Flash 1-8 worth buying?

[Deep_Sleeper]

IMO, Francis Manapul is one of the most under-rated talents in the comic book industry. The man has been doing great art consecutively every month. I'm waiting on some funds to clear and then I'm going to get the first and the second trade, if it's out by that time.

[PennyDreadful]

I actually wish that Piper were appearing outside the Flash. They just seemed to be squeezing him in to fit where he really doesn't anymore. And by the end of the pre-Flashpoint status quo, he didn't fit in with the Flashverse either. Why not give him a one-shot in National Comics or a mini-arc in DC Comics Presents? Captain Boomerang has already been spirited away from the Flashverse and is now in Suicide Squad. Where's the rule that Piper has to stay a supporting character in a book where he has almost nothing to do?

Beyond that, the Flash art is lovely and...I got nothin'.

[Kizmet]

Why not give him a one-shot in National Comics or a mini-arc in DC Comics Presents?

I'd rather he was squeezed into an on-going book than have a one-shot then disappear into limbo for the foreseeable future.

Do you see anywhere in the DC universe where Piper would be a better fit and still be a regular in the DCU?

[PennyDreadful]

In Flash #12, Piper tried to stop the Rogues and got his butt handed to him. This already happened in Rogues' Revenge and I believe Rogue War as well. Over in the Flashverse, there seem to be no new ways to handle the character, aside from a romance with a jerk. Seriously, I kinda wish Piper had been benched if this is all they can come up with.

Maybe the "reformed villain/vigilante" angle would work in a book like Birds of Prey or a similar title?

[LaughingDoomBot]

Batman, Flash, Wonderwoman are the best books of the new 52.

[DebkoX]

its always great to buy previous back-issues in bulks ;D

[Kizmet]

In Flash #12, Piper tried to stop the Rogues and got his butt handed to him. This already happened in Rogues' Revenge and I believe Rogue War as well. Over in the Flashverse, there seem to be no new ways to handle the character, aside from a romance with a jerk. Seriously, I kinda wish Piper had been benched if this is all they can come up with.

In "Rogue's Revenge" Cold managed a physiological victory, simply pointing out that Piper had just used his powers to hold Thaddeus Thawne immobile while the Rogues killed him. Then he and the Rogues went their separate ways: the Rogues escape, while Piper turns himself into the police over Thaddeus' death.

In "Rogue War" Piper was taken out of the fight because Wally decided to trust that Piper really was a good person and unmasked himself instead of fighting Piper, which reversed both Top and Spectre's screwing around with Piper's mind. Piper passed out in reaction to his memories being restored. I thought it was an interesting contrast with how Bruce handled his suspicion that the JLA had altered Selina's mind: Bruce had a fit made a mess of the JLA and broke things off Selina because he suspected that she might not have reformed of her own free will. Wally decided to believe that the 'real' Piper was the one who had reformed, that their friendship was based on Piper's real personality, not the brainwashing.

I hope Piper gets to join in the fight against Grodd's forces, but all the book needed to move Piper's current subplot ahead was to have him back in costume, as a vigilantee. Because Piper is not in a romance with a jerk in his current story-line, he's dating Barry's boss, head of Central City's CSI department. Singh does have a problem with vigilante justice, but that doesn't make him a jerk, just a member of the police. Piper and Singh are both trying to make Central a better place, but Singh is doing it from within the system (and given his reaction to Patty chasing old cases while technically on vacation may be a stickler for the rules) while Piper is working outside of the system.

[PennyDreadful]

Okay, I'm going to have to agree to disagree here. (And, by the way, I didn't like the whole idea of brainwashing villains, because it made the JLA villains themselves.) But the outcome is the same regardless of what happens: Piper is defeated or simply taken out of the fight. (In Rogues' Revenge, for example, he immobilizes the Rogues to be stabbed by Libra. So basically the effort is for nothing. And it happened again in Flash #12. He manages to leave Captain Cold hanging in mid-air and then is knocked out cold. This is supposed to be someone with a history as a vigilante, but we don't see him doing very much. The "Pied Piper Back" headline doesn't count.

The one awesome butt-kicking moment he's had in recent memory was in Countdown to Final Crisis, where he uses the music of Queen. When Countdown is the only moment a character gets to shine, there is a problem.

I had a faint hope that the reboot might be a change in how the character was handled. Didn't happen. Again, perhaps the character would be a much better fit in a Birds of Prey-type vigilante/outlaw book than in the Flash, where he's just diminished and reduced to a dead weight/punching bag. The storyline of Piper-fights-old-Rogue-buddies has been done to death. Give it up.

[MadDog1981]

I think the first arc sucked. It was slow, the villain was lame and the overall story was pretty bland. Once he met Grodd is where I feel the book started to quickly pick up steam. Issues 8-12 and the Annual were really good. The 0 issue was lame but 13 was a good read. I think it's worth your time to suffer through the bad first arc to get to the good stuff down the road.

[supermatt]

I think the first arc sucked. It was slow, the villain was lame and the overall story was pretty bland. Once he met Grodd is where I feel the book started to quickly pick up steam. Issues 8-12 and the Annual were really good. The 0 issue was lame but 13 was a good read. I think it's worth your time to suffer through the bad first arc to get to the good stuff down the road.

Though I kind of liked the first arc, I agree that it it didn't really pick up till after (for me it was the Captain Cold arc that did it).

[NeonSaxon1]

I'd say it's worth it. To be honest I almost thought about dropping it after those issues, not that it wasn't good, but because I'm buying too many as it was/is, and it didn't seem to be giving me that extra oomph. Then it did pick up and my wallet was sad.

[The Gorn Identity]

Batman, Flash, Wonderwoman are the best books of the new 52.

Those are all great books. I'm also loving Justice League Dark.