Flash by Geoff Johns #201-212 Review

Ignition [#201-206]

• The Flash #201 - "Driven" = Very interesting premise. The art is a little jarring at first but once I got used to Dose's style, I could see that it very much suits the story Johns is trying to tell. The new continuity/status quo of Keystone is really fascinating, and I'm stoked to see how this played out. Did Wally lose his powers completely? Did the lightning hitting the car re-activate them, or is he regaining them? Who gave Wally the Flash ring?
• The Flash #202 - "Shifting Gears" = What the heck is going on! This issue was huge step up, and the last one was not bad in any way at all. Dose's art reminds me of some kind of fusion between Warhol Pop art + Steranko/Kirby + Hernandez Love and Rockets styles. Johns is a master of dialogue when he likes the character, and his internal voice for Wally is perfection. The mystery boxes are scattered all across this issue: who is the blonde on the motorcycle (golden glider?)? What's the deal with that new rogue profiler Petrov? Why can't Wally control his power? Is it because of the amnesia, or something else entirely?
• The Flash #203 - "Crash & Burn" = I'm loving this! The Snart/Wally sequence in the diner was fantastic and easily one of the best moments in this storyline so far. The Ashley Zolomon reveal was great, and Reece being suspicious makes me think that she might be the mysterious racer. The final twist with Mister Element was hype, and direction this seems to be going is totally my kind of story. I'm beginning to see the intention of "Ignition": an attempt for Wally to deal with his guilt following Run Riot + Blitz as well as giving Johns a Silver Age-esque imaginary story for him to play around with. Whatever it is, we are winning a great story out of it.
• The Flash #204 - "Cold Reality" = "WTF comics" everybody! I caught the bats foreshadowing in the Linda sequence, but I did not expect him to show up with memory of the previous reality! Newbaddie Ashley Zolomon, Mister Alchemy set-up being paid off in this Mister Element persona, and Wally is finally starting to remember the truth. Could Ashley be the mysterious racer? Is Linda really infertile! What is Element's motive? How does Bruce factor into this?!
• The Flash #205 - "Secrets" = So I guess I've been misunderstanding this entire storyline up to this point? No new reality, no lateral timeline, just a big ole mind-wipe. The interaction with Bats is great: his hostility to even the slightest mention of Hal is pretty hilarious and in-line with how Johns seems to want to characterize him from this point forward (alongside all the other cynicism that will be coming). I figured out the final reveal the minute Petrov said the words cold shoulder to Zolomon; the Alchemy explanation last issue was way too simple. What was Iris talking on the phone with Jay about?
• The Flash #206 - "Up To Speed" = A bit of an anti-climax for such an engaging set up. Some great moments: I especially enjoyed the dynamic presented with Cold and Wally. "Born good or bad. We'll never know, will we, Len?" We get a classic escape route trope of classic villain kills new edgy villain, even though Petrov as a new Mister Element was pretty interesting in his own right. The melo-drama isn't as interesting, but this new angle with Ashley could be cool.

Before The Storm [#207-212]

• The Flash #207 - "Rush Hour!" = From bad to worse! For as fast as he is, Wally West can never seem to catch a break. Up to this point in my journey through John's DC bibliography, I would have to say that Flash is probably the weakest of his works. The main reason I say this is because of the inherent mundane/repetitive nature of the Flash book, and the reliance on the charisma of Wally West and Barry Allen. The threats will always be the Rogues or a "reverse-flash" of the month, while the soap-trope drama is what keeps the book standing on two legs. This is why arcs like Blood Will Run and Ignition are so much fun, mainly because the Flash is put into a situation we've never seen before (cultists + mind-wipe): a much preferred story than the tiresome Rogue wars and freak of the week stuff. Johns has already written the ultimate Rogue story (Crossfire) and the ultimate Reverse Flash story (Blitz), so an issue where the Rogues are yet again planning against the Flash + fighting the Flash at a parade (oh but this time they're led by Abra Kadabra!) falls pretty flat. The Spectre stuff was great, and seeing the Golden Giants were cool, but I could care less about fighting Tar Pit and Plunder.
• The Flash #208 - "Red Carpet" = Regardless of my concerns in the previous entry, this issue was a lot of fun, mostly because of the inclusion of Jay Garrick and Bart Allen. The angle Johns is tackling in this arc is very interesting: a commentary on the hero worship that the twin cities has for the Flash lineage. The guards in Iron Heights, the civilians rebuilding the museum, all coming at the worst possible moment for Wally West. The anecdotal background stuff Johns includes about Garrick cements my love for him, and I think it's very interesting that Hal/Spectre came to them and Iris to reveal the nature of the mind-wipe. What do they need to tell Wally about Iris? We finally get some continuation of the James Jesse plotline, and I had to go back and find where he last appeared, almost 20 issues back during the Pied Piper spotlight (#190). James is working with Piper and Heat-Wave IIRC, and if this blonde is the mysterious racer from the Ignition arc (possibly Ashley Zolomon or Snart's sister Golden Glider?), then we are in for something fun. Mentions of Boomerang hint at his role in Identity Crisis, Grodd lurks behind the scenes, and the JLA prepare to interrogate Wally (sans Batman, who already knows).
• The Flash #209 - "Fast Friends" = If your wife leaves you, your city is attacked by colorful criminals every waking second, and the whole world doesn't remember your name after the embodiment of God's vengeance wielding the ghost of a dead friend mind-wiped the planet, Superman is there to fix everything with charisma, understanding, and his mother's cooking. The highlight of this chapter was John's internal monologue for Wally. His skill getting into the mind of his POV characters is a feat to behold, and this has been without a doubt one of the biggest strengths of this run. I loved Wally's perspective on each member of the JLA, and it made me sad to see how the DC universe was operating right before the storm that is Identity and Infinite Crisis.
• The Flash #210 - "Reconnected" = Flash and Nightwing team up! The Batman influence since Ignition is extremely apparent, and the similarities between both of these heroes and their families is highlighted to the highest degree: massive rogues galleries, big legacies/families, associations with the law and police, and now with Blitz being Wally's very own Killing Joke/Death in the Family. I love the dynamic between Wally and Dick, the idea of characters having a literal in universe history of over 80+ years of friendship is something that only comics have. You can truly feel the earned friendship and bond between these heroes, the weight of their emotions is cemented by their sprawling adventures in the Teen Titans. I'm interested in the James Jesse plotline, and the hinting towards Rogue War has begun. The Ashley Zolomon stuff was fun too, although we haven't uncovered what her place going forward will be.
• The Flash #211 - "Animal House" = They really just killed Ashley Zolomon? Was it the Top? Was it Hunter? Was it Wolfe? I don't know whether to be angry or sad because I was hoping/expecting a completely different angle for her character in the following issues. I'm sure this will have consequences when Hunter eventually gets out (if he didn't kill her himself). The Grodd fight was great, more enjoyable than the past two fights (maybe because of recency bias). Howard Porter's art has been fantastic these past couple issues, a worthy follow up to Scott Kolins. Wally's arc getting through his martial struggles is very compelling, and brings some serious weight to the results of Blitz and Ignition. I very much enjoy how Johns has brought Wally's support system to showcase in these chapter, each bringing a new and differentiated perspective to help Wally. Let's see how Johns finishes this one off before Identity Crisis.
• The Flash #212 - "Mirror, rorriM, On The Wall" = EYM NEVAR LEEVIN WUNDERLAND! Great issue, only slightly brought down by the mid-tier art. Loved the backstory on McCulloch, and especially loved that Johns connected it to his original first appearance in Morrison's Animal Man series. The internal monologue for MM was so much fun, and I loved some of the themes overlayed between his life pre-costume and embracing the rogue persona with the never-ending cycle of hero vs villain; the reflection never ends! Still no answers as to what James Jesse is planning, or what they were doing to give MM nose bleeds, or what happened to Wally in the Ashley situation, but that's for next volume I guess!