The Flash: Currently the Worst Comic

[Mr.50]

I know not everyone shares my opinion but I really feel that right now The Flash is at an all time low. I usually love the Flash (in all his incarnations) but the last four issues have just been terrible in my opinion. I think these are for worse then the 13 issues of the Fastest Man Alive. I think the addition of the kids is being handled really poorly. There chnaging powers come from out of no where and seem to have no relation to the Flash legacy or anything related to the speed force. I mean, speeding muscle tissue growth??????? So then if it is tissue growth then why does it "un grow" after a while. And what was with the time traveling primal DNA from this issue?????? And the linking of the auras so now Wally has a leash on the kids. Overall I think it is totally rediculous. One of the best things about the Flash is that his powers were always based on science and the laws of physics. Comic physics and science but at least physics and science. This stuff they are doing now doesn't even have logical explanations for how it is possible with comic science.

And the art sucks!

Mr.50

[Froggy]

*Feels ashamed that he's liked this WHOLE flash run, even teh bart issues*

[Mr.50]

*Feels ashamed that he's liked this WHOLE flash run, even teh bart issues*



Well I actually agree with you about the Bart issues. I was one of the few who actually liked those too. But it seemed the general concensus on the board here was that not many liked those issues.

BUT with that said I still say I have hated all of the issues since Wally's return. I am not saying I will drop the book, because my loyalty is to the character (just like all of the characters I grew up with) but I just feel this is a particularly dark point in the Flash's history.

Mr.50

[Froggy]

Well I actually agree with you about the Bart issues. I was one of the few who actually liked those too. But it seemed the general concensus on the board here was that not many liked those issues.

BUT with that said I still say I have hated all of the issues since Wally's return. I am not saying I will drop the book, because my loyalty is to the character (just like all of the characters I grew up with) but I just feel this is a particularly dark point in the Flash's history.

Mr.50
Oh ok. I don't really find it a dark point, jsut a new direction. That and still, the flash's powers have been comicbook physics with the "Speed force" laws

[Tom-El]

I agree that the stories have been pretty pitiful. I think Mark Waid has lost "it" as a writer.

Perhaps he's too focused on his day job at whatever small-time publisher he is now employed.

I, for one, will be glad when he is off the book completely. Too bad we can't use comic book physics to clone Geoff Johns!

Tom

[Kevinroc]

Killing Bart just gave fans a sour taste. Once Bart comes back (not even as the Flash), some of that sour taste should go away.

[botch]

I liked the Bart issues, especially the second half. They should have just gotten another writer rather than kill him off. I wish I could write it. I would have written it, complete new flash with loads of potential. Wally's story seems complete, Bart had ALOT more stories to tell.

[dreyga2000]

I wouldn't say I have really enjoyed the Flash... The last couple of issues of Bart's run were really engaing reads... The back-ups was all been good stories... I'm still having a geekasm over Wally building an advanced freeze machine through trail error :D... I could care less about how the kids powers worked I never really got how Super Speed allowed Flash to do half the stuff he does...I never understood why everyone hates Jai and Isis... But I ever really minded them I think they speak to humanity of this book...That's one fo the things I've always enjoyed about the Flash

However it's far from perfect...It does bug me that Waid is still setting up status quo after four months (Is Wally still a mechanic or what).... I do miss the Rogues (Damn you, Salvation Run), though in comparison the aliens do seem to be more of a threat to the Flash... Yea I do agree Mr. Williams art does indeed sucks, frankly I love Acuna's work wish they never changed it...

It comes to a matter of taste I suppose... All I know is I'm gonna be sticking Flash for the time being...

[Fatguy]

The worst comic? Your sub list is obviously very small if the Flash is the WORST. ;)

Not as good as I wish it was, I would be on board with. But I dont agree with everything, I've actually enjoyed the kids so far and Waid has a good grip on Wally as could be expected.

What I havent liked, has been Waid's Linda and the art. I wasnt a fan of Acuna, but it was better than the 1st issue of Williams IMHO. Williams is way to generic for my tastes. Also, not the biggest fan of Waid's first villains. At least for now. They seem to have a nonsensical motive that has had no explanation whatsoever, and not the most exciting visual. Its like they just needed some throw away monsters to introduce the kids against.

I still love Waid though, and its still better than Fastest Man Alive. Its still early, I havent lost faith just yet.

EDIT: BTW, havent read this week's issue yet, so who knows, this whole opinion may be moot by now ;)

[Mr.50]

The worst comic? Your sub list is obviously very small if the Flash is the WORST. ;)

Not as good as I wish it was, I would be on board with. But I dont agree with everything, I've actually enjoyed the kids so far and Waid has a good grip on Wally as could be expected.

What I havent liked, has been Waid's Linda and the art. I wasnt a fan of Acuna, but it was better than the 1st issue of Williams IMHO. Williams is way to generic for my tastes. Also, not the biggest fan of Waid's first villains. At least for now. They seem to have a nonsensical motive that has had no explanation whatsoever, and not the most exciting visual. Its like they just needed some throw away monsters to introduce the kids against.

I still love Waid though, and its still better than Fastest Man Alive. Its still early, I havent lost faith just yet.

EDIT: BTW, havent read this week's issue yet, so who knows, this whole opinion may be moot by now ;)

It really hit me the hardest with this weeks issue. I really thought this one was bad. And the backup story is somewhat better but this whole backup story I imagine is leading to the explanation of where Wally and family went for a year but it totally feels like a retcon type explanation (not that it is a true retcon) for where they were. It sure doesn't seem like where they were originally planned on having gone and this is just a change in the plot after the earlier groundwork was set for something different.

[md62]

Dropped FMA after one issue - but I did pick up Guggenheim's last 3 issues since I heard some positive buzz. I wish DC hadn't killed Bart. I think having Wally back as the Flash & somehow returning Bart to his 16 year old age as Kid Flash would have been fantastic. I have to admit I was very excited to have Waid return to the book but have been underwhelmed by the book so far. And news from WWT said that Waid is only on the Flash for a total for another 6 issues (after this current arc?). So will we get yet another new direction when Waid leaves around the time Final Crisis starts?

[Sean Whitmore]

The worst comic? Your sub list is obviously very small if the Flash is the WORST. ;)

Basically.

It's certainly possible that Flash is the worst book somebody reads, but that person should be happy that they're avoiding the many, many books that are so much worse. :)

As for me, I'm not loving it yet, but I'm not hating it. The kids aren't exactly my cup of tea, but I'm willing to give them time to grow on me.


SEAN

[EmeraldOutlaw]

As for me, I'm not loving it yet, but I'm not hating it. The kids aren't exactly my cup of tea, but I'm willing to give them time to grow on me.


SEAN

Yeah, I wasn't all that thrilled with the idea of "Family Flash". But I must say it does add in a pretty cool and different dynamic. Like you, I'm not completely sold on it/them yet, but I'm interested to see where it's taken.

[diablo7]

bart was destined to die the minute his book was launched. it didn't matter to dc how crappy it was because they would be bringing wally back, which i think was a mistake. i like wally but i think it would have been better to make bart's book the best flash book out there. then after a lengthy run bring either wally or barry back, but not after 13 issues. i have not picked up an issue of the new book. it doesnt' seem as interesting as waid's first run on the book

[Mr.50]

Basically.

It's certainly possible that Flash is the worst book somebody reads, but that person should be happy that they're avoiding the many, many books that are so much worse. :)

As for me, I'm not loving it yet, but I'm not hating it. The kids aren't exactly my cup of tea, but I'm willing to give them time to grow on me.


SEAN


Well my pull list is about 25-30 comics a month so its not that small but I guess you are right there may be otehr much worse comics out there I don't read. And for that I am glad.

BUT

I really think this book is not worth the $2.99. I love the Flash and the idea of the kids is not bad but the way they are going about it is the problem. They have bad such quantum leaps with the family instead of letting the characters develop. Like I know Linda was in medical school but now all of a sudden she is the best "Velocobiologist" around? She didn't even get a medical degree????? The explanations of the kids powers is not even slightly in line with anything related to speed, accelleration, vibration of molecules, etc. the leash is just a bad idea on so many levels. Get the kids Legion flight rings if you want them to fly not this leash. The villans really a leave a ton to be desired too. Vagina monsters that dehydrate you are not compelling villans.

And the art work sucks!

Mr.50

[Sean Whitmore]

Vagina monsters that dehydrate you are not compelling villans.

That's why I stopped dating, personally.


SEAN

[Fatguy]

That's why I stopped dating, personally.


SEAN

LOL I bet.

You demand only the MOST compelling vagina villains when you pick up the dinner tab.

[DMike]

That's what the Watchmen and Hawkgirl vagina monsters were for.

(Statements like that are pretty much the reason why I'm content to be same-sex oriented.)

[Kelson]

They seem to have a nonsensical motive that has had no explanation whatsoever

"X caused me trouble. I can't get back at X, but you're sort of like X, and I can get at you."

Doesn't make sense, but it's the same "logic" behind an awful lot of real-life "retaliation."

[Fatguy]

"X caused me trouble. I can't get back at X, but you're sort of like X, and I can get at you."

Doesn't make sense, but it's the same "logic" behind an awful lot of real-life "retaliation."

Yea, I suppose you're right. Its a pretty typical setup. I just get the feeling we wont see much follow up on it and these creatures will just turn out to be throw away monsters, forgotten in a week. Which makes them even lamer. But, I definitely could be wrong.

It happens all the time.

[spidervenom]

I like grugheims run on bart, but yeah the recent issues were only meh, but the latest issue was pretty good.

[Bellis]

It's not as good as I was hoping for, but it's far better than the first run of Fastest Man Alive (what a nightmare that was) until Gugenheim took over. I do like the kids though, Waid writes them well and makes them pretty believable. I'm not 100% sold on Linda suddenly being a genius, but I can deal. Williams art suits the title far better than Acuna's, but then I think Acuna should really stick to covers.

The coolest stuff of the new run was Wally chasing down Inertia. Nothing's really lived up to that, but it's been perfectly enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops.

[Michael P]

Sorry, you misspelled "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose."

[Walter West]

I know not everyone shares my opinion but I really feel that right now The Flash is at an all time low. I usually love the Flash (in all his incarnations) but the last four issues have just been terrible in my opinion. I think these are for worse then the 13 issues of the Fastest Man Alive. I think the addition of the kids is being handled really poorly. There chnaging powers come from out of no where and seem to have no relation to the Flash legacy or anything related to the speed force. I mean, speeding muscle tissue growth??????? So then if it is tissue growth then why does it "un grow" after a while. And what was with the time traveling primal DNA from this issue?????? And the linking of the auras so now Wally has a leash on the kids. Overall I think it is totally rediculous. One of the best things about the Flash is that his powers were always based on science and the laws of physics. Comic physics and science but at least physics and science. This stuff they are doing now doesn't even have logical explanations for how it is possible with comic science.

So muscle tissue growth acceleration and the ability to accelerate atoms to the point that they pass through solid matter have nothing to do with the Speedforce? I see a connection, and it is unfortunate that you feel this way.:confused:



And the art sucks!

Mr.50

Personally I think that the comic is getting better, and it is finding its footing. It's unfortunate that others don't feel the same way. The art isn't what I'm accustomed to for a Flash comic, but it just takes the artwork in a different direction. It's not everybody's cup of tea, I guess.

Hopefully it continues getting better as The Flash is one of my all-time favorites. No, scratch that, The Flash is my favorite hero along with many of the supporting characters, and the kids are on their way to joining that group.

[converge241]

I am not enjoying the new Wally run and have felt let down because I was so excited with the change. Looking back I liked the Bart Allen run better.

[Adam Ziggy]

I think the book's been pretty good so far. It's not groundbreaking or anything but it's been a fun ride. The water monster things haven't been that great, but the kids have actually been my favorite part of this story. I think they're fun characters, and they do add a new dynamic to the book. I liked the Flash Family idea when I first heard about it and I think the Flash is one of the few characters that idea can work with since legacy and the extended family of speedsters have become such a big part of the character over the years.

[Ilash]

Man, do I not get the hatred for this book. Yeah, it's no Terminal Velocity but I really like what Waid has been doing here. And while I do hope that the focus does return more to Wally, I think Waid is doing a fine job with the kids. The art this issue is also by far the best its been since Waid took over (All Flash not included). My only real gripe is that while the backups have been good, they do make the main story feel pretty anemic.

[HotRod_Tim]

I know not everyone shares my opinion but I really feel that right now The Flash is at an all time low. I usually love the Flash (in all his incarnations) but the last four issues have just been terrible in my opinion. I think these are for worse then the 13 issues of the Fastest Man Alive.

Mr.50

I'd have to agree that Flash isn't quite as strong a title as it used to be, but FMA was definitely better handled in my opinion. No offense to Mark Waid, I loved Kingdom Come and I loved his old Flash stuff, but this, there is no excuse for this. Flash went down the toilet in quality overnight. I was hoping that Waid would be able to keep me interested in the title, but he's had the opposite effect, driving me away.

[Infra-Man]

This current run on The Flash is pretty so-so, imo. Not awful but not good. Waid's doing his best given the current story on the title, but it's not as engaging as I'd have hoped. The title got a bit wonky due to editorial decisions linked to Identity Crisis (e.g., The Top/Barry Allen retcon) and is now reeling from the editorial decisions linked to Infinite Crisis (e.g., Bart taking mantle and then getting axed).

If Wally was going to leave and return, he shouldn't have returned with his kids hyper-aged. Let them grow up at a normal rate. Show Wally balancing his duties as a superhero and father and Linda balancing her duties as a reporter and a mother. Build that family dynamic over the title for a few years for lots of long-term storytelling potential. And then, once the kids have developed personalities over time, have the superpowers appear and show how that changes the family dynamic and all of the characters' relationships.

Also, Karl Kerschl should have been drawing this book when Wally returned. Have him trade off on arcs with another artist who has that crisp, clean, animation-style look so the book stays on schedule.

Might not be the best ideas, but it's what I'd want to read rather than what the title is like now.

[Captain Jim]

bart was destined to die the minute his book was launched.

Not really. They said they always intended to bring Wally back at some point, but the decision to kill Bart was only made later on. What really killed Bart's book, I think, was the drop in sales and general fan reaction.

[Captain Jim]

I dropped the current Flash book after one issue (two if you count All Flash) because I disliked it so much. By the same token, I earlier dropped Bart's book after the first issue for the same reason.

On the other hand, I picked up Guggenheim's run on Bart's book and thought it was quite good. Ironically, I probably would have kept buying it if it hadn't been discontinued and if Guggenheim continued to write it.

[trmnlvlcty]

Waid's 3rd run on the Flash is very dissppointing. The stories are simple minded, short and uninteresting. I think that All-Flash thru #234 has been on par with Bilson and Demeo's FMA. I was expecting so much more... something big that would showcase Flash as a major player in Final Crisis. The stories just don't seem very well thought out... and the dialogue is sub-par. Waid has written Wally much better in the past. At this point in time I am counting the days til Waid is off the Flash. Give Champagne a shot at it... or someone who'll have fresh new ideas that are interesting and compelling. They should have kept Guggenheim and Tony Daniel even after FMA was cancelled. I think Guggenheim could have written Wally well and Daniel's work is much better than what Acuna and Williams have demonstrated thus far.

[Will.S]

I think the book's been pretty good so far. It's not groundbreaking or anything but it's been a fun ride. The water monster things haven't been that great, but the kids have actually been my favorite part of this story. I think they're fun characters, and they do add a new dynamic to the book. I liked the Flash Family idea when I first heard about it and I think the Flash is one of the few characters that idea can work with since legacy and the extended family of speedsters have become such a big part of the character over the years.
I'm in the same boat.

It's a fun book and it's certainly playing up those aspects which to me have been good. The kids are really fun characters and they bring in a family aspect that I initially wasn't too keen on since I wasn't sure how it would play out other than a similar vibe to maybe the Fantastic Four books. I think DC has found a more family oriented book to match Marvel's FF, in doing so it goes into a lighter tone than the usual dark Flash fare but I don't mind.

The only other thing that's kind of weird to me is Linda being such a smarty pants, is that some sort of new thing? I don't recall that part of her all that much but then again I was never really able to get into the older Flash books. By the way the back-ups have been really fantastic, the characters are endearing, the art is amazing, and it plays on the legacy aspect of the Flash as well as expanding upon the alien civilization where Wally and Linda spent their time. So far I'm loving the Barry Allen visits to the dimension.

[quidproquo]

I think that a big reason that I am not enjoying the current run is because I built up great expectations when I heard Waid was returning. These initial issues just aren't living up to his past work on the title.

[dreyga2000]

The only thing that really bothers me is the back-up story while they are usually good they take about half the issue not leaving many pages for the Flash's current tale to unfold so it feels like I'm getting 1/2 issues. But I have been dying to see the conclusion.

[comicum18]

Flash is right now , problably, one of the worst comics DC publishs. It´s a shame that a book that once had Geoff Johns doing an amazing run, is now like this. I heard Mark Waid was leaving the book (I like his work , but it simply isn`t working here), so I hope whoever comes in does much better.:(

[stamen]

In my opinion, Flash has lost what so many other DC books are losing-- heroes fighting crime. Everyone is running into monsters, demons, and dying friends. All the jacked around crossing over here and there have cost titles and superheroes just plain old crime-fighting stories. Things are changing so fast that writers can develop plots, the whole DCU is busy introducing us to all the changes, story-telling falls apart.

My take.

[Kelson]

The only thing that really bothers me is the back-up story while they are usually good they take about half the issue not leaving many pages for the Flash's current tale to unfold so it feels like I'm getting 1/2 issues. But I have been dying to see the conclusion.

It's not the page count, it's the pacing. The backups have only been 6 pages out of 22. But it does seem that almost as much has happened in the last two 6-page backups as in the last two 16-page leads. (Actually, I think the last one was only 14 pages, to give space for the Mike Wieringo tribute. I suppose the ad pages were probably already sold, but you'd think they could spare a pair of them just this once.)

I did some math a few weeks ago and worked out that the whole 6-issue arc will end up being roughly 5 issues' worth of main story and 1 issue of backup story.