The Good

There's been a few changes to some characters in the New 52. Some have been good and others...I'm still waiting to see how they play out. Kid Flash, or Bart Allen, is a character I haven't been able to form a full opinion on yet. Part of it has to do with having a younger Barry Allen in the New 52 and no sign of Wally West, the original Kid Flash.

Bart Allen is supposed to be Barry Allen's grandson from the future. At first it wasn't exactly clear if that was the case when he first appeared in TEEN TITANS. He hasn't quite seemed like the time-displaced Bart Allen we knew before so it's been a matter of waiting to see what information is revealed.

While we don't get an origin story here, we do get Fabian Nicieza throwing his witty writing at Bart and delivering a fun comic. This felt more like the Bart Allen I remembered from the early IMPULSE days. There is mention of his recent activities and how this story loosely ties into them but it's also one you can pretty much just jump right in and enjoy, especially with Bart breaking the Fourth Wall on the first page to recap recent events.

The Bad

Bart chasing after three "Dino-Kids" from Mystery Island isn't exactly my first choice in a Nicieza Bart Allen story. The story isn't over as it will continue into next week's TEEN TITANS #12, but I didn't really care too much about them.

Bart breaking the Fourth Wall was obviously very Deadpool-like. It did feel a little weird but again, a great way to catch new readers up on what they need to know before jumping into this issue.

The cover features art that is pretty different from the interiors. I understand using different talent for covers but I just never understand when publishers use cover and interior artist that have different styles. Even the shading of the suit makes it have a different vibe.

The Verdict

This is how we'd want to see Bart Allen written. I would've liked to see more about Bart and how he compares to the pre-New 52 version. The way Fabian Nicieza writes him definitely has a pre-New 52 feel. That made a story involving some characters I didn't find too interesting still have a fun feel. This is what Fabian is good at, telling good stories that are funny and entertaining. I could totally go for a solo Kid Flash title written by Fabian.