RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books In A Pig's Eye Reviews: The Flash 206-208

It's a good time to be a Flash fan. Obvious spoilers are below................................................


The cover to 208


The cover to 209

By the end of Issue 200 Flash/Wally's enemy Zoom had managed to make Linda (Flash's wife) miscarry their twins, imperilled many of Flash's friends and partners, and destroyed a large chunk of keystone city and the Flash Museum. At the end of issue 200 Wally desired to have his secret identity replaced because everyone on the planet knew he was the Flash and the loss of the twins was a consequence. The Spectre agreed to help in his plight and made everyone forget that Wally West was the Flash...including Wally. For the next several issues we get to see wally regaining his memories and have some down time for his mind and heart to recover from that severe loss. wally eventually remembers He has powers through accidents and "flashes" of memory. Batman does his detective work and he uncovers the clues to who the Flash is and why no hero in the JLA can remember. Batman confronts Wally about this of course and when the Spectre's name is brought up Bats goes a little ape shit that wally would trust a renegade hero with such a task as cleansing the entire planet's memory...and rightly so. Flash comes back to the aid of keystone city and the public welcomes him back as he had been MIA for a few weeks and things were going a bit loopy without him. OK, that's a quick rundown on 200-205.

The reason I chose 206 as the starting point of the review is because that is the wrap to whole faded memory story for the most part and Howard porter does his first extended art on the Flash before he takes over officially in issue 207. Issue 206 wraps up the entire police murder story as a man posing as mr element has been setting up captain cold for the murders by using a cold gun..when in reality it's a cop gone insanely bad. Well, Cold gets his revenge as wally is helpless to stop the murder of Petrov (posing as element). Johns has turned Captain Cold, and frankly, the majority of Flash's rogues gallery into serious criminals with serious powers and danger. Captain Cold just stands out because he's Johns' pet character. Linda also remembers all the missing pieces of her lapsed memory when Flash reveals his true identity to her. Very bittersweet. Then we get about 4 pages of the Flash walking out into a new day and thoroughly embracing his Flash identity once more . He actually was willing to give it up for Linda, but she said no in a rather selfless moment. Howard porter's art is so much bettter than it was during his JLA run and I think much of it is due to his time away from comics and a really good inker in Livesay. Overall a very solid starting point for new readers.

Issue 207 also does a great job of recapping everything and as a starting point for new readers. Not only that Johns immediatley lets the reader know who his wally West/Flash is as a person-what his personality is. This is certainly a set up issue but there really is a lot going on with the supporting cast as well. we get more into Zoom's wife who has come to fill his role as the new rogue profiler in keystone-taking his (hunter zolomon) place. Wally finds a letter written by Linda that she has left to live with iris Allen until she overcomes her emotional trauma of the past month and rethinks her life. We also see the upper class of rogues, weather wizard, cold, mirror master and dr alchemy working up a plan. Keystone is holding a parade for Flash day and the minor rogues Tar, trickster, abra kadabra show up to spoil the day of course. I don't think of this as just a goofy fight scene, but more about showing a new tension and division between the rogues. The lesser threats who want money or revenge, etc and the major threats that want something different-I'd say power and respect. There is a great scene where wally calls out Hal/Spectre to chastize him for doing the whole mind wipe thing. It is a great scene and very poignant in showing Hal as a tragic hero trying to make right, but always labelled now as untrustworthy and in a sense inhuman.

Issue 208 gets right back into the action left from 207. Flash was pretty much screwed but Jay garrick and kid Flash show up to lend a hand and pretty much wipe the floor with everyone. the more important part of this scene is that we learn that jay and Bart absolutely remember who Wally is and have never frogotten. We also see the Spectre bit in a more sympathetic light as it was merely a way of Spectre to give Wally time to mourn and heal a bit rather than being a cure all for Wally's problems. We really get a glimpse into who the Flash's family is and why that family is so much more important than his JLA or Titans family- in a way. There are great character moments in the new Flash museum with Jay, Wally and Bart. The issue ends with the JLA teleporting Wally forceably back to the watchtower. Apparently Batman hasn't told the rest of the JLA about Wally's ID.


The things I love about this book are the great character moments that are laced throughout. They are just there- subtlely interwoven into the story without being too long-winded, forced or padded like a Bendis story. On a personal level I love Johns' JSA book, but it does go up and down in quality. With the Flash however I never get let down. it is always smart and entertaing. Definitely Geoff Johns' best book and work. This book is and has been my top monthly book for some time.

Story: A-/B+
Art: B/B+
Overall: B+

I honestly think this is about the only intelligent superhero book out there right now-there are a few contenders, but I don't think they fit the bill as well as this book. The bad news is that due to the Michael Turner covers issues 207 and 208 are sold out from the publisher and your store may not have any copies left, but if you do find them give them a try. Or maybe try one of the 2 available Johns' Flash TPBS. They are nearly as good IMO.

I really have liked Johns's run on The Flash. Scott Kolin's art was a perfect fit for it. Alberto Dose was the wrong guy to follow him up. I hated the art on every issue after 200 with the exception of the Porter spread in the middle of 205 (IIRC) and the end of 206. Porter's work has been great so far. I'm really psyched about this next arc. Johns has been setting up the Rogue Wars stuff for a while now. Can't wait for the pay off.

Nice review Pig, I think I'll buy 207 based on this now. I've been hearing all the incredible things about Johns' Flash, so now's as good a time as any to jump on.

Geoff Johns absolutely ROCKS on this series. Actually, ever since the book was restarted with Wally they've had some great writers with Mike Baron, William Messener-Loebs, Mark Waid, Brian Agustyn, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and now Johns. DC really takes care of this book which could very well be their true flagship title.

It's true that Geoff really, really, is the flagship writer for DC. He's a true player, a class act: writes both wonderful team and solo books. Flash, JSA, Hawkman, Teen Titans... he's the only writer who has consistently great work and actually has extended runs on books. It's him, Greg Rucka, and (to a lesser extent) Judd Winick that are the heart and soul of DC right now.

I didn't like Winnick's run on GL, but everything else he's done had been great! I think when Waid takes over Legion that book will take off. If Morrison and Busiek take on more DC projects that'll be all she wrote. DC will be da bomb again.

Almost every book at DC right now is at a high point, they only have a few more books to reformat.

Green Lantern is one... but he's getting Ron Marz for six issues, and then some crazy shit is happening at the end of the year, rumor has it. Concerning Hal Jordan.

I think that's about it. Is there anything else that hasn't been "rebooted" lately?

Thanks...

I think Winnick is up and down in quality. The only thing I've liked of his so far is outsiders, but I've been on the fence with that series since issue #1.

I've been reading his Green Arrow and Outsiders from the start, and picked up Caper #1... they're all incredible books. Winick's GA is very, very good; better than anything Kevin Smith ever did.

Meltzer's run was excellent. Have you picked up his Batman yet?

I loved Meltzer's run. Has me really anticipating Identity Crisis.

Winick's Batman? Not yet. I'll probably pick it up next week when I go into the shop again.

Um... right.

I read the first Outsiders TPB. Jaysis, Winick, I expected something halfway fun...

Oh, look, the robot doesn't get jokes! She takes them literally! Somebody book this man on Leno! Fuck you, Judd.

But have you tried The Flash?

More flash coming up in Wonder Woman:

quote from narwal, DCMB on Rucka at a con:

Quote:

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Immediately following #210 will be a Wonder Woman-Flash crossover entitled “Truth or Dare.” In the two part story, Wally West and Wonder Woman are tethered together by Wonder Woman’s golden lasso, and get real with each other.

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That will be the only way I'll make the mistake of buying Rucka's Wonder Woman again.. I really didn't like the issue I read. Good concept of the Gods finding day jobs to become important again, but poor execution.

I read "Blood Will Run" and thought it was damn good, so I started getting the single issues until I realized that every story arc seemed to feature Keystone city in chaos with the Flash's entire rogues gallery on the loose... then came the mind-wipe thing. I lost track of the series after that... may start up again.