The Flash and Central City start moving forward after the destruction caused by the Crime Syndicate
Overview:
The new creative team starts their run (pun most certainly intended) off by sending us into the future a few years where we witness a traumatizing event in Barry’s future and are also introduced to a new character that is unknown to the reader, providing the set-up for the upcoming arc. We are then sent back to the present day where Central City is left in shambles after the recent events that transpired in Forever Evil and Rogues Rebellion.
The Good:
The focus of this issue is on how the people of Central City as well as our hero deal with the destruction caused by the Crime Syndicate, but more importantly the psychological/emotional trauma that comes with it. The toll major events have on the heroes both physically and emotionally in the aftermath tend to be the focus within comics, with little emphasis at times on how this affects the everyday citizen. Robert Venditti and Van Jensen give a taste of both perspectives in this issue and craft it perfectly, almost to the point where I felt Central City itself had been personified.
As a side, interactions between Patty and Barry in this issue are great and I look forward to seeing more of that. There is also a spectacular reveal at the end that connects to the scenes from the future and identifies our mystery character (look carefully at the details in the panels at the end!). Long-time fans of the Flash, you know what I’m talking about.
I’m a big fan of Brett Booth’s pencils. He has a way of drawing characters in a very dynamic fashion which really gives each panel some extra pizzazz. Norm Rapmund’s inks really defined each panel, but at the same time didn’t over power the scene while Andrew Dalhouse’s colors made each pop with a bright color palette.
The Bad:
In full disclosure, I’ve been a long-standing fan of the Flash for many years and as a result I tend to be a bit more critical of this comic than others in my pull. That being said, my only complaint was that occasionally I felt Barry’s facial expressions out of costume either seemed a little off or goofy at times. But whenever Barry donned his costume the facial expressions were spot on and really fit the mood of each panel.
The Verdict:
Overall, I think the new creative team really hit ground running (okay I’ll stop it with the speedster puns) and gave us an engaging first issue. With a start like this I think the Flash is in good hands with this new creative team. I can’t wait to see where the first arc goes given the reveal at the end. This issue is a great jumping on point for new readers of the Flash and has plenty for long-time readers to get pumped up about. I highly recommend picking it up.
