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The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward (The Flash Vol. IV #1)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 731 ratings · 60 reviews

Struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals, Central City Police scientist Barry Allen was transformed into the fastest man alive. Tapping into the energy field called The Speed Force, he applies a tenacious sense of justice to protect an serve the world as The Flash!The Fastest Man Alive returns to his own monthly series as part of the DC Comics—The New 52 event...more

Hardcover, The New 52, 192 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by DC Comics (first published December 2011)

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May 29, 2013 Pete rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oof. What a letdown.

After reading issue one of all the new relaunched DC 52 titles, I came away very excited about the Flash. The first issue was paced, had a good cliffhanger, and ultimately made it seem like we'd be getting some detective-y stuff along with the speedster business.

Aaaand not so much.

The whole DC relaunch has been pretty disappointing, personally. I'm not saying that there aren't good books coming out. I'm just not sure that there is a larger number of good books coming out, o...more Oof. What a letdown.

After reading issue one of all the new relaunched DC 52 titles, I came away very excited about the Flash. The first issue was paced, had a good cliffhanger, and ultimately made it seem like we'd be getting some detective-y stuff along with the speedster business.

Aaaand not so much.

The whole DC relaunch has been pretty disappointing, personally. I'm not saying that there aren't good books coming out. I'm just not sure that there is a larger number of good books coming out, or more importantly that I've enjoyed DC comics more in the last year than I had in years previous.

The Flash here is a great example of one of the big problems I have with DC comics in general.

I think DC can be really good, and when they let go of the past in some ways it can create some really exciting results. I very much enjoyed some of the Wally West Flash stories from the 90's. And the Death of Superman was probably one of the most interesting Superman books I ever read. Hell, I was even into Kyle Rayner, the often-maligned Green Lantern who took over for a while.

So a relaunch like this really should have flipped my cookie, I think. But fuck me if it didn't let down in a big way.

I mean, why am I reading a complete Flash relaunch where in the first few issues we discover that one of the ideas that's going to carry over is the Cosmic Treadmill? The fact that the words "Cosmic Treadmill" got through once should tell us enough, but twice? Was anyone clambering for that? Really sweating it out after they heard about the relaunch, thinking, "Oh fuck, oohhhhhh fuck, they better not get rid of the Cosmic Treadmill! How else would they access the multiverse through the act of running if not with the Cosmic Treadmill?"

I guess what's disappointing to me about this book and some of the others is that the relaunch was a great opportunity to do some fun, different things with characters and stories without the shackles of continuity. But, instead we sort of just redid a lot of the same stuff again. We read the same stories with updated art. We got Cosmic Treadmill.
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Nov 19, 2012 Sam Quixote rated it 2 of 5 stars

Like a lot of "New 52" titles, "Flash" doesn't go into the origin of the character - Barry Allen, the Flash, comes fully formed and jumps straight into action from the opening pages. This might frustrate new readers who've never read "Flash" before as his origin isn't well-known like Batman or Superman's, but this choice is endemic of a larger problem with a lot of these new titles: the lack of character development and the focus on action despite DC aiming this re-launch at introducing new read...more Like a lot of "New 52" titles, "Flash" doesn't go into the origin of the character - Barry Allen, the Flash, comes fully formed and jumps straight into action from the opening pages. This might frustrate new readers who've never read "Flash" before as his origin isn't well-known like Batman or Superman's, but this choice is endemic of a larger problem with a lot of these new titles: the lack of character development and the focus on action despite DC aiming this re-launch at introducing new readers to these characters for the first time.

Barry Allen is a forensic pathologist with Central City's Police Department and is about as vanilla as they get with the bland sweaters he wears symbolising the lack of personality he has. He is better as the Flash as his powers are pretty awesome. Everyone knows he's fast but his ability to tap into the Speed Force, the source of his power, enables him to vibrate his molecules so fast he can pass through solid objects as well as other objects he touches.

Despite this though the dull enemies Flash faces are what really bring this book down. The laughably named "Mob Rule" is an old friend of Flash's who can cut off a piece of himself and grow a full size copy of himself from it - this leads to dozens of versions of the single host. I don't know what to say about this character except what a stupid power and what a boring character he was. Next up is an old favourite of Flash's, the rogue Captain Cold, who sounds like a cereal mascot. In other Flash books, Cold's power derived from his ice guns but in this new book - for no explanation whatsoever - he is able to generate ice with his hands, like Iceman. Ok... There's more but these are the two main baddies of this book and neither were interesting.

The art is the book's saving grace. Francis Manapul crafts some excellent pages utilising the comics format perfectly like when Flash falls out of a building and vibrates through the street into the sewer - it's a really well laid out page. There's also a strong sense of motion on the page when Barry changes into Flash or fights a group of soldiers or even uses the Speed Force to see future events - the sense of motion is crucial to get right in a comic like this and Manapul does an excellent job at drawing this. I also really liked that the title pages of each issue were drawn into the scene to become part of it, it was really creative and eye-catching.

But imaginative art aside, the weak story, unconvincing dialogue and paper-thin characters weren't enough to interest me in the Flash's new adventures and I can't imagine this series is going to win many new readers to this character's side. "Move Forward" is too much of an average superhero comic with an unimpressive lead superhero in the spotlight and a complete snooze-fest to read. What should've been one of the major series of the reboot is one of the most missable.(less)

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Nov 17, 2012 Demi-fiend rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

The Flash has always been one of my favorite superheroes, although I'd be hard pressed to tell you exactly why. The main thing about Barry Allen is that he's an ordinary guy who gets superpowers (like most superhero origin stories), but where Superman is overly serious and heroic and Green Lantern is cocky and arrogant, The Flash falls right into the middle. He runs around saving the day plenty, but he retains his sense of personality and tries not to take things too seriously. He runs with a sm...more The Flash has always been one of my favorite superheroes, although I'd be hard pressed to tell you exactly why. The main thing about Barry Allen is that he's an ordinary guy who gets superpowers (like most superhero origin stories), but where Superman is overly serious and heroic and Green Lantern is cocky and arrogant, The Flash falls right into the middle. He runs around saving the day plenty, but he retains his sense of personality and tries not to take things too seriously. He runs with a smile on his face.

This is the first volume of the latest series of The Flash, which launched in September 2011. DC's New 52 initiative rebooted their entire universe in hopes of ditching the baggage of storyline continuity built up over the history of the company. In theory, this would allow characters to have completely different origins, powers, you name it. In practice, not a whole lot has changed for The Flash. Barry Allen was back in the red suit before all the reboot nonsense, after being dead for about 20 years. His main antagonists, The Rogues, are back as well with the only real change being that they now have superpowers to replace their gadgets from the past. The end result is that they're mostly the same too, although this introductory arc mostly focuses on a new villain(s), Mob Rule.

Honestly, the writing is average at best. It's boilerplate superhero text, for a lot of it. Each character has a distinct voice, but there are few points where you see an interesting turn of phrase or anything beyond a straightforward way of saying what's going on. It's not bad, it's just nothing special. That's a good way to describe the plot for most of this volume, actually. Things start picking up in the last couple of issues (and the issues that follow, which aren't out in hardcover for a while yet), but the plot is easy to skip over when you start talking about the art. Let's talk art.

This is worth checking out just to flip through the pages. Francis Manapul does unique, interesting layouts better than almost anyone in the business. The art in this book is only rivaled at DC by J.H. Williams III's Batwoman and Yanick Paquette's Swamp Thing. Issue to issue, things never get dull from a visual standpoint. Any time things even hint at getting stale, you get hit with a two page spread that's completely like anything else you've seen in the series. The colors only improve on the already fantastic work being done. It has a watercolored, slightly washed out look to it that only helps to accent the bright red of The Flash in a scene. It's seriously impressive, and I highly recommend any fans of the medium to check it out.

All that said, this volume may not win you over if you just hate The Flash as a character, but otherwise it's a pretty decent read with some of the best artwork currently going on in comics.

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this through the Goodreads First Reads program. I had previously read all the issues in single issue format.(less)

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Nov 09, 2012 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

Barry Allen is back as the Flash, fastest man alive. He works as a cop and has recently started dating Patty Spivot. In this he faces the Mob Rule trying to kill his old friend Manuel and his old enemy Captain Cold.

The art and panel designs are gorgeous in this book. I'd recommend the read purely based on that. The story is not so great. It is a very comic book plot with out there barely explained stuff all thrown together in a giant melting pot. Also, I didn't find much humor in this title. Isn...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Stephen Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:

The Flash was one of those superheroes that I did not get into much. I loved the idea of being able to run like that, which was only mimicked in The Big Bang Theory by Sheldon. So when this came up as an ARC, I decided to have a look.

For all those that do not know, the New 52 is a bit of a change for DC comics. I borrowed the following from Wikipedia:

The New 52 is a 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero books, in which all of its existing...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Rogier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, graphic-novels, adult, male-protagonist

3.8

My thoughts:

Cover: I love the red and the font

Book:The Flash, the fastest man in the World( having flashbacks of 90’s superman episodes where Flash and Superman try to outrun each other)

This volume is part of the DC Comics redesign. Wally West has been the Flash for more than 2 decades after Barry Allen sacrificed himself. But Barry Allen has risen from the dead and Wally West never existed. A lot of people were mad 12 months ago when it was revealed . I’m not mad but a bit pissed . I grew up...more

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Jan 10, 2013 William Thomas rated it 2 of 5 stars

Barry Allen? What the hell? Where is Wally West? Where has Wally gone?!

So, I guess we're stuck with Barry for the long haul. Not that it matters much as reading this volume was like watching paint dry. Manapul should have taken lessons from Matt Sturges' Blue Beetle run, because there is nothing fun or exciting in this reboot. Because if I'm going to read Flash, it has to have the same feel as Spider-man. It has to be something light, but with enough gravitas to make it mean something. It needs...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Justyn Rampa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, mavericks

Reading Flash together rather than month to month really demonstrates the strength of this title. Actually, I had kind of been a bit down on Flash because of one issue that just didn't sit well with me, but then that was followed by two amazing issues, so I was in a quandary.

Well, not anymore.

Flash Volume 1 collects the first eight issues of Flash which features Barry Allen in the role of the Fastest Man Alive. I love Barry Allen, even though he wasn't the Flash I grew up with. Geoff Johns has a...more

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Nov 25, 2012 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, comics

I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

As someone familiar with the recent rebranding/remarketing/reboot of the DC Comics universe, I'd heard that many of the heroes had been regressed to their earlier incarnations. The Flash was one such hero. I've never been much into the Flash, though I did enjoy his character on the Justice League cartoon. I went into the trade with little to no information on Barry Allen's background and it may have been to my detriment as a reader,...more I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

As someone familiar with the recent rebranding/remarketing/reboot of the DC Comics universe, I'd heard that many of the heroes had been regressed to their earlier incarnations. The Flash was one such hero. I've never been much into the Flash, though I did enjoy his character on the Justice League cartoon. I went into the trade with little to no information on Barry Allen's background and it may have been to my detriment as a reader, ultimately.

The art of Frances Manapul with Brian Buccellato and Ian Herring on colors is dynamic, crisp, creative and keeps the reader engaged. I've been a casual fan of Manapul's work for years, and he does not disappoint on this book. There's a warmth and wholesomeness to the expressions of the characters he draws, even when they aren't necessary all that warm or wholesome. His work is beautiful, and the title pages of each issue are nothing short of mindblowing, with the intricate and just plain cool integration of the lettering into the scene. The colors are bright without nearing garish, and this world so immersed in science and theory grounds itself in the earthy charm of the work that Manapul, Buccello and Herring illustrate with a refreshingly naturalistic approach. It's a pretty book to flip through.

I had some trouble caring about a few of the characters. There's a moderately sized cast that the reader is introduced to, and some of the introductions are lacking. Barry Allen's associates at the police precinct in particular were kind of randomly strewn through the issues, and served more as background chatter than individuals valuable to the plot or Barry's life. I understand that this is just the beginning of the series and the characters will likely be given the time to ingratiate themselves to the reader in later issues, but they aren't very well established in the first seven or so issues.

The two female leads of the book on the other hand, were likeable and memorable. The villains are also well established, and even if you may feel like you've read their stories before, you end up caring about them. This is not a melodramatic, overwrought comic where big stories overwhelm the people at the center of them. Barry's laid-back, old-school do-gooder manner serves to give the reader a similar easy-going familiarity with the people who mean the most to him. It's easy to care about the people close to Barry because Barry is easy to like. He's not very complex, but it's refreshing in a world where huge comic tie-ins and end-of-the-world drama scares away potential readers in droves. Even the characters we don't get to know very well don't seem like bad people. The lightheartedness of this world goes a long way towards washing away trepidation of bitterness and angst from past incarnations of the DC universe, and the often sweet, understatedly human motivations of the heroes and villains in this series are a big part of that.

Overall, this may not be my typical sort of comic, but for those who enjoy the Flash and especially comic readers who want a fresh, amiable, breezy tale without the frustrating, unnecessarily dark story lines that are misrepresented as "realism" in comics much of the time should give this collection a shot. It's a pleasant read for hardcore and casual fans alike who want to connect with characters who they can smile at and sympathize with in an every-day fashion, without all of the gloom-and-doom. Barry Allen is a Flash worth rooting for, and the team on this hardcover is hard to beat.(less)

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Nov 22, 2012 Jessie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-compilations

I remember that Aaron was really excited about this title when the New 52 launched, but I'm glad we didn't collect it. The characters are good, even some of the plot was okay (particularly the first arc with Lago), but the writers often make huge jumps of multiple kinds. There are jumps in power abilities, holes in stories filled in with just a few words, jumps in time passed, and leaps of logic that fail to hold up. There is a common failure in the new 52: if it's based on science, it sucks. Mr...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Flash has always been, first and foremost, a science fiction comic. I've largely avoided the New 52, what largely seems to me to be a gimmick on the part of Warner Bros. and DC Comics to make their multiverse more like Marvel Comics... and with Bob Harras at the helm (Harras is a Marvel alum) it's not terribly surprising. A while back I got fed up with the seemingly endless re-launches, revisions, and recreations of long standing franchises, and thus I pretty much turned my back on super her...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Maureen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, superhero, dc-comics

The opening arc is interesting, not so much for the villain, but for the way we are given an insight into Barry Allen's character and moral code, through the contrast between him and his oldest friend. Both feel the need to "keep running", but the motivation and direction of the running are fundamentally different.

The art is the strongest aspect of this volume; Buccellato takes full advantage of the medium with creative layouts and effects. I particularly love the way Barry's new ability to "thi...more

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May 27, 2013 Gautam Surath rated it 2 of 5 stars

To be frank I have never followed Flash as a separate comic. So when I picked up his journey with the New 52, I thought this might lead to interesting times. Sadly, this is no longer true. This version is pretty poorly written and confusing. Given Flash is more science fiction than fantasy (Speed force is about quantum physics) I believe they need a writer who can slow things down and detail some of these to bring some logic to the proceedings. As an example, it just takes one page for Flash to...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Victoria Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

First off, the art in this book is amazing. Not surprising, given that the book is written by the artists but still very noteworthy, it's definitely some of the best art of the new 52, at least in what I've read.

I wasn't too familiar with the characters going in but this volume has definitely made me a fan of Barry Allan. He's pretty adorable and decent and all the stuff a good hero should be.

The thing that really holds this volume back for me is the fact that I found it difficult to follow exac...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action

Simply 'whelmed'
The art is beautiful, the watercolor make a romantic flashback, and the layout is one of the more creative, similar to Batwoman or Swamp Thing. The story focuses on Flash discovering new abilities and explanation about The Speed Force, but because of that a lot of character relationships are sacrificed. Barry has a bromance with a jerk, a lackluster romance with a standard spunky smart girl, and another one hinted with a standard feisty girl reporter. Even Captain Cold, awesome n...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Lenka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comic-books, not-5-star-but-awesome-fun

This book is simply amazing for it's visuals alone. The art is very good and the watercolours are really beautiful, but what is the most breath taking is the panel composition. Visual design of some pages is what makes the book great and unique.

The pacing of the storytelling might not be for everyone. For lack of better word I'd say it's very Flash-like. There are many time skips and jumps from one point to another, and while I do enjoy the erratic pace because I find it fitting the title, some...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Danie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dc_comics, flash

Welcome back Barry Allen and in a big (and I assume pretty permanent now) way. I've always been a Wally West as the Flash sort of person. Not for any big philosophical reason, it's just that I grew up with West not Allen. Still, I think Barry as the Flash is growing on me.

In these first issues of his reboot we get to see him go against Captain Cold, a guy who can clone more copies of himself by cutting off body parts (and then the parts on the original heal again), and we even see Grodd at the e...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Shannon Appelcline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, comics-dc

At first I found the Mob Rule character a little silly, but he’d grown on me by the end of this volume’s first arc. His connection to Barry and his power both make him a worthy rogue. The rest of the book feels more serialized, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I liked the use of Cold and the very quick dip deep into the Speed Force. Beyond that: very good art and generally nice characterization for our core three characters (Barry, his girl, and Iris).

Overall, I’d call it one of the more...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Xavier Guillaume rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Superhero Lovers

Shelves: graphic-novel

Thanks to the New 52, DC has opened me up to a whole new world of DC characters including The Flash. I never put much stock in his character. I mean, a superhero who can just run really fast? Doesn't seem too exciting to me. However, I heard some good things about this book, so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Little did I know how many amazing qualities the Flash has, at least in this new incarnation. 1) He's super hot. And by super hot I mean, I don't care much for blondes usually, but he takes th...more Thanks to the New 52, DC has opened me up to a whole new world of DC characters including The Flash. I never put much stock in his character. I mean, a superhero who can just run really fast? Doesn't seem too exciting to me. However, I heard some good things about this book, so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Little did I know how many amazing qualities the Flash has, at least in this new incarnation. 1) He's super hot. And by super hot I mean, I don't care much for blondes usually, but he takes the cake!

2) He's not only athletic, but he's smart and charming. His job is a scientist. How cool is that? I'm used to superheroes being photographers or news journalists, but scientist is way cooler in my opinion.

3) He's not just super fast. He can think fast. He can vibrate his molecules to go through objects. He can become temporarily invisible. He can create vortexes with his hands. He can create a wormhole and go through time-space. I can't think of any other superhero that can do all of this, so The Flash is cool in my book.

As for the story itself, it's not bad. I liked how it begins with The Mob, and I found their backstory really interesting. Basically, they are clones, but they are slowly dying, and instead of quietly accepting death, they will kill anyone or do anything to stop their own death from happening. Basically, they're selfish goons, but I can somehow understand that. Death is a scary thing, and sometimes it's so scary you'd do anything to avoid it, even if it means the cost of others.

The next villain is ridiculous beyond measure, Mr. Freeze, I mean, Captain Cold. Wait...Captain Cold? How fricking ludicrous is that name! But I suppose if you have a company that puts out such superheroes as Captain Atom and Animal Man, Captain Cold doesn't seem so silly after all.

All in all, I strongly recommend The Flash if you're looking for something different to read from your standard Batman or Superman. Plus, the art style in this book is amazing! There is one page in #4 in particular, where a character lies down on the floor crying, and his tears leak out onto the page, forming the memories of a tragic part of his life. It's a beautiful watercolor cartoon-style masterpiece. Expect to see bright, vibrant colors on every page, well, except flashbacks, which makes identifying a flashback really easy. The Captain Cold issues are kind of blah, but issues like #4 more than make up for it! :)(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like the Silver-Age Flash: brightly colored; wacko physics; goofy, scheming villains. I was a little put-off when I got around to checking out some modern-age Flash, particularly with the whole Speed Force thing. I guess it's inevitable with serialized narratives that you're going to get some explanation of the magic, but I preferred The Force before midi-chlorians and I liked The Flash better when he just ran fast.
The art is very pretty and the writing's sharp, but the new wrinkle in the Spe...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Stella rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really frustrated with how we're dumped into the story. I'm pretty sure the introduction of Manuel Lago as someone super-vital to Barry's life was pretty annoying for veteran and incoming readers because we're just kind of told 'oh yeah, he's totally close to Barry. Look at those flashbacks. So close.' Other than that, this was an okay read. Gotta say, what really makes this book is the artwork. Francis Manapul does seriously gorgeous stuff - if I had synesthesia, I'd just spend all day tr...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Harold rated it 3 of 5 stars

Manapul has an animated style, which seems appropriate for chronicling the deeds of the world's fastest superhero,and the opening chapters have a nice, playful feel. I have reservations about the plotting: The first storyline about Mob Rule is explained more than resolved. The second storyline with Captain Cold works much better, but Manapul doesn't seem to know where he's going with his revelations about the Speed Force, which keep adding complications to the plot and makes it seem like a wobb...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Paul bailey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: have-reviewed

I think it fair to say that the flash is one of my favourite characters, first place is a two way tie between green lantern and spider man with a different one occupying the top slot at different times. I started reading the flash sometime 2 years ago after I got interested in him via green lantern, I had loved him in the justice league television show but like many of the characters in that show I felt the show did enough exploring of his character that reading comics would give me no new infor...more
I think it fair to say that the flash is one of my favourite characters, first place is a two way tie between green lantern and spider man with a different one occupying the top slot at different times. I started reading the flash sometime 2 years ago after I got interested in him via green lantern, I had loved him in the justice league television show but like many of the characters in that show I felt the show did enough exploring of his character that reading comics would give me no new information and unlike green lantern he did not have an easily accessible jumping on point. Green lantern had rebirth and although he had existed since the 50's this represented a starting from point for this character, unfortunately this was not the case for flash when I started reading it, I know that rebirth came along later but that's so tied up in the old dc universe that it can still be very difficult to get into the flash, if you ask me though there isn't a much better place to start with the flash than the new run in 52 because it does a fantastic job of telling you everything you need to know about Barry Allen and the flash.

The art in this book for lack of a better way of describing it is quiet simply beautiful, drool inducing, spectacular, amazing and any other word that a thesaurus will throw at you when you look up beautiful. if I had to describe it I would say that it lacks a certain precision, this is in no way an insult on the book though because it really suits the flash, the flash is meant to be fast loose and this style suits it perfectly. Its blurry somewhat amateur look suits it, if I had one criticism regarding the art of this books its in the structure of the panels. Despite my quite liberal stance i'm quite conservative when it comes to certain things and those things are my cinema and the structure of my comics. There is a lot going on in this book which requires you to spend a lot of time looking through every little detail on each page, the layout of some of the pages is also somewhat daunting and confusing and requires in some cases reading thrice but it doesn't really affect the book as a whole because like i've already said this book is simply gorgeous and you will want to keep looking at the panels for as long as possible.

The story of the flash move forward is dense, quiet frankly the amount of stuff going on is quite frankly staggering but at the same time not overwhelming. This story while taking the flash in new and interesting directions (something that was promised by the dc reboot) also pays homage to classic silver and golden age flash stories. This story deals a lot with time and although many of the newer flash fans will think this is in relation to flashpoint this is not the case, time travel has existed in the flash since its inception, first he had the cosmic treadmill that allowed him to travel forward in time, in infinite crisis the flash travelled backwards in time to save the planet and off course any self respecting dc fan will know that flash point was all centred around flash ability to timetravel. I know that was bit of a weird tangent to go on but It is revelavant to my point that unlike many of the other books in the new 52 the flash has managed to create a new story while still managing to pay homage to what has been before. There is a lot going on in the flash but somehow it manages to fulfill the promises on the new 52, it successfully re-established the flash and the new universe while changing just enough to keep the flash interesting. The start of this successfully re imagines flash origins by introducing a new best friend in to the mix but low and behold he turns out to be a new enemy and point of contention for the flash, it also does this wonderful thing were by it quickly goes through the flashes powers In quick succession while imposing the idea that while flash can run fast he can also think fast, this change in the flashes powers is interesting enough to keep me interested while making absolutely logical sense, if his body is fast then why cant his mind be fast too. This new power gives him the power to see probabilities and in a somewhat limited fashion see the future but naturally it has it limitations in that he can get bogged down and get hurt if he over thinks, I think much of the future flash story lines are going to deal with this problem of balancing the two. There is also the problem that Barry's speed force is dangerous and that if Barry runs too fast then he will open up a time portal that could prove disastrous for the people around him, this is a nice devices to placate Barry's powers and adds a extra dimension to it all. This naturally culminates in him being sucked into the speed force and sent to some strange part of time but more on that in the next book.

Unlike many of the other parts of the dc reboot this has changed many of the pre existing parts of the flash, firstly Barry has a new girlfriend he is no longer with iris west in fact iris kind of has a vendetta against the flash , secondly there is no wally for many this will be a good thing but for me im a little disappointed I would have preferred if they got rid of the family and kept wally but alas that is not meant to be but I hold out hope that they will reintroduce him in the future because hes a character I enjoy even if his family is a massive pain in the ball sack. Thirdly the flash is not all that popular in the two gem cities, all these things are really interesting and will hopefully add a new dimension and keep the flash interesting. So this has done the impossible it has successfully established the flash in the new dc universe while somehow changing the things that were the foundation of the flash in the dc universe. This is highly recommended for any flash fan and none flash fan alike.

8/10(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, graphic-novels, read-in-2013

I guess I'm not really attached to The Flash one way or the other. I have yet to read anything about the character that makes me go WOW! I love this guy!...yet. I'm holding out hope that at some point that will happen, and that's why I keep reading titles like this.
I think Barry Allen has the same problem as Clark Kent. He's just so darn nice.
Which is great...if you want to marry him.
Otherwise, he's not all that interesting as a person. Which is so sad when I think about it. I mean, he's a goo...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm so enjoying DC's new 52. I want to follow so many of the characters/story arcs following my read of all the issues 1 of the 52 titles that I may have to make a bargain with the Devil to stop time. Here, I pick up with Flash, who I have to admit I haven't read before and as far as I recall there hasn't been a motion picture film. So this is a chance for me to explore a new character in the DC Universe and I'm liking it so far. Now I have to wait for the next volume ...

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Dec 07, 2012 Dave rated it 2 of 5 stars

While most of my friends know that Batman and Spider-Man are my two favorite heroes, The flash is in my top "5". I've kept up with him on and off since the early 1970's.
I really did not enjoy this collection. :( It was hard for me to follow, and I had to go back more than once to see if I missed anything. Not only that, it ends in the middle of a story-line! But I won't go out of ny way for Vol. 2...
Too bad, I was looking foward to this when I picked it up..

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Jul 19, 2012 Gary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, graphic-novels

The Flash is not one of DC's Superheroes that I'm really familiar with. I know he's faster than Superman. The incarnation I'm familiar with is the live-action version played by John Wesley Shipp in the early 90s.

These comics did not to endear or impress onto the character. After five years he's barely touched the surface on his powers. I can't tell who he's in love with until the last few pages. IT was a shock because I thought he had feelings for the other one.

Like I say I don't know much about...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Jennifer Priester rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-books, 3-star

This book might be Vol.1 but it doesn't cover Flash's orgin. It tells about it but doesn't go into major details unlike the new Superboy story does. It is still a good book for those familiar with the Flash but I think before newcomers read this one they should go back to Flash's older comics before they will really understand the story, but I could be wrong! Otherwise it is a very good book for fans of Flash's to read.

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May 10, 2013 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

This is by far one of the most innovative and beautiful comics out today. The Flash is facing old friends and a problem with his powers that could threaten the cities he protects. This is the first volume of 'The Flash', as he is seen in DC Comics' 'New 52. That being said, it is not an origin story., although the Flash's abilities and general identity are defined for readers. Bottom line: Established comic fans should enjoy the visuals, and the story is very satisfactory. New comic readers may...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fuck. I think I might like this better than The New 52 Batman series. A lot of The New 52 series have either been alright or bad and some have been amazing (Batman, Wonder Woman, This etc). I have never read Flash before and I wasn't sure what to expect, but...Wow. This is a completely new story and you don't need to know anything about the Flash before this, everything is explained brilliantly. The art is maybe the best I have ever seen and the dialogue and story is brilliant. I love how this f...more

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About Francis Manapul

Francis Manapul is a comic book artist living in Toronto, Canada currently working for DC comics. His list of credits include the forthcoming Adventure Comics, and Superman Batman. In the past he's worked on titles like Legion of Super-Heroes, Iron and the Maiden, Necromancer, Sept Guerrieres, Tomb Raider, Darkness, G.I Joe and of course Witchblade.

Photo by Luigi Novi.

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Flash 02 (Flash, #2) [Nuevo Universo DC]

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title link	preview: The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward
avg rating	preview: The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward Goodreads rating: 3.89 (731 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13533744-the-flash-vol-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344521289l/13533744.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13533744-the-flash-vol-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward by Francis Manapul[/url]

The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward (The Flash Vol. IV #1)

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