Ever read a comic where you go back and think, “I really wish they had just a couple more pages to work with?” The pressures of publishing can contribute to a page count that doesn’t always allow everything to show up in the story. Still, the overall story is great. It’s just that nagging feeling about one little bit of plot you wish had shown up in print. That’s where I am with this issue. It’s still a great story, and frankly, the best FLASH title in print today. But, I am getting ahead of myself just a bit. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
I’ll get to those mythical missing pages in just a moment. But first, let’s follow Wally and Grodd for a moment. Wally is famished, so much so that he resorts to something very un-Wally like. He starts to steal from a convenience store.
It doesn’t work out very well. He’s too low on energy and faints in the middle of the store. He wakes up without Grodd and in jail. And, if things aren’t bad enough, that lets the Absolute Rogues catch up to him!
They capture him and start to head out into the storm. And what a storm it is! It gets worse by the minute, but Wally refuses to leave the area without Grodd and dives into the center of the whirlwind.
At the center is “Storm Man”, or at least that’s how Grodd refers to, you know, anyways…
“Storm Man” is out of control. He was created by none other than Barry Allen, but he would rather fight than go back. Wally bravely manages to subdue him, absorbing the lightning before delivering a decisive blow.
Now, THIS is where my “missing pages” come in.
The Rogues catch back up to Wally, but no longer are willing to take him back. No one is going to Fort Fox anymore. They are going…”Rogue”. And while I like the result, I really, really like the result, that was awfully sudden.
Did seeing Wally beat “Storm Man” suddenly give them a change of heart? Was it Wally’s willingness to sacrifice himself that started a change of heart? WHY did they change their minds so quickly? There were some seeds in earlier issues, but this still was so sudden that it was a bit jarring. It’s the only complaint I’ve had about the entire series, and maybe it’s no big deal to anyone else. It just nags at me a little bit.
One last note – there is an interlude back at Fort Fox where Thawne nearly has Wally’s dad executed. He agrees to help bring Wally back, no matter what it takes. And, we get one more glimpse into the origin of all these strange experiments. More on that in future issues.
Let’s wrap this one up…
SUMMARY:
This is still the best FLASH title going today. The story and the artwork are amazing. The only drawback was how quickly the Rogues turned around – but other than that, this series has been nothing short of fantastic. I’ll give this one an 8/10 – of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!