Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Pencils by Francis Manapul
Colors by Brian Buccellato
Published by DC Comics
Barry’s search for the Reverse Flash comes to sudden fruition in this installment of the title as he fights to keep the villain from claiming another victim, namely himself or Iris West. We also see another appearance by Dr. Elias, who we haven’t seen much since the Rogues arc, and it seems he’s taken a turn for the worst in terms of ‘mad scientist’-ness.
Manapul and Buccellato continue to perfectly blend their talents in both story and art. Nothing ever seems rushed or too slow and everything just FITS. I never have to stop and think “Wait, what do they mean here?” or “Wow, that was out of left field.” I also love the personalities. Even in somewhat serious or straightforward issues, the little barbs of humor and subtle little speed puns always put a stupid kid-grin on my face for at least three pages.
One of the best scenes for me had to be the interactions between Patty and Iris. Bit of a love triangle, perhaps? I can’t wait to see where that goes in the coming issues. But the ending, where Flash and Reverse Flash finally begin to faceoff against each other was some of the most gratifying pages I’ve read in any comic this month.
I think Manapul does best when he has more space to work with, and the four (maybe five) double spreads were nothing short of spectacular. Seriously, these things should be in an art gallery somewhere, being sold for thousands of dollars. But even in smaller spaces, it’s amazing, since Manapul has a clear grasp on body language. Now back to the pages with Iris and Patty. Iris’s posture in a few of the panels says way more than her words, and Buccellato’s colors are completely in a league of their own. I can’t even compare them to any other book I read.
This arc is really starting to ramp up, and things really weren’t looking too good for our Scarlet Speedster there at the end. Is it too early for me to say the Reverse Flash might be one of my favorite baddies?
5 out of 5 nerds
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