The Flash Vol. 5: History Lessons (The New 52) Review

The Flash Vol. 5: History Lessons (The New 52)

Remember that issue where The Flash
fought Flubber?

Writer: Brian Buccellato

Artist: Patrick Zircher

Collects: The Flash #26-29 and The Flash Annual #2

Background Information:

In previous volumes, The Flash has been through all of the greatest villains in his mythos. He's taken on the Rogues, Gorilla Grodd, and Reverse Flash. He even tackled a new villain called Mob Rule (who I hope makes a return one day). The book was bolstered by the work of Francis Manapul, who doubled as excellent writer and artist, resulting in one of the best-looking books of the New 52.

Review:

Then Francis Manapul moved on, and we now have... this.

This...

Yep, that's what it is.

It's pretty clear that Manapul was the best part of The Flash. I expected that in History Lessons, I'd feel the void left by his artwork, but it's Manapul's writing that I've found making the biggest impact on the book, and Brian Buccelatto's work doesn't fill that void. Like, at all.

Please DC, PLEEAAASSEEE make this an ongoing!

History Lessons starts with an admittedly excellent Annual, telling the story of a great Flash/Green
Lantern team-up. The two get teleported to an arena world to fight a bunch of monsters. It's not a deep story, but I can't begin to tell you how much I want to see a Green Lantern/The Flash ongoing. It's an insanely fun tale; Hal and Barry bicker back and forth, there's dialogue that I was expecting to see more in a Marvel movie; not a DC comic. I can't help but love this issue.

But that's where the fun ends. What follows is an utterly forgettable story where Barry follows a string of murders to do battle with a ghost. Deadman makes an appearance here, but it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that there isn't point to the whole thing.



"Ladies, there's plenty of me to go
around!"

Okay, the story does tie into the fact that Barry has spent years trying to prove that his father didn't kill his mother, and there is some foreshadowing of what I hope will be a good reveal when Robert Venditti takes over, but that's not enough. There's no reason to care about what's going on here. I can't even remember how the Flash wins, or even what the ghost's name is. It's a story that feels pointless; the kind where any super hero could take Flash's place, and that makes for something unengaging at best. Overall, Buccellato's writing like he knows that he's done with The Flash, and that hurts.

Patrick Zircher isn't even a bad artist, he's just not as good as Manapul. There's none of that fast and furious panelling, those times when you just realise that the book was written to be drawn. What you get is some decent art that fails to live up to what went before.

If you haven't been reading The Flash until now, I recommend skipping History Lessons and waiting until volume 6 comes out; Robert Venditti is doing some controversial things with Barry and his supporting cast, but at least he's not writing to fill in time. History Lessons gets a two and a half out of five unnameable ghosts.

** 1/2

+ The Green Lantern/Flash issue.
- Everything else feels like a fall from grace.

Alternate Option: The Flash: Move Forward

Start at the beginning, when The Flash was far better.

The Flash Vol. 4: Reverse (The New 52) Review

The Flash Vol. 4: Reverse (The New 52) Review

Yep, it's one of those "make you one colour"
lightening bolts

Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelato

Artists: Francis Manapul, Scott Hepburn and Chris Sprouse

Collects: The Flash #20-25 and The Flash #23.2: Reverse-Flash.

Background Information:

Manapul and Buccellato’s The Flash is a run that hasn’t really ended any story arc at all. It started when the Flash discovered that the speed force messes with time and space. It’s taken him to Gorilla City and back to fight the Rogues and then to fight inhabitants of said Gorilla City, led by Grodd.

Yeah, he’s done heaps of fighting.

Review:

And in Reverse, it’s all over… sort of….

See, Brian Buccellato is staying on the title for one more volume after this, but Manapul has moved on to draw Detective Comics, which Buccellato is also drawing, and, judging on the next volume, he’s taken his toys and gone home. All of the plot elements you cared about up til this point are wrapped up and, even though the wrapping up doesn’t make for stories that are quite as effective as the previous volumes, you can’t help but like it.

Don't tell me those aren't toenails. Those ARE toenails.

So Barry Allen, fast-running superhero and possibly the only blonde dude in the DCU, has been inside the speed force, and taken a few people back with him. Those people found that they had super powers and were promptly killed by a red guy with what looks like black toenails growing all over him. This “Reverse Flash” wants control of the speed force all to himself for reasons that I shan’t spoil.

Okay, so the first thing you’ll be thinking to yourself as you read Reverse is “why didn’t they do this sooner?”

From guest starrinig Kid Flash, to hinting at Jesse Quick, to strongly suggesting a hint of romance between Barry and Iris West, it all seems like stuff that should have been in earlier volumes, but somehow wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, everything here feels like it belongs, but it also feels so natural that there seems little reason not to have had this earlier.

 And that’s not a real criticism because if there’s one thing Manapul and Buccellato have gotten right, it’s that characterisation. The Reverse Flash we get in this volume feels intensely humanised, and you can’t help but feel sorry for him; even though he’s a murderous psychopath. Barry is intensely likeable to the point where you even like his “boringness”. Patty Spivot is great relationship material for Barry; and the two have this fantastic chemistry together without diminishing Iris West’s character in the least.

Not Wally West, but okay...

The art in Reverse continues to be fantastic it’s great to see a book that is written purely to look pretty, and that’s exactly what first impressions of Reverse are. This book, plain and simple, isn’t gonna be the same without Manapul’s art, and that is an absolute, crying shame.

But there’s one thing I can’t forgive Manapul and Buccellato for, and that’s the end of the major story arc. The team spends so much energy and effort building up this great sense of tension, and then, it’s like they suddenly forgot what was going to happen and rushed an ending with what they could think of in the last minute. The crossover into the Batman: Zero Year arc feels both unnecessary and shameless as an advertisement to the team’s upcoming Detective Comics arc.

Reverse is a decent send-off for Manapuul and Buccellato and gets a four out of five black toenails.

****

+ Great Characterisation

+ Art. Is. Beautiful.

- Disappointing end.

Alternate Option: The Flash: Move Forward

Read this. Just read it.

The Flash Volume 3: Gorilla Warfare (The New 52) Review

The Flash Volume 3: Gorilla Warfare (The New 52)

"We are not monkeys! We are apes!"

Writers: Fancis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

Artists: Fancis Manapul

Collecting: The Flash #13-19

Background Information:

Readers who have been put off by the New 52’s “Dark and Gritty” approach, may find that The Flash offers an appropriate remedy to their affliction. Most of the action happens during the day, humour is more present here than in any other DC book and the action has generally been less about decapitations and more about showing off what the Flash can do.

This is a series that has come under fire since the beginning of the New 52 for starring Barry Allen as the Flash and not the highly popular Wally West. But, in all respect, those critics can go jump because The Flash has been one of the more consistently good books in the New 52.

Review:

In case you haven’t caught on, I’ve really been enjoying The Flash, and Gorilla Warfare feels like the final touch on a long first story arc. There’s still another volume to come in Manapul and Buccellato’s run with Barry Allen, but this so far has been the highest point in a series that’s already highly enjoyable.

So the Gem cities have been invaded by talking Gorillas led by their King, Gorilla Grodd. What makes these monkeys so dangerous is that this time, their powered by the speed force- the extra-dimensional energy that give the Flash his powers. Faced with this threat, Flash has to team up with the Rogues- his foes from the previous volume- to drive the invasion back.

The story is a great excuse for Buccellato and Manapul to call the gorilla’s “damn filthy apes”. Planet of the Apes FTW!

Yep, add this to the list of dumb ideas.

There’s been a LOT of set-up to this story in the previous two volumes, so readers hoping to come in fresh with Gorilla Warfare aren’t going to have a lot of fun here. The story relies heavily on knowing that the Rogues are all angry at Captain Cold, their former boss, knowing that Iris West (one corner of Barry’s love triangle) is trapped in the speed force and knowing that most people are convinced that Barry is actually dead. But it’s the way all of these elements are brought together that makes Gorilla Warfare so enjoyable.

Even better is the way that Manapul and Buccellato manage to walk that fine line between “light and fun” and “dark and gritty”. I don’t know how they pull it off, but this book somehow manages to be both without making either one fell neglected. One minute I’m having a chuckle at the inability of the Rogues to get along, another moment I’m cringing as the Trickster’s arm gets ripped off. It’s a great duality that somehow happens without Gorilla Warfare feeling like it’s at odds with itself (something that’s not easy to do- watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2 if you want proof).



Seriously, who doesn't like this couple?

I can’t really go on without talking about Patty Spivot, Barry’s love interest in this and the last two volumes. When I first read about her, I was aware that Iris West was Barry’s love interest before the New 52, and didn’t expect Patty to last this long. Yet, third volume, and here we are. What’s more, she’s really become a likeable character in this volume, and in many ways seems an excellent match for Barry. We know that he’ll end up with Iris eventually, but Barry’s relationship to Patty seems just a relevant.

The art here returns to its former glory. In the last volume, there were some moments that were taken by other artists and that hurt the book. This time the art is firmly in the hands of Manapul, and it’s awesome again.

My only real problem here is that… actually, I have no real problem with this volume. It’s just what I want out of a Flash story, so it gets a five out of five damn filthy apes.

*****

+ Brings the last two volumes together perfectly.

+ Balances “light” and “dark” elements really well.

+ Art back to being excellent.

Alternate Option: The Flash: Move Forward and Rogues Revolution

You need to read these to understand Gorilla Warfare.

The Flash Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution (The New 52) Review

The Flash Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution (The New 52)

The attack of Hairgirl, Glowstick-Man and
Fire Turtle!

Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelato

Artists: Francis Manapul and Marcus To

Collects: The Flash #9-12, #0 and The Flash Annual #1

Background Information:

Okay, so last volume left us on a bit of a cliffhanger, but the short version is that after being trapped in the mystical energy known as the speed force, the Flash has found himself in a city populated by talking gorillas (yep!) led by one King Grodd. That’s bad for him, in case you weren’t aware. Gorilla Grodd is one of the more famous of Flash’s enemies so this is kinda significant. The last volume also saw Flash battling Captain Cold, another Flash iconic and leader of this title’s titular Rogues. While before the New 52, Cold used a freeze ray to ice anything around him, he now freezes things by willing it frozen. That’s important children, make sure you take note.

Review

In its first volume, Move Forward, the New 52’s The Flash established itself as one of the most beautiful books of the reboot. Having writers and artists work together so closely- even having an artist as writer has resulted in a truly art-driven series that has really added flavor to the run. Rogues Revolution thankfully delivers a story that is just as good, but the drop in art quality hurts the book, and it honestly makes me worried for what’s going to happen to the series in future.

Flash tries unsuccessfully to blend in with the gorillas.

So Flash escapes Gorilla Grodd to return to a Central City that well and truly hates Flash. See, the Central City residents blame pretty much every bad thing that’s happened on the Flash, and even former friends like Dr. Elias are rallying protests against the Scarlet Speedster. What’s more, Captain Cold’s former crew, a group called the Rogues are back and they’re after Cold’s blood.

Okay, the best thing about this volume is really how much Flash’s supporting cast develops here. Dr. Elias is not the friend to Flash that he once thought he was, and actually seems to just do bad things just to see what happens. Flash’s former girlfriend Patty Spivot hate the Flash because she thinks him responsible for the death of Flash’s civilian identity, Barry Allen. Even Captain Cold, through flashbacks, has some great character progression, pushing the Rogues to their breaking points. I love it when a comic has a vibrant supporting cast and Manapul and Buccelato absolutely nail it.

The Flash himself develops well as a character too; but that’s mostly as a result of the development in everyone else. Here he drops the identity as Barry Allen- cop job and all- to work in Keystone City and keep an eye on the criminal types. Sure, the same thing happens in volume 2 of Superman-Action Comics, but here they don’t make such a big deal of it. Not to put down Grant Morrison’s work, but I really prefer it The Flash’s way, the story felt more like it was going somewhere and Flash’s new identity seemed more to be a part of a greater whole rather than the story in and of itself.

The main story arc of Rogues Revolution takes up issues 9-12 and Annual #1 and does an excellent job at explaining some elements . Like the last volume, it ends on a cliffhanger that is equal parts interesting and annoying. It centers on Gorilla Grodd again and sets up for some enormous things to happen in the next volume. But that’s probably my biggest problem with this volume. We’ve seen Manapul and Buccelato use Grodd for the next volume before, only to see it come to nothing. It’s a trick I’m only likely to fall for so many times. It had better pay off next volume.

So... much... activity... on... one...
page!

The volume ends with what is possibly one of the best 0 issues I’ve read so far. This issue alone adds more like armour. At best, it’s overdesigned spandex, and that’s fine for someone who makes his career out of running fast.

layers to the Flash than anything before it in the New 52 had done- and that’s saying something. My only real problem with this issue is the fact that Barry Allen says that he needs to use armour instead of tights for his costume. I’m not an anti-armour, New 52-hater (I genuinely love, for example, Superman’s new look- collar and all), but the Flash’s suit looks nothing

The art in volume 1 was perfect throughout. Manapul’s washed-out colours and spectacular page design won the day easily. In Rogues Revolution, part of the art duties are taken by Marcus To and while he does an admirable job, To’s work is nothing compared to Manapul’s beautiful work.

Be that as it may, Rogues Revolution is an fun, though slightly flawed, continuation of the story begun in Move Forward. It gets a three and a half out of five anti-armour, New 52-haters.

*** 1/2

+ Solid character development

+ Manapul’s art is gorgeous as always.

+ 0 issue is near perfect.

- Marcus To just isn’t as good an artist

- Another Gorilla Grodd cliffhanger? C’MON!!!

Alternate Option: The Flash: Move Forward

Not really a book you can regret reading, start from the beginning of the New 52 run.