DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE FLASH:  THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #2

Lightning In A Bottle, Part Two:  Origins

September 2006

Written by Danny Bilson & Paul Demeo

Pencils by Ken Lashley

Inks by Walden Wong and Jay Leisten

Cover by Ken Lashley

Synopsis

Bart Allen recalls his early years leading up to the Teen Titans.  The speed force has taken everyone he cares about and it wants him as well.  In the hospital after the explosion, Griffin wakes up to extreme pain.  At the Garrick household, Bart apologizes to Jay and Joan about not telling them about the speed force.  Jay wants Bart to become the Flash.  Bart wants nothing to do with the speed force; he wants it gone.  At STAR Labs, Dr. Tina McGee receives a piece of Barry Allen’s suit while Valerie Perez receives an unwanted call from her father.  At the hospital, Griffin has miraculously healed faster than expected.  Later, Griffin and Bart are taken by the police (followed by the press) to the site of the explosion and the factory.  There, Griffin reacts strangely.  When a cameraman is about to fall, Griffin races to catch him.  At STAR Labs, Dr. McGee shows Bart the replica of Barry’s suit.  Bart doesn’t want it, but he can’t leave it either, so he takes it with him.  The next morning, Bart wakes up in a cold sweat.  He calls STAR Labs to ask for them to take the speed force away.  While on the phone, Bart hears an explosion go off at the lab.  He then puts on the Flash suit and races to the rescue.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This issue was a little bit better than the first issue, but it was still a little confusing.  The placement of the flashback to Wally and his life was extremely odd and, frankly, just did not belong in the issue in which Bart is coming to grips with the speed force.  I understand the need to underscore the Flash legacy, but these little sidebars, so to speak, are making the rest of the issue seemed rushed (pardon the pun).  Those three pages of Wally might have been better spent trying to exam exactly why Bart wants to lose the speed force and why he is so sullen.  Yes, I know the issue explains about the loss, but I really don’t get the feeling of loss from him.  It is one thing to say you miss Wally and you blame the speed force for that loss, it is another to show it. 

Another problem with these issues so far is that there is too much going on and thus a lot of material just seems squeezed into the space allotted.  Specifically I am thinking about the Valerie Perez subplot, both in terms of her romance with Bart and he relationship with her father. I hope that these two things are connected in some way and perhaps even connected with the bombing.  The bomber is another subplot that seems crammed in; I’m not really sure why we need the guy, except to show how Griffin gets his powers.  Of course, that could have been accomplished with a simple “accident.”  I am hoping that all of these different elements will eventually come together at some point to make a cohesive whole. 

It was nice to see Fred Chyre and Jared Morillio appear.  I am glad that the supporting cast from the previous Flash series has not been forgotten.  I realize that the villains will eventually be brought back, either by the current team or by the next team, so we’ll see Captain Cold and the rest later.  What I wasn’t sure about was some of the others such as Chyre and Morillo, perhaps even Chunk or maybe Ashley Zolomon.