Flash Rebirth #5 (OF 6)

So yeah, you're running at high velocity to fight an evil time traveling murderer. Time to put on new duds! Such is Wally’s tactical suggestions during the action sequences (in all fairness Wally does mention that this trick will provide additional speed). This issue has a few of these forehead slapping moments that are somehow awesome in some weird way. The "Girl Power" line despite being hilariously cheesy managed to get a fist pump out of me. It was a great moment diminished by Jesse's costume being figuratively puked on a few pages further in an effort to fit it more tightly into the Flash world (pun shamefully intended). Another thing that struck me as laughingly ridiculous was that the "new Impulse" (*shakes head*) immediately after getting powers is brought in to fight a horrifyingly evil murderer. Hey kid! Let's try out your brand new powers! And risk your adorable little life while we're at it!. But I do love the dough eyed dynamo's energy. "There you go Mr. Garrick! Hi, Dad! Hi Bart!".

Ethan's art is still quite stiff. Van Sciver may be inspiring himself from Infantino or other original Flash artists but dude, people don't run like that! EVS' Flashes don't run, they perform aerobics. Stiff, posed speed forced aerobics. Photo reference is your friend mister Van Sciver. On the other hand the Barry Vs. Zoom face shots at the start and end of the book are splendid! Layouts and in-panel compositions are dynamic, kinetic and deliberately busy; busy being appropriate for a story that deals with the nature of speed and the lack of time. No time for family, life and the other stuff. Hence the crammed crowd shots that accurately express a family life experienced on the run.

It’ hard to tell if this story is a success. One must consider the objective. Building and establishing the direction for the entire Flash mythos. Fleshing out the nature of the speed force as the "fifth force", containing all the knowledge of reality including the secret of youth, which is essentially immortality. It also strives to work out how the characters interact with said force and all it’s metaphysical implications. Ambitious as that may be This series also, intends to explore profound themes such as what is time? What is death? What is knowledge? What is family? And the top layer of this attempts to simply entertain. It’s a titanic undertaking. So is it succeeding? Probably. We do have a rich and complex framework, within which an on-going could thrive. Barring a full resolution in the next issue, we even have what looks like a main thrust for the plot in the eventual on-going. And we do have characters partially developed characters to live said plot. And the story has many entertaining moments.

So is this a crappy comic or a great one? Yes it is. This pushes the envelope of superhero stories while being weighed down by its traditions. And somehow it celebrates these very traditions and elevates them to a new level in the comics zeitgeist. It successfully expresses a life of speed and rushing where beautiful moments occur where they can and are experienced how they may. And in spite of it’s ridiculousness and tropes Johns and Sciver do turn this clunky fast-running engine around. And yes, when it comes to this lemon Geoff Johns does have the magic touch*.


*I just creeped myself out right there.