What do you think?
Rate this book
The Flash (2016)
The Flash, Vol. 7: Perfect Storm
Gorilla Grodd is dying from a disease that only the Speed Force can cure. Allied with Black Hole, Multiplex, Negative Flash and Raijin, Master of Lightning, Grodd comes to Central City to drain the energy from all of the speedsters!
In the back of Barry's mind, Grodd is gnawing at his memories and scratching at scars, inflicting psychic wounds that may have lasting effects. All the Fastest Man Alive can think about is saving the city and freeing Iris West, who is finally beginning to trust Barry again.
When Barry loses his speed, it falls to both Wally Wests and the Flash of China to tackle Grodd and free the city's citizenry. When that proves futile, Barry is willing to cross lines he has never crossed before to regain his speed, and turns to Godspeed for help. This pivotal chapter in the speed saga will leave all of the speedsters fundamentally changed, and relationships will never be the same again. Can they survive the fallout from Grodd's desperate gambit?
Writer Joshua Williamson (Justice League vs. Suicide Squad) continues his smash-hit run on The Flash with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, Carlos D'anda, Dan Panosian and Christian Duce. Collects The Flash #39-45.
In the back of Barry's mind, Grodd is gnawing at his memories and scratching at scars, inflicting psychic wounds that may have lasting effects. All the Fastest Man Alive can think about is saving the city and freeing Iris West, who is finally beginning to trust Barry again.
When Barry loses his speed, it falls to both Wally Wests and the Flash of China to tackle Grodd and free the city's citizenry. When that proves futile, Barry is willing to cross lines he has never crossed before to regain his speed, and turns to Godspeed for help. This pivotal chapter in the speed saga will leave all of the speedsters fundamentally changed, and relationships will never be the same again. Can they survive the fallout from Grodd's desperate gambit?
Writer Joshua Williamson (Justice League vs. Suicide Squad) continues his smash-hit run on The Flash with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, Carlos D'anda, Dan Panosian and Christian Duce. Collects The Flash #39-45.
168 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2018
41 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 3, 2018
Williamson's Barry Allen is wearing thin on me. At this point, there is nothing likable about this character at all. He's selfish, self-righteous, and obsessive with a martyr complex. It shows all the more when the OG Wally West shows up who is altruistic and self-sacrificing (along with being better as using his powers!). I've been going back and re-reading Mark Waid and Geoff Johns's runs on Flash and it really shows just how awful these books are in comparison. At this point Barry Allen is a pale imitation of Wally West.
Grodd's motivations in this are very weak. He's trying to steal the speed force and when he gets it, he doesn't really use it. It was just dumb. At least by the end of this, they finally started referring to new Wally as Wallace.
Received a review copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Grodd's motivations in this are very weak. He's trying to steal the speed force and when he gets it, he doesn't really use it. It was just dumb. At least by the end of this, they finally started referring to new Wally as Wallace.
Received a review copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
December 22, 2018
The flash hits his 700th issue (goddamn) and that brings back the big bad GRODD!!!!
So when Grodd returns with meena and multiplex on his side Barry is outnumbered. Even more so, Grodd steals the speed force away from him, making him feel completely useless. So what does Barry do? He gathers his new Flash family! Wally, Wallace, Avery, and....GODSPEED! Together they work to face off against Grodd. However, is everyone really on The Flash side? That's the big question!
Good: The fights are super fun here because of Grodd's imposing presence and then got Flashes going super fast fighting it's fun to watch. Watching Wally fight with everyone again was awesome, and even Godspeed has some great moments. I also enjoyed the ending a lot as it brought on some really interesting situations.
Bad: I thought Grodd could have been scarier at times, and I also think Meena joining him even with mind control was kind of dumb.
Overall, super fun arc. I know not everyone is keen on this run but I'm having a blast. A 4 out of 5.
So when Grodd returns with meena and multiplex on his side Barry is outnumbered. Even more so, Grodd steals the speed force away from him, making him feel completely useless. So what does Barry do? He gathers his new Flash family! Wally, Wallace, Avery, and....GODSPEED! Together they work to face off against Grodd. However, is everyone really on The Flash side? That's the big question!
Good: The fights are super fun here because of Grodd's imposing presence and then got Flashes going super fast fighting it's fun to watch. Watching Wally fight with everyone again was awesome, and even Godspeed has some great moments. I also enjoyed the ending a lot as it brought on some really interesting situations.
Bad: I thought Grodd could have been scarier at times, and I also think Meena joining him even with mind control was kind of dumb.
Overall, super fun arc. I know not everyone is keen on this run but I'm having a blast. A 4 out of 5.
August 17, 2018
[Read as single issues]
A Speed Force Storm ravaged Central City once before, and launched the Flash into an ongoing series of outrageous adventures. Now, a second storm is brewing, and Central City might not survive unscathed this time. The true menace behind Black Hole stands revealed, and his life depends on draining the entirety of the Speed Force into himself – something that Barry and his allies aren’t going to allow to happen. The Flash will need all the help he can get, but when he does the unthinkable and releases a former villain from prison to aid in the fight, will the Flash family shatter under the pressure?
This arc really does have it all. It’s a huge clash between the forces of Black Hole, including some familiar faces, and the current incarnation of the Flash Family, through a Central City suspended in time as everyone’s powers are slowly draining away, so there’s plenty of room for action set pieces. However, there’s a lot of time devoted to Barry’s relationships with Wally, Wallace, and Iris, as well as himself – the villain of the piece manages to tear Barry down to his most basic personality traits, and really tear into him as both a hero and a person. Writer Joshua Williamson walks a fine line between these two areas, and manages to succeed for the most part – there’s an issue or so in the middle of the arc that meanders a little, spending a bit too much time in Barry’s head, but it’s a small complaint to make.
There’s a sense of ‘everything’s been leading to this’ around this arc. This appears to be the culmination of a lot of plot threads so far, from Black Hole to Godspeed, from Negative Flash to Wally’s hero journey. It’s only when the smoke clears that you realise that this arc, as huge and important as it is, is only the beginning of something even larger. To have such an enjoyable arc promise to lead into something even bigger while being a complete story in itself is exactly how comics (and stories in general) should work – we’ve gotten answers along with new questions, so we feel like we’re getting somewhere, and it’s great fun at the same time.
Incidentially, Perfect Storm Part One is actually issue 700 of the Flash, so this is a nice way to celebrate. I do like that DC aren’t making huge deals out of most of their centennial issues, unlike another company I could name that likes to bring them out all the bloody time and charge through the nose for them. Both Flash and Wonder Woman hit #700 recently, and they were just normal issues of the series, rather than having the ongoing narratives that the creative teams were telling derailed for an oversized issue for no reason. I’m not bitter, honest.
On the art front, Carmine Di Giandomenico returns for a few of these issues, including issue 700, while we get some fill-in work from Dan Panosian and Carlos D’Anda. Neither of them are a touch on Di Giandomenico, and their styles are wildly different since there aren’t really any artists like Di Giandomenico, but they get the job done, and are given the middle issues of the story rather than the epic beginning and ending moments that Di Giandomenico gets to sell.
Perfect Storm is a Flash story with everything you could ask for – all your favourite characters, a big knockdown battle, high stakes, important character moments, and a sense of progression in terms of the overall story that Williamson is trying to tell. There are a few slight niggles with this arc, so this is really more of a 4.5 than a full 5 stars, but hey, I’m rounding up.
A Speed Force Storm ravaged Central City once before, and launched the Flash into an ongoing series of outrageous adventures. Now, a second storm is brewing, and Central City might not survive unscathed this time. The true menace behind Black Hole stands revealed, and his life depends on draining the entirety of the Speed Force into himself – something that Barry and his allies aren’t going to allow to happen. The Flash will need all the help he can get, but when he does the unthinkable and releases a former villain from prison to aid in the fight, will the Flash family shatter under the pressure?
This arc really does have it all. It’s a huge clash between the forces of Black Hole, including some familiar faces, and the current incarnation of the Flash Family, through a Central City suspended in time as everyone’s powers are slowly draining away, so there’s plenty of room for action set pieces. However, there’s a lot of time devoted to Barry’s relationships with Wally, Wallace, and Iris, as well as himself – the villain of the piece manages to tear Barry down to his most basic personality traits, and really tear into him as both a hero and a person. Writer Joshua Williamson walks a fine line between these two areas, and manages to succeed for the most part – there’s an issue or so in the middle of the arc that meanders a little, spending a bit too much time in Barry’s head, but it’s a small complaint to make.
There’s a sense of ‘everything’s been leading to this’ around this arc. This appears to be the culmination of a lot of plot threads so far, from Black Hole to Godspeed, from Negative Flash to Wally’s hero journey. It’s only when the smoke clears that you realise that this arc, as huge and important as it is, is only the beginning of something even larger. To have such an enjoyable arc promise to lead into something even bigger while being a complete story in itself is exactly how comics (and stories in general) should work – we’ve gotten answers along with new questions, so we feel like we’re getting somewhere, and it’s great fun at the same time.
Incidentially, Perfect Storm Part One is actually issue 700 of the Flash, so this is a nice way to celebrate. I do like that DC aren’t making huge deals out of most of their centennial issues, unlike another company I could name that likes to bring them out all the bloody time and charge through the nose for them. Both Flash and Wonder Woman hit #700 recently, and they were just normal issues of the series, rather than having the ongoing narratives that the creative teams were telling derailed for an oversized issue for no reason. I’m not bitter, honest.
On the art front, Carmine Di Giandomenico returns for a few of these issues, including issue 700, while we get some fill-in work from Dan Panosian and Carlos D’Anda. Neither of them are a touch on Di Giandomenico, and their styles are wildly different since there aren’t really any artists like Di Giandomenico, but they get the job done, and are given the middle issues of the story rather than the epic beginning and ending moments that Di Giandomenico gets to sell.
Perfect Storm is a Flash story with everything you could ask for – all your favourite characters, a big knockdown battle, high stakes, important character moments, and a sense of progression in terms of the overall story that Williamson is trying to tell. There are a few slight niggles with this arc, so this is really more of a 4.5 than a full 5 stars, but hey, I’m rounding up.
December 14, 2018
"Speed Force" is like Kryptonite or power rings, just an excuse for the writers to do whatever they want without bothering to even try and craft a story to hold it together.
November 2, 2021
THIS WAS SO GOOD!
This is the story that I remember reading that made me a fan of the flash and this is where Josh brings so many things together and pays off a lot of things!
Gorilla Grodd reveals himself as the master of Blackhole and along with Negative Flash and Raijin and an army of Multiplexes they have taken over central city and well Barry may have lost his speed and we learn of the origins and motives of Grodd and why he is doing so and enter Flash family plus Godspeed and its the flash family vs Grodd and his forces and so many revelations! Its Barry realizing so many things and the growth that he has is terrific and its too good!
When things get tough its upto the family to save Barry and finish this monstrosity once and for all and will they be able to save Central city and whatever is going on with Iris and Barry and what happens when she meets Wally..the real one! This volume has a lot of emotions and so many payoffs and is filled with emotional stuff too and its just perfect the way Josh handles it! The art of Carmine is just perfect for this book! One of my favorite Flash stories ever! <3
This is the story that I remember reading that made me a fan of the flash and this is where Josh brings so many things together and pays off a lot of things!
Gorilla Grodd reveals himself as the master of Blackhole and along with Negative Flash and Raijin and an army of Multiplexes they have taken over central city and well Barry may have lost his speed and we learn of the origins and motives of Grodd and why he is doing so and enter Flash family plus Godspeed and its the flash family vs Grodd and his forces and so many revelations! Its Barry realizing so many things and the growth that he has is terrific and its too good!
When things get tough its upto the family to save Barry and finish this monstrosity once and for all and will they be able to save Central city and whatever is going on with Iris and Barry and what happens when she meets Wally..the real one! This volume has a lot of emotions and so many payoffs and is filled with emotional stuff too and its just perfect the way Josh handles it! The art of Carmine is just perfect for this book! One of my favorite Flash stories ever! <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2018
I can't stand this janky writing...
World: I cannot stand the art and I've not been a fan since Rebirth so there is nothing to say here, the characters are weird looking, their faces are wrong and wooden and the scratchy art does not give me the power of the speed force or a sense of motion, it's just scratchy. The world building is patchy and janky and if you think clearly it's internally inconsistent and logic is all over the place. I know Flash books are suppose to be crazy and time travel and campy villains but there needs to be rules set by the writer and the world needs to fall into the playground rules that he set, but the rules don't apply, they are always all over the place especially with the powers. The invisible hand of "this needs to happen because of the story so the world is now like this" that it bothers the hell out of me.
Story: The writing is bad, the dialog is wooden and the emotions and the banter is so campy it feels like I'm reading an 80s comic (not in a good way). The story makes no sense if you think about, especially the villains that are teaming up with Grodd and also the idea of the speed force healing him. The idea that they can't find Flash and his team for the rod while Flash says he's looked around the whole city already also makes no sense cause you can't have one thing for one character and another set of rules for another. Then there's the horrible characterization of Barry just to give this story some drama. The way he acts here is so contrived and the end turn so unearned that it is infuriating, contrived drama that's so visible mean BAD WRITING. The choices of Barry to free the people that he frees here also makes no sense and the need for Williamson to redeem Negative Flash and the reason he gives is so ridiculous. This is just a really badly written book.
Characters: Barry is not Barry I won't get into it, this is just a bad character and his actions are not because of him but because of the author needing to mould characters around to serve the story. None of the characters are organic and deep and even believable...argh. I am not talking about Grodd or any of the character and the completely unearned emotions this book wants readers to feel. Iris and Barry do not work.
A really bad book, the writing is so bad I can't believe it, it's nearly up there with Rebirth Justice League (before Snyder), Blue Beetle, and Sideways...
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: I cannot stand the art and I've not been a fan since Rebirth so there is nothing to say here, the characters are weird looking, their faces are wrong and wooden and the scratchy art does not give me the power of the speed force or a sense of motion, it's just scratchy. The world building is patchy and janky and if you think clearly it's internally inconsistent and logic is all over the place. I know Flash books are suppose to be crazy and time travel and campy villains but there needs to be rules set by the writer and the world needs to fall into the playground rules that he set, but the rules don't apply, they are always all over the place especially with the powers. The invisible hand of "this needs to happen because of the story so the world is now like this" that it bothers the hell out of me.
Story: The writing is bad, the dialog is wooden and the emotions and the banter is so campy it feels like I'm reading an 80s comic (not in a good way). The story makes no sense if you think about, especially the villains that are teaming up with Grodd and also the idea of the speed force healing him. The idea that they can't find Flash and his team for the rod while Flash says he's looked around the whole city already also makes no sense cause you can't have one thing for one character and another set of rules for another. Then there's the horrible characterization of Barry just to give this story some drama. The way he acts here is so contrived and the end turn so unearned that it is infuriating, contrived drama that's so visible mean BAD WRITING. The choices of Barry to free the people that he frees here also makes no sense and the need for Williamson to redeem Negative Flash and the reason he gives is so ridiculous. This is just a really badly written book.
Characters: Barry is not Barry I won't get into it, this is just a bad character and his actions are not because of him but because of the author needing to mould characters around to serve the story. None of the characters are organic and deep and even believable...argh. I am not talking about Grodd or any of the character and the completely unearned emotions this book wants readers to feel. Iris and Barry do not work.
A really bad book, the writing is so bad I can't believe it, it's nearly up there with Rebirth Justice League (before Snyder), Blue Beetle, and Sideways...
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
October 2, 2018
This is it, I am definitely dropping this series.
Williamson is basically DC's version of Charles Soule, his Flash is a terrible series saved only by the amazing Carmine Di Giandomenico, but storywise it's terrible and every storyarc is worse than the one before. The plot, the dialogue, the way the cast is characterized... Everything sucks.
So long, Flash!
Williamson is basically DC's version of Charles Soule, his Flash is a terrible series saved only by the amazing Carmine Di Giandomenico, but storywise it's terrible and every storyarc is worse than the one before. The plot, the dialogue, the way the cast is characterized... Everything sucks.
So long, Flash!
February 13, 2019
“Perfect Storm” begins with Barry trying to reuild a relationship with Iris after the events of previous books. However, in the midst of that, Grodd attacks the city and steals Barry’s powers. The question is what will Barry do to get them back.
In the first half, I thought Barry was actually acting a bit out of character. This was explained later on but still was a problem. Yet, both he and some other character are better developed by the end of the book and there’s real . At the same time, there’s a lot of action and some surprising plot twists.
Despite some problems, the book definitely fun and sets up future events in the DCU nicely.
In the first half, I thought Barry was actually acting a bit out of character. This was explained later on but still was a problem. Yet, both he and some other character are better developed by the end of the book and there’s real . At the same time, there’s a lot of action and some surprising plot twists.
Despite some problems, the book definitely fun and sets up future events in the DCU nicely.
January 1, 2019
Another super fun volume in a super fun DC series.
May 7, 2020
Tohle bylo super rychle čtení.
Digital Comics
Digital Comics
February 11, 2021
Svižná oddechová četba. Rychlá dynamická akce, sympaticky napsané postavy a Di Giandomenicova kresba se k Flashovi fakt hodí (škoda že po téhle knížce končí), co víc si od mainstreamu přát.
September 19, 2018
I received a copy of The Flash Vol. 7 through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The Flash is back! Though I suppose I should clarify which one, huh? In this case we have Barry Allen as the main perspective, but there are also cameos from multiple other Flash characters. In short it’s a fun read, especially if you love seeing all the varying characters interacting with one another.
Honestly, it’s hard to believe that we’re already up to volume seven in the Flash. I feel like it was just a few months ago that I picked this series up and binged it, but I’m fairly certain that was at least four volumes ago. I’ll resist the urge to make some speed and time goes here. You’re welcome.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
The Flash is back! Though I suppose I should clarify which one, huh? In this case we have Barry Allen as the main perspective, but there are also cameos from multiple other Flash characters. In short it’s a fun read, especially if you love seeing all the varying characters interacting with one another.
Honestly, it’s hard to believe that we’re already up to volume seven in the Flash. I feel like it was just a few months ago that I picked this series up and binged it, but I’m fairly certain that was at least four volumes ago. I’ll resist the urge to make some speed and time goes here. You’re welcome.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
March 28, 2020
Man oh man, if you like to see Flash(es) fight giant telepathic gorillas on a backdrop of crazy, gorgeously pencilled and coloured lightning-scapes this is both the title and the volume for you!
December 30, 2018
WALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY *UGLY SOBS*
THE BESTEST SOFTEST BOY WHO DESERVES MUCH MORE
THE BESTEST SOFTEST BOY WHO DESERVES MUCH MORE
November 10, 2021
Má to svoje mouchy (Barryho psychické stavy přichází jako blesk z čistého nebe), ale jako zábavný moderní mainstream to funguje.
November 6, 2022
4.5 stars
December 14, 2018
This was a really good book but not worth buying, let me explain why. This books writing by Joshua Williamson is really good thought the problem with Perfect storm is that it’s only about Grodd which I think is stupid unlike vol 1. If you want a book about just Grodd talking then buy it otherwise don’t. Saying right now
December 24, 2018
Gorilla Grodd is dying and only the Speed Force can save him! So.... why not have a huge battle over it?!
Grodd, Black Hole, Mulitplex, Negative Flash, and Raijin
vs.
Flash (Barry Allen), Flash (Wally West), Kid Flash (Wally West), Flash of China, and Godspeed
Lots of things happen but nothing really sticks (though the story is excellently done and I'm getting used to the art style, though still hate when they switch artists mid-issue!), including Barry losing his powers and regaining them, good speedsters getting turned and then turned back, and the eventual defection of Negative Flash. Ultimately, Grodd is healed and then taken back to Gorilla City.
Where the heart and future ramifications of the title lie is around the story of Iris. She and Barry reconcile, but when (adult red haired) Wally is brought around her, she (finally!) remembers him. But she also asks, "Where is everyone else?" When she asks that, a storm of memory and chaos surrounds Wally and he falls to the ground holding his head. What could possibly be next?
I'm really excited to find out! High Recommend.
Grodd, Black Hole, Mulitplex, Negative Flash, and Raijin
vs.
Flash (Barry Allen), Flash (Wally West), Kid Flash (Wally West), Flash of China, and Godspeed
Lots of things happen but nothing really sticks (though the story is excellently done and I'm getting used to the art style, though still hate when they switch artists mid-issue!), including Barry losing his powers and regaining them, good speedsters getting turned and then turned back, and the eventual defection of Negative Flash. Ultimately, Grodd is healed and then taken back to Gorilla City.
Where the heart and future ramifications of the title lie is around the story of Iris. She and Barry reconcile, but when (adult red haired) Wally is brought around her, she (finally!) remembers him. But she also asks, "Where is everyone else?" When she asks that, a storm of memory and chaos surrounds Wally and he falls to the ground holding his head. What could possibly be next?
I'm really excited to find out! High Recommend.
March 10, 2019
Kind of dissapointed with this one. Allen became someone you dont like. I actually felt like he was a differnt person. Putting this on hold for a bit.
December 5, 2018
Although I personally dislike the main art style, I found this enjoyable. Reading Williamson's take on Barry Allen really makes me wish for Wally West to be Flash again. Barry is self-loathing, still is tied to the mom issues he's had and is extremely vain and selfish. He puts everyone in danger and makes things worse out of his own selfish ways. Flashpoint and this series really highlight that. After reading a lot of Flash comics, Wally is just a better character all around.
The volume is interesting, Grodd is as cheesy as ever but he does a little damage. The art style is jarring but if you can get past it, there's definitely an enjoyable story behind it.
The volume is interesting, Grodd is as cheesy as ever but he does a little damage. The art style is jarring but if you can get past it, there's definitely an enjoyable story behind it.
November 27, 2018
Even appearances by Wally (both of em) and The Flash of China couldn't bring this title up to speed with other Rebirth books I am enjoying. May drop after Flash War
November 9, 2018
This volume has a very strong start: bringing in Grodd as the villain, then mixing in no less than half-a-dozen different speedsters. It feels a bit like Waid's run at its best, when he really turned speedsters into a community.
The problem is that it drags on too long, running seven issues when all is said and done. Where the first few issues are delightful the very long fight against Grodd gets old by the end.
Nonetheless, there's some great character moments, mostly surrounding Barry and Iris and their recent issues. We also get a great finale with Wally that promises ... well, some thing that I'm no longer convinced DC will deliver after a few years of teasing. But, we'll see. Still, a great end for the moment.
The problem is that it drags on too long, running seven issues when all is said and done. Where the first few issues are delightful the very long fight against Grodd gets old by the end.
Nonetheless, there's some great character moments, mostly surrounding Barry and Iris and their recent issues. We also get a great finale with Wally that promises ... well, some thing that I'm no longer convinced DC will deliver after a few years of teasing. But, we'll see. Still, a great end for the moment.
August 16, 2023
I don't think I've enjoyed a flash book this much since Batman/the flash, I mean I liked the other volumes but they just didn't really excite me in a way that this did, I'm also happy they brought back Meena in this volume annnnnd Carmine drew this!
my only flaws might be that the city art is pretty boring and of course, kid brat flash, but other than that I like it a lot.
my only flaws might be that the city art is pretty boring and of course, kid brat flash, but other than that I like it a lot.
July 30, 2018
Dios santo Barry, me alegra que al fin aprendieras algunas lecciones y me gusta cómo están todos los velocistas. El 45 madre de Dios, mi bebé Wally West pelirrojo, mi pequeño, no supero el 45 es simplemente hermoso. Wally se merece esa felicidad
December 13, 2019
It seems like they're trying to get The Flash back on track and more grounded in the character's foundation, but it still left much to be desired, and will have to do a lot more before I'm willing to say that Barry Allen is back.
September 4, 2018
At the publisher's request, my review will be released on this book's publication date of Oct 2, 2018.
November 2, 2020
Yay
Okay if you have made it this far into the story then you obviously like it. Stop reading reviews because you're already sold on it.
Okay if you have made it this far into the story then you obviously like it. Stop reading reviews because you're already sold on it.
October 9, 2020
Review: This was a pretty average collection, which, when I stop and think about it, is amazing. How do you take a story that involves the potential destruction of Central City and all its inhabitants, as well as eventually the rest of the world, necessitating the team-up of no fewer than 5 Flashes against an army of multiple men, the Negative Flash, and Gorilla Grodd, and still come out just average? And yet, the art isn't any better than average, and often messy, while the characters seem to run in place as far as character-growth goes. Barry honestly comes out looking pretty selfish and self-sacrificing in a self-serving way, not to mention not trusting the other Flashes INCLUDING WALLY. No wonder Wally gets annoyed at him- Barry is one of the few people who remembers that Wally West was the Flash, and yet never seems to give him the respect.
Some of this could be because the story seems to drag, with several issues seemingly dedicated to the same simple task of shutting down Grodd's speed-force stealing machine, and at the end of the day all they need to do is run together. Despite the characters' claims, you never feel a sense of danger, and Barry really just seems to come across poorly. I think this was a story where we needed uplifting Barry, not mopey Barry, but somehow it seems that almost this entire run by Williamson so far (except maybe the return of the Rogues) has been focused on beating Barry down. And when a character is continually in a woe-is-me state of being, especially one who's referenced as being optimistic and hopeful, I can't help but feel let down.
Although it was kind of funny that it turned out that Grodd could hear Barry's thoughts and had been listening in on his inner monologues... which must've gotten pretty monotonous with his continual "My name is Barry Allen... when I was doused in chemical and struck by lightning, I became THE FLASH- the fastest man alive- and I can't let anyone close..." No wonder Grodd went a little crazy.
Oh, but Wally But then we lead off into a cliff-hanger, and that's it! Pretty disappointing ending, to be honest.
Some of this could be because the story seems to drag, with several issues seemingly dedicated to the same simple task of shutting down Grodd's speed-force stealing machine, and at the end of the day all they need to do is run together. Despite the characters' claims, you never feel a sense of danger, and Barry really just seems to come across poorly. I think this was a story where we needed uplifting Barry, not mopey Barry, but somehow it seems that almost this entire run by Williamson so far (except maybe the return of the Rogues) has been focused on beating Barry down. And when a character is continually in a woe-is-me state of being, especially one who's referenced as being optimistic and hopeful, I can't help but feel let down.
Although it was kind of funny that it turned out that Grodd could hear Barry's thoughts and had been listening in on his inner monologues... which must've gotten pretty monotonous with his continual "My name is Barry Allen... when I was doused in chemical and struck by lightning, I became THE FLASH- the fastest man alive- and I can't let anyone close..." No wonder Grodd went a little crazy.
Oh, but Wally But then we lead off into a cliff-hanger, and that's it! Pretty disappointing ending, to be honest.
October 1, 2021
Grodd returns and... defeats Barry? That he does, he steals the speed force and leaves Barry powerless. But why, and how can Barry defeat him and more importantly (to Barry at least), is Barry worth much without his powers?
You know, while I have been enjoying Joshua Williamson's run on the Flash, I cant help but feel that he has turned Barry Allen into a bit of an unlikeable character. In this volume, he very much confirms that as Barry is selfish, arrogant, and reckless - only to realize he is being a dick later down the line. And that really has been the theme for Williamson's run, its Barry being a dick, then saying oh yeah I'm being a dick, let me roll that back.
So Grodd leaves Barry powerless, and the Flash family steps up. Wally especially, takes on the brunt of the fight and with the help of Kid Flash and the Flash from China, they start making headway to defeat Grodd. Barry, feeling low about himself and questioning - his very being even, starts thinking about how he can get his powers back, because he thinks he is the only one that can really save the city. Of course, this makes things way worse, as Grodd becomes even more powerful. Eventually the day is saved, but it just goes to show you that Barry Allen is definitely a jerk.
I do like that Williamson is setting up Wally as more of a hero now, as before this, DC seemed to not know what to do with him. From relegating him to the Teen Titans, to just being a guest star in other books, it seems that as we are headed to Flash war, Wally is being shown as more and more of an important figure and will lead to a Wally vs Barry showdown.
I would recommend this book for Flash fans only.
You know, while I have been enjoying Joshua Williamson's run on the Flash, I cant help but feel that he has turned Barry Allen into a bit of an unlikeable character. In this volume, he very much confirms that as Barry is selfish, arrogant, and reckless - only to realize he is being a dick later down the line. And that really has been the theme for Williamson's run, its Barry being a dick, then saying oh yeah I'm being a dick, let me roll that back.
So Grodd leaves Barry powerless, and the Flash family steps up. Wally especially, takes on the brunt of the fight and with the help of Kid Flash and the Flash from China, they start making headway to defeat Grodd. Barry, feeling low about himself and questioning - his very being even, starts thinking about how he can get his powers back, because he thinks he is the only one that can really save the city. Of course, this makes things way worse, as Grodd becomes even more powerful. Eventually the day is saved, but it just goes to show you that Barry Allen is definitely a jerk.
I do like that Williamson is setting up Wally as more of a hero now, as before this, DC seemed to not know what to do with him. From relegating him to the Teen Titans, to just being a guest star in other books, it seems that as we are headed to Flash war, Wally is being shown as more and more of an important figure and will lead to a Wally vs Barry showdown.
I would recommend this book for Flash fans only.
July 9, 2020
Grodd's back and this time he's drying to get the speedforce, literally. He's devised a scheme to strip Barry of his powers and to destroy Central City.
This story has been done a few times since the new 52, if it wasn't for the inclusion of flash family it wouldn't be that different from the others. Although that is partly the problem, Barry loses his powers then does some very out of character actions , it's explained later but doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You also get the problem that the other speedsters are meaningless compared to Barry, only he can save the day. It's ruins the dynamic of the Flash family, either have them contribute to the story or don't have them. There were so many opportunities where Wally could have saved the day but they kept short changing him throughout this.
I really enjoyed the epilogue, even though it was just one issue. You finally get Wally meeting Iris for the first time since rebirth. It was very touching and defiantly pulled some heart strings.
The series is still good, it's just lost a lot of momentum. Hopefully with the set ups for the Flash family, things will get more interesting again.
This story has been done a few times since the new 52, if it wasn't for the inclusion of flash family it wouldn't be that different from the others. Although that is partly the problem, Barry loses his powers then does some very out of character actions , it's explained later but doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You also get the problem that the other speedsters are meaningless compared to Barry, only he can save the day. It's ruins the dynamic of the Flash family, either have them contribute to the story or don't have them. There were so many opportunities where Wally could have saved the day but they kept short changing him throughout this.
I really enjoyed the epilogue, even though it was just one issue. You finally get Wally meeting Iris for the first time since rebirth. It was very touching and defiantly pulled some heart strings.
The series is still good, it's just lost a lot of momentum. Hopefully with the set ups for the Flash family, things will get more interesting again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews