Pick of the Week
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Story by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tony Daniel
Inks by Jonathan Glapion, Marlo Aquiza, & Tony Daniel
Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Published by DC Comics | $2.99
(I’m going to go ahead and warn everyone that this review is going to have major spoilers so if you don’t want the ending ruined for you, don’t read on. I won’t be offended. I really have to talk about it in order to truly praise this book)
Holy freakin’ crap what a week for comics! There was a stretch there when one comics was better than the next! After a few lackluster-ish weeks in a row it was a breath of fresh air to have a week that had, for me, five legitimate contenders for the title of Pick of the Week. Now, Ron and Josh can tell you that a week with too many good books can almost be as bad as a week with no good books. I’ve been sitting here kneading my brow trying to figure out which I liked the best, and if there was any way to honor them all. But in the end, I had to go with the book that stirred the most emotion, the book whose portrayal of heroism was genuinely moving.
That book was The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13.
What a weird and wild ride this book has been. It started with the previous Flash, Wally West, dying during Infinite Crisis. Well, not really dying — he ended up disappearing into the Speed Force with his family. This lead to Kid Flash, Bart Allen (grandson of Barry Allen), to take up the mantle of The Flash just as Wally did when Barry died in Crisis on Infinite Earths. This upset a lot of people because Wally had become a real fan favorite over the years, but not me. I really enjoy the legacy aspect that is so strongly interwoven into the DC Universe. I liked the idea of Bart taking the next step.
Then I read the first issue of Bart’s new book, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive.
To say the relaunch fell flat on its face would be an understatement. How bad was it? For the first time in 17 years I stopped buying a Flash book. And I didn’t even agonize over the decision. Writers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo just weren’t right for the book and the art style just didn’t fit. Fans revolted and DC brought in hot-off-Wolverine writer Marc Guggenheim to take over and the book was a lot of fun again. And now it’s over.
Bart died a hero. He went down fighting the Rogues with no super powers to speak of, just his fists and his heroic will. He could have run, but he didn’t. Heroes don’t run. Against overwhelming odds he didn’t give up. This was the kind of comic that showed that it’s not the abilities and the powers that make the hero, it’s the heart and the will inside them. It was inspiring. And the last four pages — Tina crying over Bart’s body, Robin slumped against the wall upon learning of the death of yet another of his friends, Jay Garrick and Jesse Quick consoling each other and then the final shot of the funeral — heartbreaking. A powerful ending that I knew was coming as soon as I saw the homage to the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 on page three.
I’m honestly going to be sad to see this book go. I thought that Marc Guggenheim was really getting a handle on Bart and this issue is like a promise of what things could have been. Tony Daniel really knocked this issue out of the park, too. It’s a shame that once the creative team finally started to gel the book had to end.
I’d like to address the ending of the book now, if I may. I find it odd the way this whole thing was handled. I don’t believe that DC abruptly decided to cancel the book and bring Wally back. There is too much coordination and too much planning involved, I think. Part of me feels like this was a one year feint to get us to believe that Wally was truly gone so that we’d be shocked by Bart’s death and Wally return (in this week’s Justice League of America). If that is the case then I say bravo to Dan DiDio and DC Comics, because that’s ballsy. Either way I don’t think the story is truly over — we still have a Crisis coming and I have a strong feeling that everything is going to come to a head there. I feel that the final fate of Bart Allen is still about a year away from being revealed.
Did you read The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13? Add a comment and tell everyone what you think about this week’s comics!
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nice pick. it was up there for me too. I went with Captain America #27. It and assorted mularky to be found here: http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?p=148668#post148668
omg im shocked
DC book ?
I read this one first and I knew it was my POW. Great pick. Great book.
omg im shocked
DC book ?
I don’t understand what you mean.
HULK SMASH PUNY FLASH!!!
and amy.
Great pick. Flash was great and really packed an emotional punch. I felt the same way Tim did at the finale of the book.
I liked the fallen son. Hulk was ok
I havn’t read cap yet so that might be the pick. I’m saving that one till the end. I picked up black summer too and that was good!
Great Pick Connor. If I did this sort of thing, I think this would’ve been mine as well.
This is my favorite book of the week as well. I got teary towards the end.
Oh, was there actually 2 different covers? I thought that was just a placeholder, I got the Black Flash one.
Anyways, this MUST have been coordinated, since Meltzer wrote all his scripts before the first issue even shipped. And there’s also a mention in the first issue of Bart just being “a placeholder”. Anyways, yeah, it was a really good issue, sad to see Guggenheim and Daniel won’t be on the book, but hopefully DC has something high-profile in the works for them.
Regarding Justice League of America #10, any idea what that last panel with the close-up of the lighting rod meant? Who did Brainiac 5 get? Barry? Bart? All signs in the issue indicated Barry was coming back, I don’t understand.
But yeah, it was a really good week for comics. What were your other big contenders, Conor?
To be honest, I’m really upset about the way that DC is handling this book. I LOVED Guggenheim’s run on this book, and now to hear that it’s changing sucks big ones. In my mind, this is like removing Brubaker from Daredevil, just as he was getting started. I’ve never read any Flash books by Mark Waid with Wally West, so I’m willing to give it a shot, but it really feels like DC ripped the wind from the sails of the book.
That said, this book was amazing this week. I loved the art and the story, and as Conor said, this one hits you emotionally. Great, great stuff.
I bought like 14 books this week, so to save this from being a mountainous post, I will simply say that this week was one of my best week’s yet. Every book was solid in its own way, and I feel very satisfied.
On a personal note, I picked up The Tick anniversary issue that came out today. As a fan of the show, it was great fun and paid excellent homage to the 20 year old character. I highly reccommend it to anyone who liked the cartoon.
I ended picking Captain America #27 as the book of the week. Bucky getting the shield was just awesome. I was so against them bringing him back from the dead but Brubaker has done some amazing things with the character.
I have mixed feelings on the Flash and JLA this week. I mean they just killed Conner and now Bart? Seems like a little too much, plus I started reading DC with these characters so they’re deaths so close together is pretty hard, I’m interested to see what’s going to happen though and I’m really glad Wally’s back.
http://www.fanboysstrikeback.com – check it out
Nice pick Conor.
I have to say I had a great time reading my books this week as well. I still haven’t finished, and, while I don’t think this would be my pick it was great.
The moment with Robin slumping was very poignant. Good times.
I don’t think I have ever agreed with one of Conor’s picks. Until now. I don’t have anything against Conor’s personal taste. Its just that he tends to pick a lot DC comics that I don’t read. This DC book was fantastic. I mean, it blew me away. I was a fan of Bart’s from his Young Justice days, but I don’t think he ever showed as much heart in that title that he did in this issue. Damn, I was a little choked up at the end of it. And how about Robin. He has lost his father and now two of his closest friends. Wow. It was Guggenheim I showed up for and someone better put him on another book and do it very very quickly. I’ll follow him anywhere. Anyway. Cheers to you Conor you picked a damn good book.
I am going to go reread this thing right now.
Urg. What a time to quit Flash: Fastest Man Alive. I dropped it about two months back and am kicking myself this week for not waiting it out (aforementioned JLA ending and all). Again, urg.
Countdown and The Brave & The Bold were two of my favorite books this week. Nope can’t pick just one of them.
I think this book (The Flash) has improved greatly since the abortion it was at launch, but I still don’t get all the hoo-hah surrounding Tony Daniel. Most of his art seems sloppy to me and actually WORSE than his earlier days.
I haven’t read much else yet but it was good to see that JLA/JSA arc actually come together AND nicely at that (even w/o Wally’s return). I’m completely intrigued by who’s in the wand and why Starman made a reference to KAL-L (not Kal-El). I hope that’s not just an editing slip up there.
This week was definitely the week of the Flashes. I read JLA before Flash #13, and I was so happy to see Wally back. Then after reading Flash #13, I was sad to see Bart go just when the story was recovering from the Bilson & DeMeo plague. Great pick for this week.
As for Marvel, anything not World War Hulk related (Captain America, Amazing Spider-man) were good reads.
I’m completely intrigued by who’s in the wand and why Starman made a reference to KAL-L (not Kal-El). I hope that’s not just an editing slip up there.
From wikipedia:
Kal-L is the Kryptonian birth name of the Earth-Two Superman.
The recent Justice Society of America vol. 3, #1 (February 2007), featured a page that showed panels from upcoming storylines. The third of these showed Power Girl standing at Kal-L’s grave as an arm breaks through the ground. The fourth shows an Alex Ross rendering of an elderly version of Superman saying “it never ends for people like us.”
In an interview on Newsarama, writer Geoff Johns stated “�it’s not a dream and not a zombie”.
I am a big fan of Wally as the Flash but this is a move that kind of annoys me. It really feels like DC never really gave Bart a true chance and at the first sign of fan backlash(Bilson and DeMeo) they killed him off. It would be like giving Wally 13 issues after CoIE. Here is hoping Waid brings him back. Cause it just seems like a unesscary death.
That being said I thought that the issue was well written and it did remain true to Bart’s character. The creative team did a good job with the story.
Overall while I did enjoy the issue I was annoyed by it at the same time.
I haven’t gotten to my books yet but I’m glad I got the back issues of this arc last week. I’m really excited about this issue
Good choice Conor. I probably would have went the same way.
I’m happy that I read this issue before I read JLA. Even though it was completely obvious Bart was going to die, I still liked the suspense that maybe he’d pull out. If I had read JLA first I would have know there was no way in hades, Bart could have lived.
Even though i realy liked FLASH THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #13 and CAPTAIN AMERICA #27 my POW would be HELLBLAZER #233. Idk how its possible for Diggle to wright John Constantine better and better each issue.
“write.”
I’ve been away for the week so I haven’t had a chance to get my books yet. I started reading the Guggenheim run on Flash and stopped reading it at about issue 10 now that I know it’s ending and it was the pick this week I think I’ll pick up all three issues that I’ve missed . Don’t get me wrong I like Guggenheim, his run on Wolverine was great and I was enjoying The Flash but I just didn’t want another monthly book, now that’s not a monthly buck I’m going to go pick it up.
So at the end of JLA was that Barry Allen in the lightning rod? Meltzer made it seem like Batman thought it was going to be Barry they were bringing back. Then Brainiac seemed surprised that Wally was returned.
So yesturday a female friend of mine was going through my books and asked, “What is this? Porn?” At which point I replied, “No, that is Michael Turner.”
At which point, you opened up the book, showed her the interior, and said, now THIS is porn.
No, I gave her Ex Machina to read, which only confused her because she had not read the previous issues. I wasn’t going to expose her to the last issue of a Brad Meltzer Justice League arc. That stuff is so convoluted it might have caused her brain to collapse into some sort of multiple earth black hole.
A solid pick Conor. The panels with Robin were powerful and great storytelling. I agree that there is more coming for Bart, but with that being said, it was a great superhero death. I was upset about Guggenheim getting a short run, until I read that it was the plan the entire time. I hope they give him another high profile book. He’s one of my favorites.
Good to have Wally back, and I love the epic feeling of his return, but Meltzer’s caption boxes are the total running joke of iFanboy. Too messy. Looking forward to seeing more Kal-El being pissed at his old friends and the revelation of Kal-L. Good stuff from DC.
I was sorry to lose Tony Daniel from Titans, but he really turned this piece of garbage around. I miss Wally like the rest, but is it necessary to elminate another ORIGINAL MEMBER OF YOUNG JUSTICE!?
Bart wasn’t ready, Conor, face facts. That’s exactly why this run fell apart. Whatever ‘grand scheme’ the great Dan Didio purports to exist, I believe that this was just the extermination of a flop. The last run which culminated with the rogue war was sweet like Melonheads, but this run was bitter like Lemonheads.
They aged him too fast from Impulse to Kid Flash to The Flash within three years. UNNECESSARY. The pulled the personality and energy out of this character that made him a winner and instead made him whiner. We get enough of that from…the Nightwing, most members of the JLA, especially Black Lightning…the new Blue Beetle, who can’t stop crying long enough to finish an arc.
Do the deaths of Connor Kent and Bart Allen signal an end on its way for Tim Drake?
I’m glad Mark Waid and Wally are back,but….
I’m pissed Bart’s dead,he was the Speedster I grew up reading. When I got into DC’s Speedsters he was it. I was enjoying the run, I mean he really grew as a character. But on the other hand I was glad they gave him a real good send off. If they bring him back(which I’m sure they will) I hope they do it in a rockin way. It was a great storyline and very fitting end to an awesome character.
JLA was my pick because i finally saw the whole lightning saga wrap up and it made sense to me and I am excited to see a new story arc
Is Meltzer only on Justice League for two more issues? It feels like he is just getting started, but then I see this was issue ten and he did a zero issue, so he has been at it for almost a year. Damn, that Red Tornado stuff did take a long time to develop. I am bothered to see him go.
From Newsarama:
Dwayne McDuffie, longtime comics writer, and perhaps, best known in JLA fans view as one of the writers on the animated Justice League Unlimited series. McDuffie will start with the JLA Wedding Special in September, shipping just prior to Justice League of America #13, with art by Joe Benitez (regaulr series artist Ed Benes will return on the series with #14).
Well, that is certainly a different direction from Meltzer. I have been looking for a chance to read some McDuffie comics. I wasn’t wow-ed by his run on Fantastic Four and I feel he can do better. JLA should be a lot of fun with McDuffie.
I’m going back to the store to pick this one up, I’ve read too many good things about it now. After the disaster that was this week’s World War Hulk books, both Spider-Man books, and the godawful Fallen Sons Spider-Man, I could use a good read.
The DC books I read this week were really good.
Flash
Countdown
Justice League of America
Checkmate
Spirit
The Marvel books were… not so good (with the exception of Cap and Ultimate Spider-man).
I just got home after reading my books it was a really awesome week and I’m glad I picked up the rest of the Guggenheim run. Man
I can’t say I’m surprised. They were foreshadowing this a year ago, during the convention circuit. In every interview about the new Flash title, DiDio always said, “don’t get too attached to the Flash in the first issue.” I think this is part of a plan, and I’m glad. The last thing we need is another off-the-cuff crisis. If they spend years building up to this, messing with the Flashes and jumping worlds, I’ll be pleased.
I feel vindicated by JLA, this week. I’ve been saying all along, “wait, it will make sense.” And now it does. Nice.
my pick as well conor, it was a great read for a book i could really care less about (however i will be picking up waid’s future run). but robin’s reaction at the end gave me goosebumps. great issue.
The whole issue of JLA made it seem like they were trying to recapture Lightning Lads essence or lightning or whatever….that was the part that confused me. Was it Flash or Lightning lad they were trying for all along.
Also yea…very excited to have mark waid back on the flash.
Excellent Pick it’s what I would of picked, it delivered emotionally and left me with a definate feeling of loss I was just starting to really dig Bart, I’m very glad Wally is back but I don’t think it was worth the cost of Bart…….Jay should of dies he is old and wears a silly hat
Do the deaths of Connor Kent and Bart Allen signal an end on its way for Tim Drake?
Nah, ya see, it isn’t Superman that is going to out live everyone, the final panel of the final DC book will be an accidentally-made-immortal Tim Drake in a Deathbird costume holding a recently killed daughter of a greek war-god above the fading glow of a dead golden Superman with the words, “And into the darkness of oblivion and emptiness, Master Drake struggled on. Alone. In all the Universe. For the rest of eternity.”
I’m torn. I’m tempted to pick Flash #13 up because of the momentousness of the occasion and because of the recommendation. On the other hand I’m upset and angry about the news. I grew to like Bart in Young Justice and I always felt he was an underused, underdeveloped character. So I’m disappointed that DC would take him out in what seems to be a calculated move to replace him with a more popular character. (I like Wally too, and I’m glad he’s back, I just don’t see why there’s room for only one of them.) Ok, so maybe there was some foreshadowing. But it being part of a larger plan doesn’t mitigate the callousness of offing characters just because their popularity isn’t so great, meanwhile sparing the fan favorites. (If Nightwing was supposed to die — not that I want him to die — but if the story is that he’s supposed to die, then go ahead and have the balls to tell that story, not substitute the death of a character that many, many less people care about.) I should probably stop because I’ll probably piss some people off with this line of thought. But this just strikes me as cynical of DC and it makes me mad, and someone has to stand up for Bart…
While I really enjoyed the pacing Captain America #27 had and can’t wait for the next issue, I really gotta throw out a book here that hasn’t gotten a mention:
Iron Man: Hypervelocity by Adam Warren
Holy crap was that a good mini-series. When it comes out in trade, pick this one up! He really gave Iron Man the cyberpunk sensibility it needs. Adam really should be on the main book full time. That book was flat-out fun, and ‘TonyGhost 2.0’ is a great character, and needs to be seen again in Marvel 616 proper. soon.
For the people complaining about Bart being killed, can I ask you what impact that would have if you didn’t care about the character? If he was someone you didn’t care about, it would have no impact, and therefore no point. A character death only matters when the character has resonance. And in this case, it seems like he does.
The character never had that level of impact on any of the Young Justice stories I read. He was always just silly. I never read the Impulse series, so I can’t speak to anything that occured in that book, but his death elevated his status in my opinion. It gave him a lot of depth that I had never seen in him before.
Just finished reading it, and came here knowing that it would be the pick of the week. The book blew me away.
BTW, don’t you just have to feel bad for Robin??
I dropped Fallen Son and Ghost Rider from my pull list and picked up Nova 3 from Is last week, Annihlation Conquest, and X-men Endangered Species.
Is Flash 13 worth a p-ick up if you haven’t been reading the series?
First and only book I read so far this week has been Xmen Endangered Species but I have a long road trip tomorrow so will read the stack manana.
Bart was a silly character for a long time, but Johns added some much needed weight to the character in his early issues of Teen Titans. I think there was more development they could have done with him there rather than age him rapidly and force him into his own book. The character wasn’t ready for that. Hopefully, they will bring him back after some time and let him fill the role of the younger flash in the DCU. I am glad Wally is back, he is a favorite along with Nightwing.
Josh, I do like Bart Allen as a character, but that wasn’t my point. I’m not saying DC shouldn’t kill off characters that are good or still have potential. I’m saying that it feels like DC did this for the wrong reasons. My gut reaction is that they thrust Bart into the red-and-gold before he was really ready, tried to fit a square peg into one of their iconic round holes, and found it wouldn’t fit. Solution: bring back Wally and kill off Bart. Fans will be happy. Well this fan isn’t. Yes, people die, and, more-and-more, superhero people die too. But as good as this ending story might have been, I feel cheated and angry, and I need someone to blame so it’s going to be DC.
While I don’t necessarily agree, it’s a valid point.
An excellent pick Conor. It was mine too.
I am really pissed off at the Rogues now. They beat Bart to dead with their fists and legs; kicking and punching him after burning, freezing, and shocking him. It was a brutal, brutal death.
I’m still stunned that they actually killed a Flash, even after discovering that it was just “a boy”. They still went ahead and slaughtered him. I sued to like the rogues for thei semi goofiness. Now, I hate them all.
I want them hunted down and captured. The Teen Titans cannot let this drop. They must hunt down every single rogue. This should be their main focus until they’re are all captured.
I’m still very stunned and saddened by this. It was too cruel and brutal.
Can anybody guess my pick?
Incredible Hulk #107, close were Ironman #19 and Conana #41. Amazing spider-man was cool too. He’s about to throw down with the Kingpin. Fun stuff.
It’s funny to me how the return of wally mimics the return of waid. both fan-favorites. Could it be that Waid wanted to be off the book throughout his 52 run or DC just said “Waid come back and save the book” given his previous succesful run on the flash.