Flash 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues

Barry Allen is back in the new Flash ongoing written by Geoff Johns and Illustrated by Francis Manapul. Johns is back doing what he does best with the Flash, writing great stories with great villains. This is a Barry Allen book, but what really makes this collection is the villains. Johns does such a great job of writing Flash villains. Enter the Renegades, the Rogues of the 25th century a.k.a the Reverse-Flash Task Force. They're here for one reason: to arrest the Flash for Murder!

I won't reveal too many details, but the main plot alone is worth checking this collection out. And so is the art. OH MAN, is Manapul's art in this fantastic. Two examples immediately come to mind, the Renegades are forced back to the 25th century causing a time ripple that destroys an apartment building. Not only does Barry get everyone out in time, but he goes to the library, researches some books, and rebuilds the building in a flash, pun intended. Then there's an awesome sequence of panels where a helicopter is hit by one of Captain Boomerang's boomerangs and the occupants are rescused by Barry in the span of probably 2 or 3 seconds, if that, but it takes up a couple pages. They are so glorious! This volume really feels like a minimalist approach; less dialogue in some parts and letting the art do the talking. And it works so well.

The only reason I don't give this 5 stars is because of the ending. I didn't feel like it was the strongest reasoning, but looking at it from a different perspective, it's a very old-school silver age type story ending/motivation. I'm as sad as some others that Wally West is nowhere to be seen (this doesn't impact my giving it four stars because I really liked the spotlight being on Barry). Johns did a lot of great work with Wally West era Flash stories, so it stinks to see him tossed aside. However, Johns still brings the great characterization from that era with the Rogues, who are in this story and do fight with their 25th century counterparts. Honestly, there are so many reasons to check this collection out. I'm getting very excited for Flashpoint coming up in May this year. If you're a Flash fan or a fan of Johns Flash work, there is no reason not to pick this up. Also check out the Flash by Geoff Johns omnibus which is coming out soon or is already out.

Headache-inducing time travel stories: you either love them or you stop reading THE FLASH, which is as much a hard science fiction series as it is a superhero comic. Pit the Flash against his enemies, the Rogues, and you have an action-adventure metaphor for the world's most entertaining course in applied physics. It's all about matter, motion, and energy set to solving problems of heat, cold, sonics, optics, and ballistics, as well as those aforementioned exercises in time travel (fun with relativity, anyone?). Enough material there for a lifetime of comic book adventure.

This story arc introduces the Renegades, 25th century cops with variations on the Rogues' costumes and weapons, who have orders to bring in the Flash for the murder of one of their fellow officers. Complicating matters are the Rogues themselves, territorial as ever and now armed with a mysterious, ultimate anti-Flash weapon, and the resurrection of Captain Boomerang, returned from the dead as a more powerful, genuinely badass supervillain.

Boomerang's extreme makeover is the highlight of this storyline, a solidly entertaining but not a standout Flash adventure. Artists Francis Manapul and Scott Kolins have gone for a clean, efficient look, like painted versions of Carmine Infantino's "space age" FLASH pages from the 1960s, but for me, the artwork really shines in the noirish seventh chapter (Boomerang's long-delayed entry in writer Geoff Johns' "Rogue Profile" series), which looks, perversely, more colorful and contemporary than the previous six. Go figure.

Barry Allen's return to his own monthly book begins here. This trade collects issues 1-7 of The Flash series as well as The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 issue. Geoff Johns writes all the stories while Francis Manapul and Scott Kolins supply the art.

The first 6 issues tell the tale of Flash's confrontation with the 25th century police force, the Renegades, who accuse Barry Allen of murder. (The Renegades are the 'good guy' versions of the Rogues, Flash's famous gallery of villains who include Captain Cold, the Trickster, Mirror Master, and others.)

There are some cool moments: Flash picking bullets out of the air, speed reading to learn how to rebuild an apartment complex that was destroyed during one of his battles, or racing up the side of a building. It's great to see Johns spend a moment to show us there are consequences to super-hero brawls, and that Barry Allen cares. The art is consistently excellent throughout the book as well.

But these early issues are replete with one fight after another, first with the Renegades, then with the Rogues who inevitably show up to crash the party. And when compared to the great work Johns has done on Green Lantern, these early Flash issues are just ok. It's clear these issues are set up for the larger Flashpoint saga to come.

Things get interesting with issue 7, which focuses on Captain Boomerang and gives the character more depth. Johns even provides a plausible explanation for Boomerang's original, very hokey (by today's standards) costume. This is where Johns is at his best: telling character-driven stories while modernizing the DC pantheon in a way that doesn't offend the fans (i.e., conflict with continuity).

I expected the Secret Files and Origins 2010 issue to be total filler, but was pleasantly surprised to see both excellent art and a great story that peeks into a dark corner of Barry Allen's past, something that drives him to this day. A nice touch in the story is how the Flash can't sleep, so he does a bunch of activities, then goes back to bed a minute later. (Johns' subtle reminder of Barry's super-speed.) There's even a section on how boomerangs and mirrors work (and how Captain Boomerang and Mirror Master use these tools).

The end of the book includes a cover gallery of alternate covers. Beneath the dust jacket, the book comes with a red cover emblazoned with Flash's famous lightning bolt. Pretty cool!

So it's a solid 3-star package. Not at the level of Johns' awesome Green Lantern stories, but plenty there for Flash fan to enjoy. Pick this book up if you are a Geoff Johns follower, a Flash fan, or want to follow the Flashpoint saga as it unfolds throughout the DC universe this summer. Otherwise, wait for the cheaper paperback (or even the inevitable omnibus version to get the entire storyline in one go).

I was not very excited by the reintroduction of Barry Allen in [[ASIN:1401230016 The Flash: Rebirth]] but Geoff Johns's take on the character has grown on me through [[ASIN:1401226930 Blackest Night]] and now THE FLASH: THE DASTARDLY DEATH OF THE ROGUES, which picks up were the earlier series ended and ties into both [[ASIN:1401229662 Brightest Day, Vol. 1]] through its use of the reborn Captain Boomerang and the forthcoming "Flashpoint". The other reviewers have offered detailed comments on the story of this collection, but no one (as yet) notes its contents. For the record, the book collects THE FLASH (2010) Nos. 1-7 and all of (or possibly some of) THE FLASH SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2010. This is definitely worth checking out for Flash fans.

The return of Barry Allen it was a nice story to bring Barry Allen back to as a main character in the dc universe

First of all, the very first Flash graphic novel I bought was "The Flash: Rebirth" a couple years ago. I saw it in the store and was blown away with how awesome the cover looked. Plus being a huge fan of Geoff Johns' Green Lantern comics, I decided to check it out. Geoff Johns' writes Barry a lot more like-able in Death of the Rogues than in Rebirth. He still has his morals, which a lot of super heroes lack these days. The art in this is great, the story is great. I loved pretty much everything about it. I haven't read a Johns' story I've hated. (I haven't read all of his comics, though.) I'd definitely recommend checking this out!

Can we have an animated solo Flash movie now? Please Bruce Timm, please? Live action would be cool too!

For an introduction or reintroduction to the most famous villians in Flash's canon, this story serves an adequate purpose. The art is first-rate and the story is well-paced, if easy to guess. The initial, "Return," series is a better piece and is the place to start for the modern reader. I would also highly recommend the original series in the achieve editions as the most original and well-written comics on this character.

I bought this as a present for my brother. It came in perfect condition, and I know he will like it.

This is what a flash story is supposed to be like. Flash vs Rogues, how can you go wrong? Answer, you can't. I highly recommend this story to all fans of the character and new readers. You don't need to know anything about the flash or his cast to enjoy this story.

Barry Allen is back... And they did it right. This could have been a disaster, but instead, it's awesome. Long live The Flash!! And a great precursor to Flashpoint!