Still, such concerns are probably for the longer view, and needn’t necessarily be reflected in what this is like as a comic and an introductory issue. And it’s… well, it’s as you’d expect from a Geoff Johns tentpole book. It’s entirely, thoroughly and inextricably rooted in “DCness”, and hugely reliant on prior knowledge of the identities of just about everyone that shows up. Make no mistake - if you’re wondering what the Flash is all about and you’re looking to start following his adventures, this ain’t the place for you. There isn’t even an explanation for why Bart is suddenly (a) alive and (b) a teenager again for those of us who haven’t read Final Crisis : Legion of 3 Worlds (I had to Wiki it just to find out that that was where it had happened).
More Evidence follows as certain flashbacks reveal a hidden aspect of Barry’s past, which seems out of place and character. Then the sudden appearance, and death, of another Speedster trapped within the Speedforce, shows the readers that this isn’t going to be your typical Flash Story.
For all the new readers who want to get into The Flash series, and those who love a good detective story, this book is for you.
For all the Barry Allen, Wally West, Impulse, and even Jay Garrick fans out there, all I can say is if you know your “Flash Facts”, then you know this story is going to pick up speed very quickly.
Now the biggest problem I had with this issue is the sudden dark turn of Barry's origin. The Flash family has always had one the more positive origins in comics. In a time were almost every single comic book character has some sort of dark origin were someone was killed, tortured, or something else horrible happen in there past that it is refreshing that at least one group of characters have some sort of positive origin were they use their powers they receive by accident to become heroes because they have that drive to help people because that is who they are. But now that we are presented with a dark origin of Barry Allen, which has never been mentioned in the past stories, it kind of takes away from what makes the Flash Family special within comics. I really hope that this is only fake memories Barry has due to how much time he has spent in the Speed Force and he just has mixed memories of all the different Speed Force users that made him think he has a dark past.
