Let’s check in on the internet and see what people have been saying about the latest issue of Flash: Rebirth.
IGN – “Rebirth’s biggest flaw is that it all too often feels more like housekeeping than storytelling….Flash: Rebirth isn’t a bad comic; it’s just far from Johns and Van Sciver’s best.”
DoubleDCoverage – “With just one more issue to go I’m beginning to feel a little concerned about the entertainment value of this series versus it’s existence purely to “fix” things.”
Major Spoilers – “3.5 out of 5 stars overall, by getting past the dark-and-gritty and remembering that some of the best Flash comics are about fun, about dynamism, about family and about a guy who runs fast and does neat stuff…”
Comic Book Resources – “I couldn’t help but be reminded of Unbreakable. And I don’t mean that as an insult. But I do mean that this issue has some of the same assets, and some of the same deficiencies, as that Shyamalan movie”
Mania – “This is a book for fans of superheroes and has all of the classic ingredients thrown in this time around. The stakes are high, the villain is truly villainous and the fists are flying just as much as anyone could want.”
Creative Loafing – “I’m excited about what the future holds for the characters … even though I’m not too thrilled about the present.”
Newsarama: Best Shots – “With some of the method behind Geoff Johns’ madness getting revealed, this issue certainly means big things to the Flash family — as well as fans of the Scarlet Speedster.”
Newsarama: Best Shots Rapid Fire – “[E]ven with Barry sharing the spotlight, this issue was still chock full of great character moments…I can’t wait to find out what the future holds for the new and improved Flash franchise.”
iFanboy: JumpingJupiter – “in spite of it’s ridiculousness and tropes Johns and Sciver do turn this clunky fast-running engine around.”
Paradox Comics Group – “often so entrenched in Flash lore that it becomes difficult for anyone bar the hardcore elite fanboy to fully engage in the action.”
Comicgasm – “This issue finally comes along and explans why Barry’s angsting all this time…But the thing that I really loved about Rebirth #5 is that the Flash family’s finally the spotlight.”
Reilly2040 – “…the best issue of Rebirth so far. The pace finally felt right to me, and it built on the Zoom stuff from issue 4 well.”
Multiversity Comics – “The long and short of it is? It’s awesome.”
Exile in Geeksville – “Geoff Johns has single handedly started the Second Silver Age of Comics.”
Mart Gray is Too Dangerous For a Girl – “The eeeeevil Professor Zoom faces off against more good super-speedsters than you can shake a winged helmet at at an issue with the wow factor on pretty much every Flash-packed page.”
SciFiPulse – “Geoff Johns continues to intrigue and amaze as he re-defines the Scarlet Speedster for DC Comics. Ethan Van Sciver’s art pulls me in and makes me feel I’m experiencing what Barry Allen is going through”
And a few podcasts I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet…
Rokk’s Comic Book Revolution Podcast
And finally, there’s my review of the issue.
I didn’t find nearly as many reviews as I usually do. I guess the slow schedule is killing enthusiasm for the book.
I watched the new Star Trek on DVD last weekend. Maybe it’s just me but I saw some parallels between Nero and how Geoff Johns is writing Prof. Zoom.
Considering the timing, was Johns inspired by the Nero character in Star Trek? I mean he’s certainly given Thawne a lot more depth than he ever had during the silver age. Before Rebirth I preferred the Hunter Zolomon Zoom over the Eobard Thawne Zoom. I thought Zolomon’s backstory was better and that he had substantially more depth. Johns has certainly turned all that on its head with Rebirth. But all the time travel stuff– Nero messing with Spock out of pure spite, revenge, and hatred is very reminiscent of Thawne messing with Barry’s past out of spite, revenge, and pure hatred.
That might just be a coincidence, though I have seen that many times before. Perhaps its just the amount of stories out there that have already been told? Some times it feels like the same ones are being told over and over again kind of like in music how there’s literally thousands of songs written by a guy, about love for a girl. All the same theme, different story teller.
If im crazy and reading too deep, thats okay too lol
Overall I think Rebirth has been worth the wait, but it may be because im one of those rabid fan boys.
I have no complaints with Geoff “borrowing” a bit of Nero’s story concept from Star Trek (either intentionally or accidentally) as they largely borrowed that concept from earlier incarnations of Star Trek (TNG’s Yesterday’s Enterprise episode and the Generations movie). And considering how heavily steeped in time travel many of Barry’s silver age stories were, using time travel as such a strong plot device for Eobard Thawne makes sense for the comic.
I enjoyed it, though not quite as much as issue #4 (but then, it was a tough act to follow). My review is here: https://comicoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/11/flash-rebirth-5-of-6.html
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