The reviews I've read of this series have been a mixed lot. Some don't like it. Some love it. Some really hate it.I've been in the "liking it" category so far, but there's been something a little "off" about The Flash: Rebirth, and I think I've figured out what it is.
Most of us reading it have been expecting a fun, uplifting story about the return of a real "good guy" hero. Barry Allen was always a nice, clean-cut guy, very much along the lines of Superman (and they share a nice scene in this issue). He had the girl, the brains, an awesome power, and he was a winner.
But this series has taken a completely different angle - instead of a triumph, it casts Barry Allen in a tragedy.
Since the first issue, there's been a cloud hanging over Barry. Two police scientists are killed in the first scene in the series. Barry is melancholy about his return to a different world, and struggles to fit in. Speedsters keep getting killed by mysterious surges in the Speed Force, and it threatens the lives of his loved ones.
Not exactly cheerful Silver Age-type stories. And this issue takes us further down into the darkness.
Barry finds he's becoming the Black Flash, an embodiment of death for speedsters. His friends gather to save him, but Barry soon realizes the only solution - and it's a grim one.
Despite the dark nature of the series, I think writer Geoff Johns knows exactly what he's doing - he's breaking Barry's story down to the basics, so his eventual triumph over the forces arrayed against him will be that much more satisfying.
At least I hope that's the idea.
Where previous issues have dragged, this one moves at top speed, and offers lots of insights into Barry's life.
The art by Ethan Van Sciver continues to be outstanding - charged with energy and emotion.
What this series really requires of the reader is patience and trust that the creative team knows what it's doing. I wouldn't go along with that idea for most comic books, but with this issue, I'm on board.
Grade: A-
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