Blackest Night: The Flash #1 – Review

By Geoff Johns (writer), Scott Kolins (artist), Michael Atiyeh (colors)

The Story: This story begins between Blackest Night #3 and #4, when Barry Allen, the Flash, starts assembling the force of superheroes that will converge on Coast City to fight the Black Lanterns collected around their battery. It covers history of the Flash, as well as the history of the Reverse-Flash, who is resurrected by the Blackest Night. In the meantime, the living rogue’s gallery (the collection of villains who fight the Flash) are arming themselves for the expected attack from the black lantern rogues. Barry also seeks help from the Gorilla City.

What’s Good: I am not a Flash virgin, but I haven’t really followed Barry since his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths. This issue is perfect for me to get back on board. Johns’ writing is clear and the exposition is very natural. He’s chosen to go text-box heavy, which may slow down some experienced Flash fans, but given that the texts are all in either Flash’s or Reverse-Flash’s voice, they’re a fun read on their own. I also like Johns’ pacing. In a first issue like this, he has to make it accessible, but he’s found a way to keep the tension up, while setting up all the pieces that have to go boom in the next two issues.

I also really like Barry’s torments. I know it isn’t new to this issue, but the whole angst that Barry suffers, first not feeling, then feeling, then facing a black lantern apocalypse that feeds on emotion, makes for a difficult run for Barry. This gives him some great lines like “Keep your heart standing still, and run as fast as you can,” and “Stop. Don’t hope. He’s dead….You mourn later.” There’s a lot of character in Johns’ writing.

Other interesting touches that have me guessing now (and hopefully for the next two issues, possibly for Johns’ run on the Flash in 2010) are: (a) the diagram of the speed force that Barry finds in Gorilla city, (b) the entangled origins of Flash and Reverse-Flash and (c) the weird time paradoxes that Johns is sure to exploit.

What’s Not So Good: The motivation for the villains in this situation wasn’t clear to me, nor did I understand why the black lantern rogues would be out to get the living ones. It could be a meta-human thing in general, but that isn’t something that the main Blackest Night title has made clear yet.

More importantly, I find Kolins’ art rough and unattractive, without having any stylistic benefits to justify the lack of draftsmanship. In other reviews, I’ve pointed out my preference for more realistic art, but I still respond to grittier, scratchier styles, like those used effectively in Detective Comics by Williams or in Amazing Spider-Man by Azaceta. The faces produced by Kolins communicate, but they just seem grossly proportioned and dominated by thick, unappealing lines. Reverse-Flash’s teeth look a lot more like Solomon Grundy’s (from the recent mini that Kolins penciled) than the teeth of any regular human or any other black lantern drawn by any other artist. Kolins’ work on background and the villain Tar Pit were clearer and more attractive.

Conclusion: The story makes this issue worth picking up, especially at $2.99. The art held the book back, though.

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault