Comixology sale and am now reading them in the order you have listed, I'm about 6 issues in and your order is working a treat!
ReplyDeleteOne question, do you fit the "Road to Flashpoint" story in the Flash as part of the story? I was planning to read it right before Flashpoint #1, any opinions on that?
You could read Road to Flashpoint before Flashpoint (see my review of Flash: Road to Flashpoint), but you don't have to. I didn't think Road to Flashpoint was very good, and it doesn't completely line up with the plot of Flashpoint. Common wisdom is that the Flashpoint miniseries we ended up with was not the Flashpoint miniseries originally planned, and I think Road to Flashpoint more reflects version one than version two -- so, your choice. I do have Road to Flashpoint listed just before Flashpoint on my DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline.
ReplyDeleteThat is the best flashpoint reading order i ever came across on net. thanks!
ReplyDeleteUsing your order, I'm up to the Deadman books and find it strange that they are talking about Aquaman ruling Europe and it being half underwater. Does Flashpoint completely gloss over that or is there something missing from your list? Also, I'm surprised to see so much violence, blood, and psychopathy being glorified in DC books...I don't dislike it; just surprised.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a heck of a while since I've read these, but I kind of recall what you're talking about maybe happens in the eight-month gap in Wonder Woman and the Furies, kind of concurrent with Emperor Aquaman? I'm not totally certain on that. Are you reading trades individually or issue by issue? The order in which these books were collected in trade is very messy.
DeleteFlashpoint and its related titles were exceptionally violent, I recall. The New 52 titles that followed get a bad rap, but I think DC moved away from that kind of violence pretty quickly; even Suicide Squad toned down after its first or so issue, following the very-violent Flashpoint: Legion of Doom miniseries.