Tag Archives: Barry Allen

Review: The Flash #12 – “The Road to Flashpoint” Concludes

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Well, here it is, the supposedly final issue of The Flash. So how does it read? And how does Geoff Johns & Francis Manapul’s brief 12-issue run hold together?

This one’s better than the previous issue, with a super-speed battle, revelations about Professor Zoom, the Speed Force, Flashpoint and Kid Flash, and even the background between Barry Allen and Patty Spivot. Scott Kolins’ art looks better as well — whether he had more time, or whether the super-heroics is just better suited for his current style, I couldn’t say — and Francis Manapul’s cover (revealed just yesterday) is great.

Still, the whole “Road to Flashpoint” arc feels like something’s missing. The biggest problem, I think, is that everything from Flash: Rebirth to this point was supposed to be a steady build toward Flashpoint, but the combination of slowly-paced long storylines and publishing delays meant that instead of progressing from A to B to C to D to E to Flashpoint, we instead spent a lot of time on A and then a lot of time on E without actually following the steps to get there.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think maybe making a clean break at this point and starting fresh after Flashpoint is exactly what the book needs.

A bit about the art:

I mentioned that I liked Kolins’ art better in this issue than last. One sequence that stood out was the way he portrayed Zoom and the negative speed force. It looked more like flowing energy streams within Zoom’s body than the usual lightning leaking around it, which was a nice change, and a good way of showing that Thawne was using the powers differently. Still, I miss the background details that Francis Manapul works into his art, like the fire extinguisher behind someone who’s still carrying a flame.

Further discussion will require SPOILERS! Continue reading →

DC Universe Classics Blue Lantern Flash Carded Images and Wally West Custom

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Hey, Speed Readers! Earlier this afternoon Mattycollector.com’s Facebook page released carded images of DC Universe Classics Wave 17, Mattel’s own Blackest Night Wave. Of course any Flash fan that has been following the last few years of the DC Universe would know that Barry was deputized into the Blue Lantern Corps during Blackest Night and has already seen a release in the DC Direct Blackest Night Wave. Now DC Universe Classics collectors get a shot at him:

 

One cool thing to note that was absent from the DC Direct version of this figure is the ability for this figure to hold his included Lantern. The DCD version sports closed fists. In addition to that the figure has 23 points of articulation and has a lighter color scheme. Despite feeling pretty burnt out on the whole Rainbow Lantern thing I will still be picking this figure up. The completest in me will not let me pass up on it.

I also came across an auction posted by eBay seller, Last_Galaxy for a custom Wally West action figure in his latest uniform:

The figure’s base looks to be a DC Universe Classics Barry Allen with a sculpted on lightning belt, lightning forearms and Wally’s new (JLU) symbol. Still hoping to see some version of this figure from either DC Direct or Mattel soon. I really do not care who makes it I just want it! The auction ends in about 4 days and can be found HERE.

Thanks for reading,

–Devin “Flash” Johnson

Two Flashes in IGN’s Top 100 Heroes

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IGN has put together a list of their Top 100 Comic Book Heroes, and two Flashes make the cut! It’s a very well-rounded list, featuring not just the major Marvel and DC super-heroes, but non-superheroes like Dream of the Endless and Spider Jerusalem, and indie characters like Hellboy, Scott Pilgrim, and even Groo the Wanderer.

The two Flashes on the list are Barry Allen at #49 and Wally West at .

Recent Acquisitions 7: Hot Pursuit? *Image Intensive*

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What if instead of a motorcycle, Hot Pursuit used oh I don’t know, roller blades? Yes, Cosmic Roller Blades. That seems to be the concept behind the very, very hard to find Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Rocket Zoom Flash that I recently procured. Take a look:

Continue reading →

McDonald’s Batman: Brave and The Bold Round Two

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Salutations Speed Readers,

Last Saturday McDonald’s started it’s second Batman: Brave and the Bold Happy Meal promotion! Just like the Young Justice Happy Meal promotion from a couple months ago this set will feature two Flash-related characters: Barry Allen’s version of The Flash and Gorilla Grodd, one of the Scarlet Speedster’s greatest villains. Unlike the Young Justice promotion I didn’t feel like dealing with McDonald’s at all. So I went the evilBay route. Unfortunately when I wanted them no one was selling just Grodd and Flash (Since they come in two different sets) so I just went ahead and purchased all eight of the sets. I’m only going to show the Flash-related ones right now but if enough of you want to see the rest I may post them at a future time. Check ’em out:

The seller was kind enough to include the Happy Meal box along with the sets.

And a couple more pics of Barry and Grodd:

As you can see they didn’t really fill in the details. Flash’s wings on his cowl are just blotches of paint and although they included the lightning details on his forearms and belt they neglected to fill them in with paint. Grodd isn’t that big of a deal, he is just missing some minor details on the helmet which I wouldn’t realistically expect anyway. Also whereas the initial Brave and the Bold line and even the Young Justice line from a couple months ago were fairly large and featured some decent details where it counted, it looks like they opted for quantity over quality this time around and released 24 different toys. Kids get more bang for their buck with three smaller toys in one package instead of just the standard one.

Just for comparison:

Yep, pretty tiny. Still not bad figures, and it is always good to see some more mainstream Flash love.

Anyone else gotten their hands on these guys yet?

Thanks for reading,

–Devin “Flash” Johnson

Review: Flash #11 — “The Road to Flashpoint”

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On one hand, I found Flash #11 — chapter 3 of “The Road to Flashpoint” — to be a lot more engaging than the previous issue. On the other, it highlights some problems with the series.

I was disappointed to see that Francis Manapul didn’t draw this issue, though seeing Scott Kolins’ name was a relief. That said, while I normally like Kolins’ art on The Flash, it actually looks rushed, especially on the early pages. I have to wonder how much time DC gave him to draw the issue.

The pacing, however, is much better than the previous two issues. After an issue-long teaser and another issue that was 50% exposition, we actually get into the meat of the story here — a story very much about Barry Allen, the man who works as a police scientist, not the Flash who happens to be Barry Allen (which may be part of why I liked it better than ).

It was nice to see the story actually address some of the problems with Barry’s post-Rebirth isolation, though I get the impression that this was intended to develop over more story arcs. As with the artist change, I can’t help but wonder what we might have seen if they’d been able to keep this book on time. Monthly from April 2010 through May 2011 would only have included two more issues, but the two Rogue Profiles wouldn’t have been added. Under those circumstances, Johns could have fit another 4-issue story between “Dastardly Death…” and “Road to Flashpoint.”

Geoff Johns does a good job of keeping Hot Pursuit’s motivation and methods ambiguous throughout the issue, keeping it unclear whether he’s causing or tracking the murders. The super-heroics kick into gear at the very end, with not one but two cliffhangers to be resolved in next month’s series finale…though with a title like “The Road to Flashpoint,” it seems pretty clear that it’ll wrap with some sort of transition. I expect the “last issue” to end in one of two ways: Either it will feature a teaser with Barry in the altered reality of Flashpoint, or it will end with a fade to white like all of DC’s “Zero Hour” tie-ins back in 1994.

So, let’s move on to some talk including SPOILERS… Continue reading →