The Flash #22 - A Review (WARNING! SPOILERS!)

It's a race against time as Batman and The Flash move to catch The Reverse Flash before he runs to his death. Thankfully, an unexpected and unknown ally will be there to help them find their way home...


Normally I wouldn't drop a spoiler-filled page like this in a review but with Jay Garrick on the cover of the comic, there seems little point in avoiding it.

The Button concludes with little in the way of revelation for those readers who read DC Universe Rebirth. The biggest takeaway is that Jay Garrick - the first Flash - is trapped outside of time in the same way that the original Wally West was. The ending of the issue - and the ad for the next big event - also seem to confirm what astute readers guessed regarding who is responsible for changing The DC Universe... and possibly for creating it in the first place.

Where this is going is still anyone's guess but the JSA's disappearance also seems to be tied into a man who appears to be a ninety-year-old Johnny Thunder, desperately trying to summon his Thunderbolt. Then there's that blonde woman in Arhkahm Asylum (my money is on her being Saturn Girl)  who keeps insisting that things are wrong and there's no future.

Thankfully, this issue is entertaining even if there's little development of the on-going saga. Joshua Williamson has an obvious love and knowledge of the characters involved and there's a great scene that sums up the difference between Bruce and Barry - despite similar training as detectives - and how they consider their shared experiences.  The artwork by Howard Porter and Hi-Fi is similarly fantastic, with bright colors and smoothly-flowing action sequences. I also like how Porter's design for Jay Garrick resembles actor John Wesley Shipp.

Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. It's not shaking up the DC Universe or answering any questions but it's a solid comic with some great artwork and some neat character studies of The Flash and Batman.

Batman #22 - A Review

Following the trail of The Reverse Flash back in time, Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne find themselves in the alternate timeline Barry dubbed Flashpoint. The problem is that Flashpoint shouldn't exist anymore - a fact that is doubly worrying to the Batman of that reality, Dr. Thomas Wayne, who is rather annoyed by the fact that he still exists...



The plot thickens in this third chapter of The Button but it still feels like we're largely running in circles regarding some grand, epic reveal regarding the nature of Life, The Universe and Everything in the DC Rebirth Reality. Thankfully, there's some wonderful character material in Joshua Williamson's script. The best moment involves the touching interaction between the two Batmen, as father and son see the depth of their love for each other.

The artwork by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson looks amazing throughout. There's little in the way of action apart from a battle with the allied forces of Atlantis and Themyscira. This fight seems to occur only because there needs to be -something- to add urgency to Barry and Bruce trying to leave Flashpoint apart from the universe falling apart but it's brilliantly depicted in spite of that.

Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. Another solid issue, though most of the material in it is extraneous in terms of plot.

The Flash #21 - A Review

Barry Allen is used to investigating unusual crime scenes - both as a CSI for the Central City Police Department and as The Flash. Yet even by Barry's standards The Batcave is an unusual locale and The Reverse Flash is no ordinary murder victim. With the assistance of an injured Bruce Wayne, Barry must piece together what few clues he can about the murder of his greatest enemy before taking a trip back in time to see the murder take place!


This second chapter of The Button proves stronger than the first. This is not to say the first part was bad but it was, for the most part, an extended action sequence more concerned with set-up than content. This issue offers us mysteriy aplenty and there is much for those amateur sleuths among the readers to consider.

The high-point of Joshua Williamson's script, however, is the interplay between Bruce and Barry. Strangely enough we don't get to see these two heroes team up in an intellectual capacity often and it's oddly compelling to see them talking shop. Howard Porter's artwork, well-progressed past the excesses of his more elastic work on the 1990's JLA title, looks fantastic throughout, with Hi-Fi's colors providing the perfect finishes.

Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. Flawed only in that there's very little progress on the actual plot, but the great character writing and artwork makes up for it.

Batman #21 - A Review

Returning to his investigation of the mysterious blood-soaked button that materialized in The Bat-Cave shortly after the return of the first Wally West, Batman makes a shocking discovery. Summoning Barry Allen to ask for assistance after he detects the influence of The Speed Force at work, Batman quickly finds himself facing a new foe - one who claims to be an old enemy!


Those hoping for quick answers to the mysteries posed by DC Universe Rebirth #1 in this issue will be sorely disappointed. Batman #21 ultimately does little but give us more mysteries to ponder. It must be said, however, that those mysteries are well-presented and that Tom King's script - based on a plot by Geoff Johns - does a fine job of setting up the story to come.

Apart from the titular Button, there is little obvious connection to Watchmen in the main plot of this issue. Subtextually, there is a mirror story, seemingly unrelated to the main action, which parallels the battle between Batman and the apparent villain of this issue in a way similar to the stories within stories of Watchmen.

The influence of Watchmen is more obvious in the artwork. Most of the pages - saving a few splashes - display the three-by-three grids utilized throughout Watchmen. Jason Fabok masterfully constructs surprisingly detail-driven pictures within the confinement offered to him, with Brad Anderson utilizing a perfect palette to finish it all.

Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. A solid start.

Justice League: Rebirth #1 - A Review

They are the World's Finest heroes. But in the wake of Superman's death and the disappearance of Hal Jordan - the first Green Lantern of Earth - they are not what they once were. Still, there is another Superman and two rookie Green Lanterns - both of whom shall reveal themselves as The Justice League face their greatest challenge yet!


I can't fault David Finch entirely for this issue feeling like I walked into an action movie twenty minutes after it started. The recent events of the Superman and Green Lanterns books defy easy explanation and Finch does well enough trying to bring the pre-52 Superman, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz into play. I can, however, fault Finch for the decision to tell this story out of sequence, with the original Justice League members discussing the new Superman joining the team before they meet him.

I can also fault Finch for the atrocious artwork in this issue. The poses are all forced and the facial expressions are hilariously awful. The inking by Scott Hanna and Daniel Henriques is unevenly applied. Alex Sinclair's colors aren't bad but there's only so much you can do to change a cowpie by painting it.

DC Universe Rebirth #1 - A Spoiler-Free Review

The cynic in me chuckled at the first page of DC Rebirth #1. First page of a new book meant to revamp the whole of the DC Comics Universe (again!) and - in theory - bring in new readers looking for an entry point, and what do we start with? An editorial note saying we should read Justice League #50 and Superman #52 before reading this issue.

 After that, the cynic didn't laugh once.


This book is good. Damn good. An all-star line-up of artists make every page poster-worthy. Textually and metatextually, the conceit at the center of this issue's story is brilliant. It is a great story, told by the perfect narrator to explain just what went wrong with the DC Universe as it is now.

Once the dust is settled I will do a more in-depth review, discussing what worked about this issue in detail. Right here, right now, I will say only this. Rebirth is the shot in the arm that DC Comics needed and the future is looking bright indeed.


I still have some reservations about what is to come. And the cynic does wonder if the various editorial teams will manage to hold to the vision of love and legacy that Geoff Johns put forth in this issue. But I have hope after reading this book that things will improve. And that is something new.

DC Rebirth #1, as a single story, is a good one. It's a love letter to everything I love about DC Comics and a renewal of many of the things we've been missing. And even if you're not a DC fan... in fact, especially if you're not a DC fan...you should check this issue out to get a sample of what we've all been missing.