This 21st issue of The Flash is easily the fastest paced story of Barry in the New 52 – in more ways than one! This is one of the top meetings we’ve been looking forward to in the New 52, and the payoff is exceptional here. Barry meets Bart…and there’s a lot more to THIS story, so let’s get straight to the review of this excellent installment of The Flash.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – BE SURE TO READ THE ISSUE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD! Continue reading
DC Comics has released a preview of Flash #21 through Uproxx. Part 2 of “Reversed” features the first meeting of Flash (Barry Allen) and Kid Flash (Bart Allen) in the New 52 continuity. The Flash knows someone’s been killing people touched by the Speed Force, but doesn’t know who…so he starts with the only other speedster he knows about.
Unfortunately, the splash pages are shrunken down to a fairly narrow column, so it’s virtually impossible to read any of the narration boxes, but you can get a good sense of the art.
The Flash #21 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato comes out next week.
Two items from DC Comics’ September solicitations, both from their digital-first line:
AME-COMI GIRLS #7
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by HORACIO DOMINGUES, EDUARDO FRANCISCO and RUBEN GONZALEZ
Cover by EDUARDO FRANCISCO
On sale SEPTEMBER 4 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Meet the Hellions—a team of misfit Ame-Comi Girls out to have fun and save the world. It’s not easy for Black Flash being the only undead, crime-fighting teenager in school. But when she meets Red Raven and her badass besties, she may have finally found a place to fit in.
The Black Flash statue was originally a repaint of the Jesse Quick-as-the-Flash statue. I find it interesting that the Ame-Comi comics have expanded to include the repaint characters. Presumably the chapters featuring her will appear digitally in August. Does anyone know if Jesse Quick/The Flash has had a spotlight story in this series?
SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 VOL. 3: HAUNTED TP
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art by JORGE JIMENEZ
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
On sale OCTOBER 16 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US
In these stories from issues #9-12, mysterious speed storms have struck across the globe, and a familiar face returns to help Clark to stop them. Then, Lex moves against Tess to reveal what she knows about The Man of Steel, and the secrets of Earth-Two Chloe are revealed!
This collects the full story that quest-starred Bart Allen as Impulse and Jay Garrick as the Flash of the Justice Society in the Smallville universe.
DC Comics’ August 2013 solicitations are up, including…
THE FLASH #23
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Flash makes a desperate play to save Iris from Reverse-Flash—and you can’t be sure who will be left standing by this issue’s end!
TEEN TITANS #23
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Kid Flash finds himself on the run from his past as a growing rift between Red Robin and Superboy boils over and could tear the Teen Titans apart, just as their speedster teammate needs them most.
Plus there’s Earth 2 starring Jay Garrick, and the second half of Trinity War running through the Justice League titles.
The storyline is heating up quickly in Teen Titans #19, as Trigon is here – and is devastating New York City! Kid Flash is beginning to show signs of leadership within the team as the Titans face their biggest danger yet in the New52. This issue is action packed, and truly one of the best issues of this title I’ve read in quite some time!
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Please read the issue before continuing here!
This issue picks up with some significant dissension in the ranks of the Titans in the aftermath of last issue’s battle with the Suicide Squad. Cassie expresses her displeasure rather, uh, forcefully…with a hand around Tim Drake’s throat! The rest of the team tries to talk her down, but it is Bart Allen who plays peacemaker here. It is good to see Bart stepping up, and I look forward to more from Kid Flash in this title. And, it is important that he is stepping up a bit, as Tim Drake still seems caught in his jerk-of-the-month mode. We don’t linger here much longer, though, because…Trigon appears in Times Square with devastating results! The Titans go into battle, to find that Trigon has more than just a few physical tricks up his sleeve. This is a most impressive battle, but one that doesn’t go well at all for the Titans. Raven appears to be ready to help to an extent…but is she really ready to directly defy Trigon? We’ll have to wait for that answer…
Kid Flash does feature more prominently here than in some recent issues, and there is foreshadowing of future storylines that may finally explain Bart’s future/history in the New52. Scott Lobdell’s script (with dialog by Lobdell and Tony Bedard) was very well done and action packed throughout. It is easily the best issue of Teen Titans I’ve read in some time. Eddy Barrows does a great job on pencils, with inks by Eber Ferreira and colors by Alex Sinclair. This is an excellent issue – and I can’t wait for TT #20!
This issue of Justice League of America’s Vibe (wow, what a long name!) marks the start of Sterling Gates’ run as writer for the title. If this issue is any indication, Vibe is in very good hands…and I can only wish to see Sterling Gates write more stories that include Kid Flash as well. Gates truly gets his characters – the transition for Cisco is smooth as glass from Johns to Gates, and this issue has just about the best characterization of Bart Allen that we’ve seen in the New52. Vibe is well worth the read, and this series is quickly becoming one of the very best the New52 has to offer.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – DO NOT READ FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ISSUE! Continue reading