All Flash

[Dreg]

OK, I read All-Flash...and it's pretty awesome. Not even awe"some", but awe"a-shit-load." Anyway, I have never gotten so much satisfaction from a single comic while at the same time being so darn thirsty for more. In All-Flash, Waid excels both at tying up loose ends and dangling juicy details for future stories.

Spoilers:

The showdown with Inertia really showcased both Kerschl and Waid's knack for storytelling. At the beginning of the book, You're purposely made to feel sorry for Inertia...first by the Rogues trying to use him as a "sacrificial lamb," and then as he flees, wide-eyed and trembling, from an extremely menacing Wally West. But then later on, as he's getting totally pwned, the facade melts away all of a sudden and you see him for the monster he is. His childlike features turn into this goblinesque mask of villainy, and he says just about the cruelest thing imaginable to Bart's grieving cousin. "He screamed like a bitch." It was a total 180. You go from hoping Wally doesn't do anything too severe to cheering for him to cave the runt's skull in. I doubt we're meant to believe Inertia's telling the truth, here, only to believe that he's capable of pure evil. And trying to pin everything on Wally was even worse. According to JLA, it was the LOSH who opened the gate to the Speed Force, Wally just hitched a ride out along with SOMEBODY ELSE. But you could really feel those words dig into Wally's skin regardless.

I also could not have been happier with the way Inertia was dealt with.

Spoilers:

Forcing him to live as a frozen exhibit in Bart's wing of the Flash museum was genius. It keeps the character on the table for future use and serves as another tribute to the great Bart Allen. But while Wally was previously shown to have a lot to learn from Bart's life, Inertia is trapped in the knowledge that he'll never be as accomplished, admired, or loved as Bart was. And for someone whose initial plans were to replace Bart, that has to sting a lot. Some people are thinking this punishment is too harsh, but I'm going to have to disagree with them 100%. Let's ignore the horrible crime that Thad's committed for just one second. What was waiting for him if Wally hadn't put him on ice? I'd say the most likely fate would be an emphatic death sentance at the hands of Wonder Girl or any number of crazed vigilantes. And the best case scenario? Going to jail. But just think about that for a minute. What treatment do cop killers frequently receive in prison? Now try to imagine what treatment the killer of a superhero as universally beloved as the Flash would receive. And if you can fathom that, imagine if the Flash in question were also a studying to become a forensic scientist for the police. Pretty bad, huh? Oh, and it's probably not best to dwell on the thought of a kid looking like Thad winding up in a place like Iron Heights, for example. Compared to what would either be a life of brutal torment or an agonizingly prolonged death, I'd say Wally's little "time out" was the best thing Inertia could have hoped for. Especially given how close his display is to a certain time machine...

And I loved the art. ALL of it. And what a variety, too. no weak links, in my opinion. Just strong links and stronger links.

As for "holy crap, I cannot believe what I'm seeing, when the heck are they going to expand on that?" moments...

Spoilers:

Iris' prophesy of a Flash ring...spitting out BATMAN'S SUIT. Holy Fuckaroni and CheeseTM!

This re-relaunch could have been fouled up so many ways, not the least of which is if they just returned everything to the pre-crisis status quo and pretended nothing happened. But exciting new changes have been made, Bart is being remembered and honored in a way that Wally never was during the original relaunch, and Waid is full of ideas for more to come. It's a great day to be a Flash fan! My only complaint: this should have been supersized! I was tricked into believing it was due to the obscenely long MAD magazine/hot dog ad.

Total score: 9/10

[Ray G.]

It wasn't bad...but that hideous last two-page spread pretty much convinced me to drop it on the spot.

[Kingsumo]

Good review Dreg. I am really looking to get this.. Having read, would one need a lot of DC knowledge to get into it?

I have a fairly decent amount, but I don't know that many of the Flash's villians.

[Albert]

It wasn't bad...but that hideous last two-page spread pretty much convinced me to drop it on the spot.

I haven't read it yet, but just wanted to see if you liked it or not...and the fact that you of all people didn't dig a DC comic that I was psyched about reading has me bummed.

[Bill Nolan]

Spoilers:

He screamed like a bitch.

Is that a joke, or did he really use those words?

That's pretty much why I stay away from DC Comics these days. I actually miss the time when they were dismissed by silly wags as "Dad Comics"...

[Michael Blacklist]

I haven't read it yet, but just wanted to see if you liked it or not...and the fact that you of all people didn't dig a DC comic that I was psyched about reading has me bummed.

I don't know if I'm feeling the same thing that Ray is, but everything about the book felt right EXCEPT for Acuna's art. The last two pages were really... weird? Silly looking? I can't decide.

[NickT]

I was tricked into believing it was due to the obscenely long MAD magazine/hot dog ad.

Yeah, what is it with those adverts? They seem to never end!

[UltimateFactor]

Spoilers:

He screamed like a bitch.

Is that a joke, or did he really use those words?

That's pretty much why I stay away from DC Comics these days. I actually miss the time when they were dismissed by silly wags as "Dad Comics"...

Nope, he really said it. I hated the last two page spread too. However, the guy who did the art during the Wally/Inertia one sided conflict rocks.

[Ray G.]

I haven't read it yet, but just wanted to see if you liked it or not...and the fact that you of all people didn't dig a DC comic that I was psyched about reading has me bummed.

I was halfway psyched for this. It's no secret that I was NOT a fan of the decision to kill Bart, but I love Waid and I wanted to see where he took this.

The main story was decent, but not exactly representative of what the rest of his run will be like, I'm sure. However, I loathed the art(and I generally like Acuna), and I especially hated

Spoilers:

the designs of Wally's kids and their costumes. They look like the ultimate Spy Kids rejects.

[Joe Henderson]

Kershl's art made Acuna's look all the more disappointing. Kershl's stuff was dynamic and exciting; Acuna's was...strange and unappealing. It could have partially been the contrast of styles, but man did it not leave me excited for the look of the next issue.