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DC Comics Review: The Flash: Rebirth #4

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

FlashRebirth4

Rating: ***

After almost three months, The Flash: Rebirth series continues.  I’ve liked this series so far, but this issue was very confusing.  It reminded me of some comic book stories I read in the 90s where the story was very exciting, but I had no idea what was going on.  I kind of felt that way here with this issue as I had to go over and re-read certain things to get a better grasp of what was going on - and as of right now, I’m still not 100% sure what’s going on or how to explain it.  However confusing the story may be, the action is intense and non-stop in this issue and with the action being presented by artist extraordinaire Ethan Van Sciver, you don’t mind it as page after page showcase some amazing artwork. 

In our last issue, the main villain of our story stood revealed and to no surprise it was Eobard Thawne the Reverse Flash, Professor Zoom.  Okay.  So from what I can understand, Thawne is responsible for infecting Barry with his current affliction of hurting speedsters.  According to Thawne, he has created a negative Speed Force.  It seems that when Barry was hit by lightning he created the Speed Force at that moment and now Thawne has created the negative Speed Force and it’s the cause of Barry’s disorder. 

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DC Comics Review: The Flash: Rebirth #3

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

FlashR3

Rating: ***

Barry Allen is back from the dead. He’s returned to his old life as the Flash, but just as he begins his new life, strange things have begun happening. In the last two issues we’ve seen that when ever Barry touches a speedster, they either die or are hit with excruciating pain. At the end of issue two, Barry has become the new Black Flash which is a sort of angel of death for the speedsters of the DC Universe. And that’s where we are right now in the story of “The Flash: Rebirth”.

I’m enjoying this series so far. It’s not been the best Flash storyline I’ve ever read, but its a good story by Geoff Johns and amazing artwork by Ethan Van Sciver. I like that Johns is bringing in just about everything that has to do with the Flash. I love the Flash’s history and think he has one of the best rogues gallery in comics. This issue opens up with a mysterious assailant going after the Flash villain Abra Kadabra. We don’t see the assailant, but he or she says to Kadabra that, “There isn’t room in this century for the both of us.” The assailant then yells the phrase abra kadabra and then proceeds to burn Abra Kadabra himself.

We then see Liberty Belle and Hourman at the JSA headquarters discussing her parents Johnny Quick and the original Liberty Belle. An explosion happens and we see Johnny Quick calling out to Barry not to hurt Jesse (the current Liberty Belle). Why? Johnny is dead and was absorbed into the Speed Force. Does he think Barry will hurt Jesse and the others on purpose?

We then go to Barry who is being held in a containment field while the JLA and JSA try to help him. The Black Flash entity is taking over Barry and he asks Green Lantern to take him away from everyone as it seems that he can’t control it. Barry decides to then give up and run back to the Speed Force to save everyone from himself. As he runs away we get the return of the classic plot line of the Superman/Flash race as Superman runs after Barry to try and convince him to stick around so they can help him. But Barry proves himself to be the fastest man alive and out runs Superman as he begins racing through time.

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DC Comics Review: The Flash: Rebirth #2

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

FlashRebirth2

Rating: *** 1/2*

This week we have the release of issue two of Geoff John’s Flash mini-series Rebirth. The story picks up where we left off in the first issue with Savitar death at the hands of Barry Allen and all of the other Earth’s speedsters suffering from some sort of shock. Savitar was able to escape the Speed Force through Barry’s body, but as Barry ran and caught him, Savitar turned to dust. Before he died, he made reference to Barry being the beginning and the ending. Why did Savitar incinerate when he touched Barry and why the other speedsters where affected as well is our big mystery.

Ethan Van Sciver once again provides the art work for this series. Van Sciver is quickly becoming one of the best in the business and DC is lucky to have him under contract. I loved his work on the Green Lantern Rebirth series and he hits it out of the ball park here as well.

Barry Allen has returned to the DC universe as the Flash, but his secret identity has also resurfaced in the world. To the world, Barry Allen died. We discover that when Barry returned, Wonder Woman was able to use government connections to create a back story where Barry faked his death went into the witness protection program. I think that’s a cool idea; simple and believable. We also get a retelling of Barry’s origin here in this issue and how Barry was obsessed with proving his father’s innocence for the murder of his mother. His father unfortunately died in prison. Geoff also shows us some flashbacks prior to Barry becoming the Flash with his first meeting of his future wife Iris West. We also see how he first started using the bow-tie. I don’t know much about Barry’s history so whether this is all new or a retelling is unknown to me. One of these days I’ll go back and look at the reprints.

The real story however is what’s happening to Barry.

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DC Comics Review: The Flash Rebirth #1

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

Flash

Rating: *** 1/2*

The Flash is back! “The Flash: Rebirth” mini-series begins the story of Barry Allen’s return to the DC universe. This is a new experience for me because the lead Flash for me has always been Wally West. In the 200 plus issues of Wally’s Flash book, Barry Allen has popped up in several storylines. He would be pulled from the time stream before he made his Crisis run so he could come and help Wally. Now as a result of the events of “Final Crisis,” Barry has been pulled from the Speed Force where he has existed since the end of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and he’s now alive and well ready to continue to live his life. But the question remains why was he pulled and how?

In this issue, writer Geoff Johns paints an almost dark Batman type of Barry Allen. All he seems to care about now that he’s back is getting back into the game and fighting whatever threat there is out there. He doesn’t want to go to the parties or parades that are in his honor. He feels that since he’s been away for so long, the world has passed him by and he needs to catch up immediately and start fighting. He seems almost obsessed with it.

From the few stories I have read that contained of the character of Barry Allen, he seems like a much different person here in this issue. Has his time within the Speed Force changed him? I don’t know.

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DC Comics Review: Flash #247

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

Flash

The current on-going “Flash” title has come to end.  Wally is alive; his wife Linda is alive; and so are the kids.  The only significant thing that happened is that Wally has decided to take a break from the super-hero life and spend time with his family.  I wish this series would have ended with a better creative team in place so as to give the book a proper send-off.  “The Flash” Volume One ended with issue #350.  It had a very good ending and it had it’s longtime artist Carmine Infantino illustrating it.  This issue was illustrated by three different artists and three different inkers - it looked rushed in some areas.  We know Barry Allen is coming back in 2009, but Wally has been the Flash for over 20 years and he deserves some respect.

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DC Comics Review: The Flash #246

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics

Flash

I haven’t been reading “The Flash” for close to a year now. At various times over the past 15 years, “The Flash” has been one of the best comic books out there. From Mark Waid’s first two runs on the title, to Geoff Johns classic run, I can’t say enough good things about it. After Johns run came to an end, “The Flash” just hasn’t been that good.

After “Infinite Crisis,” Wally West aka The Flash disappeared along with his wife Linda and twin babies. Bart Allen aka Kid Flash, like Wally West before him, became the Flash in his absence. A year later, Bart was killed by Inertia and the The Rogues. Wally returned along with Linda his wife and their kids who were now physically older due to their link to the speed force. With Wally’s return, Mark Waid also returned to write the character.

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Wally West Lives!

Posted by David Torres Categories:

Flash

For years we have been hearing that Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, is coming back to life.  The death of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths angered many long-time DC fans.  As you know, Wally West, the former Kid Flash, took on the mantle of the Flash.  At first, Wally was not welcomed by the fans.  Although many had loved him as Kid Flash fighting alongside Barry and then in the Teen Titans, to them Wally was not the Flash.  It took a while, but finally many came to accept and even like that Wally was the Flash - a large part due to Mark Waid’s classic first run on the Flash title.

Over the years we’ve seen Barry Allen return in some form.  We would see him traveling through time just prior to his death in Crisis.  He would show up, fight, but always return to his own time because he would have to die to save the universe.  Now he’s back again.  With the current Final Crisis storyline we have seen Barry return once again, but this time it was announced that this would, in fact, be for good.  Even the NY Daily News announced his return. 

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