The Flash, Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint

The Flash (2010) (Collected Editions)

by Geoff Johns, Francis Manapul, Scott Kolins

The race towards FALSHPOINT continues in this Flash collection from comics' hottest writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul!Make way for Hot Pursuit - the latest speedster to come out of the Speed Force! He's here to make sure no one breaks the speed limit - hero or villain! This hardcover collection of THE FLASH #8-12 leading up to the epic events of FLASHPOINT follows Barry Allen and the family of speedsters, as they try to discover Hot Pursuit's identity and what he's doing in Keystone City! This volume also features the origin of Barry Allen's greatest foe, Professor Zoom! Eobard Thawne's story is just beginning -- and he intends to finish it with The Flash!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eobard Thawne is the fastest time terrorist alive.

Tasty.

If comic books are candy, then this is a Reece’s peanut butter and chocolate cup.

Spartan writer Geoff “I’m not the Flash I just write him” Johns goes back in time and provides a prologue for the events leading up to Flashpoint, the DC defining event that would lead to the New 52 and thus the Rebirth and here we are.

Again.

I’ve always been fascinated by the time travel aspects of the speed force and Reverse Flash is THE antagonist for this theme; he the demented stalker fan of Barry from the 25th century who travels time and f**** up everything Barry loves or cares about.

Again.

Johns provides us with a character study of Thawne and some titillating backstory for one of DC’s most iconic villains, certainly the most compelling in Flash’s rogues gallery.

Sorry Leonard.

We also meet another speedster from the Multiverse – Hot Pursuit.

Say what you will about Bruce Wayne and his emotional hang ups, there have likely been psychological books written about Wayne’s psyche, but Barry Allen is also a pretty messed up dude. DC writers have long had fun with him being late for everything, and that’s a joke that just keeps being funny, but another aspect of Allen’s life that Johns explores is his work life balance that is seriously skewed the wrong way. Iris makes a great statement – that the fastest man alive is “emotionally standing still”.

Great observation and writing by Johns and this aspect of this very good GN is only a part of why the Flash story is so cool.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with great art. Loved it. Want some more of it.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest: everything I know about Flash I learned from crossover events. So I figured it would probably be a good idea to read the prelim stories for the Flashpoint event, in the hopes of having a better idea of what was going on. I ended up being glad that I did. Not so much for the actual storyline, that I do think will lead directly into Flashpoint proper. The collection starts out with a wonderfully creepy story about Zoom, and how he uses his time travel abilities to rewrite his own history. Fall in love with a girl with a fiance? His future self will travel back in time to give the fiance a tragic death. Girl still hung up on dead fiance? Future self will make sure she never met him. Girl still not interested in Future Creeper? Future self can take care of that, too... This was absolutely the best part of the entire collection.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its deceptive title, this book had very little to do with "Flashpoint". There were a few elements that made it into that book, but that was all.

[Avinash · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be very frank I only read it because I wanted to read Flashpoint with all the references but after reading this I believe it's not only a reference book to Flashpoint but it has it's own charm. I absolutely loved the origin story (or should I say stories) of Eobard Thawne. It could have been a simple 2 line story but the way they portrayed it with all those twists was quite amusing. On the other hand Barry's inner conflict and his family's concern for him was depicted nicely. I really liked the concept and powers of the flash from the different dimension. Last but not the least "THE END" well! what can you say about that? It was actually a new beginning not only for The Flash but for the entire DC Universe. The artwork and colors could have been better at places, still 4.5 Stars

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was actually a pretty good volume!

It starts with Barry reminiscing about his mother and well being busy with his work when he sees an old kid and turns out its someone young and aged up and wonders who it could be. We see the origin of Eobard Thawne in the far future and how he became the Reverse Flash and its a Johns tradition where he explores a character perfectly and he does that here and its awesome and like cements why he hates Barry.

And then in present day he meets a person named Hot Pursuit and we learn their identity, anomaly in the speedforce and what not and then the final encounter with who it could be, battles, team up with Kid flash, Patty Spivot coming in and finally the ultimate tag team battle and Flash vs Reverse Flash for the one final time and things will change forever! Just one more day!

This volume like establishes Flashpoint perfectly and I love that aspect of this one. Johns has such a great grasp on these character and introduces something new but also like stretches out the motive of the villain and gives Barry a great villain and like motive for one of the best storylines ever. Plus the art by Manapaul is so good like each page a painting and its so well done, world become inadequate to describe it! A must read!

[Pablo Fern�ndez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen dibujo, aunque el guión flojea.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last volume since "Rebirth" to lead up to Flashpoint. The best part of this was the first issue which basically gives the origin of the Reverse Flash. I had never read it before, and I don't know how much about it has been revealed but I really enjoyed it All of the motivation, emotional scarring and pure evil was there, shaping and creating the Flash's number one enemy.

The rest of the issues have yet another visitor for Barry from...somewhere else. These issues really just serve to add one more strain on Barry emotionally after he finds out who killed his mother. Like the previous volume, this story serves mainly to push Barry even farther to the breaking point. The arc ends very forebodingly with Thawne ready to unleash his greatest plan, in theory leading into Flashpoint.

There's some incongruity here. Knowing what happens in Flashpoint, this volume leaves you feeling that Thawne has something big planned. And there isn't anything to indicate that Barry will do something about the knowledge that Thawne killed his mom, no sign that he plans to go back in time and change things. It's almost as if there was a different plan for Flashpoint.


Manapaul's art still continues to shine. The "soft colored pencil" looks is really nice to look at.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read one Flashpoint book, so thought reading the Road to it would be a good idea. I was right...this was a great buildup for what's about to happen. I'm looking forward to it for sure. The background on Prof. Zoom is good, and I love having multiple generations of the Flash around. Also there's enough humour which is missing in many books but still serious enough for a major DC player.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zábavný. Nic o čem bych psal domů nebo měl nutkání si někdy znova přečíst ale i tak. Půtky Barryho s Bartem, půtky Barryho s Iris, půtky Barryho s Wallym... Prostě všechny Barryho konflikty jsou kýč jak bič a celkem otravný. Art i coloring jsou příšerný. Ale celek nějak drží pohromadě a dá se v pohodě přečíst. Je to jako si v noci přinést domů kebab a opilej se koukat na kriminálku las vegas. Víte, že je to kravina ale netrápí vás to.

[Katherine (Kat)]

Individual Issues Rated Below -

The Flash #8: 3.5/5 Stars
The Flash #9:
The Flash #10:
The Flash #11:
The Flash #12:

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read this almost two weeks ago. I have been following the Flashpoint storyline since I watched the DC Animation movie, "The Flashpoint Paradox." It's very intense and even disturbing. This book is sort of like a prelude to that situation, related to the extreme hatred that Eobard Thawne has for the Flash (Bary Allen), who lived about a thousand years prior to the time in which Thawne lives, the 32nd century. Thawne's hero worship turns into hatred because he cannot live up to the standard that Allen has set. Frankly, Thawne is a bully, a creep, and an uneasy mix of sociopath and psychopath. It made this book unpalatable reading in that he manipulates the timeline in terrible ways just to get what he wants. When this doesn't achieve the result he desires, he decides to go back in time and wreck if not destroy Barry Allen's life, when he realizes he cannot eradicate Allen from the timeline.

This wasn't bad reading. I just didn't think that it compares to the powerful impact of the following Flashpoint volumes. I like the Flash, but I realize that I wasn't as drawn into a story where it's just about him, and other Justice League members don't feature. I don't know how fair a statement that is just yet, so I will have to read more Flash volumes to decide if this is true or not.

It think this deserves 3.5 stars. It's diverting and Thawne truly is a piece of work. I feel that his characterization was stronger than Barry and other members of the Flash family, so that's part of why my rating wasn't higher. But I think it's still pretty good. I get increasingly fascinated with time travel, and the Flash presents such a distinctive look at time travel and the concept of faster-than-light travel.

[Richard Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this volume are kind of odd. There are 2 excellent stand alone spotlight issues, one on Captain Boomerang (who is even more deadly due to powers attained during Blackest Night) and the other on Reverse Flash. Now I am reading this with hindsight knowing the new 52 reboot happened a year later. So it seems like at this point in time, they were laying groundwork for future stories in the old universe and not quite sure how big a shakeup Flashpoint would be.

The next 4 stories are a total lead-in to the Flashpoint event. An alternate version of Barry comes looking for someone who will be disrupting the timeline using the Speed Force. He seems a bit of a dunce as he wrongly accuses various people. Barry has more and more of an obsession with his Mother's death and cannot overcome it, even in the final pages. Which again leads directly to the main event and ironically the end (for now) of this version of the Flash.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I admit to still being slightly chagrined at Geoff John's insistence at bringing Barry Allen back into the DCU (before the reboot), I have to give him credit for what I think is his strength as a writer. He makes the villains and supporting cast so much more interesting than the spear carriers they were before.

This volume builds up to Flashpoint, the event DC used to reboot their entire line. Another positive that I have to give Johns credit for is his making Barry's being a CSI a more important facet of his character. The plethora of CSI television shows probably have something to do with that, regardless it makes Barry something more than someone that just runs fast.

As it is another Barry surfaced in the city. A policeman from an alternate Earth has arrived to prevent a event (unfortunately he is not as powerful as DC editorial). The rather thin trade ends on a little bit of cliffhanger, but one that is relevant only to those who actually want to read Flashpoint.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went from not knowing anything about Flashpoint to seriously looking forward to it. "The Road to Flashpoint" concludes in a surprisingly balanced manner--there was enough closure to feel satisfied, and enough of a cliffhanger to stay interested. I don't want to include any spoilers, but I will say that I really could not get into Scott Kolins artwork, and I even feel like the last two issues suffered from it. There were emotional moments that were dulled by awkward facial expressions and poses, as well as a lot of background elements that contended with the foreground at times when it didn't seem intentional. That said, I still really enjoyed it. Geoff Johns is a master of pacing. (Obvious Flash joke omitted.)

[Rituraj Kashyap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having an archenemy who can alter your past and in turn affect your present and future is pretty scary. Can't wait to read Flashpoint.

[Münevver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gözünüzü seveyim şu çizgi romanları Türkçe bilen editörlere verin artık :'(

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Flash: The Road to Flashpoint

Eobard Thawne is conducting experiments in time and discovers a secret that could remove Barry Allen once and for all while protecting himself and his own timeline. Time is running out for the Flash to save the world.

Fast paced, with a strong emotional core and powerful artwork, this is a perfect prelude to 'Flashpoint'.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confieso que agarré el tomo (si se puede llamar "tomo" a una revista grapada. Volveré sobre ese punto más adelante) con cierta desconfianza y haciéndome la idea de que iba a parecerme malo, pese a los hiperdinámicos dibujos del filipino Manapul. Pero la verdad que me resultó una lectura muy grata (pese a que el protagonista es Barry Allen), con algunas vueltas de tuerca que me agarraron por sorpresa (pese a que oootra vez el malo sea justamente ese , personaje que me parece de lo más pedorro) y un final casi te diría que coherente (pese a que haya desembocado en aquel fiasco ). Por suerte Manapul sigue haciendo que una historia zafable se vea preciosa, y los capítulos en los que lo reemplaza Kolins se dejan ver (aunque el mismo sistema de coloreado que tan bien le sienta a Manapul le queda un poco ridículo a él).
Ahora sí, sobre la edición "argentina" de ECC Sudamérica: se dejaron varios españolismos pero no llega a ser asquerosamente gallego ni nada. El papel parece tirando a bueno y lo que sí es una lástima es que venga en formato revista gorda en lugar de en libro chiquito. Lo subí a Goodreads igual porque trae ISBN y no ISSN, pero aun así cuesta considerarlo libro cuando estéticamente parece una revista. Claro que si comparamos los 45$ que sale esta edición contra los setentipico de la española, la grapa pasa a ser un detalle menor. Si sirve para ahorrarse unos treinta pesos, bienvenidas sean. Pero ojalá que lo próximo venga con lomo ñ_ñU

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I've never been a huge fan of The Flash character, either in comics, film or TV. The very little I know of the character has been picked up here and there reading crossover events and reading/watching Justice League comics, shows and films.
If there's one seminal Flash story, it's undeniably Flashpoint. So here I am, reading "The Flash: The Road to Flashpoint" by Geoff Johns. Which to my limited understanding, is the prequel to the famous story which reset the entire DC universe to launch the "New 52" run.
My thoughts? I'm grateful that we start with a full origin story for Eobard Thawne, a scientist from the 25th century who studied the Speedforce and ultimately becomes the Flash's greatest arch-nemesis The Reverse Flash. This is very much a villain story, as we see him consistently utilize time travel to remove any obsticles on his path to gaining the powers of the Speedforce.
In the present, we find Barry Allen investigating a series of murders, where the young victims have died of old age by having time stolen from them.
This of course leads to Barry's ultimate realization that it was Reverse Flash who killed his mother, setting the events of Flashpoint into motion.
The story was a worthwhile read, in that it introduces the character of Eobard Thawne and how his existence is tied to that of Barry Allen. We also get a good idea of how time travel, the Speedforce and the Multiverse work. It's also a very quick read and the artwork is great.
I'll give this one 3 stars, I liked it.

[Ceren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zekice bir kurgu, çizimler enfes yine... Diziyi de izlemiş biri olarak oldukça tanıdık bir hikaye...

Dikkat, devamı içerik hakkında bilgi barındırır.

Bu kitapta Zoom'u, diğer bir deyişle Flash'dan yüzlerce yıl sonra doğacak olan ana düşmanı Eobard Thawn'ı tanıyoruz. Çocukluğunu, hırslarını, Flash takıntısını anlıyoruz. Barry, Wally ve Bart'a, paralel bir evrenden gelen, karizmatik bir kostüm içerisindeki Barry allen da destek veriyor. (Acaba dizideki Savitar bundan mı esinlendi diye düşünmüyorum değil)
Barry'nin bu bölümde öğrendiği bazı şeyler psikolojik bir çöküşe götürür kendisini ve sonunda... Barry koşar :)

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit cerebral with lots of loose ends -- this could have been tighter IM(V)HO. But The Flash is an awesome hero still, and nearly the center of the DC universe, as I think we are about to find out --

-- in FLASHPOINT!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard not to become a fan of The Flash after reading this one.Real good insight into the whole New 52 movement.Barry Allen is climbing the charts into the pantheon of my favorite super heroes of all time.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Edición argentina realizada en base a la española. La única diferencia es que esta edición fue publicada en formato "grapa" en lugar de tratarse de un libro en "rústica" como el publicado en España.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was such a fast paced, quick read with great characters and a good, interesting plot that drives the over all story continually forward. I really enjoyed reading this volume.

Just like his predecessor, The Flash Vol. 2: Road to Flashpoint has an interesting and strong plot all the way from the beginning to the end. Geoff Johns just knows how to pace stories the right way. His writing is excellent, as always.
Other than that, I loved the beginning and that we got to see Thawne’s origin/background a little bit more. It was so gripping seeing all his evilness and all his motivations and how he came to be the man he is today. It just captures his character perfectly and gives him even more the feeling of a psychopath. Seeing his future – self traveling back in time and correcting everything Thawne doesn’t want to bother with: his brother, his parents, the professor at the Flash museum and maybe the creepiest thing, his love interest, was extremely fascinating to read about. His is definitely one of my favorite Flash villains, even though I have not seen much of him yet, but his concept, for some reason, is just interesting to me. Also, I loved the element of the additional powers that the (negative) speed force can give a speedster and that Thawne is ruthless enough to use them for his own gain.

Apart from that, I really liked the focus on Barry’s character, on how he acts and feels after seeing his mother in the broken mirror of the Rogues. Him being closed off, not letting anybody in – Barry’s development, his characterization in general is fantastically written and completely in character. Everything that happens in this story is just one more step towards his breaking point and as much as I love my Barry, I absolutely enjoyed reading this character journey.
Moreover, I adored the scenes with his speedster family, their interactions and how they care for each other always touches my heart. So this aspect of the story was a major plus for me. I especially loved Bart in this volume, it was so heartbreaking to see him feeling rejected from Barry, to whom he looks up to the most. Patty was also a good element in the story, it was nice to see someone else, apart from the speedster family, that is important to Barry. I really enjoyed the dynamic and the conversations between them.

In general, all the characters were on point in this volume.
Hot Persuit was a great, interesting addition to the plot and brought freshness into the story. I liked the idea that there was someone who was actually foreseeing that something drastic is going to happen and is trying to change it all, but sadly, fails. But still, the idea of another player from a parallel universe is something I really enjoyed. The Reverse Flash stealing years from people and altering his own age was such a cool concept as well.

Hot pursuit falsely targeting Bart as the chronal anomaly and later the final fight was a greatly executed climax. I was reading the panels and flipping those pages so eagerly, because I wanted to know how the story would end, that’s how thrilling it was. And it did end in a way that made me so excited for Flashpoint. I mean, after seeing Zoom using his new powers and a red lighting streak shooting across the sky, I can’t understand how anyone could not be excited. Everything that happened in this volume made me so pumped for what’s coming , I can’t wait to dive into it.

Furthermore, Manapul’s art is stunning as always. His depiction of actions scenes, of facial expressions – of characters in general is just so vivid and beautiful to look at. This is how I want every art style to look, it is just perfect. Kolins’ art on the other hand was what made me take off 0,5 stars. In the first issue I didn’t mind it at all, I even think that it is quite fitting for the story that was told with Thawnes background and all. In general though, his illustrations were more plump and sometimes quite disorientating. Characters and facial expressions just looked weird and not well proportioned. And sadly, it took a little bit away from the story, which bugs me, because the writing was still excellent.

But overall, I had nothing majorly bad to say about this volume. I really, really enjoyed it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first Flash comic I have ever read. I always loved the character growing up and with the arguable exception of Batman he was my favorite DC character. I had heard a lot of good things about Geoff Johns and specifically his revitalization of Flash. I was aware that Flashpoint was one of the most major superhero comic events in the last 15 years and with the Flash movie loosely adapting the story on the horizon, I decided to purchase Flashpoint. While at the library one day, I picked out this novel to give myself more than just the major event (as the major events tend to have less character moments and lean heavier on plot and twist). This was really enjoyable and featured fantastic character exploration. I got a fantastic overall sense of who Barry Allen is as a person, outside the costume. The first issue was told in an extremely fun way and was a fantastic introduction for me into the comic version of Reverse Flash. I think focusing on the antagonist for an entire issue (or even more) is also a great way to set the stage for a coming conflict. A lot of the panels from issue #8 were extremely kinetic and energetic. They perfectly fit the cut-back, retelling narrative. Barry Allen's personal life was also extremely intriguing and far over shadowed his duties as Flash in this particular collected edition. I am excited to read the Flashpoint series after this intriguing introduction!

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the prelude to the Flashpoint series as it sets up the state of mind that not only Thawne is in, but also Barry himself.

We get the core of why Flashpoint happens next. Barry is in a daze after learning the truth of his mothers demise at the hands of the Reverse Flash. He is thinking of changes made to the future, and more importantly, the past and the repercussions of both. We get a glimpse of the motivating factors of Barry's choice in Flashpoint. It really serves to roundout that story as without this book, someone as well versed with time antics like the Flash messing with the time stream so brazenly comes off as an amateur move.

Johns does a great job of giving more backstory to Thawne and shows us how he constantly rewrites history based on his own selfish whims. His hate for the Flash is complete, and his revenge is outlined here. At least the beginnings of it.

There are some problems with pacing and also the age changing of Thawne was really just thrown in for convenience I feel. However, as a prologue to Flashpoint, this book allows us to see the bigger picture.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects The Flash issues #8-12

This is the last volume of "The Flash" prior to "Flashpoint."

Because of that...

FLASHPOINT, NEW 52, AND REBIRTH SPOILERS:

...this becomes a very tragic tale because readers realize that this is the last time Barry will see this version of Iris. Bart will be gone after this. Wally won't appear for many years after this. Because of Barry's choice, a choice we see him coming to throughout the pages in this collection, the timeline gets messed up. "DC Rebirth" reveals that the timeline distortion isn't all Barry's fault, but this is still a sad story. When Barry tells Iris that he needs one more day to make things right, he doesn't realize that he is saying goodbye to his wife, possibly forever.

-I enjoyed the parallel universe version of Barry, called Hot Pursuit, although that nickname isn't great.

-The Thawne story was also interesting.

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was so good. Geoff Johns does understand Barry Allen to a depth not everyone else around does. Francis Manapul’s art is beautiful— I know, I know, I’m not a big fan of Kolins’ art, but when mixed with Manapul’s I can handle it.
Anyway, this whole thing lead to Flashpoint and I guess I didn’t enjoy it that much when it was first published because of all the rant around, Dan DiDio saying this was just a “soft reboot”, that things weren’t going to be changing that much. Actually, it was a hard-core reboot. I may have appreciated much more what was going on at the time, even if the New 52 turned out to be such a fiasco. The build up to Flashpoint was great though, and the relaunch shouldn’t be defining the creative process that lead to it.
Geoff Johns is consistently one of the best writers DC Comics has ever had.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is a good gear-up for Flashpoint. The best part is the backstory issue for Eobard Thawne, who is a total sociopath. Traumatic time paradoxes aside, once he realizes he can go back in time to change things, he abuses it on a whim. Kills his brother, parents, crush. Not a fun guy. The rest is solidly written and gives you the context for where Barry’s at in his life right now. Still reeling from the discovery of how his Mom died, he’s distanced himself from his family. On top of that, an alternate version of himself shows up to tell him that a chronal anomaly is about to unravel the multiverse. The art is a bit inconsistent, and is good about half the time.