All reviews at When It Was Cool will feature spoilers great and small. If you don’t like spoilers then skip this until you have read The Flash issue 6 (2016). You have been warned. #WhenItWasCool
The Flash (DC Comics: 2016) Issue 6... Call him death. Call him Godspeed
The Flash issue 6 from the DC Universe Rebirth era features the most recent major Flash villain Godspeed on the cover holding a seemingly defeated Flash. The Flash rebirth era series has been pretty good so far even if it has not been exactly what I was expecting. I haven’t really stuck with reading The Flash for many years. The pre-52 Flash series had lost me a long time ago and I gave it another try during the early run of the New 52 but I soon dropped that series as well. I decided to give The Flash another go since he looked to figure in as a major plot point in DC Rebirth where it was hinted that he and Batman were onto the Watchmen somehow resetting the DC Universe- a plot point that to my knowledge hasn’t even been hinted at again. So I basically picked up the new Flash series on a false premise but the story thus far has been fair enough to keep me interested.
Recently, many of the citizens of Central City have been granted speed force powers following a storm and it has recently been revealed that the mysterious new villain Godspeed is involved. The issue kicks off with Godspeed grabbing someone and yapping on about dispensing “justice”. We cut scene to Barry Allen (AKA: The Flash) who calls himself “a failure”. Allen is down on himself for letting Godspeed attack and steal the speed force powers from his trainees and his girlfriend who was also a speedster. We get a couple pages of all dramatic and angsty Barry Allen. Honestly, it’s stuff like this that loses me from the Flash. I like The Flash much better as a light hearted, fun, speedster with a rogues gallery of misfits.
What 'chew so mad about bro?
Many of the speedster trainees want out of the program now that Godspeed has killed twelve of them. They seem to blame The Flash for letting this happen. The dialog is very awkwardly written and the art is kind of rough. I have to be honest, this issue is already losing me. This isn’t really what I want out of The Flash and not where I thought the series was going. More yelling and angst in the following pages as now Wally West (not the old Wally but the new... nevermind) is now getting in on the dark and angry act.
Yelling and more yelling.
The Flash comes to the realization that his prime suspect is his unnamed sidekick August. August has went on issue after issue putting off choosing a superhero name so he probably should have been suspect number one to begin with. The Flash confronts August about killing Billy Parks whom August suspected of killing his brother. The Flash and August then have a very wordy argument about justice and revenge. It’s very over the top loud and angry. August then reveals himself as Godspeed and a two page chase and fight scene between the two wrap up the issue.
Five o'Clock Shadow of Justice
The reader is left with the impression that The Flash is vastly out gunned by Godspeed who seems to be substantially faster than the Flash. I can’t say the issue is bad because it wasn’t and I know my review may seem more critical than I intend for it too but honestly there wasn’t a lot I really enjoyed about this issue. It was overly dark, the action was sparse, everybody was mad or sad, and the hero was a depressed and outmatched mess throughout the entire issue. Like I said earlier, I want The Flash to be exciting and somewhat lighthearted and this certainly wasn’t that. I’m not dropping The Flash with this issue because I want to see the resolution between Godspeed and The Flash since it certainly seems the Flash is vastly out-powered but I do hope the series changes course to something a little better after this storyline runs it’s course and are we ever going to follow up on those Watchmen plot points from DC Rebirth? I give it a When It Was Cool rating of a C.
The art and dialog gets AWKWARD at times.
