1. Flashpoint
More like "Sadnesspoint." The Flash is one of my favorite heroes, period. As far as the under appreciated folks go, he's numero uno. Superman and I see eye to on a lot, but Flash is that hero that makes being a regular guy cool. Because of his importance to me and to my childhood, this one hurts the most, and deservedly gets its own back story. I grew up with Wally West. Barry Allen "died" in Crisis on Inifinite Earth back in 1986. More accurately he became one with the Speed Force. I know, I know, it's Flash lore, but go with it. So his nephew Wally West picks up the mantle and, after a good many issues, manages to become one of the most unique, exciting, and cool characters in comics. It's hard to kill a hero, and I'm sure at the time people thought Wally was only temporary, but Barry stayed "dead" for nearly 25 years until none other but Grant Morrison brought him back in Final Crisis. Why? Because he and Dan DiDio wanted to, because they felt the people "wanted" the Silver Age speedster back. But not many did. Wally had grown so well into his own as the Flash that we were happy to have him. Geoff Johns had written some incredible stories for Wally prior to Final Crisis, that they felt it only natural to bring him back for The Flash: Rebirth and the then continuing stories of Barry Allen, all leading up to the "epic" Flashpoint, which would change the DC Universe forever. But at this point in Johns' career, it was clear DC had sucked that well of genius dry long ago, as the stories coming from him now were nothing but boring, lackluster attempts at being big and cool. Every Flash story he wrote when Barry returned culminated in Zoom, the reverse Flash, always being the culprit. A villain that he once wrote with flawless skill when Wally was Flash had become a trite, worthless mwa-ha-ha "twist". Thus became Flashpoint, the final big story to come out of the DC Universe we used to know. The story responsible for rebooting the entire Universe as The New 52 is such a waste of time and space that I can't even stay mad at it. It's like beating up a defenseless kid. Though I blame Grant Morrison for creating the stories that forced us into the corner that was Flashpoint and the New 52, Johns dropped the ball on doing anything special for the old DC Universe's last hurrah. Barry Allen gets lost in time and alternate realities and it ends up that, you guessed it, Zoom was behind it all. As he had been some half a dozen times in the months preceding this event. For all the misery that DC put us through leading up to its inevitable reboot, Flashpoint was an utter slap in the face and middle finger to the things we used to love about it. It did nothing for the reader, for the Universe, and was a fast, cheap way to get quickly to its rebooted New 52. The only redeemable part of Flashpoint is a sentimental moment from Thomas Wayne, the alternate Batman, to Bruce. It's a touching letter from a father to his son that actually makes the Batman cry. Unfortunately, knowing that the old DC Universe was about to get demolished, so did we. And thar' she blows. Trust me, this ain't it. What other "epic" story lines filled your soul with disappointment?