Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Flash #2

By Garth the Geek
October 29, 2011 - 21:50

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know who Francis Manapul was until seeing him at the 2011 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, but his clean, detailed artwork - and his approachable manner - left an impression on me. At the time, the DCnU was an approaching reality, though little information was actually known aside from the titles and some of the creators attached to them. I hadn’t done enough research to know if Manapul would be involved, but I filed his name into my memory and, months later, trying to choose which titles to buy and which to skip, I saw his name next to ‘The Flash’ to knew I wanted to pick it up.

With that said, I REALLY wanted to like this book. Realistically, I probably won’t be buying it after issue 2.

In terms of presentation, ‘The Flash’ delivers. It’s a gorgeous-looking book, filled with detailed artwork and rich colours. But where ‘The Flash’ stumbles and falls is its story. I find it far too easy and convenient. For example, the Flash and Dr. Elias are trying to figure out how to make the Flash faster - which I don’t really understand to begin with, because the Flash is already superhumanly fast. It’s kind of like Superman saying, “I want to be stronger” or Albert Einstein saying “I want to be smarter.” But regardless, let’s pretend that the Flash KNOWS he’s not tapping into his full potential - something which, by the way, hasn’t been established in the story at all. Now after a quick test with Dr. Elias, the Flash learns the reason he’s not faster is because he’s just “not thinking fast enough.” And then, two pages later, HE’S FIGURED IT OUT. He’s thinking faster and mastered this whole ‘tapping into the speed force energy’.

Please.

I’m not saying I need 50 pages of the Flash trying to learn how to think faster, but if it were this easy, he should have been able to figure this out on his own. YOU NEED TO THINK FASTER. Yeah. Just like, if you want to use a computer, you NEED TO TURN IT ON. And that’s what it feels like to me - that if the Flash couldn’t figure out something this simple, he’s a moron.

And, in addition to being a moron, he’s also an ass. Example: Tapping into the speed force, the Flash is now able to “see everything before it happens”, “weigh every possible outcome” and “make the right choice”. In this example, the right choice appears to be (a) knocking down a display of apples that some poor shopkeeper had spent his time building into a perfect pyramid, thus damaging his produce, all so a criminal would trip on an apple and get captured, (b) stealing an apple for himself, and (c) causing a car accident between two innocent drivers to prevent some idiot wearing headphones (who has stopped in the middle of the road to pick up a twenty-dollar bill) from getting hit.

Really? This is the “right choice”? How about, instead of running around, knocking down displays of fruit and causing car accidents, you trip the criminal and smack the kid upside the head for being such a dumb ass?

And pay for your own damn fruit, Barry.

Long story short, if I were judging ‘The Flash’ based on the artwork alone, it would be getting a 10 out of 10. But I’m not. And sadly, no matter how great Manapul’s artwork may be, it just can’t make up for the story.

5/10

Rating: 5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12