Writer: Mark Guggenheim
Artist: Tony S. Daniel and Art Thibert
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Just over a year ago DC launched the new Flash series playing around with a mystery about the identity of the character behind the mask. The Flash had become a character that DC threatened during their big crossovers due to the death of the Silver Age Flash during Crisis of Infinite Earths back in 1985. This was the big name they could tease would die even if they had no plans to. They did it during Zero Hour, during big stories within the Flash’s own title and then again during Infinite Crisis last year. It’s not been helped by the fact that they have also constantly teased the return of that Silver Age Flash, largely at the expense of the other characters they have set up as replacements in the mean time.
In short DC have been messing the Flash around for 20+ years.
The recent series started off on a bad premise. Because of the poorly done ending to the last series Flash fans were already discontent and then the book kicked off. Written by the two writers of the Flash TV show, who had done the fantastic Rocketeer movie, these were not top names. If they had taken on the book when the TV show had been on or soon after they might have had more clout, but it seemed also a joke when they were announced. It did not help that they were hampered by DC’s reluctance to give the last Flash, Wally West, a proper send-off nor a decent explanation for why the new Flash had suddenly aged. Bear in mind that Bart Allen already had the origin of being from the future having been raised in a Virtual Reality suite and being a lot younger than his body suggested. This was surely the character you wanted to build a franchise around. With these problems attached it would have taken some skilful writing to get the fans onboard and look forwards rather than back.
By about issue 4 no one really cared and the writing was on the wall for a change of creative team. It now seems that change in team was also intended to bring about the death of the main character and a return to the last Flash.
The issue up for review is the last issue for the title. For months the fans have been teased with the potential for another Flash death, though this time DC managed to mask that they were cancelling the book by putting out fake solicits. The writer, Marc Guggenheim, was mandated to kill off Bart using some or all of the Rogues and this he manages to do in the issue.
Now who actually kills him or what goes on in most of the action is a lot less clear. In discussions on the ComicBloc forum Guggenheim points to his understanding of the scene he wrote, but then is contradicted by his artist, Tony Daniel. What we see in the issue is someone being kicked to the death. Now one (Daniel) says that’s the Flash, whilst the other (Guggenheim) says that’s his archenemy (and clone or something) Inertia. To be frank it’s a mess. Given that they taunted readers with a fakeout death for the character in Infinite Crisis only to bring him back again changed at the end of that story you do have to wonder why they decided that messing up a perfectly useable character was the way to go. It smacks of a lack of understanding, which their editorial decisions have just compounded until in a fit of spite over the relaunch not working they decide to kill the character and bury him.
The issue as a whole reads like writing by the numbers. There’s nothing in it that is a fitting send off for Bart Allen. If even his death is mired in confusion then it really does not help sell it as an epic last stand. It’s also not helped that as this book ends, its replacement is set up in a completely different comic. With Mark Waid returning to the Flash there is some hope that the character may get some respect again, but it seems likely that it will be only a matter of time before DC tease another Flash death as opposed to do anything original with the character.
Mark Peyton – has a MA in History and Research from the University of Hull specialising in the Hundred Years War. In a complete departure from that he now runs communications and membership for a UK based Trade Union as well as being a part time writer/journalist.
He is a founding member of Millarworld acting as a moderator and as an editor for Fractal Matter.