FLASH: ROGUE WAR REVIEW [Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Part 7)

 [ACT VII - Rogue War]

• The Flash #1/2 - Rogue War, Prologue : "Tricksters" = Prelude to the end! Crazy to think that Johns Flash run is practically over, though I have some high hopes for this finale. Check ins with each faction were fun, as well as mentions of our two wild cards: The Top and Zoom! I'm excited to see more of Owen Mercer as the new Boomerang as well as how Johns will frame this story against the backdrop of Countdown. Why were the reformed Rogues looking for Gambi/Replicant? What is Hunter's plan for Linda and Wally?
• The Flash #220 - Rogue War, Part I : "Suffer Together" = Loved the Cold monologue, as well as getting to see Owen in action. The attack on the FBI outpost was a lot of fun, and I'm pretty stoked to see this clash between both groups next issue. What will Zolomon use Jay to build? Another Cosmic Treadmill? What is the significance of Cold's weird trophy thing? I feel like we've seen that thing repeatedly for some reason. I have no idea how Jesse is going to resurrect Boomerang, but I do like the fact that Ashley is getting involved somehow. The whole Gotham Central tie in pages definitely flew over my head, but I'll get around to reading that run at some point.
• The Flash #221 - Rogue War, Part II : "Fire & Ice" = Scorched Earth! This issue read extremely fast, but if its goal was to get me hyped to pick up the next issue then it succeeded in spades. Unfortunately, this book peaked on that awesome first page monologue by Heat-Wave, easily one of the best Rogues to read. I think it's great that both of these groups have hijacked the title from Wally, and it is refreshing to have the focus on them after a couple arcs centered on Wally and Barry. Roscoe Dillon returns to wreak havoc, now to finally discover if he was bluffing about the artificial reformation! Mind-wipes galore!
• The Flash #222 - Rogue War, Part III : "Top of the Heap" = I'm not the biggest fan of the Top, but I can appreciate the fact that he's thrown a wrench into this entire storyline. From the Hartley situation, it appears that Top might not have actually reformed them but is instead shifting them in this instant. RIP Roscoe Dillon, not gone soon enough. Excited to see how Zoom factors into this. Who is Owen Mercer's mother?
• The Flash #223 - Rogue War, Part IV : "...And He Shall Appear" = Awww dang. It was me, Wally! Unfortunate that the spotlight has been wrested away from the Rogues and given to these Yellow Bastards. The Flash fatigue has gotten to me, but hopefully the return of Thawne will yield some grimdark developments for the Flashes before Infinite Crisis. I did enjoy the little fast speech of Zolomon; "SPKFDVL" for Speak of the Devil...
• The Flash #224 - Rogue War, Part V : "Teachers" = Jesus Christ this is getting out of hand? What is Zolomon's goal? Does he want Wally to get enough rage to actually interfere in the past and stop him from killing his unborn children? Is that what it takes to be a true hero? Where was Boomerang zapped to, and who was the woman he encountered? Is that the mother of Owen Mercer? What is happening to Linda in the present? What time period is this Barry from? Is it the same Barry that visited Wally back in #200?
• The Flash #225 - Rogue War, Part VI : "Push" = Well dang, that was pretty good. I think Johns was able to pull it off at the end, and I can't deny that this was a pretty good finale not only for this storyline, but for this run as a whole. Overall, Rogue War wasn't as bombastic as Crossfire or Blitz due to the jarring nature of the plot shifting gears multiple times. We go from a concentration on the Rogues to dealing with the top to fighting the Reverse Flashes through time, but I guess the only way to make a Flash story with high stakes is to make the plot itself schizophrenic and have twists and turn coming at you full speed. This may be controversial, but I think the Flash has been one of his weaker runs, even though this is probably the best run I've read on the character so far (though I am loving Jeremy Adams take as of this post). The high points were the period between Blitz and Identity Crisis where we got to see Wally grow and mature as he dealt with the fallout of his marriage and losing a child. Once we get through Infinite Crisis, I'm definitely excited to read Johns' second short and sweet run right before Flashpoint.

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!

FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS VOL I - IV REVIEW

So here's something a little different.

I'm currently doing a huge reread of Pre-Flashpoint DC and I just decided to start doing issue by issue reviews of the books I read. The main reason I'm doing this is because I'm trying to avoid compartmentalization of what I consume, a huge side effect of binging media. This is essentially when you burn through a huge story and end up losing some of the substance and minor minutiae because you are more focused on the binge than actually noticing the masterful storytelling that the creators put so much effort in.

A huge problem with trade reading is that people forget that these stories are published monthly, and each chapter has its own themes, narrators, pacing, and unique poetry that writer's spend an immense time infusing into each issue. I sadly didn't do this for the first two storylines of Geoff Johns Flash, but I will be doing this for the rest. For now, this post will feature a short blurb I scrambled together before I got into volumes 3 & 4, but every write up is composed before I read the next issue, so enjoy my journey through these books!

Flash vol I & II = The "Wonderland" arc was very rough. I did not enjoy Angel Unzeuta's art and the story went on for too long. The Mirror-World lore was cool and Wally using the arsenal of silver age Green Lantern villains was kino, but the Grimm stuff was not as engaging. Vol 2 changed up the pace real quick with Scott Kolins excellent and kinetic art that is perfect for a flash book. The script was super tight and the Cicada cult was horrifying. The Weather Wizard two-parter was also fun and I forgot how much I liked Jesse Quick. The Iron Heights special was a lot more fun that I remembered. EVS was on point the entire time. Interested to see how the Pied Piper plot plays out.

[Flash vol III : Rogues]

• The Flash: Our Worlds at War #1 - "Time on Target" = Black Racer special was fun, but the art brought it down for me. That final page was great.
• The Flash Secret Files & Origins #3 - "Rogues" = The secret files special was fun, and I like the character of Zolomon, even though I know the endgame of how he turns out. His personality is easy to sympathize with, and his pathos is engaging.
• The Flash #177 - "Event Horizon" = The black hole issue was not my favorite, nothing memorable whatsoever.
• The Flash #178 - "Caged" = The Grodd chapter was fantastic. Scott Kolins on art was the standout, the pages where Wally confronts Grodd as well as the realization of the damage the battle caused keystone were brilliant. Johns developing the Goldface union is very interesting, the Rogues foreshadowing through line started in the first chapter is shown once more, and the Pied Piper plot is brough to the forefront. There are some hints with Grodd that he might have been manipulated.
• The Flash #179 - "Smile for The Camera" = The Last Laugh tie-in was pretty cheeks, the Warden Wolfe bits were good, but I could care less about the jokerized crap.
• The Flash #180 - "Peek-A-Boo" = The peek-a-boo chapter was fine, but its starting to get way too freak of the week. The twist at the end with Iris was unbelievable; I thought it was going to be Golden Glider or one of the rogues, but I never saw that coming.
• The Flash #181 - "Fall Out" = The fallout chapter was very good. Goddamn rip Morillo, but that final page twist was great.
• The Flash #182 - "Absolute Zero" = The Captain Cold issue was phenomenal; Johns really succeeds at bringing the chapters home with a final page that stays with you. Chillblaine has an iconic cameo during the RCDC special, and I'm sure Johns was the one who chose to include him in that.

[Flash Vol IV : Crossfire]

• The Flash #183 - Crossfire, Prologue : "Tricked" = What a way to open up a volume! Axel Walker is a geek, very capable but I'm excited to see him get dunked on. The Network segment was cool, we still don't know much about Blacksmith, but the 15 years thing was interesting. Johns took out the rest of Flash's support system real quick: Vic got jumped, Chyre ambushed and shunted to the mirror-world. I'm very pissed about Morillo, that mess was uncalled for. The Joan Garrick stuff was hinted at during the fallout issue but I think that it's crazy that she actually got leukemia. There's no way that could have been machinations by the Rogues because it's way too coincidental.
• DC First: Flash/Superman #1 - "Speeding Bullets" = Speeding Bullets was a great interlude, Abra Kadabra was a fun villain and his character has a lot to explore, his relationship to his time period and motivations are all fascinating. Jay Garrick is easily my second favorite flash after Wally.
• The Flash #184 - Crossfire, Part I : "Room To Think" = Awesome first chapter : high stakes and big threats. I wonder how this will last for 5 chapters? There were some fantastic pages in this as well. Kolins was on goat mode for this book. The colors are fantastic.
• The Flash #185 - Crossfire, Part II : "Hide & Seek" = Hide and seek was crazy, the Morillo resurrection was something I'm embarrassed to say I did not see coming. The Thinker stuff was cool, and that last page is iconic. Let's all be honest here, the mirror tech is BS. Very excited for Cold to join up with Morillo and Chyre.
• The Flash #186 - Crossfire, Part III : "The Thinking Man" = So thinking man was where the actual crossfire happened: it was fun, but the standouts of this chapter were Chyre, Morillo, and Cold. Cold steals every scene he's in, and him putting out the fire on the Barry Allen statue was perfect. Cyborg talking about Wally was great, and the info dump on Goldface vs Blacksmith was cool too.
• The Flash #187 - Crossfire, Part IV : "Run-Down" = Old Johns has so many ideas coming out of the pipeline, I can really understand why he's so burnt out these days. Showdown (run-down lol) in the mindscape had some great moments: Wally summoning his past selves and saying he's not afraid of death were awesome. Geoff also does a good job of using Flash's speed in realistic applications: Cyborg is about to get merked and Wally just speeds him to the McGees and goes back to showdown. Mirror Master is another scene stealer, and the mirror duplicates were dope. I'm hoping the Morillo regeneration power gets addressed and explained. The unveiling of the full Network army brings the stakes up and sets everything up for an action packed finale.
• The Flash #188 - Crossfire, Part V : "Metal & Flesh" = The Magenta/Girder setup and punchline is kind of great if you think about it since they have been giving us a lot of prelude up until this chapter. The Chyre/Morillo/Zolomon stuff is always dope, flash rebuilding the bridge was awesome too. The Goldface redemption is stupid since he killed my boy Tomar-re during the 80's. Pregnancy reveal was going to come sooner or later.
• The Flash #189 - "Messengers" = FILLER ISSUES WHERE A LOT HAPPENS! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT! Anyways, this was great. Rick Burchett's pencils were awesome and every check in had a great moment or two. I love the incorporation of Cyborg into this series, and I can't wait to see what johns does with Vic in the pages of Teen Titans. The Iris/Chyre stuff is going to be interesting knowing that Barry comes back in just 7 years! Zolomon is still goated, and its sad knowing his fall is coming soon. Who is Morillo's wife? That's the real question!
• The Flash #190 - Rogue Files, The Pied Piper : "Rat Race" = I was worried about Justiniano's art, but I ended up quite liking it. Pied Piper's backstory was interesting, especially the fact that it was Will Magnus who restored/augmented his hearing with nanobots. The reintroduction of Heatwave was great; though it's a little jarring to see a lot of the Rogues on the straight and narrow at this point in time, but after Crossfire and the fact that they've changed post-Barry + dealing with a more sympathetic Wally makes for interesting character development. James Jesse trickster is cool and I can definitely tell they are sowing the seeds for the next arc, but I hope it has a distinct personality compared to Crossfire.
• The Flash #191 - "The Brave & The Beaten" = Fun little team up with Hawkman. The Cliff/Grimm twist was interesting and made this story less random by actually having some buildup since Linda went back to med school. The stand-out sequence was Wally and Carter's interaction; I think this and GA's analysis of Carter (during the Slings & Arrows arc of Hawkman) is fascinating, and as I'm writing this I realize that the split personality of Carter - from super-aggro to warrior poet - definitely has to do with him getting merged with Katar Hol into the Hawkgod. Grodd foreshadowing, and I wonder what took the tranquilizers out of him or if he just telekinetically removed them.