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The Flash (2011)
Flash : Zoom - 1ere partie
Barry a passé toute sa vie à chercher l'assassin de sa mère dans le but de faire sortir son père de prison. Et c'est chose faite. Désormais, Barry connait le véritable coupable : un certain Eobard Thawne, que Flash va bientôt rencontrer sous un autre nom... Zoom !
Contient THE FLASH #41-45
+ DC SNEAK PEEK: THE FLASH #1
+ THE FLASH ANNUAL #4
Contient THE FLASH #41-45
+ DC SNEAK PEEK: THE FLASH #1
+ THE FLASH ANNUAL #4
147 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2016
13 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Robert Venditti
816 books401 followersRobert Venditti is a New York Times bestselling author of more than three hundred comic books and graphic novels. Some of his works include the monthly comic book series Justice League, Superman ’78, Hawkman, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, X-O Manowar, Armor Hunters, and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior for Valiant Entertainment, and the graphic novel Six Days, inspired by the story of his uncle’s participation in D-Day. He has also adapted Rick Riordan’s global bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus novels, as well as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. His graphic novel The Surrogates was adapted into a feature film by Touchstone Pictures, and his work on The Flash was the basis for season three of the CW television series.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
March 12, 2017
4.5 stars
This was a really good volume!
Or at least, I thought so.
First, no more Patty. I've never liked her as Barry's love interest, and the last volume just solidified my dislike of the character.
Iris or bust, I say!
Second, this was a Zoom-heavy story, and I love Thawne as a villain!
While most of Flash's rogues are charming, or have some redeeming quality, Zoom is just a psychopathic dick. It's good to see Barry go up against a truly frightening bad guy, and still come out on top. Sometimes you forget what a force of nature the Flash is, you know?
Plus, I'm just a sucker for nice guys who kick ass...
Ok, I also enjoyed this other group of Speed Force users.
I liked that they were all basically decent, and being lied to by Thawne. That they thought they were working for the greater good only made the situation seem more dire for everyone involved.
Looks like Wally is starting to find himself, and seems to be moving in the right direction to get his own title pretty soon. Maybe? I'd love to see this kid get an invite to the Titian Tower.
Just sayin'...
I really liked the art, as well! Although, if I'm being totally honest, there's so much noise happening on each page that I'm probably going to have to give my eyes a rest for a bit. Still. It was worth it!
Recommended for fans of Flash!
This was a really good volume!
Or at least, I thought so.
First, no more Patty. I've never liked her as Barry's love interest, and the last volume just solidified my dislike of the character.
Iris or bust, I say!
Second, this was a Zoom-heavy story, and I love Thawne as a villain!
While most of Flash's rogues are charming, or have some redeeming quality, Zoom is just a psychopathic dick. It's good to see Barry go up against a truly frightening bad guy, and still come out on top. Sometimes you forget what a force of nature the Flash is, you know?
Plus, I'm just a sucker for nice guys who kick ass...
Ok, I also enjoyed this other group of Speed Force users.
I liked that they were all basically decent, and being lied to by Thawne. That they thought they were working for the greater good only made the situation seem more dire for everyone involved.
Looks like Wally is starting to find himself, and seems to be moving in the right direction to get his own title pretty soon. Maybe? I'd love to see this kid get an invite to the Titian Tower.
Just sayin'...
I really liked the art, as well! Although, if I'm being totally honest, there's so much noise happening on each page that I'm probably going to have to give my eyes a rest for a bit. Still. It was worth it!
Recommended for fans of Flash!
August 30, 2019
I thought this was the best volume of the series run so far. I don't care for all the time travel stuff, but this story with Zoom was incredibly fun and interesting. Zoom is a speed force users and he finds all these other people in history that have different abilities with the speed force like the flash. He makes them all believe Flash is evil and they work to overthrow the Flash. It's pretty epic and Flash has to do all this on his own.
I felt this was a great arch the story is going through. I hope they keep this momentum going and the story gets better. I had fun reading this story I can't wait for Vol. 9.
I felt this was a great arch the story is going through. I hope they keep this momentum going and the story gets better. I had fun reading this story I can't wait for Vol. 9.
August 30, 2019
Where do I even start with my disappointment in this book? The Flash is one of my favorite characters and has had several fantastic runs in the past, but this creative team is just abysmal. Brett Booth's art in itself isn't bad and I was a fan of his back in his Wildstorm days. But his panels are overly busy and it really makes it hard to tell what is happening in each panel. Add that to his awful costume designs and it makes for a comic that visually just doesn't keep my interest. Now on to Venditti and Jensen's writing. The characters are so ridiculously over the top I'm surprised Zoom isn't twirling his mustache. With Zoom, they've taken what was a complicated character to begin with and made him even more needlessly complicated, with this nonsense that he went back in time and lived for thousands of years just so he could kill the Flash. And yet, he was able to hide how evil he was from the team he assembled for 500 years. It's just dumb. And now I guess the lightning that created the Flash is sentient and created other superbeings. That's just nonsense. These writers on the new 52 feel like they have to rewrite history to establish their own backstory but they should stick with the stuff that works and the Speed Force is something that works. The Flash has the potential to reach the level of popularity of DC's big three, but not with this creative team.
July 5, 2019
Bold and brilliant artwork. Some interesting history on Professor Zoom and Flash's family history. Somewhat good in dialogue in plotting.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
February 15, 2022
THIS WAS SO EPIC!
I loved this whole thing, its just epic in the right ways and I have fond memories of reading it in single issues when they were coming out but reading in trade collected is a great experience too.
We pick up with Henry having escaped his prison and we see how after a convo with his son Barry as he is investigating his mother's death and "Thawne" a name that gives Henry nightmares, we follow his breakout and the crew and all and meanwhile the flash goes to find his dad and well fights off Girder meanwhile being haunted by the apparitions of Zoom and then comes the big part when both of them go head to head and we see Zooms team (Magali, Folded Man, Block, Roscoe) and their origin and all that and its epic and the big fight that happens wwith everything on the line and THUNDERDOME the central city is stuck in, whatever is going on with Frye, Iris and Wally and the consequences and the trap they all are in and how Barry rescues them and the reveal of Thawne's plan and the face off between the two and ITS EPIC!
It hits all the right notes and I love the reveal of Thawne's evil plan and what Barry does, the emotions that flare up within Henry is what you will feel as a reader and thus showing the writers have done their job and its awesome, the art is so dynamic and it really makes you feel the emotions as you feel for Barry and yeah this story is played out during the 2009 Flash rebirth but its really well done here too and just showing the heroic Barry in all its glory and does well to give a nice conclusion to the Thawne hint thats been building up for 8 volumes now. Just great stuff and the art is still great and Booth is definitely one of my fav Flash artists easily! A MUST RECOMMEND!
I loved this whole thing, its just epic in the right ways and I have fond memories of reading it in single issues when they were coming out but reading in trade collected is a great experience too.
We pick up with Henry having escaped his prison and we see how after a convo with his son Barry as he is investigating his mother's death and "Thawne" a name that gives Henry nightmares, we follow his breakout and the crew and all and meanwhile the flash goes to find his dad and well fights off Girder meanwhile being haunted by the apparitions of Zoom and then comes the big part when both of them go head to head and we see Zooms team (Magali, Folded Man, Block, Roscoe) and their origin and all that and its epic and the big fight that happens wwith everything on the line and THUNDERDOME the central city is stuck in, whatever is going on with Frye, Iris and Wally and the consequences and the trap they all are in and how Barry rescues them and the reveal of Thawne's plan and the face off between the two and ITS EPIC!
It hits all the right notes and I love the reveal of Thawne's evil plan and what Barry does, the emotions that flare up within Henry is what you will feel as a reader and thus showing the writers have done their job and its awesome, the art is so dynamic and it really makes you feel the emotions as you feel for Barry and yeah this story is played out during the 2009 Flash rebirth but its really well done here too and just showing the heroic Barry in all its glory and does well to give a nice conclusion to the Thawne hint thats been building up for 8 volumes now. Just great stuff and the art is still great and Booth is definitely one of my fav Flash artists easily! A MUST RECOMMEND!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
This series has been mostly fun. While it has gotten more serious in the last few volumes it's still good.
June 4, 2016
Best volume so far! Zoom is undoubtedly The Flash's ultimate villain.
December 5, 2016
Zoom was the last significant arc of the New 52 era of The Flash.
Zoom, a classic Flash villain, executes a complicated, centuries-spanning plan aimed at destroying the legacy of the Scarlet Speedster. Zoom gathers individuals from different eras who had received powers from lightning strikes similar to the one that empowered Barry Allen. He trains and mentors them, convincing them that the Flash is a menace masquerading as a hero that needs to be stopped. Barry Allen’s ongoing investigation of his mother’s murder dovetails with Zoom’s plan, prompting Barry’s wrongfully-imprisoned father to mount a prison escape in hopes of saving his son’s life. Zoom and his crew provid Flash with a substantial challenge along the way to a furious final clash between Flash and Zoom.
Writers Robert Venditti and Van Jensen do a nice job of weaving together many threads from the New 52 Flash series in this arc. Their take on Barry Allen is pretty solid, navigating him through some difficult emotional territory that has a significant impact on both of his “father” relationships (with his actual Dad, Henry, as well as surrogate father Darryl Frye). The duo also give Zoom a decent build and some compelling justifications for his mania to dismantle the Flash legacy. The writers give nice moments to key supporting characters, especially Iris and Wally West, and bring most of the major plot points of this era to a satisfying conclusion. Though fans can only puzzle at why the now-single Barry still isn’t pursuing a relationship with Iris.
Artist Brett Booth can be a polarizing presence, but his approach is well-suited to The Flash. His angular approach to anatomical design is effective for a series whose lead character is a runner and his creative approach to panel design gives the art a kinetic, kaleidoscopic quality that helps reinforce the speed motif. Working primarily with inker Norm Rapmund and colorist Andrew Dalhouse, Booth’s work gives the story the momentum it needs and his expressive facial designs help sell the story’s emotional impact. His designs (in collaboration with Bong Dazo) for Zoom and Zoom’s lightning-powered team are quite interesting, with Zoom especially coming across as the cracked mirror opposite of the Flash he’s supposed to be.
Zoom really isn’t a good entry point for newcomers. It’s a climactic arc that relies on knowledge of the prior three-plus years of story to fully appreciate. But for fans who have stuck with The Flash during the New 52 years, it’s a satisfying wrap-up of the major plot threads of this incarnation of the book.
Zoom, a classic Flash villain, executes a complicated, centuries-spanning plan aimed at destroying the legacy of the Scarlet Speedster. Zoom gathers individuals from different eras who had received powers from lightning strikes similar to the one that empowered Barry Allen. He trains and mentors them, convincing them that the Flash is a menace masquerading as a hero that needs to be stopped. Barry Allen’s ongoing investigation of his mother’s murder dovetails with Zoom’s plan, prompting Barry’s wrongfully-imprisoned father to mount a prison escape in hopes of saving his son’s life. Zoom and his crew provid Flash with a substantial challenge along the way to a furious final clash between Flash and Zoom.
Writers Robert Venditti and Van Jensen do a nice job of weaving together many threads from the New 52 Flash series in this arc. Their take on Barry Allen is pretty solid, navigating him through some difficult emotional territory that has a significant impact on both of his “father” relationships (with his actual Dad, Henry, as well as surrogate father Darryl Frye). The duo also give Zoom a decent build and some compelling justifications for his mania to dismantle the Flash legacy. The writers give nice moments to key supporting characters, especially Iris and Wally West, and bring most of the major plot points of this era to a satisfying conclusion. Though fans can only puzzle at why the now-single Barry still isn’t pursuing a relationship with Iris.
Artist Brett Booth can be a polarizing presence, but his approach is well-suited to The Flash. His angular approach to anatomical design is effective for a series whose lead character is a runner and his creative approach to panel design gives the art a kinetic, kaleidoscopic quality that helps reinforce the speed motif. Working primarily with inker Norm Rapmund and colorist Andrew Dalhouse, Booth’s work gives the story the momentum it needs and his expressive facial designs help sell the story’s emotional impact. His designs (in collaboration with Bong Dazo) for Zoom and Zoom’s lightning-powered team are quite interesting, with Zoom especially coming across as the cracked mirror opposite of the Flash he’s supposed to be.
Zoom really isn’t a good entry point for newcomers. It’s a climactic arc that relies on knowledge of the prior three-plus years of story to fully appreciate. But for fans who have stuck with The Flash during the New 52 years, it’s a satisfying wrap-up of the major plot threads of this incarnation of the book.
September 20, 2019
Zoom returns to the Flash mythos, pulling out an insane plan to not only kill Barry, but to completely tarnish his legacy as well.
Here's what a appreciated about the book: historically, Zoom is bat shit crazy. And in this volume, he matches that description perfectly. His intense focus on Barry is psychotic, and his plan overall is just insanity. They changed his motivation slightly for this New 52 version of Zoom, but pretty much, Venditti does a good job of making Zoom ruthless and crazy like the old version.
However this book has a problem with convenience. Things fall into place at the right time, characters change motivation way too quickly, and Flash rally's when you think he is down and out. And unfortunately, this comes off as very heavy handed and contrived. Couple that with the art that is very 90's and this becomes one of my least favorite flash books.
I know there's one more volume to wrap things up before going into Rebirth, so I hope the creator team can pull this out from a tailspin.
Here's what a appreciated about the book: historically, Zoom is bat shit crazy. And in this volume, he matches that description perfectly. His intense focus on Barry is psychotic, and his plan overall is just insanity. They changed his motivation slightly for this New 52 version of Zoom, but pretty much, Venditti does a good job of making Zoom ruthless and crazy like the old version.
However this book has a problem with convenience. Things fall into place at the right time, characters change motivation way too quickly, and Flash rally's when you think he is down and out. And unfortunately, this comes off as very heavy handed and contrived. Couple that with the art that is very 90's and this becomes one of my least favorite flash books.
I know there's one more volume to wrap things up before going into Rebirth, so I hope the creator team can pull this out from a tailspin.
November 16, 2016
The Flash has probably the best rogues gallery in all of DC Comics with the possible exception of Batman, yet this book is filled with made up D-listers who have a very tenuous grasp of the Speed Force and are recruited by Zoom to kill the Flash, because he convinces them that the Flash is the villain. Needless to say, it's a mess, that is only redeemed by the ending, which also leaves a lot of loose threads I might add.
March 22, 2017
One of the best if not the best of the issues so far. Really adored the artwork and the plot in this one. Excited for the finale that is Vol. 9.
April 1, 2021
This was a more high stakes volume, but it irritates me they changed the name to Professor Zoom... He's the original Reverse Flash... Anyways, it was interesting enough.
September 17, 2017
New 52 Flash was pretty solid, I've come to conclude, and this volume much solider than most.
Thawne is/was/will be a pretty massive dickhead, and clearly he never saw The Terminator...but anyway, the spectacular artwork and compelling secondary characters made it all worthwhile.
Thawne is/was/will be a pretty massive dickhead, and clearly he never saw The Terminator...but anyway, the spectacular artwork and compelling secondary characters made it all worthwhile.
March 2, 2021
5 🌟
Barry fights the Man who killed his mother, Zoom.
Barry fights the Man who killed his mother, Zoom.
December 19, 2017
This was a little strange. I’ll preface it by saying that any fans of The Flash tv show should be aware of the differences between Zoom, Professor Zoom, Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne, Daniel West, and their various incarnations across television and comics. They don’t always match up, and that can make things confusing. Of course, this is consistent with what’s been in the books so far, but there’s a lot to keep track of, especially since the New 52 started with Thawne as Reverse Flash instead of Professor Zoom.
Anyway, this wasn’t too bad. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the earlier volumes with Manapul and Buccellato, but that’s a pretty high bar to meet. Robert Venditti has cemented himself as one of my least favorite comic book writers. He doesn’t do anything glaringly bad here, it’s just uninspired. Thawne and his crew don’t make much sense. He manages to get them all devoted to a cause for centuries without any real concrete proof? And everyone has zero suspicions about him during all of that time? Yeah, OK, because he comes across as a dude who is totally altruistic at all times. What this tells me is they should have been spending the last several hundred years being a Speed Force empowered Justice League of sorts saving lives across the world. On a separate note, has the Speed Force always granted powers besides speed? I knew it was connected to most of the DC speedsters, but not the rest of this.
The art is kind of lame. Brett Booth is back with his lacquer and improbable body contortions. I really don’t like what he does with Thawne. The black lightning is interesting, but having it extend beyond his frame even when he’s standing still doesn’t really make sense.
The book didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t a total waste. Plus, it’s one of the only titles I’m following that I’m excited to read the Rebirth issues. It doesn’t hurt that it ties into some of the Titans stuff, too. Like most of the New 52 titles, it has stumbled a bit to try and maintain its voice after the first couple of arcs and lost some of its special spark in the process.
Anyway, this wasn’t too bad. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the earlier volumes with Manapul and Buccellato, but that’s a pretty high bar to meet. Robert Venditti has cemented himself as one of my least favorite comic book writers. He doesn’t do anything glaringly bad here, it’s just uninspired. Thawne and his crew don’t make much sense. He manages to get them all devoted to a cause for centuries without any real concrete proof? And everyone has zero suspicions about him during all of that time? Yeah, OK, because he comes across as a dude who is totally altruistic at all times. What this tells me is they should have been spending the last several hundred years being a Speed Force empowered Justice League of sorts saving lives across the world. On a separate note, has the Speed Force always granted powers besides speed? I knew it was connected to most of the DC speedsters, but not the rest of this.
The art is kind of lame. Brett Booth is back with his lacquer and improbable body contortions. I really don’t like what he does with Thawne. The black lightning is interesting, but having it extend beyond his frame even when he’s standing still doesn’t really make sense.
The book didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t a total waste. Plus, it’s one of the only titles I’m following that I’m excited to read the Rebirth issues. It doesn’t hurt that it ties into some of the Titans stuff, too. Like most of the New 52 titles, it has stumbled a bit to try and maintain its voice after the first couple of arcs and lost some of its special spark in the process.
September 19, 2016
Eep. This art made me knock another star off. It was everything I don't like about Liefeld and Quesada's pencils all rolled into one. The story was sorta okay, but it felt very much like it was aligning itself with the show, which felt 'off' the whole time. To be honest, I'm looking forward to Rebirth. This run had some moments, but Venditti ran it into the ground, for me.
November 11, 2016
Nice time-travel villain team-up section, but repetitive and boring otherwise, with a hectic art style that quickly makes the eyes weary.
December 10, 2016
Wayyyyy better than any of the more recent ones. Hilarious and heart wrenching and oh my gosh absolutely thrilling.
May 11, 2019
⚡️Essential Flash! ⚡️
August 4, 2019
This is as good as the flash gets
October 21, 2024
I found some of Zoom's origin story to be a little confusing as portrayed in this volume. Otherwise, it was a decent read.
February 14, 2020
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom has Flash confronting his nemesis Zoom! :D The snag is Zoom has come along with his gang and has also snagged Barry's dad! :D The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom pace is frenetic from the start with Barry confronting Zoom and his gang from Selkirk, Magali, Xolani, Roscoe and H Block make for a dynamic team! :D There realisation that they are being manipulated by Thawne as well is cleverly handled and makes a three-dimensional action pack adventure that you will not see coming! :D All the characters have the depths that you would expect and this neatly dovetails into the Flashes action in regard to them! :D
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is sharply drawn and with great colouring from the start! :D All the pages leap off the page and really aid the fast-paced script that sets out on introducing a tonne of events! :D The panelling is laid out sharply as well giving everything a cinematic feel to it that has great vistas! :D The script and really shows the events to full effect with the locations changing in the script at every point and the art neatly backing that up! :D The script itself never lets up from the moment it starts with plot-twist and character development and action at every point! :D Be prepare to lose sleep finding out what happens! :D
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is full of character development and picking up previous plots and developing news! :D The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is full of action, adventure, hair raising stunts, world building, time travel, character development and introduction and edge of the seat thrills! :D
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is sharply drawn and with great colouring from the start! :D All the pages leap off the page and really aid the fast-paced script that sets out on introducing a tonne of events! :D The panelling is laid out sharply as well giving everything a cinematic feel to it that has great vistas! :D The script and really shows the events to full effect with the locations changing in the script at every point and the art neatly backing that up! :D The script itself never lets up from the moment it starts with plot-twist and character development and action at every point! :D Be prepare to lose sleep finding out what happens! :D
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is full of character development and picking up previous plots and developing news! :D The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom is full of action, adventure, hair raising stunts, world building, time travel, character development and introduction and edge of the seat thrills! :D
December 3, 2019
(Read as Single Issues)
There were some interesting ideas raised in this volume, but they're all undercut by the utterly cartoonish villainy of Professor Zoom. The idea of someone holding Flash accountable for the damage and future evils has its moments, and the crew he pulls together is interesting (the annual really helped flesh them out, although I don't know if it was included in the collection). But what it did to Barry's father isn't great, and when the truth about Zoom's motivation comes out it is horrible, like to the point that it cost the volume a star in and of itself. The art is workable but nothing impressive. It's a decent story let down by a horrible motivation.
There were some interesting ideas raised in this volume, but they're all undercut by the utterly cartoonish villainy of Professor Zoom. The idea of someone holding Flash accountable for the damage and future evils has its moments, and the crew he pulls together is interesting (the annual really helped flesh them out, although I don't know if it was included in the collection). But what it did to Barry's father isn't great, and when the truth about Zoom's motivation comes out it is horrible, like to the point that it cost the volume a star in and of itself. The art is workable but nothing impressive. It's a decent story let down by a horrible motivation.
November 5, 2024
The Flash Vol. 8: Zoom
As Barry Allen closes in on his mother's killer, Dr. Henry Allen escaped the Iron Heights Penitentiary where he has been held prisoner for two decades. Both men seek the murderous Eobard Thawne - who as 'Zoom' means to rewrite history and remove the Flash from time itself.
The art is superb, creating a different feel for each time period. The character work is excellent and you can see the resemblance between Barry and his father. The plot is action packed and the background characters are fleshed out well, giving each of them a reason for their actions.
As Barry Allen closes in on his mother's killer, Dr. Henry Allen escaped the Iron Heights Penitentiary where he has been held prisoner for two decades. Both men seek the murderous Eobard Thawne - who as 'Zoom' means to rewrite history and remove the Flash from time itself.
The art is superb, creating a different feel for each time period. The character work is excellent and you can see the resemblance between Barry and his father. The plot is action packed and the background characters are fleshed out well, giving each of them a reason for their actions.
May 12, 2017
This would actually be 3.5 stars, mostly because I couldn't decide whether or not I liked one of the main plot points. As tempted as I was to give it 4 stars because I really enjoyed so many other parts of the story, it just didn't quite feel right. The part that I couldn't really pin down were the other metahumans that Professor Zoom collected. I wasn't sure how I felt about the "lightning" (speed force) choosing them in ways that deviated from super speed. The other people who have been connected to the speed force all had powers that were much more closely related to speed, but theirs...not quite as much. I mean, there were connections--aging, centripetal force, slowing down atoms, and teleportation--but those all seemed to stretch the core idea of the speed force (you know, SPEED) a little too much for me. But, on the other hand, it was kind of refreshing to see a different take on what the speed force could do. I mean, DC invented it, they can make the rules, why not really play with it? So, yeah...I couldn't decide whether I liked that or not. I also had a hard time wrapping my head around the time travel part. I've read/watched enough "Doctor Who," so you'd think time travel wouldn't give me a headache. I'm not sure whether this is a plot hole in this series, or if I'm just missing something in the timey wimey-ness of it all. Here's my point: In a previous volume, when Future Flash went into the past, he wanted to kill Barry Allen. Theoretically, if he did that, he wouldn't exist to have gone back in time to kill himself in the first place. However, he claimed he actually COULD kill Barry because, since he went back in time, this was a different timeline. (Or something generally like that.) But, in this volume, Zoom goes back in time and basically creates the Barry we know by killing Nora Allen. Zoom implies that he came from a future where Barry had a loving mother and father and that he went back in time to "level the playing field" between the two of them by ensuring that Barry's childhood would mirror his own. (He would make it seem as though both had fathers who murdered their mothers.) So: Zoom goes back in time, changes the past, his future is changed. Future Flash goes back in time, changes the past, the future is changed...and he doesn't exist in the same timeline any more? That doesn't quite add up to me, so if somebody has a way of explaining it, that would be awesome. But, a part from that, there were a lot of other elements I really enjoyed. For starters, Zoom was a pretty great villain. During this volume's last issue, it was fascinating to see Zoom's "before" alongside his and Flash's fight. The further into his history we went, the more we understood his mangled psyche. I also really enjoyed getting to know Henry Allen a little better. Plus, any sort of prison escape story is always fun. And, even if I can't decide whether or not I liked Zoom's "collection," I did like the idea of the Flash going up against people who had been specifically trained to fight him. All in all, a solid read, even if it left me with some questions.
March 10, 2019
This is one of my favorite volumes of Flash‘s New 52 run for sure.
In my opinion, the plot was extremely strong. It was consistently action-packed and thrilling. I found myself flipping the pages because I was so wrapped in the story and wanted to see what would happen next. The story is fast paced and kept my at the edge of my seat the whole time.
Zoom is such a good villain and I loved what atmosphere and energy he brought into the story. He is a ruthless criminal mastermind, who - contrary to Flash‘s other opponents - does not have any redeeming qualities. He is pure evil and downright insane, which makes him all the more fascinating to learn and read about. Moreover, he is probably one of the few villains that pose a real challenge for Barry. I really liked seeing how he chose to deal with someone like Zoom. The fact that Barry‘s father played a significant and active role in this volume made me enjoy it even more. I loved seeing him and Barry interact and work together. As a character, Flash was incredibly three dimensional and developed in this volume. Steadfast, courageous, self-sacrificing, resourceful and clever. His portrayal was top notch in this volume.
I also really enjoyed the side characters‘ portrayal. Zoom‘s team of villainous acolytes has a great dynamic and I loved that we got to learn more about their backgrounds and history. That was super interesting. Furthermore I liked Iris and Wally a lot. They too felt like the characters they were supposed to be.
This was such a great volume with an extremely catching and thrilling plot. It really felt like one of the climates of the Flash run.
In my opinion, the plot was extremely strong. It was consistently action-packed and thrilling. I found myself flipping the pages because I was so wrapped in the story and wanted to see what would happen next. The story is fast paced and kept my at the edge of my seat the whole time.
Zoom is such a good villain and I loved what atmosphere and energy he brought into the story. He is a ruthless criminal mastermind, who - contrary to Flash‘s other opponents - does not have any redeeming qualities. He is pure evil and downright insane, which makes him all the more fascinating to learn and read about. Moreover, he is probably one of the few villains that pose a real challenge for Barry. I really liked seeing how he chose to deal with someone like Zoom. The fact that Barry‘s father played a significant and active role in this volume made me enjoy it even more. I loved seeing him and Barry interact and work together. As a character, Flash was incredibly three dimensional and developed in this volume. Steadfast, courageous, self-sacrificing, resourceful and clever. His portrayal was top notch in this volume.
I also really enjoyed the side characters‘ portrayal. Zoom‘s team of villainous acolytes has a great dynamic and I loved that we got to learn more about their backgrounds and history. That was super interesting. Furthermore I liked Iris and Wally a lot. They too felt like the characters they were supposed to be.
This was such a great volume with an extremely catching and thrilling plot. It really felt like one of the climates of the Flash run.
May 27, 2016
Poor pacing and characters makes for one bleh read.
World: Booth's art is good in parts and terrible in others. The sense of motion is great but the character faces and emotions are odd and off. The world building here is terrible. The pieces that are here on paper are sound but they are also very illogical. The world is pretty much formed but it's the new pieces of narrative (mostly character based) that is boring and do not fit the characters at all.
Story: Choppy and illogical as all hell. I don't want to say too much but the entire thing with Henry is stupid, the motivation is basic and illogical. The action is good, when the fights happen they are fun. However, once you stop and think about the story it's stupid. It's such a waste of such an iconic villain.
Characters: Wow the characters are terrible. There is barely any development here and they all act like idiotically. The hate by the CCPD makes no sense and Henry's entire plan is idiotic. Zoom's character arc is simple and brainless and his posse are just as bad. This is just a poorly written character book throughout.
This book is not good. These are not the characters this book deserves. This is not the Barry readers deserve. This creative team needs to go.
Onward to the next book!
World: Booth's art is good in parts and terrible in others. The sense of motion is great but the character faces and emotions are odd and off. The world building here is terrible. The pieces that are here on paper are sound but they are also very illogical. The world is pretty much formed but it's the new pieces of narrative (mostly character based) that is boring and do not fit the characters at all.
Story: Choppy and illogical as all hell. I don't want to say too much but the entire thing with Henry is stupid, the motivation is basic and illogical. The action is good, when the fights happen they are fun. However, once you stop and think about the story it's stupid. It's such a waste of such an iconic villain.
Characters: Wow the characters are terrible. There is barely any development here and they all act like idiotically. The hate by the CCPD makes no sense and Henry's entire plan is idiotic. Zoom's character arc is simple and brainless and his posse are just as bad. This is just a poorly written character book throughout.
This book is not good. These are not the characters this book deserves. This is not the Barry readers deserve. This creative team needs to go.
Onward to the next book!
March 23, 2017
OKAY SO, I read this volume of the New 52 version of The Flash, mainly because I'm a HUGE fan of Eobard Thawn/Professor Zoom, and I heard how bad this version of him was. I wasn't quite sure on the details on what made him so bad, but I wish I had never knew said details.
The completely botched up his character, by turning him into some guy who basically wanted to be a god, and this is NOT how Eobard should be. All he should care about is doing hatever it takes to ruin Barry Allen's life. Not only that, but his backstory was just crud!! It was nothing like the backstory they gave him in the Flash Rebirth series. Not in the slightest. I have never cringed so hard in my life.
For those who have not read a single comic with Eobard in it and want to, I warn you all please do not start with this book!! Read books such as Flash Rebirth, Reverse-Flash Rebirth, (Which is the book that gives his proper origin story), and last but not least Flashpoint: Paradox. Only read this book if you want to see how badly such an amazing character can be ruined so quickly.
The completely botched up his character, by turning him into some guy who basically wanted to be a god, and this is NOT how Eobard should be. All he should care about is doing hatever it takes to ruin Barry Allen's life. Not only that, but his backstory was just crud!! It was nothing like the backstory they gave him in the Flash Rebirth series. Not in the slightest. I have never cringed so hard in my life.
For those who have not read a single comic with Eobard in it and want to, I warn you all please do not start with this book!! Read books such as Flash Rebirth, Reverse-Flash Rebirth, (Which is the book that gives his proper origin story), and last but not least Flashpoint: Paradox. Only read this book if you want to see how badly such an amazing character can be ruined so quickly.
December 25, 2016
Another one I seem to have missed reviewing for several days. I really enjoyed Jensen's take on Zoom. It was interesting to see both Zoom and the Reverse Flash so close together. The art worked really well here, and continues to be a high point. I am excited to see how this one turns out as the New '52 winds down. This is a solid story--its one weekness comes in creating a cast of disposable villains/characters to be Zoom's henchmen. They take up a lot of space without effectively adding anything to this storyline, much less adding to the title long term.
May 15, 2017
This is great fun. Flawed, but definitely fun. This rehashes the main story of the TV series season 1. I do not know which came first, and do not care at present to look it up, but I did see the show first and the writers there had a much better internal logic for how all of this worked than Venditti does in this book. Some things were a little lazy and some a little confusing in this book, but it was still fun enough and looked great enough to get 4 stars when it really probably was written at a 3.
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