The Mayor of Central City has given the order – bring in the Flash! And to do it, the CCPD must make a deal with…the Rogues! How topsy-turvy is this? Now, Barry Allen, CSI must help the Rogues track down Public Enemy #1…himself! That’s where we pick up with THE FLASH #49! Want to know more? Just follow us after the jump!
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!
Most of the Rogue are already at the CCPD…but not the Trickster, who is meeting with a mysterious benefactor elsewhere in Central City. Now, if you have looked ahead at the solicits for future issues, you may know who this person is…but it isn’t revealed in issue #49 so we’ll leave it (relatively) unspoiled for now. The point here is that this enigmatic (ouch) benefactor gives something to Trickster that plays into the story later in the issue. More on that later…meanwhile…
Barry is TICKED that he has to help the Rogues. We see how Barry does “mad”, and actually this makes sense. He’s not just upset at the thought of helping the Rogues…he’s also panicked at the thought of having to obstruct justice to protect himself. Barry seeks out his father’s advice and support, and Henry Allen is supportive. But, there isn’t much time to talk, because…
Wally’s school is attacked! Why?
Wally may not understand things just yet, but he is evidencing early signs of super speed, and it has him truly frightened. He should be, but not for the reasons he thinks. That’s because there are drones all over Central City looking for evidence of super speed. They detect not Barry, but Wally! And, as a result, the Rogues come calling with all their destructive force, looking for the Flash! This of course brings Barry out of hiding to fight the Rogues and protect the kids, and it brings out Trickster’s special “gift”…
And that brings us to the capture of The Flash!
Now, there are a lot of details I’m leaving out, not the least of which is another scene involving Wally’s friend…Chunk! (a DCYou version of a character well known to pre-FLASHPOINT Wally fans). And, there is a definite sense that Axel is a rogue (small “r”) agent even within the Rogues (capital “R”). His actions shock the rest of the Rogues, and it seems that his connection to his mysterious benefactor will play a larger role very soon. Still, that’s the basics – this was an issue depending much more on a series of quick scenes and action sequences rather than a longer-paced plot development. We get from point A to point B to point C rather quickly in this issue.
SUMMARY: It’s always good to see the Flash versus the Rogues, and that goes all the way back to the Silver Age and up to today. For once, it looks like the Rogues have the upper hand…but you know there will be a lot more to see in issue #50. As for #49, we find a fast paced issue that jumps from scene to scene very quickly, building swiftly to the action sequence and to the cliffhanger that will bring us all back for FLASH #50. Robert Venditti and Van Jensen have us ready for some big moments on two fronts – a potential “Trial of Barry Allen” (wait, this is different) and Wally’s development of his own super-speed. The artwork style is certainly different from Manapul/Buccellato and Booth/Rapmund/Dalhouse, but I’m settling in well with Philippe Briones’ pencils/inks and Guy Major’s colors. Wally’s developing speed (and his surprise at how quickly he gets to class) were handled exceptionally well – the digital blur effects worked well here. Overall, a solid issue that has me looking forward to issue #50.
What’s YOUR take on THE FLASH #49? Leave your comments here!