The Flash: United They Fall

The Flash: Miniseries

by Gail Simone, Clayton Henry (Illustrator)

Barry Allen and Iris West take a vacation, but their relaxation is cut short when their cruise ship is attacked by King Shark! Can the Fastest Man Alive save a sinking ship when there's no land in sight--or will he be fish food?

Collects stories from The Flash Giant #1-7 (first wave) and The Flash Giant #1-5 (second wave)

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

184 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2020

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some OK out of continuity Flash stories. They are all very basic good vs evil stories with some base villains and poor characterization of the rogues. I do find it curious that this was written out of continuity when some simple changes could have made these canon stories pretty easily. It was almost like Gail Simone didn't want to be bothered by Flash's history. Clayton Henry's and Marcelo Maiolo's art is great.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clayton Henry is a remarkable Flash artist whose pencils, alongside Marcelo Maiolo's colours, capture the fun and energy that Flash comics should have. Unfortunately most of the stories in this comic fall flat despite the beautiful artwork. While Gail Simone finds fun ways to talk about the concept of super-speed, and writes some great chemistry between Barry Allen and his love interest Iris West, she often fails at writing the Flash himself. The Rogues, often the most complex and interesting characters in Flash comics, are pretty one-dimensional as villains and often lack the characterization and appeal that make them such iconic antagonists. Barry's role as a cop and as the Flash leads to a big dissonance in where his responsibilities lie and what is or is not acceptable of him- like abusing his authority by beating a criminal (who has already surrendered) to the point where he's unconscious. Or the issue with King Shark where it tacks on a weak "environmentalism" motive at the end and just ignores any implications, everything rings hollow. The best issues are the few towards the end (from the second volume of the Flash Giant series) with the Reverse-Flash and a special appearance from Ryan Choi (aka The Atom, a character Gail Simone created earlier in her DC Comics work). The team-up with the Atom is like a fun buddy cop story about super-science nerds. The use of time travel with the Reverse-Flash is wonderfully fun and even handles some of the darker and more emotional moments well. But the writing in these stories never go in-depth enough to have any impact, and fail at presenting any scenario that isn't a clear-cut "good vs evil" battle against the biggest cartoon supervillains. It's a fine book but not one I'd recommend to anyone as a whole collection, even if there are a few stories in it that I do think are worth reading.

[Met · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noioso, banale e prevedibile. Oserei dire anche poco utile al fine di acchiappare i nuovi lettori, per i quali sembra sia stato concepito. Beh, non lo consiglierei mai.

[Tim Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is a couple of two star stories, that get bumped up to three stars by some gorgeous artwork.

Gail Simone is a super respected writer for DC, and I've generally enjoyed her stuff in the past, but I don't think she was suited to the shorter issue length of these Wallmart exclusives, that have no been collected

Simone has tried something similar to Bendis Batman Wallmart series, in that we've got a Flash series showcasing many characters, while he solves an overarching mystery. But the execution is lacking. The series is divided in to two arcs, a Rogues arc, and a Reverse Flash arc. Flash is familiar with all of the rogues, but is discovering Reverse Flash for the very first time. That coupled with some dialogue indicating that the Flash is early on in his career, and the fact that Iris West has been redesigned to look more like the television version, begs the question where this fits in continuity, if at all.

I've not really got any issue with comics being outside of continuity, but this just seemed to be straddling the fence.

Simone still writes funny and charming, but this story was just really lacking.

Clayton Henry's art is superb, and I think Marcelo Maiolo's colours might actually make him the MVP of the collection.

So great looking, and not bad. It's got me keen to read some more Flash, so I guess it's done its job.

[Melissa Hernandez-Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read! Gail Simone knows her characters. She gives us Barry Allen, Iris West, The Rogues, Reverse Flash, Flash, and so much more. Barry Allen is never on time. He's awkward. He's a nerd. He's fast. He has heart. And Gail has encapsulated that very well. It's supposed to be a fun read as they are the Flash Giants comics put together. They stand alone. Clayton Henry is an amazing artist and definitely knows how to show Barry's emotions very well. The Flash is one of my favorites, and I would recommend this!

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd collection this is. It's really just an assortment of out of continuity Flash shorts. The art is great, but overall this sorta feels like a waste of time.

I get in to this a little further in an installment of Comic Book Coffee Break: https://smallvillechronicle.blogspot....

[Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, I like Gail Simone, I really do. Her Batgirl run was incredible. I know she's a talented writer (and one of the coolest people on twitter- check her out).

The Flash: United They Fall isn't the strongest contender for that statement.

I don't know if I can blame her for this one though. This isn't an in-universe book, it's one of those series that DC was trying to sell in Kmart and you can tell that the publisher was only concerned with putting books on the shelves with a couple of big names. Brian Michel Bendis wrote Batman (urgh), and Gail got this one.

As such we get what mostly amounts to a character "taster". The story of the book is, essentially, "Here is the Flash. He runs fast and has a crush on this reporter lady. Here are his villains. He punches them." And look, it's all perfectly serviceable- I've certainly read worse comics- but there's nothing here to leave readers invested.

And like I said, I don't think that's Simone's fault. This book seems to have been made purely to exist as a Flash book. I think the intention was to get people reading the main series by proxy, but there's no reason to keep going after reading. There's no suggestion of further things around the corner, and no hint that the series is even continuing.

I will give the book some credit, though: if there's one thing that sells the book, it's the relationship between Barry Allen and Iris. Gail makes each scene sweeter than a diabetic nightmare. Barry is believably awkward in these scenes and Iris is graciously patient and it's just so CUTE. You just wanna pinch this books cheeks whenever you see it.

I usually joke around a bit more in my reviews, but there's just nothing here worth joking about being good or bad. It's so inoffensive, yet so insubstantial that I may as well not even finish this sente

[Robby · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories ran in the DC "Giant" format, meaning they are actually shorter (and seemingly denser) than a typical issue. This change in pacing actually worked pretty well for me; it made the collection feel both meatier and digestible at the same time.

The first half features a pretty solid arc around the Rogues. This is an out-of-continuity story set in relatively early in Barry Allen's career as the Flash, allowing Simone to provide her own take on the characters. This proves to be inconsistent: the first story with Mirror Master (as well as some of the later material) suggests that the Rogues avoid unnecessary violence; the fact that Scudder is acting out-of-character is a major plot point. However, the rest of the Rogues prove to be pretty hardened killers in the following chapters, making the initial "blackmail" plotline confusing. (I do like the take on Boomerang, though, which more or less matches his portrayal in the Suicide Squad comics).

The second half is more episodic before coalescing into a time travel story involving Professor Zoom. Simone's take on the Reverse Flash, while it has its own eccentricities, is still pretty par for the course. In general, I found this looser format less engaging.

The artwork by Clayton Henry is the perfect fit for a Silver Age-inspired story like this one. I was glad to see it was consistent throughout the book: if shorter installments if the key to getting high quality, consistent work, then by all means push ahead.

[Andy Dainty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly underwhelming. Barry Allen, the best Flash in my opinion; a return to the science solutions of classic Silver Age Flash & Gail Simone, a normally brilliant comics author.
So what's my issue, the individual issues seem to be over too quickly with little peril. The overall feel of the book was the old-style 3 part stories from the height of the silver age, but each of these parts would end on a cliff hanger; John Broome would also be sure to put Flash in novel sci-fi scenarios that Flash had to think his way out of. There were hints of this in the the encounters with Mirror Master, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang and King Shark. But they just didn't seem to measure up in my mind.
Saying that I misread the silhouette for the first 7 issue series, so the final reveal was enjoyable and did have another scifi scenario Flash had to think his way out of. Also the second series (5 parts this time) seemed to have more of a flow and built up more peril and tension. I guess I just wanted more. Possibly Simone was never going to compare, because times have moved on and she doesn't have the benefit of true nostalgia that Broome has.
One highlight I really enjoyed in this book was a 1 issue cameo from a JLA teammate who's character really compliments Barry Allen's character.

[Adam Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally published in the 100-page Giant Wal-mart comics, this look at the Flash finds the Flash dealing with a mysterious threat involving his rogues being forced to fight him. Then there's one shot with King Shark, and then we get another multi-part story with the Flash.

Unlike with Tom King's Superman, or J. Michael Bendis' Batman, Simone makes clear that this is an entirely different take on Barry as it does several things that are different from current DC Comics continuity.

The art is good throughout. The story, though, doesn't show much understanding of the Flash or his rogues and generally seemed a bit tedious, although I will admit to liking the finale of the second story.

Overall, this isn't the worst thing I've read this year, but it's a lackluster release that's not as good as the Superman or Batman books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I've read WAAAY more than I've been able to review, so.... time for some knee-jerk reactions!**
**Also... spoilers!**
- LOVED this. Quick Flash stories that all come together to tell a larger one--featuring every Rogue, plus Amazo (who I actually haven't seen in a while) and Reverse Flash!
- Absolutely ADORED how Gail Simone wrote Barry Allen. She really knows how to capture his voice.
- Loved the dynamic in Barry and Iris' relationship. Perfect!
- When the future agent is telling Barry about comic books--how they're about heroes and hope and how those messages meant something to her... I felt that.
- All of that... plus it was a lot of fun!
- Oh... and Atom nerding out with Flash. Like I said... fun!!!

[Shannon McShortall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for both long-standing fans and new readers. A perfect introduction to the character that gives us the lighthearted soap drama we expect from stories like Flash and Spider-Man.

Gail Simone brings her consistently phenomenal quality, both in depth of knowledge and character and story structuring. She uses her excellent research to create a fully believable scientist in Barry Allen. While fans of Simone’s work might start to find certain idiosyncrasies that might be irritating like her classic dialogue trope she carries for every King Shark appearance, it doesn’t bring the work down at all. With Clayton Henry on art and Marcelo Maiolo on colours (two artists I will definite start to follow more), Flash has never looked this good.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid book about The Flash and if you haven't read any Flash stories before a good place to start. It has a wealth of easter eggs and nods to Flash stories for fans too. It was nothing super new and inventive though a new character and a bit of spin on an old villain kept it interesting. I could definitely see Simone using a couple of her old favourites in this. It was a good use of the Giant size format and overall a solidly average story.

If this is your jumping on point, definitely read Geoff Johns' run next.

[Tar Buendía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dirigido a un público infantil-juvenil es un punto perfecto de inicio con el personaje. Son historias muy entretenidas, divertidas y tiernas. El dibujo y el color están sobresalientes.

Lo que más me ha chocado ha sido la decisión de ECC de incluir al final un texto no sobre el cómic o sus autores si no contando toda la historia de la serie de televisión. Entiendo que muchos lectores que lleguen van a venir de ahí pero precisamente si vienen e ahí ya conocen la serie. No sé, una cosa muy extraña.

[jason_not_derulo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

I’ve never actually read Flash before and this seemed like a beginner-friendly book. And while it did do a decent enough job showing off some rogues and giving us some cute Barry and Iris moments, it’s just… meh. The rogues aren’t written in a very interesting way and everything feels like it’s just happening to happen. No themes of any kind. It’s not bad by any means, but I wouldn’t find myself recommending this to anyone.

[Andrew Ives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the artwork was very colourful, attractive and rather lovely throughout, the stories were pretty crazy. The first arc, the titular 'United They Fall', started off well, but gradually deteriorated into craziness and silliness. The rest of the book contained other stories feather the Atom and Zoom, time travel, etc, all of which were just too crazy to make much sense out of. I wanted to like this much more than I did, but it does look great. 3.25/5

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been a huge fan of The Flash but this graphic novel compendium is just EXCELLENT. Gail Simone knows how to write a good, modern superhero story without things getting too cynical or nostalgic (which is VERY hard to find these days) and she actually manages to make F-tier goofs like The Weather Wizard and Mirror Master feel like fully-formed, fleshed out characters. It's a great read, especially if you're looking for a good entry point for Flash material.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun entry point for anyone curious about the fastest man alive. Goes through some origin points, so might not be for die hards, but everything that makes for a great Flash story is here: A very likable hero, fun art depicting his incredible speed and one of the most fun rogues gallery in all of comics.

[Shyue Chou Chuang · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Flash is very often depicted as a loser and this particular volume doesn't go so much in this direction. Yes, the Flash is socially awkward, a science nerd but not a loser. In that sense, it is rather less cringeworthy. The story has the Flash fighting various villains with a mastermind behind them. It is a light but entertaining read. The artwork is decent. Not too bad, fun enough.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Gail Simone a lot but this is more of a Flash overview than anything else and nowhere near as vissually interesting as any other Flash story of the last twenty years or so.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Professional comic that does the job of connecting a general audience who may bst know Flash on the CW to DC comics.

[Daniele Mascio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bel libro per conoscere le origini e le prime avventure del secondo flash

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

classic villain-of-the-week type comic... it was fine.