Tag Archives: Dr. Alchemy

“With This Ring” Finale – Review of THE FLASH 766

As we come to the end of Kevin Shinick’s first arc with THE FLASH, a few things are becoming clearer about his take on Barry Allen and his super-speed alter ego. Flash has been up against a near-omnipotent version of Dr. Alchemy, and things are looking very bad as this chapter begins. We know the good guy will win the day, but how that happens is important for the storytelling we may expect as we move forward. This has been an excellent story so far, and this issue does not disappoint. You wanna know more? Just follow us after the jump!

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Alchemy! Review of THE FLASH 765

The threat Dr. Alchemy presents is growing exponentially. When we left the Flash last time, his connection to the Speed Force itself was severed, taking away his speed! How can a regular speed Barry Allen face off against this powered-up Albert Desmond? We get some answers here…but also some new twists to the tale. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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This Week: Digital Flash(back) #40-42

Flash #40

This week’s digital backissues at ComiXology include Flash v.2 #40-42, featuring a two-part Dr. Alchemy story and the first part of a Kilg%re two-parter.

In “Philosopher’s Stone” and “Elemental Conflict,” Wally West consults the reformed but quirky scientist Al Desmond to help Linda with her spiritual possession (Seamus, the medieval Irish bard who showed up unwanted while they investigated the Celestial Ranch cult last time). But there are two sides to Desmond’s personality, one of which is Dr. Alchemy. This story made an interesting reveal about the nature of the two Al Desmonds, one which seems to have been forgotten or at least glossed over by later Flash writers.

In “Mechanical Failure” (though I prefer the “Night of the Mechanical Zombies” tagline from the cover), we catch up with Wally’s old flame Dr. Tina McGee, now working with her husband Jerry on an artificial intelligence project. But her colleagues don’t seem to be acting quite themselves, and no one will believe her when she tells them something seems wrong about them….

Flash #40-42 will be available on ComiXology Wednesday morning.

Gotham Central in Keystone City

I just noticed that last month’s hardcover release of Gotham Central: On the Freak Beat includes the “Keystone Kops” storyline. When a fellow police officer is exposed to a mad scientist’s death trap and starts mutating, Gotham detectives Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen travel to Keystone City to consult the imprisoned Dr. Alchemy.

The hardcover line is following a different breakdown than the original trade paperbacks did. The story was previously collected in the paperback Gotham Central: The Quick and the Dead.

What’s Retconned About Barry Allen’s Past?

With Flash: Rebirth complete, we can take a look at the changes the series made to the Flash mythos. I listed a lot of them in my review of issue #6 (resurrections, costume/identity/power changes, the re-imagining of the speed force itself, etc.), but I want to look at a specific set of changes: What the Reverse-Flash did to Barry Allen’s past, and the ripple effect from those changes.

Note that I’m specifically looking at things that contradict previous stories, not those that add new details that can be considered to have been hidden.

Spoilers for Flash: Rebirth, of course.

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