There’s no question that Flash: Rebirth #1 was one of this week’s hottest comics, as you can see by the huge number of reviews of the book.
The Absorbascon – “the most important superhero comic book in the last 20 years.”
The Weekly Crisis – “A solid, if slow opening issue that failed, by a large margin, to reach the expectations set for it.”
Not exactly a review, but 4thLetter! has some questions for continuity geeks about the book.
Major Spoilers is underwhelmed, but “If we can ease back on the hero worship and get inside that crewcut next time, I still might be swayed into the realm of the believers…”
IGN has two reviews, one by a Flash fan (7/10 stars) and one by a new reader (9/10). “it has been a while since I’ve read a comic which drew me into the characters and presented the DCU as a living, breathing entity as well as Rebirth #1”
Comic Book Resources – “it has definitely set up a more interesting character dynamic than Green Lantern ever did. Each Flash is directly vested in the others’ lives, so jealousy and admiration aren’t just convenient personality traits, they’re clearly paving the way for some intense stuff down the road.”
Comics411 – “Geoff Johns paints an almost dark Batman type of Barry Allen.”
Newsarama’s Best Shots Extra – “this is a series that I think is just coming out of first gear, and is going to be revving its way through the next few issues.”
iFanboy Pick of the Week – “The opening pages read like a checklist, addressing everything that needed to be addressed with an efficiency and skill so sleek that I was honestly a little awestruck.”
iFanboy’s kwisdumb – while I might not agree with the return of characters like these, it’s obvious to me that a masterful story is being told here”
iFanboy’s TheNextChampion – “The beginning of this story was great….But the whole ‘Oh I shouldnt be alive’ moping around got old really quick. I mean Barry just felt like a stick in the mud.”
And a bunch more iFanboy user reviews.
Comicvine: The Flash Rebirth #1…Reviewed In A Flash! (video — in a a Flash player, no less)
Nobody’s Non-Video Review of The Flash: Rebirth #1 – 3.5 stars for potential: “not the best title I have ever read but it looks like it will lead into a good series.”
Giant Size Man-Thing: New Comics – “This issue did what it needed to do, which was to help me finally remember which one is Barry and which one is Wally”
Weekly Comic Book Review – “Geoff Johns creates a strong, compelling narrative of life, post-Crisis for Barry Allen.”
Comic Pants – “This isn’t quite what I was expecting. Nor is it what I was hoping for…Flash should be an adrenaline laced adventure book, not mopey book that has some guy running really fast.”
Title Undetermined – “I feel like I’m that guy who was brought along to a wedding or birthday party for someone he doesn’t know.”
Comics and…other Imaginary Tales – “At the end of this issue I still do not have an answer to that question, but the foundation has been laid.”
Reilly2040 – “Geoff’s set up some interesting mysteries with this first issue, and I like that idea for a Barry Allen book. To focus on his detective traits. If we just wanted a book about a guy who runs really fast, then they could’ve just kept Wally as the title character.”
32 Pages found the issue “quite pedestrian” and needs more to convince him to come back.
Crave Online: “I can only hope that what I read falls in the realm of first issue blues.”
SKELETONSS – “while I can’t get into the guy in the suit, I love the words being spoken.”
The Fandom Zone – “I can’t complain too much. I’m just glad Barry’s back.”
Comic Book Thoughts: 5 Things I Didn’t Expect To See In Flash: Rebirth #1.
And of course there’s my review here at Speed Force.
I’m sure there are more. I’ve collected these from sites I follow directly, from Comic Blog Elite, and from search alerts on Google and Twitter.
Update (Friday, April 3)
Here’s a few more that have popped up on the radar today:
Rokk’s Comic Book Revolution – “Johns pulls off plenty of nice character work. It is obvious that Johns loves and understands the various members of the Flash family.”
dillonmania (a.k.a. Lia) – “a fairly good issue, and a nice start, but was quite dismayed by the apparent retcon to Barry’s history”
Pendragon’s Post – “For all the new readers who want to get into The Flash series, and those who love a good detective story, this book is for you.”
Clever Name “Does it measure up to Johns and VanSciver’s previous Rebirth of Green Lantern? Sort of…but it’s more like asking if Goodfellas compares to Godfather.”
Update 2 (Saturday, April 4)
Here’s a few more, some of which I found from a shorter round-up at Robot 6.
Comics Daily – “It’s entirely, thoroughly and inextricably rooted in “DCness”, and hugely reliant on prior knowledge of the identities of just about everyone that shows up.”
Comic Book Legacy – “the biggest problem I had with this issue is the sudden dark turn of Barry’s origin. The Flash family has always had one the more positive origins in comics.”
Pop Syndicate – “While Johns may have an interesting take on Barry Allen after all this time, he spends way to much time telling us about Barry Allen rather than showing us Barry Allen.” and “Now that he’s back, Johns immediately throws all of the modern baggage a hero supposedly needs on Barry, making him as dark and troubled as any character. Is this really how we wanted to see Barry Allen brought back?”
I think I’ll keep adding to this list through the end of the weekend, then call it done.
Update #3 (Sunday, April 5)
iFanboy’s Pick of the Week Podcast #178 starts with almost 10 minutes about Flash: Rebirth #1.
My Life as a Country Song – “In the 20 years Allen was absent from comics, the argument for keeping him that way is that Barry Allen has always been more interesting as an unseen mentor and motivation for Wally West to be a better hero. Lightning Strikes Twice seems to prove the point.”
Extra Sequential – “The ads for this series have claimed that Barry is back and it’s the worst thing that could’ve happened to him. How that plays out will be mildly intriguing, but I guess after the spoils of GL: Rebirth, I was expecting more.”
Digital College – “Johns is the perfect person to write this book ( and just about every other DC book for the most part). He introduces readers who might be foreign to Barry Allen and gives a brief update on his origin.”
The Source Wall – “My favorite moments come when Barry and Hal meet at the Flash Museum.”
Tpull’s Weekly DC Comics Review – “I could go on, but I won’t. I’ll just say the obvious: best read of the week.”
Bureau 42 – “High Point… ‘The world’s finally catching up.'”
Nerdage Comics Vodcast – “As a first issue, is it super-satisfyng? It’s very very good, but it’s just setting up a lot of things that hopefully will pay off a little more in the rest of the series.” (video clip)
Weekly Crisis also has its own round-up, Flash Fact – Johns Loves Barry; Reviewers Not So Much
Update #4 (Monday, April 6)
Robot Panic – “I still recommend this book, but if you aren’t a Flash fan, I would have to direct you to the nearest comic shop and tell you to pick up some Barry Allen trades before picking up Flash: Rebirth.”
Destroy the Cyb – “I’m intrigued enough to keep reading, and I’m willing to bet that Johns and Van Sciver can tie it all up nicely by the end of the miniseries, but I would honestly recommend waiting for the collected edition for this one”
Alternate Reality – “Van Sciver’s art is terrific, and Johns is a master story teller. I think Johns could make the three little pigs into a top ten comic; the guy’s just good at his craft.”
And I think I’ll wrap it up here. That’s a lot of reviews!
Update #5 (Tuesday, April 7)
Okay, one more update.
Robot 6’s Grumpy Old Fan – “despite all the festivities, I didn’t find much fun in F:R #1. There is the glimmer of an intriguing story, since it looks like Barry has succeeded the Black Flash as a speedster’s personal angel of death, but good grief there’s a lot of –let’s say “flair” instead — obscuring that story.”
Comic News Insider Episode 191 (audio) features a review of Flash: Rebirth (starts around 9:45).
The Outhousers – “Flash weeks always end in tears for the Review Group, but this is Johns and Van Sciver so an epic win was inevitable, right? Err, maybe not…”
Gamer’s Circle – “Some fans, like Bart, are upset about Barry’s return. If Barry has to come back – and it was inevitable in my mind – there is really no better person to do it than Johns. This needs to be on your pull list.”
Update #6 (Thursday April 9)
I know I said I wasn’t going to keep updating this, but The Source linked to a pair of high-profile reviews that I hadn’t seen.
Ain’t It Cool News – “It’s often said that the devil is in the details, but Johns and Van Sciver have proven yet again sometimes the details are the most delectable part of the story.”
IGN Comics SMASH! Podcast (audio, haven’t listened to it.)
