Deanpool: Rebirth!... And The Flash #1

I kid you not this is probably the 5th time Deanpool and I have opened up a new post, joked about the long hiatus, and wrote drafts on endless material that's been on our minds since the last blog post.

And frankly, we don't want to write another one. So let's jump right into it as if we never left!

Disclaimer: Deanpool hasn't purchased comics in roughly 8 months now, much less been in a comic store. While he may be catching up with what some of the latest and greatest stories on, he's been reading plenty of graphic novels and TPB's during the hiatus so plenty of reviews will be coming this way... hopefully. These things can become very exhausting when one tends to be a perfectionist.

2nd Disclaimer: Deanpool still hasn't finished reading the New 52 series of The Flash. If there are storylines or ideas that affect this current series, we won't be able to make the connections until we catch up... eventually!

ANYWAYS... in case you missed it, DC Comics launched a new event that puts all characters back into their pre-New 52 stage. If you want to read more about how it all unfolds go read "DC Rebirth". The Rebirth event is affecting all the series and marks an easy "jumping on" point for readers who, like Deanpool, can't simply start a series in the middle of its run. The biggest storylines coming out of this event will answer some of the bigger questions such as what stays in canon and what returns to canon since before the New 52 reboot (courtesy of The Flash and the Flashpoint storyline, another recommended read!). Keep in mind this Rebirth is not tagged as a "reboot." From that, we can only interpret that there will be some overlapping transition from pre-New 52 to the New 52 to this Rebirth timeline. That explanation will undoubtedly be confusing for everyone. One example of a return to canon, and perhaps the biggest Rebirth reveal, has been the return of the original Wally West! Although Deanpool has developed mixed feelings about this. The New 52 introduced a new Wally West, an African American character that no doubt influenced the direction of CW's TV series The Flash. We'll see later how events of Rebirth, like the return of a character that was redefined in the New 52, will affect an ongoing series that's went through major changes since the New 52.

And with that, we'll transition into to our main review of this post, the latest Flash #1. (as usual, spoilers in review!)

Not to confused with the graphic novel The Flash: Rebirth seen to the right.

The Flash will always be Deanpool's favorite comic superhero. The team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato did an amazing job of capturing Barry Allen's good-hearted and down to Earth nature, while creatively portraying his abilities as The Flash. They tackled popular villains with new twists as well as reinvented a villain that's been a staple to The Flash's character, the Reverse Flash. So what does this new team of Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico have to offer? A solid, yet safe start to the series that builds upon Barry Allen's origin of becoming the Scarlet Speedster AND... (last spoiler warning)

Introduces a new Speedster!

Now, if you're apart of the population that has had its fill of speedsters associated in the Flash universe and may or may not be currently rolling your eyes... you likely won't agree with this review. The introduction of the new speedster is the highlight of this comic. It starts the series with a big bang (although it comes within the last pages of the issue) and invites readers to stick with the series to see how this new player and Barry co-exist. Oh and if you're reading this without reading the issue (and obviously don't care for spoilers), the new character is named August and also acquired his powers by being struck by lightning. Hence the title "Lightning Strikes Twice". Guess that's kind of a spoiler in itself. It plays as a contrast to the opening panels where we flashback to the storm that gave Barry his powers. Williamson utilizes the opening pages to summarize Barry's powers/the Speed Force and even places references to the events that led to DC Rebirth, which also explains red-head Wally West's whereabouts. After briefly setting the stage for the reader, we dive right into the life of Barry Allen as The Flash.

only uses the first couple pages to summarize the accident, explain Barry's powers/the Speed Force, and also reference the events that have led to DC Rebirth setting the stage for the reader to jump right in to Barry's adventures as The Flash.

"Everyone deserves justice."

A common theme throughout the issue was how overwhelmed Barry was as both The Flash and as Barry Allen, the forensic scientist. It's not an uncommon story that we've seen used for The Flash, however it serves as a tool to possibly foreshadow what we can expect from August in the coming issues. We also see that the return of old Wally West did not mean writing off new Wally West, however the newer Wally West is no longer the New 52 Kid Flash. Bear with us, having two versions of Wally West is as challenging to write about as it is to read about. With older Wally West returning to the Teen Titans, Barry is left without a sidekick or any other help in his never-ending heroics to protect Central City. No real villain, or even known bottom-tier villain for that matter, were shown or introduced in this first issue. Most heroics shown were common heroics. You know, saving people from natural disasters. We see some clues toward who may be the main antagonist, but no hints toward it being an easily recognizable villain. Williamson's contrast of The Flash and Barry's personal life however really shows off his understanding of Barry's nature. Although it was one of the slower scenes, Barry's conversation with Iris West is where we learn the most about Barry's character and his drive as a hero in Central City. Best summed up in one panel (pictured) where he states, "Because everyone deserves justice." Whether it's his father wrongfully jailed, the victims he sees as a forensic scientist, or the victims he doesn't save in time despite being The Fastest Man Alive, Barry cares deeply about doing what's right and wants to be able to save everyone. However he still can't be in two places at once.

The West's

Easy to make comparisons of this Wally to the TV version.

"... People try so hard to do everything that they end up doing nothing"

This idea becomes heightened when he's forced to make a decision between rescuing citizens from a burning building (how stereotypical) or help out a S.T.A.R. Lab transit that's being attacked. Of course, Barry does his best attempt to deal with both. He deals with the fire first since it's on the way to the transit. However, we return to the motif that Barry simply can't do everything himself. What brought more drama to the decision was the fact that August had been assigned to escort the S.T.A.R. Labs transport.

Bromance in the making.

Let's rewind a bit and discuss August's progression throughout this issue. Introduced in the opening panels as an officer desperate for Barry's forensic help to put away a murderer who killed the officer's brother, who was also a police officer. We later see the both of them at a crime scene where the both of them appear to have a very friendly, yet professional relationship and August is especially appreciative of Barry's help with his brother's case. This is also the time we learn that he is assigned to assist in the S.T.A.R. Labs transport. As you can imagine, under heavy fire from the attackers, August finds himself in a dangerous situation. Here we see August as the noble and courageous police officer, prioritizing the safety of the nearby citizens and offering himself as a hostage when the attackers go after one of the doctors from the transport. The only hint we get about these attackers, assuming they are the main antagonists for this arc, is a) they have access to advanced technology like STAR labs related tech *GASP*, b) supposedly the tech inside the transport "belongs" to them, and c) they bear a symbol that is related to the murder of August's brother.

Yeah, that swirly sign on that guy's
chest is the symbol.

The intensity of the scene builds as one of the gunman fires at August while Barry is simultaneously racing to aid August and the transport. While it appears to be another case of "too little, too late" for Barry, a burst of lightning hits August but then subsequently  we're shown that a form of lightning attacks the gunman. Di Giandomenico depicts this awesome scene beautifully, showing the yellow lightning take the form of a human attacking the gunman while Barry is running and reacting at his top speed. The contrast of colors along while detailing the difference in the two character's Speed Force makes for an amazing Flash page. A panel that can only be used working with multiple speedsters, and it worked great!

The panels to the right = best scene in this issue

Where will this all lead? August has a background that is practically identical to Barry's. There really is no need to dig to deep into it, but why not! Let's write about it. Other than being struck by lightning and becoming a speedster, he cares deeply about justice for all after the murder of a family member and he's a member of Central City Police Department. We get it, they're alike. Now he's found something (can we call it a clue?) related to the murder of his brother, how far will he go to uncover this mystery? Will he look to the Flash for assistance with his new powers? Will Barry open up to him and reveal he's the Flash? It's easy to dream of these two becoming a dynamic duo, but who's to say August won't go down a darker path than Barry. He's not a kid or young adult that Barry can influence to stay on the right path. If August abandons his seeking of justice for revenge, it'll leave Barry with a difficult choice. Especially if they do partner up for a short time. But we've seen that story before haven't we? We've seen Punisher in the second season of Daredevil; we've seen Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (or The Long Halloween for those who read our review from like 2 years ago); any more examples feel free to comment, etc.  Deanpool wants to see more speedsters in the world of The Flash but we don't want to see them fall into the same tropes. It's a fine line that we're sure writers are often challenged with from a creative perspective. You don't want to have this new player just become the new sidekick because the other ones have other storylines set up. It's also hard to set up a new player as a new villain when his powers don't differ from another major villain like Reverse Flash (at least so far as we know). CW's TV series of The Flash cleverly pulled it off in their second season with Zoom following Reverse Flash, so we can't say it never works. But a rogue Speedster that walks the line of hero and anti-hero would be a nice change of pace. It has worked well for characters like Marvel's Punisher mentioned above or DC's Red Hood, which have both earned their share of fans as darker, morally ambiguous characters. Seeing a speedster in that kind of image could be entertaining. Even The Flash's own Captain Cold has turned into a fan favorite as an anti-hero, thanks to his portrayal in the New 52 and in CW's "Legends of Tomorrow". Or just having another speedster as a hero in the neighborhood can be cool too. With so many speedsters in the DC universe, we've still never seen Flash establish a team of speedsters. Similar to John Diggle's character relationship to Oliver Queen, Barry could find an ally that he doesn't necessarily mentor as a sidekick but works side by side with. It would an intriguing dynamic since they work together in their personal lives as well. The TV series has done a good job developing the supporting cast around Barry Allen. It would be a nice change of pace for the comic version of The Flash to adapt a similar concept, receiving help from August, Iris, and possibly even New 52 Wally. But as with every comic, it comes down to the storytelling and character  development.

Some fun panels showing off Di Giandomenico's art style of The Flash in action.

Di Giandomenico's Quicksilver

Williamson seems to have a strong understanding of Barry Allen's character. Again, Deanpool is spoiled with the amazing run Manapul and Buccellato had with Barry so it's tough to compare. The art took some getting used to for Deanpool but comes off striking and vibrant. Definitely not the doom and gloom you'll find in a Batman comic. Di Giandomenico brought life to Marvel All New X-Factor where he had some experience drawing another quickster in Quicksilver. A lot of that transferred over to The Flash and the bright colors really bring life to Barry Allen and The Flash. Colors are essential to Flash comics when it comes to portraying the Speed Force, but DG also properly captures the character's emotions when things are slowed down. It's eye-catching and it's fun to see. We got to hand it to these creators. It can't be easy to launch new series, especially for well-established characters. Do you retell the origin for new readers or assume they can figure it out? Deanpool read a review calling it a nice "back to basics" story. Very appropriate description. A little bit of old with a lot of new sounds like a good formula for new and old readers.


Flash fans have a lot to look forward to with this comic series. Deanpool gives this issue a
7.5/10 Lightning Bolts!

Thanks for reading! The review for issue #2 will be up soon! Hope to be more consistent and find time for these now that Deanpool's reading load has decreased significantly. The content may not vary that much for a while until we really find our groove again. But for now,  stick with us and keep following for more!