The Flash #24 - A Review

When the self-cloning Multiplex crashes Barry Allen's surprise birthday party, it falls to The Flash and a visiting Hal Jordan (a.k.a. The Green Lantern) to clean up the mess. Unfortunately, that leaves Iris and Wally West unprotected when another unexpected guest shows up. But how is The Reverse Flash still alive? And what does he want with the two of them?


The artwork is definitely the weakest aspect of The Flash #24. Specifically, the pages penciled by Carmine Di Giandomenico. There's been a rough wildness to Di Giandomenico's work in past issues that I thought fitting for depicting speedsters, with random squiggles suggesting continual motion even when at rest. Unfortunately this stylistic choice looks sloppy when paired with the more static figure of Iris West, who appears to be the only figure being drawn "correctly". The excellent pages by Pop Mahn in a more traditional style only add to this feeling that Di Giandomenico's art is sloppy rather than stylistic.

It's a shame because the story by Joshua Williamson is a good one. The mystery of just where (or when) this Reverse Flash came from is an intriguing one. The action scenes are well-written and there's a great buddy bonding moment between Hal Jordan and Barry Allen that reminds me of the better bits of Mark Waid's The Brave And The Bold.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10. The story is great but Carmine Di Giandomenico's stylistic choices look slap-dash when compared to Pop Mhan's pages in the same issue.

The Flash #19 - A Review

The trail of Daniel West - the second man to call himself The Reverse Flash and Wally West's biological father - leads The Flash and Kid Flash to Australia in search of Captain Boomerang, who may have served with Daniel in The Suicide Squad. Unfortunately, their swift arrival blows the not-so-good captain's cover and they're soon at the mercy of a gang of weapons dealers known as The Weavers. Like it or not, the old enemies are going to have to work together to save themselves, but can even Captain Boomerang and The Flash stage a comeback from this setback in The Outback?



The artwork on The Flash #19 is a little more erratic than usual. Both Jesus Merino and Carmine Di Giandomenico are great artists yet they have decidedly different styles and strengths and the way the workload is split in the story is curiously conflicted. One oddity is that Carmine Di Giandomenico - whose strength lies in kinetic action sequences - handles the quieter section near the end of the book, where Barry and Wally have a long overdue talk. The sequence works, however, despite seemingly not playing to the regular artist's strengths. It should also be noted that the colors by Chris Sotomayor are fantastic throughout.


Whatever conflicts exist in the art are not born of the story. Joshua Williamson's work is as fine as ever and he writes a wonderful Digger Harkness here - every bit the professional and sleazeball, yet with enough of a soft-side to inspire a modicum of sympathy. The closing scenes between Barry and Wally, however, may have you reaching for your tissues.

The Flash #17 - A Review

The Rogues just puled their greatest heist ever!  Naturally, The Flash quickly caught up with them as they were skipping town, but can he move fast enough to overcome Captain Cold's new and improved cold gun?  One which draws off the power of The Speed Force itself?!


The Flash #17 is a disappointing conclusion to what had been a promising return for The Rogues into the Rebirth universe.  The story here is predictable and nothing we haven't seen before. The only thing that makes it tolerable is Joshua Williamson's command of the characters and the fact that he writes great dialogue.

The artwork - provided by three artists this month - is similarly disjointed. I find Carmine Di Giandomerico's style disjointing at times but the general wild and untamed feel of it usually seems to fit The Flash on its own terms. Placed alongside more traditional artists as part of the same tale, however, it comes off as sloppy and scribbled-over.

The Flash #16 - A Review

The Rogues have divided and conquered, luring The Flash out of Central City just long enough for them all to rob multiple targets. Even The Fastest Man Alive can't be in six places at once! Can The Flash thwart his enemies' greatest heist ever?


The artwork is much stronger than its been in recent issues of The Flash. The uncharacteristic sloppiness that plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's recent output is absent. Fittingly, there is a continual sense of motion to Di Giandomenico's work that well suits this issue's high-action story. Of particular note are the effects used to simulate the variety of energies involved from The Flash's lightning to the fire of Heatwave's gun.

Despite this issue being furiously-paced, Joshua Williamson's script also contains a number of brilliant character scenes. No matter how fast his stories moves, Williamson always gives his cast a chance to speak and the scenes of Barry trying to reason with his enemies and show them a better way are powerfully written.

The Flash #15 - A Review

The Rogues have been in hiding for quite a while, which can't mean anything good. The Flash uncovered plans indicating they went to the island of Corto Maltese to steal a golden statue of the god Mercury. Even though it isn't Central City, The Flash isn't about to let them get away with it but have the ol' gang learned some new tricks?


Joshua Williamson spins a masterful heist story, showing a strong grasp of the individual Rogues as characters. Unfortunately, the sloppiness that has plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's pencils in recent issues continues to be a problem. It's infrequent enough not to distract from the story completely but this issue seems rushed rather than fast-paced.

The Flash #14 - A Review

Master thieves armed with fantastic tools and led by the formidable Captain Cold, The Rogues are the greatest enemies of law and order in The Flash's town, despite their occasionally playing the hero. Absent from Central City since before The Speed Force Storm that changed so much, finding where they're hiding has become Barry Allen's first priority now that things have calmed down somewhat. What he uncovers, however, is evidence of a heist to end all heists in another country, suggesting that The Rogue's Reformation was short-lived...


This first issue of the Rogues Reloaded storyline is surprisingly slow-paced for a Flash comic. Joshua Williamson spends a little too long trying to establish the status quo of Central City.  While this may be a necessary evil given how much back-story there is regarding The Rogues, Iron Heights prison, the new Kid Flash and Barry's newfound romance with Iris West, this is still a case of telling rather than showing the story and we wind up hearing precious little about The Rogues in all of it. Hopefully the pace will quicken in upcoming issues.

Carmine Di Giandomenico is similarly off his game this time around. There is something inexplicably sloppy about the artwork in this issue, with several pages - particularly in the opening fight between The Flash and Papercut's gang - where the figures are disjointed and the inks muddy the artwork rather than enhancing it. The artwork doesn't look bad, as such, but it's a step-down from the usual level of quality for all involved.

The Flash #8 - A Review

The murderous Godspeed's identity has been revealed and now he's out to deliver his own brand of harsh justice to Central City. With the power he's stolen from other speedsters, he's now faster than The Flash! But The Flash isn't alone in this battle, as Wally West comes to the rescue!


There's been a fair bit of build up to Wally West becoming Kid Flash since this series started, but the payoff in this issue has proved worth the wait. The above image may be the most striking bit of work Carmine Di Giandomenico has crafted yet for this series, and that is saying something! Credit must also be paid to Ivan Plascencia, for his color artwork provides the perfect finishes to Di Giandomenico's pencils and inks.And Joshua Williamson brings the opening arc to a satisfying conclusion, with ample material to drive the story forward in future issues.

Bottom Line: If you haven't been reading The Flash, you should rectify that mistake quickly.

The Flash #6 - A Review

A new villainous speedster dubbed Godspeed has been killing the people affected by The Speed Force Storm that gave dozens of normal people the gift of super-speed.  Of course Barry Allen was ready to run himself ragged over this development, even before his new girlfriend apparently became Godspeed's latest victim. Could The Fastest Man Alive have finally met his equal - or even his superior - in Godspeed?


While starting strongly and swiftly, this opening arc on The Flash seems to have lost all momentum. I realize the irony in saying this but it seems like this story has been moving too quickly in recent issues. Only two issues have passed since Barry Allen revealed his true identity to his new love interest and only one issue has passed since her disappearance and apparent death!  Still, I must commend Williamson for ensuring that this issue follows the Stan Lee axiom about treating every comic you write as if it was somebody's first, with the opening pages effectively recapping the series to date for those new readers playing catch-up.

The artwork feels similarly rushed this time around.  Carmine Di Giandomenico is usually a fine artist but the work here feels rushed and sloppy, with the inks being particularly uneven at times. The coloring effects used by Ivan Plascencia seem similarly thin and washed out.

The Flash #3 - A Review

The actions of the gang known as The Black Hole have brought down the lightning in Central City, resulting in several people gaining access to The Speed Force and the powers of The Flash. Some of them have turned to crime and some of them have lost control! Thankfully, Barry Allen has the help of his old friend Detective August Heart and Dr. Meena Dhawan - a scientist at STAR Labs who has established a special project devoted to helping the new speedsters (like herself) control their powers.


This issue is surprisingly light on action but makes up for it by being one of the best world-building issues I've ever read. Joshua Williamson explores the nature of The Speed Force with surprising economy. He does a fair job of developing August as a character and gives Dr. Meena Dhawan a great introduction. Best of all, we get a nice scene between Barry and a teenage fangirl who is literally running out of control that showcases that Barry Allen's greatest power is his sense of compassion - not his speed.


The artwork matches the fast-paced story, stride for stride. There's a sense of motion to everything Carmine Di Giandomenico draws so even the static scenes of two people just standing there and talking have a certain sense of energy behind them. And the colors by Ivan Plascencia are perfectly eye-catching.

The Flash #2 - A Review

Despite having just recovered his memories of training Kid Flash, Barry Allen has no desire to become a teacher to a newbie speedster. Yet he can't just stand idly by when August Heart - a CCPD detective and one of Barry's few friends on the force - is stuck by lightning and seemingly develops a connection to The Speed Force. With a new criminal gang called The Black Hole on the loose, Barry could use all the help he can get. And unbeknownst to everyone else, Iris West's nephew, Wally West, has also developed super-speed powers...


The story slows down a bit with this issue, allowing the on-going plot line to thicken as Joshua Williamson develops the relationship between August and Barry. This proves a wise decision, given how little we know about August as a character thus far beyond his being an honest cop who lost his brother and his having a respect for Barry that nobody else in the CCPD seems to share. The basic plot of the issue beyond this is fairly standard but the action sequences are well-executed in spite of that, as are the brief moments of Wally West reveling in his newfound speed.

Carmen Di Giandomenico and Ivan Plascencia continue to deliver quality artwork that matches Williamson's scripts  Di Giandomenico always catches the characters in moments of motion, giving the artwork an active feeling even when we're only watching two characters have a conversation. The colors by Plascencia are well chosen and manage several interesting effects, such as a grey-heavy palette being used for flashbacks depicting sad memories.

The Flash #1 - A Review

Barry Allen is The Flash - The Fastest Man Alive. But now he's not alone.

Barry's learned the odd truth - that he once had a nephew named Wally West and once upon a time he too was The Flash and The Fastest Man Alive! More, someone has altered time itself, removing Wally from the world Barry knows and altering the very universe itself. Barry and Batman have begun exploring the mystery, as Wally makes contact with his former comrades in the Teen Titans.

Still, as much as Barry loves a big mystery, he can't stand still for too long and he still has his work as a CSI for the Central City Police Department to attend to, in addition to a lunch date with his friend Iris West (who he's starting to remember as something more than a friend) and an entirely different Wally West. Not even The Flash can be in two places at once, after all, though Barry will push himself as never before when one of his few friends on the police force is endangered by a new villain...


Despite being firmly tied into DC Universe Rebirth #1, this new Flash series doesn't continue the storyline we saw in The Flash: Rebirth #1. Instead, Joshua Williamson focuses upon Barry Allen as a character and establishes the life he has now rather than exploring what he had.

It's a fair choice and a helpful introduction for those new readers attracted from The Flash TV series as well as those giving the series a shot because of Rebirth. Willamson's script establishes Barry as an affable sort whose biggest sin is trying to take on too much at once. The rest of the supporting cast are also introduced and the issue ends on a gripping cliffhanger that promising big things for this opening arc.

The artwork by Carmine Di Giadnomenico upholds the same promise revealed in the Rebirth special. Di Giandomenico's style is reminiscent of Scott Kolins' work on The Flash years ago, but with a less gritty aesthetic. The colors of Ivan Plascencia contribute to this classic comic feeling, being as bright and eye-catching as those in any Silver Age story.