Flashpoint Concludes with "The Button" Part 3 in Batman 22

When The Flash and Batman began to follow the trail of radiation left behind by Eobard Thawne and the mysterious yellow bloodstained smiley-face button, it led them into the past. But the past wasn't what it used to be -- it was the Flashpoint past, a timeline that should have ended when The Flash undid the historical changes he wrought.

But Flashpoint continues to exist, and the two heroes have landed themselves in the Batcave, headquarters of Thomas Wayne who became the Batman when his wife and son were gunned down in an alley. Thomas is in the midst of a suicidal Hail Mary, as the cave is about to be besieged by soldiers from both Atlantis and Themyscira. Batman and Batman fight them off while Barry rebuilds the Cosmic Treadmill, which powers up on its own as soon as its complete, forcing The Flash and Bruce to beat a hasty exit.

Oh, and in those brief moments, Thomas passes on some words of wisdom to his son:

Anyone taking bets on Bruce taking this advice? Nah, me neither. But it's oh-so-poignant.

After The Flash and Bruce escape barely in time, as Flashpoint begins to dissolve in a wall of encroaching whiteness (where have we seen THAT before, hmm?), they encounter the impossible in the time stream: Eobard Thawne, still in possession of the button, and preparing for a confrontation with the one who holds its power. This is a version of Thawne prior to his death, so we know he's in a hurry for his appointment in Samara, which is where we'll catch up with him next week in FLASH 22.

BATMAN 22 is heavy on the drama but feels light on revelations. It also feels light, period. I was done reading and stil had half my bologna sandwich left to go, so I read it twice. I'm still intrigued enough to follow the story through to its conclusion, and I'm beginning to suspect that the smiley button is a red herring, and that we shouldn't expect any Doctor Manhattan appearances. After all, to Manhattan, time was immutable, and in this universe, time is editable.

In SUPERMAN 19, we learned that Superman's timeline/history problems were the result of Mister Mxyztplk.

If it turns out that the New 52 / Rebirth universe is the result of a tug of war between Bat-mite and Mopee, I'm going to be pissed!