Flash #1 *SPOILERS!*

[Rokk]

I thought this was a very solid first issue. Bilson and DeMeo did what you have to with a first issue to a new series. Set up all the players, give you background information and then end the issue with a big hook. They did that.

Plus, Lashley's artwork is great! Lashley is the perfect artist for the Flash.

[mrc1214]

I thought it was a good issue. Lashley did a great job with the artwork . Im looking foward to the next issue.

[Jack]

Bart's hair is brown! Brown! Brown! Yay! Here's a repost of what I said in the other Flash thread, though I'll add some review-type stuff.

Some spoilery comments follow:

1) Barry's history seems to have been retconned. Now he lived in the future long enough to see Bart born before travelled back in time and sacrificed himself. In Bart's original origin Barry didn't even see his own kids born, but now he got to seem them die.

2) I'm happy to see that I was actually right about Bart not losing his powers at all. I suspected that was the case. He's had Speed Force powers all along, but the Speed Force seems to have been corrupted, and using it is dangerous, so Bart has kept his powers secret. Presumably he kept his powers because he's the only speedster to be born with them, whereas the book makes a point that all the other Flashes have gotten them in scientific accidents.

3) The book is a little confused. Bart actually lived for four years in the Speed Force/wherever, but the book treats it as if his body just got older. Plus the identities of Bart and Wally are openly discussed in STAR Labs, with even an intern knowing them, which is a little weird.

4) Bart now works at Keystone Motors, which I'm not crazy about. It might just be a temporary thing though, since there's a big explosion there, and of course Bart's character arc here has been established to be one of initial denial, so maybe he'll end up with a different job. I wouldn't mind if he became a forensic scientist, personally. Barry could have taught him while he was stuck in the Speed Force.

Anyway, it was a pretty decent issue. Good art. I like Valerie but I'm not crazy about Griffin, though obviously interesting things are going to be happening with him in the future. Bart's hair being brown is great, but I wish it was longer. It doesn't have to be Impulse long, but it's too short. Not enthused about Bart's job, it just doesn't really seem to make any sense. Is he just working at Keystone Motors, or does he go to school too? Because unless it's temporary, I don't think Bart should have such a nothing job. When Wally was a mechanic at least he worked with the police. We don't even know what Bart's job is, even though there are two scenes with him at work.

So it was disappointing in some aspects, but enjoyable in others. Very much the first issue of an arc, though, so it can't properly be judged on its own.

[Young Avenger]

It was a solid first issue. Setting up the characters, establishing what could be the supporting cast and a great cliffhanger ending. It had everything a first issue needs. Ken Lashley's artwork is amazing. This guy was born to draw Flash.

[Blueferret]

Maybe I'm confused but the part with Barry's thoughts threw me off. Is he alive? Is he a narrator of sorts? On one panel you have Bart wondering what's at the movies and then Barry's talking about his life. Did this throw anyone else?

[Jack]

Maybe I'm confused but the part with Barry's thoughts threw me off. Is he alive? Is he a narrator of sorts? On one panel you have Bart wondering what's at the movies and then Barry's talking about his life. Did this throw anyone else?
Both Jay and Flash got a page where they told their stories - how they became the Flash and how Bart came into their lives. Presumably Wally will get one too in a later issue.

[Blueferret]

Both Jay and Flash got a page where they told their stories - how they became the Flash and how Bart came into their lives. Presumably Wally will get one too in a later issue.

Right. Jay's still alive and Barry's dead (Allegedly). So how is he able to recap his origin in the first person?

[Jack]

Because he's in the Speed Force, where Bart was for four years. These are probably things that Jay and Barry have actually said to Bart.

[jadegiant77]

So Bart's gonna be the new Flash? Didn't see that one coming.I think Bart is like a living conduit of the Speed Force now--it's all inside him now, but he can't control it. That bit was interesting, but I wasn't moved enough to actually buy the issue.

[The Shadow]

So Bart's gonna be the new Flash? Didn't see that one coming.
Me either.

I wonder how long it'll last and what effects it will have with the Titans.

[Disc13]

I was personally disappointhing with this issue a little bit- it seemed a little confusing to me they way it kept jumping around, but since it's a #1 it's gotta set some stuff up. I'm not a big DC reader so I don't really know what happened to the speed force since the last Flash issue many months back, but hopefully they'll explain it next issue.

[Jkid099]

I think the whole bit about the "aged four years" is only S.T.A.R. labs trying to rationalize what happened. Since Bart has been actively avoiding them, it's feasible that (for some reason) they do not have the whole story on what happened to the Flashes (I.E. they were living in the Speed Force ... or wherever they went that was beyond the Speed Force to imprison Superboy-Prime), and just assumed he somehow grew four years overnight.

[Paul Newell]

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Bart's aging has always been a little screwed. Wasn't he only 3 years old, but artificially aged, when he was first introduced?

[Jack]

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Bart's aging has always been a little screwed. Wasn't he only 3 years old, but artificially aged, when he was first introduced?
Two and a bit, if I'm remembering right. And then he was physically sixteen, emotionally younger than that, but he'd "lived" longer than that from his perspective. Totally screwed. Or I might have those the wrong way round, but they definitely weren't level.

I hope that this new Flash has some of Bart's original innocence and wonder about him. Having spent four years away from the world means in a way he's back to his roots as a character.

[mareuter]

Is there a chance that someone familiar with the overall Flash history could sort of, explain the players in the first issue and how people relate to one another? I'd really appreciate it - I found this to be a confusing start for someone not well versed in the history...

Mike

[jade_nova]

When did Bart live with Jay Garrick? I was confused on that part.

[Jack]

Is there a chance that someone familiar with the overall Flash history could sort of, explain the players in the first issue and how people relate to one another? I'd really appreciate it - I found this to be a confusing start for someone not well versed in the history...

Mike
Well, I'll give it a shot, but I'm no expert.

There have been three main Flashes.

The first is Jay Garrick, who gained his powers from an experiment with hard water while he was at university. He became a member of the JSA, and was active as a superhero during World War II, the golden age.

The second was Barry Allen, a chemist and forensic scientist for the Central City police, who was struck by lightning and doused with chemicals in his lab. He helped found the JLA at the beginning of the modern superheroic age, before sacrificing himself to save the universe in the original Crisis [on Infinite Earths]. Barry married Iris West, who turned out to be from the 30th Century. In that future, they had twin children - Don and Dawn Allen. Don in turn had a son named Bart, but died along with his sister shortly afterwards in order to save the world from an alien invasion

The third is Wally West, nephew of Iris and thus Barry. As a child he was the Flash's biggest fan, not knowing Barry's identity, until one night Barry took him to his lab, where the accident that created Barry was repeated, giving Wally the same powers. Wally became Kid Flash, and when Barry died he took over the mantle. Wally later married Linda Park, with whom he had twin children. Shortly afterwards, the second Crisis forced Wally to take action against Superboy Prime, and he - along with Linda and their children - disappeared into the Speed Force from which the Flashes received their power.

Bart Allen was the only speedster to be born with his powers, but they came at a cost - the speed was killing him, aging him before his time. He was put in a virtual reality system, since it was the only thing fast enough to keep up with his mind, but the government scientists of the future had no interest in curing him, but only exploiting his speed. His grandmother broke him out, and together they travelled back in time to seek the help of Wally in curing Bart. He succeeded, and Bart eventually took the superhero identity of Impulse, moving to Alabama with another speedster, Max Mercury. When Max's body was stolen by Jay Garrick's old nemesis, Rival, Bart moved in with the Garricks.

Bart was then shot in the knee by Deathstroke, which made him re-evaluate his life. At superspeed he read the entire San Francisco Public Library, then made a new costume for himself as the second Kid Flash. Of course that was an awful story that completely twisted a wonderful, unique character into a clone of Wally for no real reason. Dammit, I was trying to be impartial. I guess everyone has their limit.

While fighting Superboy Prime, Bart also disappeared into the Speed Force with Wally and his family. This event cut off the remaining speedsters from the Speed Force, and the only character left with speed was Bart, who emerged to warn the world of the coming threat wearing his grandfather's costume and having aged four years. Bart then claimed to have used up the last of his speed. This left Jay Garrick as the only Flash on the planet, as he has the metahuman gene for speed, in addition to his lost Speed Force powers.

[Lex]

I, for one, was completely surprised. I was convinced that the writers would bring Wally back at the end of the first issue. But they clearly established Bart and the main character and set him up to be the new Flash.

I liked this issue. I really really liked it. It's kind of refreshing to go into a book thinking it's going to be bad, and then like it. The writers did a great job with Bart and I was surprized that they included the little details, like Bart's super vast knowledge. And I liked the art.

And I think I like what they're doing with the Speed Force. It used to be a 100% good thing, but they've moved it into an interesting grey area. It's still good, because it can be used for good, but it has a sinister side now and is kinda dangerous. I like it.

All-in-all, this was a great first issue.4) Bart now works at Keystone Motors, which I'm not crazy about. It might just be a temporary thing though, since there's a big explosion there, and of course Bart's character arc here has been established to be one of initial denial, so maybe he'll end up with a different job. I wouldn't mind if he became a forensic scientist, personally. Barry could have taught him while he was stuck in the Speed Force.

Anyway, it was a pretty decent issue. Good art. I like Valerie but I'm not crazy about Griffin, though obviously interesting things are going to be happening with him in the future. Bart's hair being brown is great, but I wish it was longer. It doesn't have to be Impulse long, but it's too short. Not enthused about Bart's job, it just doesn't really seem to make any sense. Is he just working at Keystone Motors, or does he go to school too? Because unless it's temporary, I don't think Bart should have such a nothing job. When Wally was a mechanic at least he worked with the police. We don't even know what Bart's job is, even though there are two scenes with him at work.I completely disagree with you about Bart working at Keystone Motors. When Wally worked as a mechanic, the point wasn't that "at least he was working for the police." The point was for Flash to be a working-man's hero in Keystone, the working man's city. I like that the writers carried that idea over.Right. Jay's still alive and Barry's dead (Allegedly). So how is he able to recap his origin in the first person?Who cares? I don't think he's the first literary character to narrate after his death.

[OzBat!]

The third is Wally West, nephew of Iris and thus Barry. As a child he was the Flash's biggest fan, not knowing Barry's identity, until one night Barry took him to his lab, where the accident that created Barry was repeated, giving Wally the same powers. Wally became Kid Flash, and when Barry died he took over the mantle. Wally later married Linda Park, with whom he had twin children. Shortly afterwards, the second Crisis forced Wally to take action against Superboy Prime, and he - along with Linda and their children - disappeared into the Speed Force from which the Flashes received their power.My reading of that issue was that Wally and Linda and the kids went... somewhere else. They deliberately left that vague, but Wally wasn't in the Speed Force with Barry, Johnny and the others.Bart was then shot in the knee by Deathstroke, which made him re-evaluate his life. At superspeed he read the entire San Francisco Public Library, then made a new costume for himself as the second Kid Flash. Of course that was an awful story that completely twisted a wonderful, unique character into a clone of Wally for no real reason. Dammit, I was trying to be impartial. I guess everyone has their limit.Yeah, that was mine too. Dammit!

It's interesting that when he returned, Bart ran out of the physical reserves he had of speed force energy, but I honestly didn't think he was speedless, even before this turn of events in the new Flash #1. He was born with the speed, it's genetic. Ignoring this is to ignore the entire history of the character. He physically aged to 16 in two years, and was able to keep just out of Wally's reach in his first appearance (this was leading into the big story arc that introduced the speed force in Flash #100).

Another piece of history revision that I noticed in 52 week 7: the History of the DC Universe backup story. It's stated that it was BARRY ALLEN in the 64th century who faced off against the Zero Hour event, when this was definitely Wally West. It set the precedent for a Flash always being affected by these big mega continuity crossovers, as it mirrored Barry's final run in the original Crisis. Wally made the point himself as he made that run, vanishing before Waveriders' eyes and leaving an empty costume behind.

I'm honestly hoping this was an editorial oversight of a writorial screwup.

[Lex]

It's interesting that when he returned, Bart ran out of the physical reserves he had of speed force energy, but I honestly didn't think he was speedless, even before this turn of events in the new Flash #1.Yeah, I think he just said he was speedless because he didn't want to be a superhero anymore.

[LordEd1976]

Who cares? I don't think he's the first literary character to narrate after his death.

Or at least narrate the story up until they get killed. Blue Beetle narrated the story in Countdown to Infinite Crisis and was shot in the head by the end.

Robin Williams' character in Jacob the Liar narrates the story and gets killed by the end.

And let's not forget Lester Burnham in American Beauty.

However I have a theory. Someone posted that Bart has internalized the Speed Force. Could it be he hears the spirits of those that have tapped into the force in his head?

[David Atkins]

However I have a theory. Someone posted that Bart has internalized the Speed Force. Could it be he hears the spirits of those that have tapped into the force in his head?

There's an interesting thought.

I'm thinking I might like this new Flash run, which is a surprise. I generally love the Flash as a character but am not a fan of his solo books. I'll be buying this #1 in just a few days.

[PrimoSara]

However I have a theory. Someone posted that Bart has internalized the Speed Force. Could it be he hears the spirits of those that have tapped into the force in his head?

I was thinking the same thing, actually. It makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider the scenes immediately following the flashback sequences: they both show Bart waking up. What's more, he both times seemed to have been having violent, vivid dreams prior to waking.

And one of the things I liked about this issue *was* that Bart ended up working in a factory in some low-end job. He might be smart, but he never even got to finish high school, and he's obviously majorly depressed. I can understand him questioning the point of going back to school at this juncture - he seems more intent on living as unimportant, insignificant a life as possible, and after everything that's happened, I can't blame him (nor do I, personally, think it is all *that* out of character). Plus, as Lex said, it kind of keeps with the Flash being more of a blue-collar hero.

There were things I liked about this issue, and things I disliked, but over all I think it was worth the $2.99.

[Kevinroc]

When did Bart live with Jay Garrick? I was confused on that part.

Bart lived with Jay after Max Mercury disappeared.

[Blueferret]

I may be wrong but wasn't the beginning of the Flash TV series someone highjacking a truck? Nice homage there if so.

[AaronJ]

It's sort of funny: my reaction to WONDER WOMAN #1 and FLASH #1 are complete opposites. As a huge Wonder Woman fan, I absolutely hated WW #1. Hated. As someone coming to FLASH #1 as a newbie (other than Flash appearances in other books), I just loved it.

The art was beautiful and dynamic. Bart is fascinating, and I was easily swayed toward feeling for him. I liked all the history of the Flash legacy, and eventhough I didn't get all of it, it made me interested in finding out more about the character. And I can't wait til next issue.

That's pretty much a 10 out of 10 for a #1, new reader response, seems to me.

The last thing I need right now is another book to buy, but here it is.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

can i see how teh cover looks??? i might pic it up

[hitokiri_]

Golden age flash – jay garrick
Silver age flash – barry allen
Modern age flash – wally west
????? age flash – bart allen

[Rugal 3:16]

Sucks .. I liked Wally Best. it seemed like kinda rushed, Bart was impulse just a few yrs back, Wally spent a generation beig kid flash before getting "promoted".

[PastePotPete]

Well, I thought it was a pretty weak issue personally.

I thought the hi-jacking sequence was awkwardly laid out, hard to tell what was happening. There was a crash, and then the bad guy was driving away with the bombs, but the fuzzy panel edges and the coloring and weird layout made it hard to understand at first. OR I might be dense. I'm willing to admit that possibility.

I thought the changes in narration were jarring. No problem with Barry narrating a passage, or Jay, but the way it was done was a bit hard to follow. It was like "Wait. Who is this now?"

Didn't really like Griffen as a character, but I'll withold judgement for now. He could be cool.

Didn't really like the female intern who works for...was it Cadmus? Were we as readers supposed to be in on her motive for going and visiting Bart? Is it simply because she's curious or something more? It was unclear to me, as a reader, how I should view her.

The rescue sequence at the end. Again, I found it unclear. Bart accesses the speed force to save Griffen and ends up zooming past him because he can't control it? He runs out the side of the building and then Jay shows up and saves the day. Seems to be what happened, but again the layout makes it murky, hard to follow.

There were other things I did like. I like Bart as the new Flash. I like the speed force being horribly dangerous. I like getting an entirely new supporting cast and having Bart work as a computer engineer guy at Keystone motors.

Flash is my favorite hero. I'll give it another shot. Just hope they clean up that art.

[Sizzle]

I thought it was kind of blah myself. Bart's roommate out right was irritating and a waste of paper. I thought Bart was also not very well characterized. Granted, he's been through a lot in a year, and he matured a lot in Titans, but he seemed to mopey to me.

I think he's felt the pull of the Speed Force and is avoiding being pulled into it by not using his powers, but that's me. I could also have something to do with Wally being tied to the Speed Force, and since he's not there, it may be much more difficult for Bart to channel it.

I saw no need for this change, in fact, the last Flash series was great until that final story arc. Wally had been out of Barry's shadow for a long time. He's still a young hero, younger then Bats, Supes, etc

[Max]

Well, I thought it was a pretty weak issue personally.

I thought the hi-jacking sequence was awkwardly laid out, hard to tell what was happening. There was a crash, and then the bad guy was driving away with the bombs, but the fuzzy panel edges and the coloring and weird layout made it hard to understand at first. OR I might be dense. I'm willing to admit that possibility.

I will join the dense club with ya. I too found the layouts throughout the book confusing at times. Especially the hi-jack sequence.

As far as the issue...it was ok. Of course anything is better than how they closed out Wally's series. Being a Flash fan I will stick it out to see where it ends. Since the Flash seems to be a legacy book I am OK with Bart, but Wally is my Flash so I hope that it ends up with him back.

[mareuter]

Thanks for Jack especially and everyone else for illustrating the Flash's, um, mindbending (for lack of a better word) history. I'm still trying to sort out how everyone relates to each other precisely but that's a great explanation!

Mike

[The Lucky One]

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Bart's aging has always been a little screwed. Wasn't he only 3 years old, but artificially aged, when he was first introduced?

Yes. He was running out of control and aging rapidly when he first came back in time, until Wally helped him stabilize his body- at that point he was about 3 actual years old but with a 16-year-old's body and mind, a Superboy-esque hornball who liked grabbing random women off the street and frenching them. Then when his series began he was retconned into a 14-year-old naive kid who'd never been kissed and didn't even like girls. And now he's a 21-year-old young adult, so... toss out the rulebook again, it's a whole new ballgame!

-D

[buckeye9167]

Or at least narrate the story up until they get killed. Blue Beetle narrated the story in Countdown to Infinite Crisis and was shot in the head by the end.

Robin Williams' character in Jacob the Liar narrates the story and gets killed by the end.

And let's not forget Lester Burnham in American Beauty.



Desperate Housewives: narrated by dead person for 2 years...:evilsmile

[Giant Guy]

Where is Wally? I used to think people yelling for Barry to come back, or the people upset Hal was not Green lantern were very annoying. But now I am in their camp. Bart Allen is not the Flash and he has not paid his dues to become the Flash. I would have preferred the return of Barry to Bart getting the title. And why couldn't Jay be the only Flash? Anyone but Bart is what I am saying.

I wish we could have received Grant Morrison or some other top writer on this title. This issue was subpar especially following the runs of Waid and Johns. I will try it out, but these guys better get it together and tell good Flash stories for me to buy Bart as a legit hero and not a sidekick.

I hated Griffin. The Intern was nice. More Jay Garrick PLEASE!.

[buckeye9167]

I, for one, was completely surprised. I was convinced that the writers would bring Wally back at the end of the first issue. But they clearly established Bart and the main character and set him up to be the new Flash.


I'm surprised they moved Bart along so quickly, but these rapid aging jumps are a part of his character.

They did a nice job setting up an end to Wally's arc, but with enough vagueness that he could be brought back if Bart blinks and turns into a 90-year-old.

[Mainline]

I thought the issue was okay, but if it doesn't pick up in another two issues I'm dropping the book until the trades come out.

For characterization, Bart's barely Bart. Let's say he's depressed from losing his powers, his team, and his friends... so what's the correct course of action at that point? To move OUT from under Jay and Joan and take up a depressingly menial job with only a party animal there to provide solace and guidance? Forget about Bart even, can you imagine Jay & Joan putting him out like that or letting him go off like that in a depressed state? That's a huge slap to their character! Particularly in this age of boomerang kids, whether Bart's 16 or 20, the Garrick's would have insisted he get his head on straight before letting him go.

As for a job, his choice of position is ridiculous. It's been shown that Bart still remembers what he learned and he enjoys showing it off... isn't it more logical that he'd pursue a position that allows him to use that knowledge- like a research assistant or facts checker- than a menial one where he can only use that information incidentally while being hated by Union men? This also completely spits in the face of all the mentoring Max put into Bart in terms of schooling/schoolwork. Max always stressed that doing work at normal speed had meaning and that education was meant to take him places. So not going back to school, not persuing a career that uses schooling/knowledge, and going nowhere in life means Bart's thrown those lessons out the window.

It seemed like an extremely forced effort to make Bart blue-collar despite the fact that from the get-go, Bart was educated with math & science from the future and retained a library's worth of knowledge from the present. I heard it described as "feeling like Ultimate Spider-Man without actually being good" and that's how I feel.

Bart is trying to be a poor-man's Wally.
- Blue collar
- Ethnic strong-willed love interest
- Keystone City
- Begins his run mopey and under a shadow
- Begins his run depowered/power issues
- Begins his run with moral issues (lying to Jay, etc)

We've lost what was unique about Bart and replaced it with a half-assed version of Wally.

Alright, forgetting character issues. The plotting was pretty sloppy and the art confusing with some expository lines that were just too blunt. They might not be amateurs in the writing/art arena but they definitely need time to polish their scripts and panels before getting the shot at a #1 Relaunch title. I'm not saying they should be established as great talents- many of Flash's writers/artists were relative unknowns- but they need to have experience under their belts... I honestly can't see them going the distance like Waid or Johns or even Messner-Loebs or Morrison-Millar.

It really makes me sad that the only hook they've got going for me right now is purely plot- information- status of Bart's powers, how he dons the suit, etc. Which I'm perfectly content to get via spoilers rather than reading. Nothing about the dialog or art snaps, pops, or demands reading it's just a device for carrying out plot points rather than delight unto itself. Even if you could argue that was how Johns wrote, his Flash was tapped into the pulse of the DCU so that it feeled tied into a greater story, whereas this is clearly an insular tale with no more relevance beyond the pages of its own book.

Anyways, I'll give them a few more issues to prove me wrong, but so far it's looking ugly.

[ShaggyB]

I still say give it time. remember they said dont get too attached to the first flash you see.....

oh but shags that was jay. perhaps or perhaps not....... as far as ive read jay hasnt been the true flash in years i doubt he was calling himself flash then. if sooo bart is the first person we read who is flash and therefore should not be attached to. Maybe he will re-awaken the speed force and find a way to bring us wally.

just a theory eitherway im on bored

[Jack]

I still say give it time. remember they said dont get too attached to the first flash you see.....

oh but shags that was jay. perhaps or perhaps not....... as far as ive read jay hasnt been the true flash in years i doubt he was calling himself flash then. if sooo bart is the first person we read who is flash and therefore should not be attached to. Maybe he will re-awaken the speed force and find a way to bring us wally.

just a theory eitherway im on bored
Jay has always called himself Flash. And he introduces himself as Flash in the issue, and has been the only claimant to the name during the past year.

[yeoman]

Nice summation.

In that future, they had twin children - Don and Dawn Allen. Don in turn had a son named Bart, but died along with his sister shortly afterwards in order to save the world from an alien invasion


Dawn, for the recod, had a duaghter, Jenni Ognatz, who was also a speedster, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes as XS. Bart met her a couple of times. Mostly during a peroid where she was stranded in the 20th century.

Far as I can tell, she currently no longer exists.

[kertap]

The whole Barry Allen/Bart Allen thing is really confusing me. I keep getting them mixed up.

In infinite crisis when super boy prime comes out of the speedforce, had he been there for 4 years? And is that why he looked so wierd.

What actually killed Barry Allen? Did he enter the speed force and turn into that zombie looking character?

When Jay says to Bart "We need to talk" is he talking about how Bart told him he had run out of speed?

I have to say I loved this issue despite all the confusion.

With regards the start I did find it a little confusing but I though myself it was because I skimmed over it.

[Jack]

In infinite crisis when super boy prime comes out of the speedforce, had he been there for 4 years? And is that why he looked so wierd.Yes, although it's been said that perhaps his very nature had somehow changed. He also designed himself some armour while he was in there.What actually killed Barry Allen? Did he enter the speed force and turn into that zombie looking character?Essentially Barry pushed himself so hard in stopping the Anti Monitor that he died, though his spirit entered the Speed Force (and turned into the lightning bolt that actually gave him his powers in the first place).When Jay says to Bart "We need to talk" is he talking about how Bart told him he had run out of speed?Yes. Bart has been lying to him for a year, by saying both that the Speed Force is gone and that Bart has no powers.

[Bobster777]

Yeah, I have to say the issue was overall average. Hopefully, they'll have a full explanation of what happened during the crisis in the next few issues.

[Morphy]

What actually killed Barry Allen? Did he enter the speed force and turn into that zombie looking character? I think the zombie is the Black Flash:
http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/black-flash.html

[Jack]

I think the zombie is the Black Flash:
http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/black-flash.html
Yes, that's the shadow that Barry wonders if Bart will be able to outrun, as Wally did when he was the Flash, but Barry... didn't, I guess.

[Guts/Batman]

It was a better issue than I expected it to be. Not quite Revival worthy but enough to keep me buying for 2 more issues.

[Forsaken_One]

My first thought on reading this was "that is not Bart." It's already been stated here so I won't go in depth on it, but that wasn't the Bart Allen I knew from the pages of Impulse. Not even close.

But y'know, that's okay. Bart hasn't been Bart since the Teen Titans started back up. I've gotten used to Impulse not being around and at least this guy is a bit more interesting than than Kid Flash was. The aging also, finally, gives a reason he wouldn't continue a relationship with Carol from the Impulse series, though perhaps that's been retconned away.

The other thing I noticed was a few changes in continuity. Apparently Bart is Barry's one grandchild and he'd seen Bart, so maybe Inertia is gone now? He always relied upon the Thrawn connection and with the revamp of the future in Legion it's quite possible he's just... poof after Infinite Crisis. I dunno, just got me wondering. They also didn't mention Max at all. When he's being dropped off at Jay's he looks very, very young. I'd venture a guess that Max has been retconned away as well and now all of Bart's tutoring and whatnot took place under Jay and Joan.

He had a blue-collar job... kinda. But I think that's temporary. With the explosion and the intern (who, I have to say, reminds me a lot of Carol in terms of character design) I wouldn't be shocked if he started working at STAR Labs or the like.

Overall it as an okay issue I thought. This isn't the Bart Allen who was introduced and it isn't the Bart Allen who ended the Impulse series. This seems to be a continuation of the Bart Allen from the Teen Titans. I'd prefer the Impulse version but whatcha gunna do, eh? He's interesting enough for me to give it another issue.

[Chachi]

I have never followed Flash before, all I knew was the different Flashes names, and since I only had one regular title in my pull box this week, and decided to try something new. I enjoyed it.

[Jack]

The other thing I noticed was a few changes in continuity. Apparently Bart is Barry's one grandchild and he'd seen Bart, so maybe Inertia is gone now? He always relied upon the Thrawn connection and with the revamp of the future in Legion it's quite possible he's just... poof after Infinite Crisis. I dunno, just got me wondering. They also didn't mention Max at all. When he's being dropped off at Jay's he looks very, very young. I'd venture a guess that Max has been retconned away as well and now all of Bart's tutoring and whatnot took place under Jay and Joan.Inertia is a clone and Jenni is younger than Bart. Well, she was born after him, though the Jenni who travelled back in time and met Bart was older than him. And it doesn't matter anyway, because Barry said "grandson" I also doubt Max has been retconned away, since he showed up in Infinite Crisis in one of the scenes which ties in very closely to this series. But that scene was narrated by Jay, so obviously it wouldn't be about Max.

[kertap]

It was mentioned earlier that Jay and his wife wouldn't let him go work a depressing job on his own and that they'd stop him but I think it's possible Bart just decided to leave some day and nothing was going to stop him. I expect we'll find out what happened there.

One thing that I thought was very interesting was the fact that Bart was drinking. By my calculations he has the appearance of a 20 year old. I don't know why but this really surprised me.

[DonC]

I saw no need for this change, in fact, the last Flash series was great until that final story arc. Wally had been out of Barry's shadow for a long time. He's still a young hero, younger then Bats, Supes, etc


I didn't see a need for it either. Other titles changing direction or cast, I could understand with One Year Later, but with The Flash they're fixing something that wasn't broken.

And I thought this issue sucked. The only interesting character in it was the S.T.A.R. Labs stalker babe. Bart was uninteresting, Griffen was uninteresting. Hell, even Jay was uninteresting.

The narration by Barry led me to believe he was coming back. Not that that would surprise me, mind you.

I've looked at the opening sequence 3 times and I still haven't figured out how it's supposed to go.

Reading this issue, it's no wonder all of Bilson and DeMeo's TV shows have been canceled after one year.

[Jack]

21, actually. From 16 to 20 in IC, then add OYL and you get 21.

[MWGallaher]

I thought it was awful, all the way around.
Lashley's skill is way too immature for such a high-profile book. Right now, he looks like an artist that's learned everything he knows from copying comic book artists who learned everything they knew from copying comic book artists. 90% of the male faces have that black jag down the side of their cheek, several Sal Buscema "surprised" faces, characters with hair that doesn't really look at all like hair, figures in contact that don't appear to have any weight to them, and lots and lots of generic comic book faces--given a script that was heavily "talking heads", the artist should have been someone who can give character, realism, and variety to faces. Lashley didn't deliver on that.
But Lashley will probably get better; I've seen lots of artists start out at a similar skill level and develop into impressive talents (Steve Epting, for example). Billson and DiMeo,though, I have less hope for. The thing I remember most about their Flash tv series was how ironically slow it was. I'd watch it out of dedication, and about 20 minutes into it, I'd be thinking 'OK, it's got to be almost over now', only to look at the clock and be disappointed to see I still had 40 minutes to endure. I felt much the same about their script for this issue. There was lots of dialogue, but everything felt padded. The book moved like molasses, and that's not a good thing for a comic about the "fastest man alive."
On top of that, the five inkers all worked in what appears to be the style of the day. If that's what appeals to current audiences, so be it, but it fails mightily to appeal to me. The lines are ugly, the textures are unnatural and fail to distinguish different materials (i.e., fabric is inked in the same manner as flesh and metal). To make things even worse, the coloring is inconsistent: the opening sequence has a "painted" quality, and later pages get more conventional, or get more muddled.
Now add in the total lack of surprise or suspense: Bart as new Flash? Expected. Mystery being investigated by STAR? Don't the readers already know: Bart spent 4 years "in the Speed Force"; why should we care that the STAR Labs gal doesn't know about it?
Yep, I think it's awful. I'm really hoping for a quick turnover in the entire creative team. I can't imagine DC would cancel a 2nd tier book as quickly as it does some lesser titles, so I'll be doing my part to encourage such a turnover by dropping the book from my pull list until a better team signs on.

[Guts/Batman]

The more I think about this issue, the worse it gets...

[Lex]

I'm surprised that so many people didn't like this issue. I thought it was very good and hope the book continues.

[Jake Lockley]

A pretty good first issue, I thought. Nice storytelling, and above average art. I'm not really familiar with the Bart Allen character, having never read Impulse, but he seems likeable enough in the title role. They at least have my interest.

[Damo]

...Yeah... I'm going to be taking this off my pull list now. I have no interest in a Flash series that's going to be beating me over the head every issue with how much they screwed up the wonderful character that was Impulse.

Dang, DC finally made me stop buying The Flash. That's... uncanny.

[Damo]

I thought the issue was okay, but if it doesn't pick up in another two issues I'm dropping the book until the trades come out.

For characterization, Bart's barely Bart. Let's say he's depressed from losing his powers, his team, and his friends... so what's the correct course of action at that point? To move OUT from under Jay and Joan and take up a depressingly menial job with only a party animal there to provide solace and guidance? Forget about Bart even, can you imagine Jay & Joan putting him out like that or letting him go off like that in a depressed state? That's a huge slap to their character! Particularly in this age of boomerang kids, whether Bart's 16 or 20, the Garrick's would have insisted he get his head on straight before letting him go.

As for a job, his choice of position is ridiculous. It's been shown that Bart still remembers what he learned and he enjoys showing it off... isn't it more logical that he'd pursue a position that allows him to use that knowledge- like a research assistant or facts checker- than a menial one where he can only use that information incidentally while being hated by Union men? This also completely spits in the face of all the mentoring Max put into Bart in terms of schooling/schoolwork. Max always stressed that doing work at normal speed had meaning and that education was meant to take him places. So not going back to school, not persuing a career that uses schooling/knowledge, and going nowhere in life means Bart's thrown those lessons out the window.

It seemed like an extremely forced effort to make Bart blue-collar despite the fact that from the get-go, Bart was educated with math & science from the future and retained a library's worth of knowledge from the present. I heard it described as "feeling like Ultimate Spider-Man without actually being good" and that's how I feel.

Bart is trying to be a poor-man's Wally.
- Blue collar
- Ethnic strong-willed love interest
- Keystone City
- Begins his run mopey and under a shadow
- Begins his run depowered/power issues
- Begins his run with moral issues (lying to Jay, etc)

We've lost what was unique about Bart and replaced it with a half-assed version of Wally.

Alright, forgetting character issues. The plotting was pretty sloppy and the art confusing with some expository lines that were just too blunt. They might not be amateurs in the writing/art arena but they definitely need time to polish their scripts and panels before getting the shot at a #1 Relaunch title. I'm not saying they should be established as great talents- many of Flash's writers/artists were relative unknowns- but they need to have experience under their belts... I honestly can't see them going the distance like Waid or Johns or even Messner-Loebs or Morrison-Millar.

It really makes me sad that the only hook they've got going for me right now is purely plot- information- status of Bart's powers, how he dons the suit, etc. Which I'm perfectly content to get via spoilers rather than reading. Nothing about the dialog or art snaps, pops, or demands reading it's just a device for carrying out plot points rather than delight unto itself. Even if you could argue that was how Johns wrote, his Flash was tapped into the pulse of the DCU so that it feeled tied into a greater story, whereas this is clearly an insular tale with no more relevance beyond the pages of its own book.

Anyways, I'll give them a few more issues to prove me wrong, but so far it's looking ugly.

Oh, well said!

[Captain Smith]

This might have been said before but I greatly disagree with the lowering of Jay's powers. It seems that authors always have to mess with the JSA folks. Alan went through many variants of his powers.

Jay at supersonic is a pretty week character, esp. for the JSA. I hope he comes back soon.

In general, the weakening of powers trip is such an old chestnut in comics that it bores me to tears.

[dupersuper]

The opening sequence WAS confusing, but I liked the painted effect. The book was good enough...I to am hoping to see the fun old Impulse to shine through...but it makes sense that would take a while after all Bart's been through recently. I REALLY hope Max, XS et all haven't been "retconned" out...man, I'm beginning to think that word should really have 4 letters...

[Kummi]

didnt like it at all. that 90s imagy artwork by lashley is uninspired.

[Forsaken_One]

I dunno, the opening sequence made sense to me. I figured it was two cars full of explosives driving along. Another car comes in and rams them. They blow up. Flash tries to stop the car that rammed into them from driving away and/or hurting more people. It's being driven by remote (gasp!). Then the police are there.

Wasn't too confusing for me. *shrug*

[Sean Whitmore]

I was surprised by the continuity touches. The Black Flash, the San Fran library, Tina McGee... (which actually makes sense, seeing as how she was in the TV series).

Still, Flash is the wrong book to start out with such a slow burn. Disgruntled union guy...yawn.

Though I don't understand why so many people are complaining about Bart not acting like Impulse anymore. Yeah, he was fun, but the very nature of the character dictated he couldn't stay that way forever. He was an idiot learning how to be a hero...it only makes sense that the learning part was gonna take over the idiot part at some point. I mean, his codename was based on an insult, for pity's sake.


SEAN

[MWGallaher]

I dunno, the opening sequence made sense to me. I figured it was two cars full of explosives driving along. Another car comes in and rams them. They blow up. Flash tries to stop the car that rammed into them from driving away and/or hurting more people. It's being driven by remote (gasp!). Then the police are there.

Wasn't too confusing for me. *shrug*
Sorry, Forsaken_One, but if that's all you were able to glean from the sequence, then it was confusing, because after painful study, I think I've figured out what was supposed to be conveyed:
Two jeep-like vehicles are carrying hazardous materials. Along comes some guy in an eighteen wheeler who broadsides them (at the same time) while rambling about his "war". Flash appears on the scene and chases down the truck our villain was driving. When he finally stops the truck, he discovers that it's being propelled by some contraption; our villain has abandoned the truck, set it up with some doohickey to push the pedals, and has comandeered one of the jeeps (apparently our villain is not only immune to vehicular impacts, but he also has the power to return wrecked cars (like the jeep and the truck) to full operational capability. As he speeds off, he mutters about his plans to make a "bomb".
This villain, of course, is the same obviously sinister fellow lurking around outside the picket line when our scab of a hero and his scab of a buddy report for work. And the "bomb" was the bomb that blew up the factory at the end of the issue. And said bomb was constructed from unknown "hazardous" materials which are seen to be leaking all over the scab Griffin, surely endowing him with superpowers. Hey, maybe Griffin is actually the new Flash? Chemical bath in the presence of Bart's speed force access? At least that would be a surprise.

[Valen]

The whole issue comfused me completely. I was just plain bored with the story half way through and the story didn't flow at all. It just felt choppy.

I agree with others who have said this book featured Wally-lite. If they want to tell a Wally West story, just bring Wally West back.

[Forsaken_One]

Sorry, Forsaken_One, but if that's all you were able to glean from the sequence, then it was confusing, because after painful study, I think I've figured out what was supposed to be conveyed[...]
Oookay, I didn't bother with the villian seeing as that was kinda, y'know, obvious. And the other stuff is just a more detailed description of what I said. Trucks, another truck, boom, catch up with the other truck, robot (or whatnot). The point being I caught the gist of it after one reading, not laboriously looking over minute details. If the art gets what it wants across to me quickly then I consider its job done.

Though I don't understand why so many people are complaining about Bart not acting like Impulse anymore. Yeah, he was fun, but the very nature of the character dictated he couldn't stay that way forever. He was an idiot learning how to be a hero...it only makes sense that the learning part was gonna take over the idiot part at some point. I mean, his codename was based on an insult, for pity's sake.
While I accept that this isn't Bart and simply move on I gotta disagree with your assessment of Bart. The thing that always made Bart who he was was his overriding sense of hope. He believed in pretty much everybody, tried to have fun whenever possible, and was overall just one of those type of guys who was always fun do be around. By the end of his own series (and later Young Justice) Bart had managed to become a hero, being responsible (well, to a point) and trying his best to solve problems while still keeping an upbeat and optimistic attitude.

Then Teen Titans came along and suddenly he's some smarmy know-it-all. I can't complain too much, I mean this was years ago so whatever. Bart, however, was never depressed and introverted. This current version is certainly possible considering Bart's had, what, five years to change? But to say Impulse was simply an idiot who didn't understand the consequences of his actions is, I think, utterly misunderstanding the character.

[Sean Whitmore]

But to say Impulse was simply an idiot who didn't understand the consequences of his actions is, I think, utterly misunderstanding the character.


Well, fair enough, I am ignorant of much of his development priot to Teen Titans. My familiarity stems mostly from Mark Waid's run on his title and the early issues of Young Justice...where he was, literally, an idiot who didn't understand the consequences of his actions. :)


SEAN

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I was underwhelmed by almost everything about this first issue. The writing didn't really grab me. Recasting Bart as a mopey Manchild does nothing for me. Griffin is little more than a fratboy stereotype at this point. The art was similarly unimpressive, except for the color, which was fantastic.

Too bad, I was looking forward to a new take on The Flash. Looks like we'll have to wait for the next creative team to show up...

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Well, fair enough, I am ignorant of much of his development priot to Teen Titans. My familiarity stems mostly from Mark Waid's run on his title and the early issues of Young Justice...where he was, literally, an idiot who didn't understand the consequences of his actions. :)


Johns moved Bart past this stage in Teen Titans when Deathstroke shot him in the kneecap, prompting Bart to take things a little more seriously from that point on. I know some readers hated that they did this, but I thought it worked to mature Bart a bit. He wasn't as much fun, sure, but you could only stretch the Hyperactive ADD incarnation so long before it got tired.

The current incarnation of Bart, however, seems to have dropped the fun aspects of the character altogether. This doesn't strike me as a great move for the character to take. There was always a goofy charm to Bart, even during his Kid Flash era, that shouldn't be lost.

[Sean Whitmore]

He wasn't as much fun, sure, but you could only stretch the Hyperactive ADD incarnation so long before it got tired.


My thoughts exactly.


The current incarnation of Bart, however, seems to have dropped the fun aspects of the character altogether. This doesn't strike me as a great move for the character to take. There was always a goofy charm to Bart, even during his Kid Flash era, that shouldn't be lost.


Not just Bart, every Flash has been a pretty happy and upbeat guy. Super speed seems like the wrong power to give to someone who doesn't absolutely love every second of what he does. (Except maybe Quicksilver, but he's got his own set of problems) So, yeah, I hope "mopey Bart" goes away quickly.


SEAN

[CaptainAwesome]

I was really looking forward to reading this, and I wont say I was dissapointed, but it did seem a little too typical a first issue. If Bart is just going to be a spiderman knock-off (by that I mean "my gift, my curse" mentality) then I wont stick around for more. On the other hand, if Bart is the new Flash I would hate more than anything to have wally return in a year or so. I would also like to see Bart interact with other superheroes in the DCU. I dont know if he will join a superteam, but I would like to see him on the Justice League and see how he compares to Barry and Wally. The advanced aging is an interesting dynamic and I hope these writers play that up in the future. It was amusing to see how Bart reacted to the two women in the bar. That, to me, seperates him from wally in that early in Wally's carreer as the flash he would have been all over that. Including Dr. McGee was a nice touch. Has she ever been part of the DCU before? Anyway I know it sounds like Im rambling, but I did like this issue and those are my thoughts on it.

[Shem the Penman]

Whether you loved him or hated him, Impulse was a character with a clearly defined personality. I wouldn't mind the current pod-Bart so much if they'd replaced what they took away from him with, well, anything. Besides the contents of a library.

I'm probably the only Flash fan who didn't like the TV series. And Bart is a sad shadow of a character. So as you can guess, I'm not terribly hopeful about this. I'm not too concerned about Bart paying his dues to become the Flash. Hell, when Wally started out as the Flash, he was an immature jerk who a huge segment of the readership hated. I *am* concerned to see whether Bilson and DeMeo can build Bart into someone I actually want to read about. And Wally Lite is not that person.

I'll give them a chance, though. I'd hate to have to stop buying Flash this late in the game.

Captain Awesome: Yes -- Tina McGee originated in the comics, in fact. Early in Wally's series -- around #3-5, I think -- he dumped his girlfriend because she wouldn't move in with him, met Tina, and started an affair with her although she was married at the time (as I said, immature jerk). She was part of the book's supporting cast during Baron and Messner-Loebs's runs.

[Zip]

Never having been that into Jay and being a Teen Titans fan, I was just happy that the focus of the book was Bart and that he had not been completely depowered. I look forward to seeing where this is all going, though currently I think some of Bart's past characterization has been thrown out the window... and kinda sorta replaced w/ Wally's.

What's next? Will we see super speeding junkies? Will the plant start paying Bart on a per-burger basis? Will his financial woes be elated after he wins the lotto and will he lose his money less than a year later?

All kidding aside, though, does anyone else expect a revelation that Bart's annoying roommate gained powers from the accident somewhere in the near future?

[Eliot Johnson]

So, I was walking through the store and I was like "hey, I didn't know they restarted The Flash...that's crazy." So, I skimmed it real quick...here are my thoughts:

-god, that is awful art
-BART? OH MY GOD!
-god, that is an awful story

the dialogue was ridiculously bad.

I was a huge, huge fan of Impulse. I recognized all along he couldn't stay as he was (what has been simplified as "hyperactive ADD" here), but it should have been a gradual process. If you read messner-loebs and dezago's runs on Impulse, he was getting more mature.

It was slow and the stories weren't all that great, but he was getting more mature. His maturation could have been really cool as a gradual process, with him still keeping his happy go lucky nature and a bit of naivete. They screwed that already by forcing his maturing with Kid Flash and making him a rather boring character. This takes the cake though. Bart Allen doesn't have to be the Impulse of old, but this? eh. what was once my favorite character in all of comics has become, well, boring.

He's still Bart, though, and out of loyalty to that, I'll at least give this story arc a shot, desite this awful issue. Bad art, boring story, and atrocious dialogue.

[DocBrass]

I thought it was awful, all the way around.
Lashley's skill is way too immature for such a high-profile book. Right now, he looks like an artist that's learned everything he knows from copying comic book artists who learned everything they knew from copying comic book artists. 90% of the male faces have that black jag down the side of their cheek, several Sal Buscema "surprised" faces, characters with hair that doesn't really look at all like hair, figures in contact that don't appear to have any weight to them, and lots and lots of generic comic book faces--given a script that was heavily "talking heads", the artist should have been someone who can give character, realism, and variety to faces. Lashley didn't deliver on that.
But Lashley will probably get better; I've seen lots of artists start out at a similar skill level and develop into impressive talents (Steve Epting, for example). Billson and DiMeo,though, I have less hope for. The thing I remember most about their Flash tv series was how ironically slow it was. I'd watch it out of dedication, and about 20 minutes into it, I'd be thinking 'OK, it's got to be almost over now', only to look at the clock and be disappointed to see I still had 40 minutes to endure. I felt much the same about their script for this issue. There was lots of dialogue, but everything felt padded. The book moved like molasses, and that's not a good thing for a comic about the "fastest man alive."
On top of that, the five inkers all worked in what appears to be the style of the day. If that's what appeals to current audiences, so be it, but it fails mightily to appeal to me. The lines are ugly, the textures are unnatural and fail to distinguish different materials (i.e., fabric is inked in the same manner as flesh and metal). To make things even worse, the coloring is inconsistent: the opening sequence has a "painted" quality, and later pages get more conventional, or get more muddled.
Now add in the total lack of surprise or suspense: Bart as new Flash? Expected. Mystery being investigated by STAR? Don't the readers already know: Bart spent 4 years "in the Speed Force"; why should we care that the STAR Labs gal doesn't know about it?
Yep, I think it's awful. I'm really hoping for a quick turnover in the entire creative team. I can't imagine DC would cancel a 2nd tier book as quickly as it does some lesser titles, so I'll be doing my part to encourage such a turnover by dropping the book from my pull list until a better team signs on.

this pretty much what I thought too.
I started looking CBR for opinions, and this covers.

I didn't think this was as good as the Baron/Guice re-start and even the Johns run.

[Fish Sauce]

As a newcomer to comics I wanted to start out with a character that hadn't been "tainted", so to speak, by movies, affecting my knowledge of them. After reading quite a large number of long and detailed biographies on Wikipedia I decided that The Flash fit the bill, and when I discovered that they were releasing a new series it was perfect timing.

I got the general gist of the parts which referred to past events, and overall I thought that it was quite good. One thing which I am wondering, however, is generally how long a story arc may continue for. I'm assuming that the story arc is Lightning in a Bottle and that it is separated into different parts, that issue being part 1, but I'm just curious as to how many parts it may run for.

Trade Paperbacks generally come as arcs, correct? So Crossfire is an arc which has been collected?

[Effect]

For those saying "this isn't Bart Allen" or "this isn't Bart from Impulse or Teen Titans". You are right, this isn't that Bart. This Bart is more mature, 4+ years older then those Barts. People change a LOT in 4 years. In fact people can change a LOT in 1 year. Let me ask this.

Did you (anyone in general saying this isn't Bart) honestly expect him to be the same Bart when it was clearly established in IC that he had aged as a result of trying to trap Superboy Prime?

Clearly he had to be in there for some time, SBP had time to fashion himself some nice armor and even he aged so it most likely that he experience some life during that time. This is a different Bart and that isn't bad I think. Personalities change over time and with age. His expereinces have changed him as well. I fail to see how that's a negative towards the character. Or why anyone would want him to be the same as he was when he was younger?

Having not read a Flash comic before, I really enjoyed #1 and looking forward to #2.

[Forsaken_One]

I'd have expected him to keep a somewhat upbeat attutude on life at least. Not really the same person but still the same basic personality, maybe a bit goofy at times. Not a depressed and introverted middle-class worker who doesn't deal well with people. That's pretty much the exact opposite of how I saw Bart back in the day. He was popular, always optimistic and happy, very social and tried his best to the point he had to be held back by others so he didn't risk his secret identity. It's a full 180 in terms of personality. I'm interested to see where this person's going in the Flash book but... this isn't Bart.

[Sean Whitmore]

I'd have expected him to keep a somewhat upbeat attutude on life at least. Not really the same person but still the same basic personality, maybe a bit goofy at times. Not a depressed and introverted middle-class worker who doesn't deal well with people.


To be fair, this is only the first issue, and Bart has been through a LOT lately. Connor's dead, Wally and Linda are gone, Max is dead, and speed is killing him...he's should be moody now.

If he's still gloomy around issue #10 or something, then yes, that'll turn me right off too.


SEAN

[Forsaken_One]

True. What makes me think that the most is the internal dialogue, which I'd think indicates how he thinks rather than just how he's feeling. But who knows, perhaps he'll turn around again and be a nice non-moody character again. Like I said, I'm interested enough to keep reading I'm just not going to add it to my pull list right away. :)

[Shem the Penman]

I'd have expected him to keep a somewhat upbeat attutude on life at least. Not really the same person but still the same basic personality, maybe a bit goofy at times. Not a depressed and introverted middle-class worker who doesn't deal well with people. That's pretty much the exact opposite of how I saw Bart back in the day. He was popular, always optimistic and happy, very social and tried his best to the point he had to be held back by others so he didn't risk his secret identity. It's a full 180 in terms of personality. I'm interested to see where this person's going in the Flash book but... this isn't Bart.

Agreed. I (and others) on this thread have already made the point that yes, Bart would have to grow up eventually. The problem I have is ... there's been no actual growing. He just snapped from one extreme to the other.

[MWGallaher]

The more I think about it, the stronger my hunch is that this comic book won't be about Bart, after all. It seems quite odd that DC would restart two top-tier series in the same month (Flash and Wonder Woman) and install the obvious inheritors in both of them. Surely one of these is heading somewhere unexpected, and I think it's the Flash; I think this first issue's real goal was, as I tentatively suggested earlier, to show us Griffin's origin: a chemical bath in unknown hazardous materials in the immediate presence of an access to an out-of-control speed (triggered by Bart).

[PastePotPete]

The more I think about it, the stronger my hunch is that this comic book won't be about Bart, after all. It seems quite odd that DC would restart two top-tier series in the same month (Flash and Wonder Woman) and install the obvious inheritors in both of them. Surely one of these is heading somewhere unexpected, and I think it's the Flash; I think this first issue's real goal was, as I tentatively suggested earlier, to show us Griffin's origin: a chemical bath in unknown hazardous materials in the immediate presence of an access to an out-of-control speed (triggered by Bart).

I think you're backwards Gallaher. The end of issue #1 of Wonderwoman made it clear that Diana is back in a big way. She's going to have to save Donna Troy, the 'inheritor', who got her surprisingly incompetent butt captured by Giganta, Psycho, and Cheetah. I think Bart Allen is going to remain The Flash because DC is establishing a lineage thing with the Flash. Wally is going to retire for a while to take care of Linda and the kids and then come back in a big way later (for example, if this series doesn't improve and quick!)

On another note, I had no problem with Bart's personality change. Thought it was in line with what the character has experienced lately. My problems were all about the confusing layouts, jumpy unfocused writing. This comic had the production values of a top-of-the-line book and still came off as being put together by rank amateurs. Very disappointing.

[MWGallaher]

I think you're backwards Gallaher.
Could very well be, Pete. My gut tells me that Heinberg is the writer more likely to deliver interesting twists, and Bilson and Dimeo are the writers more likely to deliver the obvious. But there's one thing of which I have no doubt: FLASH #1 presented the "origin" of Griffin; if he's not the new Flash, he's a villain, or some super-powered supporting character, and the coincidence of the chem bath and the Speed Force makes me suspect the former.
Plus, I've tried to imagine what these authors pitched that got DC's greenlight. I could imagine part of the WW pitch being "We'll streamline Donna's origins to simplify her enough that she can handle the spotlight, but we'll keep Diana as a supporting character in that 70's mod style that the oldtime fans remember fondly." But I don't see where "We'll have Bart take over as Flash" has quite the same greenlightable zing as "We'll make it look like Bart's the new Flash, but then transfer the power to his new friend, and have Bart be the mentor training a new Flash." Especially given Dideo's hints about not getting too attached to the first Flash we see (yes, he could've been talking about Jay, but again, it would be obvious from the cover that Jay's not the star of the book).
We shall, of course, see. I'm far from confident enough to label my hunch a "prediction." Nor can I resist the chance to prove "I saw it coming" if my hunch proves correct!

[Fish Sauce]

For those who, like me, are new to The Flash, I found this an extremely good guide to his history.

http://www.monitorduty.com/mdarchives/2005/12/alan_kistlers_p_3.shtml

[Typo Lad]

I was so very, very underwhelmed.

Did they retcon out Max Mercury?

[Sean Whitmore]

I was so very, very underwhelmed.

Did they retcon out Max Mercury?


Yeesh, that would be horrible.

I just assumed they left him out of the recap for fear of hitting a new reader with too much at one time. While Max is an important part of Bart's past, it doesn't look like he'll be a big factor in his future, so they probably felt it wasn't necessary to mention him right off the bat.


SEAN

[Fatguy]

I missed the last 2 years almost, can somebody give me a quick synopsis of what happened to the speed force and Wally?

[Jack]

Yeesh, that would be horrible.

I just assumed they left him out of the recap for fear of hitting a new reader with too much at one time. While Max is an important part of Bart's past, it doesn't look like he'll be a big factor in his future, so they probably felt it wasn't necessary to mention him right off the bat.


SEAN
As I said earlier, it would be extremely odd if they had retconned Max away, considering he showed up in one of the Infinite Crisis scenes that was direct set up for this series.

[david r]

This comic had the production values of a top-of-the-line book and still came off as being put together by rank amateurs. Very disappointing.

I completely agree, the writing was very poor. It's too bad that Mark Waid didn't say YES to DC when they asked him to return to writing the Flash.

The Flash has had a high level of quality for 15 years or so. Mark Waid and Geoff Johns' runs back-to-back was a vintage time for Flash fans. I hope the winning streak is not coming to an end!

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

i just got it...and it is soo kick ass....i was just wondering....when is the next one coming out?

[Cody H]

Pretty good first issue. It's gonna take awhile to get used to a Flash other than Wally, but I think they'll make Bart interesting enough. And the art is great, which should keep me buying the book long enough to work the kinks out of the new Flash.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

i just read it and i got a few questions....why is it bad for the guy to tap his flash powers??? and why is the other guy a metahuman??? I'm a tad bit confuzed with the whole entire story...

[Forsaken_One]

We don't know why it's bad for Bart to tap into the speed force and go real fast. That's probably part of the mystery of the book. And Jay is a metahuman because he is. What do you mean why? Why is Superman an alien? He just is.

[TROUBLEZ]

Why did DC make Bart the new Flash?

[Sean Whitmore]

Why did DC make Bart the new Flash?


Because Hawkgirl wasn't fast enough. ;)


SEAN

[Mulett]

I'll probably buy the next couple of issues but I'm really not too interested. Bart isn't an especially interesting lead character and I think the whole 'Flash' back story is too diluted.

It worked best when The Flash was simply a superhero who could run really fast. It looks like the new series is going to be quite depressing and complicated. Wasn't too struck on the art work either.