This issue of THE FLASH brings us the big battle between Future Barry and the Barry Allen we know in the New 52. As you can guess from the last time they met (5 years in the future in FUTURES END: THE FLASH), this is going to be BIG…for a lot of reasons. But, if you think you knew how this one would end…well…you may have another thing coming!
LIGHT SPOILERS ONLY
Welcome to the latest installment in our annotations of the collected edition of The Trial of the Flash! A while back, we analyzed related stories leading up to the release of Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash. In addition, we interviewed author Cary Bates about the buildup and the Trial itself, plus showed you what wasn’t included in the collection.
IN THIS ISSUE: Sympathetic Vibrations!
We’ve reached the final issue! Thank you very much for reading along. Links to original artwork, scans and research are included throughout this post. For definitive legal analysis of the story by Bob Ingersoll, go here. Tom vs. Flash Podcast links here, including these issues. As always, huge thanks to the DC Indexes. See you after the jump!
Hey Speed Readers,
So in anticipation of the upcoming Flash-themed HeroClix set aptly named, The Flash, HeroClix.com has began previewing some of the updated dials and new characters that we will be seeing come November. First up we have a new version of Barry Allen based on his interpretation in the New 52:
After the events of FOREVER EVIL, Central City is a mess…in just about every way you can measure. The reconstruction work has begun, and everyone is dealing with the consequences of the vicious attack on the Gem Cities by the Crime Syndicate. Barry is feeling a particular level of guilt…after all, he IS the Fastest Man Alive. The themes of devastation, recovery, regret, and lost time run strongly through this excellent debut from the new FLASH team of Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund. Oh, and did I mention….Wally?
LIGHT SPOILERS ONLY
Newsarama has been busy with Flash-related news and interviews over the past few days, and you can find links and relevant snippets here (read the articles for the full details). Some of this information should be considered spoilers, so proceed with caution.
First, they talked to Brett Booth about how Wally West will be handled in the New 52.
Nrama: Let’s talk about what you guys are facing now. We’ve had two and a half years of the New 52 with no Flash except Barry Allen. What’s the biggest challenge about introducing Wally West at this time, with Barry already established?
Booth: I think it will be getting people to accept this version. I know what some people are expecting, I know what I’d want. He will be different, for one thing, in the old DCU he was Iris’s sister’s kid. She has a brother now, so things won’t be exactly the same. The original Wally was from a different time, a very Norman Rockwell sort of place. That is no longer the case for anyone in the New 52. He will reflect that, I’m sure.
So as I am writing this Arrow has ended about 4 minutes ago and I’m extremely jazzed up from watching it. I’m just going to give my overall impressions and then after the break you can look forward to some details on the Barry bits. I will also add that I’m a huge fan of the show and it alone has made me care more about Green Arrow than I ever have before. With every episode I believe the show improves and I love keeping an eye out for all of the easter eggs and little nods. So many just in this night’s episode alone.
As far as this episode goes…while a lot of the Barry Allen stuff was extremely heavy-handed I can also understand why they chose to go that route. Overall they did a fairly good job introducing Barry Allen to new fans although does anyone else find themselves getting a Peter Parker vibe from Grant Gustin? I guess it doesn’t help that I rewatched Amazing Spider-Man last night. I do like how right in the first episode, we’ve established Barry’s general temperament, what he brings to the table as far as skills and resourcefulness, and his motivations. Bing, bam, boom. I can’t say that I am thrilled that certain aspects of his revised Brightest Day/New 52 origin were retained for that adaptation but I also can’t say I’m totally surprised as that was kind of the point of doing the New 52; streamlining origins and making characters easier to relate to. We also got some great hints of things to come, including a certain opposite who has yet to get his due in live-action.
Please do not read any further if you do not wish to read Spoilers. Spoilers are after the break.
