PREVIEW: The Flash #2

[Frontier]

Pretty solid issue. I thought there was some good character work and interaction with the cast, and it was also nice seeing Iris and NuWally play bigger roles in the story. Just generally a pretty fun and interesting read, with some dynamic art, and I'm eager to see more of what Williamson has in store for the reader and Barry .

Interesting seeing the similarities and contrasts between Barry and Heart, and how Augustus having powers enhances that. Both lost loved ones to injustice, and both have a desire to do good and fight crime. But Heart wants to be more proactive and aggressive in doing so now that he has powers, while Barry wants to still abide by the law.

Heh, I actually had a chuckle when Heart asked Barry if he'd used his powers to save his mom if he could. Been there, done that in multiple mediums .

Nice seeing Iris up-and-about and holding her own...while still needing The Flash to come in and save her, of course .

It'll be tough not getting to see The Rogues take on The Flash or have a role in the book for a while, and so far the current ex-STAR Labs baddies can't cut it against them, but hopefully Williamson will get the chance to bring them back in a big way later during his run.

I wonder if Godspeed was among the people shown getting hit by the lightning?

Barry musing that the Speed Force might be acting on his subconscious desire for a new partner, with Wally gone, was interesting. Though in all likelihood, we'll probably be seeing a lot of these people (including Heart) de-powered while NuWally becomes Barry's official partner as the second Kid Flash. That seems like the main setup Williamson is going for.

[HsssH]

Was bored by it. Technically speaking I like the art and writer isn't writing stupid stuff, but it just isn't catching my interest. For example maybe Flash never really had discussion with someone about how he could stop criminals without following the rules and the like, but hundreds of others heroes had and its not like we got some new perspective on that discussion here. It also doesn't help that I find whole "two Wally's, they are cousins and one of them is black while another is white and they both are speedsters" situation ridiculous and whenever I'm reminded about them I just roll my eyes.

[Maxpower00044]

I'm enjoying this series. Williamson has a good handle on The Flash and the art is really, really excellent. Looking forward to seeing how Barry handles all of these new speedsters.

[Oracle]

Art was great, not into the whole thing where multiple speedsters are gaining powers.

[cranger]

I wonder if Godspeed was among the people shown getting hit by the lightning?

Barry musing that the Speed Force might be acting on his subconscious desire for a new partner, with Wally gone, was interesting. Though in all likelihood, we'll probably be seeing a lot of these people (including Heart) de-powered while NuWally becomes Barry's official partner as the second Kid Flash. That seems like the main setup Williamson is going for.

I am guessing the Black Hole Gang stuff is pretty central to everyone getting powers, and Godspeed as well.

And yeah, this is all just foreshadowing for Little Wally becoming Kid Flash, so no need for anyone to get worried about Barry having a gang of sidekicks.

[JcDc]

Interesting how Wally still refers to Daniel as his uncle. It looks like his origin in the last run hasn't been completely retconned and him finding out Daniel is his father will be a future plot point.

What do you mean? I thought that was a mistake the writer did in the Flash Rebirth story because it does make sense for Daniel to be his uncle since the other Wally is back and I'm sure Daniel would know if Wally 2 was his son then he would do everything he can to turn him evil just like black manta tried with aqualad

[Tony]

As with rebirth and issue 1 I finish it and think that was well written, and in two weeks time I'll wonder why I'm getting it again. It's good, I just don't care. I think the story while well done is just not compelling. Maybe blame the endless speedsters on the TV show for speedster burn out. I think I'm dropping this one.

[Den]

It's been awhile since I read the Flash regularly, but I jumped on at this one and I'm glad I did. The contrasting views between Barry and August really work for me and the "It's raining Speedsters" angle doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I find Barry's attitude of 'okay Speedforce, that's enough geez' to be amusing. I'm looking forward to meeting the new Speedsters and seeing how Barry wrangles this new set of superfast kittens

[J. D. Guy]

Just like last issue, I loved this one!

Once more, I hope that they have as much fun with this new Speedster angle as possible, even if the solicits imply it won't last.

Additionally, though no one seems to have cared enough to comment of it, I really like August's hero outfit. The art style makes it look really snazzy (the cover doesn't quite do it justice enough, I feel), and for something that he came up with on the fly, it's a surprisingly cleverly done disguise. The goggles and his stubble pull the look together, giving him a "wasteland adventurer" or "steam punk hero" vibe that's really sweet, and the lightning energy really helps with obscuring his identity, especially with how it makes his eyes and goggles glow.

He and Barry really play well off each other, too, from when Barry's giving him the bare-bones basics to when they display conflicting ideologies over the use of their powers, such that you can easily believe they knew each other from way back when, even though he's a new character.

As far as taking a backseat with the rogues for now, though they are beloved and anticipated by many a reader, personally, I'm fine with this choice. In truth, I'm rather exhausted with the majority of them for the time being and appreciate the break. That I'm loving the Speedster story right now helps.

Looking forward to issue 3!

He figured out Barry's secret identity pretty quickly (not that I don't understand how) .

Nice seeing NuWally getting the hang of his new powers. I wonder how long before we finally see him become Kid Flash ?

I'm glad August did so as quickly as he did. Given the situation and their history, it would look really poor on August not to have connected the dots after getting struck by lightning himself, especially since he was the one who first got to Barry after it happened to him.

For the latter, it shouldn't be too long from now.

[Kyer]

Finally got to read the whole thing:

Art is good for scenic panels....human faces are...mixed from okay to 'ugh'.
I liked stories with Wally, Jay, Max, Bart, Jessie, against Savitar. However, they've gone from 'just Barry, Barr, Thawne, to the other side of the pendulum. Too many speedster villains! Flash has a huge rogue's gallery. Where are they? Surely there is someone in that universe who want's to rule the world yet is so slow they have to run to catch the bus on workdays?
The story is okay. I liked the interplay between Barry and August, but am feeling severe withdrawal when it comes to witty banter. Hopefully, Titans will fulfill that need.
So far am reading to quench my nostalgia curiosity and because it is Flash Family. Otherwise so far..I'd only get the trade if it was on at least 40% discount and there was nothing else more pressing to buy.
Like others: would like it a lot more if I wasn't suffering from original speedsters/Thawne overload.
At least the Big Bad Behind the Curtain is original.....albeit at first I thought this was Grayson's Spyral organization what with the logo.

[J. D. Guy]

I'm pretty sure Flash's rouges are taking a temporary sabbatical away from the spotlight. Once again, I'm fine with the choice, since I feel they can wear thin if used too frequently.

Also, I pretty sure Thawne's role is on the minimal side. He's not showing up again until when? September? October?

I'm sorry you don't like the concept of heroic Speedsters outside the excepted, though.

[FLGibsonIII]

To be honest, this is the only rebirth book I am pulling that I am finding myself bored with. Maybe it's the premise? Maybe it's the writing? I'm not really sure...it's probably a mix of things, but I just hope I start liking it soon.

[TheCosmicOne17]

What do you mean? I thought that was a mistake the writer did in the Flash Rebirth story because it does make sense for Daniel to be his uncle since the other Wally is back and I'm sure Daniel would know if Wally 2 was his son then he would do everything he can to turn him evil just like black manta tried with aqualad

In order to fit Old Wally back in continuity, Geoff Johns had retconned Young Wally's father to be Daniel West in order for Old Wally to keep his Pre-New 52 history as the son of Rudolph West. It's not the best retcon but it allows both of them to exist. The in-story reason for this (just guessing) maybe that when Daniel got Young Wally's mom pregnant, she lied to him about the identity of his father because of Daniel being a career criminal. Daniel might not even know. We don't know for sure what happen as it hasn't been explain yet.

I like this issue and this run is definitely better than the last one. I'm very interested in where they take August, Wally, and the rest of the new speedsters. I do feel for the complaints of too many speedsters but luckily the solicitations for latter issues point to this being temporary.

[Waterfall]

To be honest, this is the only rebirth book I am pulling that I am finding myself bored with. Maybe it's the premise? Maybe it's the writing? I'm not really sure...it's probably a mix of things, but I just hope I start liking it soon.

I think people like it either because they are desperate to like Flash comic again (especially after the last run being utter garbage), this is their first time reading it or they have reeeaally low standards from this book.

This story will last for over 9 issues, that alone just doesn't suit a speedy book that's supposed to bring in new readers. I'm not sure introducing bunch of new speedsters is a good idea either, especially when Rebirth is about taking books to their cores and God knows Flash desperately needs one. We have a whole Flashfamily and broken mess Speed Force to fix, instead we have potential Harper Rows coming out.

Characterization wise while he's on spot with Barry, Iris is still a miss. I think the book seriously needs a West family centric arc to clean up the damage Manapul and Venditti left.

Since it's Rebirth announcement, I'm very cautious about this book and I'm not impressed yet, really. Speed Force will always mean lazy writing to me unless it brings in something innovative.

[K. Jones]

Fun. Light. Potential for more good things. Still reading. It's gonna need to grab me with some deep cuts or really interesting storytelling or something for my interest to hold long at this point, but so far I've liked the first couple issues vibe, feeling a bit like the TV show, that kinda stuff.