For the uninformed, I’m going to quickly spiel about Barry Allen,
the second Flash. As most folk know, Barry died in Crisis on Infinite Earths
after saving the universe from the Anti-Monitor. It was revealed that he disappeared
into the Speed Force, the source that fuels speedsters. It also serves as a bit
of a Purgatory for speedsters as well. Of course, death, Geoff Johns, and Dan
Didio couldn't keep him down. It took over 20 years, but in Final Crisis, the
Flash was brought back to the land of the living.
From what I can guess, DC wanted to recreate the buzz that
Green Lantern: Rebirth had for Hal Jordan and do this for The Flash and his
world. DC had been bringing back the older Silver Age folk, and Barry was
really the only one who hadn’t come back yet. The Flash: Rebirth was released in six parts between April 2009
and February 2010. I was able to get them all as they were released. Geoff Johns
(writer) and Ethan Van Sciver (artist) reunited to usher in this brief era for
the Flash family. Rob Leigh handles the letters while Alex Sinclair and Brian Miller did the colors.
So, what does a previously dead guy do when he comes back to life?
The Flash: Rebirth
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ethan Van Sciver and Scott Hanna (#6)
Colors: Alex Sinclair (#1-2) and Brian Miller (#3-6)
Letters: Rob Leigh
SYNOPSIS
The story starts like most mysteries do: someone dies
horribly. In this case, two forensic scientists at Central City Police Dept. are
killed in their lab by someone wielding a lightning rod. The unknown assailant
then mixes chemicals together similar to the way Barry Allen got his speed
powers. The person then gets struck by lightning since that is apparently a
common occurrence in Central City. The next day, everyone is preparing for celebrating
the original Flash’s return. People are going to the Flash Museum, floats are
being erected, gorillas are cheering (Yeah, weird), and of course, the villains
of the Flash are preparing for his return. The superhero community as well as
the other Flashes are also preparing for celebrations.
At the Flash museum, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan meet for
what feels like the first time. While they talk, Barry feels he’s in a rush and
that he doesn't have time for anything. Hal tries to console him, but Barry
changes into his Flash costume and speeds off to see what else the world needs
him for. During his run, he has a memory about his mother supposedly getting
murder by his father. Suddenly, Savitar (one of Wally’s villains), leaps out of
the Speed Force. When Barry touches him, Savitar decomposes and dies. This in
turn also effects rest of the speedsters.
While the other speedsters wonder what happened, Barry is at
the remains of Savitar trying to use his CSI training and wondering what the
heck just happened. Hal shows up to lend a hand, but Barry speeds off home. As
he goes home, he thinks to himself that he feels different somehow. He feels
"more driven...More anxious...Like I'm neck deep in a case." He then
flashes back to his first meeting with Iris, his wife. When he gets home, he’s
met by Iris and his boss from CCPD. He welcomes him back (witness protection?)
and tells him about the lab murder.
I wonder how many fans are asking that last sentence Barry says.
After his boss leaves, Barry talks to Iris about how he’s
feeling about being back. He then gets a call from Wally West (the current Flash) and they speed off to Fallville, Iowa because
there's a lightning storm brewing. They find the remains of the Black Flash (the
Speed Force’s version of Death) and wonder if the fight with Darkseid in Final
Crisis killed it. Suddenly, a disciple of Savitar shows up with speed powers of
her own. Barry and Wally fight her off, and then she gets the "touch of
death" from Barry. When she too decomposes and dies, Barry transforms into
the new Black Flash.
The JLA and JSA are
trying to help Barry by building some sort of device that would remove his new
powers. Bart then shows up and asks about his mentor, Max. Barry doesn't know
if Max is still alive. Then Iris shows up. Wally tells him that Iris can be
Barry's lightning rod, the one thing that keeps him from going too fast and
into the Speed Force. After Barry has another flashback about Iris, the Speed
Force starts to pull at the other speedsters again. Barry then decides to run
back into the Speed Force at the behest of… well, everyone. Superman tries to
chase him but even he can’t catch up with him.
Well, now we know! Heck, COIE kind of already answered this.
He makes it back into the Speed Force and runs off the dark
energy he absorbed. He finds Max Mercury and Johnny Quick trapped. As Johnny
Quick dies, Eobard Thawne, the original Reverse Flash, shows up and reveals
himself as the one behind Barry’s return and the lab murders. He’s also back
from the dead somehow (note: read Blackest Night). Thawne then heads back to
the real world to wreck havoc on the Flash family. He almost kills Wally’s kids,
but Kid Flash (Bart Allen) and the first Flash (Jay Garrick) stop him.
Meanwhile, Wally had gone into the Speed Force to find Barry. He’s able to
escape along with Barry and Max Mercury.
Then, the fight is on as the Flash family takes on the
Reverse Flash. Jessie Quick (aka Liberty Belle) and Wally’s daughter, Irey,
also join in on the beat down. During the battle, Thawne reveals to Barry that
he used his Speed Force to go back in time and screw his life up. He was the
one who actually killed Barry’s mother, not his father. Thawne then uses the Speed
Force to go back into time and try to murder Iris. Luckily, Barry and Wally prevent
that, bring Thawne back to the present, and put him into the machine Barry was
previously in. In the end, Thawne is locked up and celebrations begin once
more. Even Barry starts to get back into the swing of things with his family
and with his friends. The story ends with Barry showing up late to a party held
by the Justice League.
OPINION
So, now that I’ve re-read this for the first time in years,
what do I think? I thought this was a nice story for the most part. I actually
don’t have much to say about this one. While I’ll admit it’s weird that Barry
was even brought back (Wally was still around as the Flash), this was a fine
reintroduction into the Flash and his world. Johns shows how important Barry is
to the family as well as the other heroes. It was also cool to see all these
speedsters team up and kick some major butt. The Reverse Flash (or Professor Zoom?
I don’t know) was also a pretty effective villain. I don’t know if I can say that
he’s a cool villain (he’s pretty screwed up), but he was a good one.
I gotta say that Wally's then-new costume looked pretty cool.
The artwork was good for the most part. Whatever you think
about Sciver these days, you gotta admit that he knows how to draw well. He
brought his usual flair to the project. The action popped right off the page
and the small, character moments were pretty effective. The family’s final bout
with Thawne was pretty cool. While I did like the artwork, the quality does go
down as the story moves along. The art’s at its strongest in the first three
issues. I also thought Miller’s colors were okay. I was more pleased with Sinclair’s
colors.
That Black Flash costume looked pretty cool.
While I do like the story, there are some things I’m not too
keen on. This story does go a little overboard with the Barry worship at times.
I get that he’s one of the coolest ones, but Wally is right there, ya know? Maybe
it’s due to the fact that Barry didn’t need to be brought back. What did he do
different from Wally or Bart? I know he’s technically the OG (Silver Age anyway),
but I don’t get the same feeling about him when compared to other heroes. Maybe
it’s due to the fact that I didn’t grow up with him. That’s just how I feel
about it these days.
Also, it does get a little confusing with how Barry actually
came back. I think we get a better reasoning on how Reverse Flash came back to
life. Also, it doesn’t wow me as much as Green Lantern: Rebirth did. I actually
pulled that out and read it along with this and that read much better. It could
also be the fact that what Johns set up with GL actually came to pass while
Flash didn’t get that opportunity (hint: New 52). That’s not to completely knock
this story, though. In the end, it’s still a good one to me.
…………………………………………………………….
Even though it has its issues, The Flash: Rebirth was a good
story. Not only did it bring back most of what folk know about the Flash, it also
brought in new elements for Barry’s origin. The fact that the Reverse Flash murdered
Barry’s mother has shown up on CW’s The Flash. I’m also wondering if it may
also show up in the DCEU Flash movie. Well, that’s all I got for this one. My
opinion on Flash may have felt a little brief, but this is the Flash, after
all. Until next time, Peace, God Bless, and don’t let jackasses from the future
tear you down!
NEXT TIME: EITHER SOME FAVORITE SONGS OR SOME STAR WARS PROBLEMS???
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