The pressures only ramp up for Barry as the ties that bend him and others to the Speed Force takes on a new approach.
What They Say:
What’s happened to the Speed Force? One of the world’s most powerful speedsters is dead, and Barry Allen must discover who – or what – is responsible! But the reborn Barry is a man haunted by a dark secret in his past. A secret that drives him to push far beyond his limits. A burden that, if he’s not careful, could send him right back into oblivion!
The Review:
The opening issue of Flash: Rebirth didn’t win me over in the slightest with Barry. While I was pretty familiar with the character from his days before his series ended and he went off into the future, seeing him trying to fit into the modern world didn’t come together well. He pretty much had the demeanor of a jerk with how he was with everyone and even in here he’s aware of how he’s coming across. A brief scene with Hal has him knowing that Hal can’t figure out why he’s keeping him at a distance, especially considering the close relationship the two have had over the years. And with Hal wanting to help him adjust to the world of the living again, it’s only worse between the two, though at least Hal does keep trying since he knows how difficult it can be on the other side. It’s not a lengthy piece between the two, but a lot is conveyed and inferred there.
The death of Savitar in the first issue, along with the apparent death of the Black Flash, paints a dangerous time for the speedsters of the DC Universe. So much so that when Savitar died in front of Barry, it caused a feedback of varying levels to the other speedsters. This presents a mystery for Barry to work through which is something he definitely needs since his singleminded focus needs to be aimed somewhere. Savitar’s death has an interesting side effect on the cult that followed him as the high priestess there goes after Barry for revenge. While she can’t really do anything to him, especially with Wally at his side, the interaction causes her to end up suffering the same as Savitar did and that causes the ripple effect to other speedsters. What makes it really intriguing is that it happens as Barry and Wally were investigating the remains of the Black Flash who had succumbed to the same thing previously, which is hard to fathom since he’s essentially the physical form of the Speed Force that shows when a speedster is about to die.
The personal side of the series is still going fairly well here, with Barry’s somewhat disconnected nature to it all. We get a look at his origin again, updated a bit and made a bit rougher with his personality and the way he’s not like other crime researchers. His first meeting with Iris is detailed as well and she comes across well. The flashback helps to tie things into the present since we finally get it clear how Barry can return to life among the normals, thanks to Wonder Woman, but also a nudge towards some sort of life for Iris as well if she wants it. Johns does a decent job of showing some of the cultural changes in things since the two left, from the CSI style world and that of reporting, which fits in with the technological advances that Barry commented on a lot in the first issue. Life is very different and it continues to be understandable why Barry is having a hard time fitting in.
Digital Notes:
This Comixology edition of Flash: Rebirth contains both the regular cover and the variant cover by Evan Van Sciver. Having the variant available in digital form doesn’t change the value of the actual physican variant, so the practice of including both is definitely that is very fan friendly and gives the digital editions just that little bit more value for appreciating the artwork.
In Summary:
Barry’s disconnected nature is what still makes it hard to sympathize with him. From the way he deals with Hal to how he keeps his family and those close to him at a distance, Barry doesn’t feel like he belongs in the present. And this feeling, which we know that Johns will try to soften as time goes on, mirrors the feelings of many fans and he hopes to soften it with them as well. This issue does that just a touch, humanizing Barry a bit more with his origin flashback that’s tweaked slightly, but he’s still a fairly cold and almost calculating type. He leans more towards the science and lab side of life, looking at everything that way, which is what he was like before, but here it just feels much more prominent. Flash: Rebirth isn’t going to be as smooth as the Green Lantern revival for a number of reasons, and this issue continues to show why.
Grade: B-
