Or – “This One’s The Determinator For Matthew…”
I’ve been on the fence about the revamped Flash for some time, but per my general rule of pull list acquisitions, I give any title six issues to grab me. This series has been all over the map, plagued with delays, and generally pretty much a non-starter for me, so I’m hoping that this arc closes with a big bang that will launch us into a new era of Flash-related greatness.
I am not, however, holding my breath…
The Flash #6
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:10 Variant cover by ALE GARZA & SANDRA HOPE
Colors by BRIAN BUCCATELLO
Letters by SAL CIPRIANO
Published by DC COMICS
Previously, on The Flash: The 25th Century is the stomping grounds of Eobard Thawne, known to many as the Reverse-Flash, Professor Zoom, or Mr. Stinky. This notoriety has apparently led the judicial system of that era to try and fight crime using a whole new strategem: Take out PAST crimes in an effort to wipe out all the criminals and their families, eventually leading to a utopian 25th Century with no crime whatsoever. Of course, there is a small problem with this theory, in that their data isn’t accurate. Sending their greatest champions (ironically all patterned on Flash foes, a sort of Reverse Rogue’s Gallery) back in time, the secret heads of future jurisprudence have set out to take The Flash into custody for the future murder of the Mirror Monarch, while one of their own members plots to take out Iris Allen for his own unseen ends. I’m no temporal mechanic, but the fact that The Flash killed the Reverse-Flash 500 years before he was ever born would seem to be a more meaningful crime to me, but then again, that happened more than six issues ago, so it might as well not even have happened in today’s comics market. Either way, Barry Allen is on trial for his recently-returned life, and things look bad for the Vizier of Velocity…
The mysterious masked judge opens this issue, reading off the crimes that the Flash supposedly caused, but finds that he can’t get a word in edgewise when the defendant has super-speed. Barry tries to parley with them, but justice is blind even in the year 2525 (and as it turns out, man is not only alive, he’s taken all this old Earth can give but ain’t put back nothin’, whoa whoooa) and Flash’s sentence starts to come down. Of course, in a moment that is pretty awesome, Barry busts free (“Did you really think you could restrain me with HANDCUFFS for so long?”) steals a time platform and jets back to the present just in time to save his wife Iris from the evil Top. Wait, are they still married if they’ve both died and returned without remarrying? I’m not sure that’s been addressed thus far… Flash opens a can of high-velocity Whupa$$ on the future Rogue, and the chase is on.
The Top leads him on a merry chase across Central City, all the while helpfully explaining that it is HE who set The Flash up, traveling back in time to frame not only Flash but the innocent boy in a previous issue for crimes to protect his own standing. Turns out that Top’s ancestor was the actual murderer, and it was clear that The Flash would be able to prove that fact, causing Top to be drummed out of the Reverse-Rogues due to their stringent background checks. Their battle ends up in a modern courtroom, which is where I start to get annoyed with the whole proceeding, as they hammer us over the head with the symbolism of it all. Flash uses his super-speed to undo The Top’s spinning powers, and the future-types arrive to take their guy into custody. Commander Cold, the head of the strikeforce, tells Flash that he’s disappointed in him, since he can travel through time, but he’s never tried to “fix it.” The issue ends with an interesting couple of previews, as the 25th Century types realize that time is broken because of the paradoxes involving Wonder Woman, and a mysterious man on a motorcycle hopes that Barry finds “The Flashpoint” in time…
First and foremost, this is really not the ideal arc to kick off a new title, in my opinion, relying as it does on knowledge not only of The Flash and his villains, their backstories and some pretty in-depth temporal manipulations overall. It sets in motion what I believe will be the first sparks of the coming giant Flash crossover, and I’m extremely annoyed to say that they’ve hooked me, at least for a while more. The issue itself is much clearer visually than the last couple, but I’m not at all convinced that Francis Manapul is the best artist for a book that relies on speed and motion effects, given his rather stiff figure-work and the pencil/watercolor effects of the finished art. Overall, it’s better than either #4 or #5, but it still evens out to a pretty average issue overall. I want to know what comes next more than I care about what has just finished, causing The Flash #6 to earn a pretty disappointed 2.5 out of 5 stars overall.
[rating:2.5/5]
Faithful Spoilerite Question Of The Day: What do we suspect this whole Flashpoint thing is all about? And will I at least get some Wally West out of the thing?