Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Artist: Francis Manapul
Published by DC Comics
At long last, though I’m a bit sad about it, the Reverse-Flash arc comes to a close. So, how does Barry do?
The ending was nice, and made sense. As a fan of time travel stories, I liked seeing a different take on what would happen if the same person met at two time periods. I enjoyed watching Daniel transform into a monster as he watched himself try to beat and kill the Flash. While the wrap-up of that was awesome, what really got me was Barry’s own personal experience about the whole idea of going back in time. Much like Kyle Higgins’ Nightwing, I love what Manapul and Buccellato do with Barry’s inner monologue, and how he views things. Barry’s talk about his mother really got me thinking about the what-ifs of this version of the character (but then, of course, I remembered how going back in time to save his mother is exactly what he did in Flashpoint…kind of wish he remembered that, since I believe he doesn’t) and how different things might potentially be for the hero.
And I must say, it was a nice change for the villain to NOT be instantly remorseful about anything they had just attempted. I actually really liked that Daniel was more or less like, “Given the chance, yeah, I’d totally do everything again. And I will, mark my words.” It’s not something I see often in any work of fiction, so it’s cool to see.
The art, as always, was spectacular and beautiful in every way, but this go-round, I think I want to focus on the emotions construed on each page. Daniel’s switch from blinding anger to heart-wrenching sadness is stunning, just in a visual sense. The spread of Barry taking Daniel’s powers back literally gave me chills. As for the quieter moments, I adored the whole page of Barry and Patty dancing, with those yellows and tans matching each other perfect. It was probably the cutest and sweetest thing I’ve read in comics in a while, especially Barry and his bow-tie. Though, nothing was as satisfying as the panel of Flash elbowing Dr. Elias in the face.
This is this creative team’s last issue of doing everything (they’re only writing the next one, as far as I know) but it couldn’t have ended on a better note. Man, I am still giddy over Dr. Elias getting whacked in the kisser.
4.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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