DCU Comic Book Reviews

FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES' REVENGE #3

Book Three

November 2008

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Scott Kolins

Inks by Scott Kolins

Covers by J. G. Jones and Scott Kolins

Synopsis

The rogues gather at the old Central City Observatory to find Inertia, who is still training with Zoom.  Nearby, the pied Piper is watching.  The rogues arrive and attack.  However, the Pied Piper attacks them all, but in turn is stabbed in the back by Libra with the Spear of Destiny.  Libra is holding a baby, Weather Wizard’s baby.  Libra tells them to pledge their loyalty to Libra’s secret society or he’ll drink the baby’s blood in sacrifice.  Before Weather Wizard can decide, Inertia kills the baby, then attacks Libra.  Zoom tries to stop him.  Inertia then pushes Zoom backwards through time, to the time before the accident that gave him his powers.  Inertia then goes after the rogues, but they are able to defeat him.  The rogues kill Inertia.  Libra congratulates them and offers them a chance to join the secret society.  The rogues turn him down again.  In Keystone City, the cops find Inertia’s dead body with a note from the rogues telling the Flash they are even.  In Central City, the rogues ponder the return of Barry Allen.  If he is back, they will be waiting. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was a fantastic conclusion to a wonderful three issues.  There is nobody who writes the Flash or the rogues the way Johns can and it shows.  I love the characterizations.  The rogues are not evil characters, just conflicted, wounded people with a strong code of ethics, even if they are slightly on the wrong side of the law.  Johns writing of the rogues always puts this on display and this mini-series is no different.  This is great stuff. 

I love the fact that a couple of pages after announcing he was now calling himself Kid Zoom, Johns just decides to kill him off.  It was a right turn that I was not expecting.  I can’t say that everything in this issue surprised me, but I will say that I was pleased with the outcomes.  I think in some other hands or for other characters, the story would’ve ended with the rogues joining Libra to defeat the new Flash.  I liked the fact that the rogues never backed down from Libra and that they stayed true to who they are, which is a tight-knit group of friends and allies fighting against the Flash.  Again they are not evil for evil’s sake, which is the way Libra is presented.  It made no sense for the rogues to join Libra; I am glad Johns did not go down that path. 

As far as being a tie-in to Final Crisis, this issue works wonders for the main series.  This issue fits in well within the body of main series, but somehow doesn’t trample all over it to provide spoilers or contradictions.  We learn a little bit more about Libra without actually learning anything concrete.  Libra talks about the red skies and lighting storms, signs of the Crisis as well as the connection to Darkseid.  I mean, we all kinda knew there was a connection to the New Gods, but now we get a confirmation of that.  But nothing else.  We get the evil incarnate and more blather about evil winning, but nothing that would spoil the main series, but does provide some anticipation for the next issue of Final Crisis, which I think is the right way to go about it. 

I am a little surprised DC didn’t attempt to provide a teaser promo of some sort for Johns’ upcoming Flash: Rebirth mini-series featuring the return of Barry Allen.  The coming next page tells the reader to go to the current Flash series, which features Wally West.

 

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