I’ve continued my exploration of the world of comic books with the next two volumes of the New 52 series of The Flash. I chose the Fastest Man Alive as my entry point because of my love for the CW television series and I feel like that series may itself be the reason I’m not capable of embracing the comics format. This is obviously just a personal bias, but compared to the well-rounded characters and fully-developed plotlines of the television show, the comics pale in comparison.
Volume 3 is the weaker of the two by far, dealing with King Grodd’s invasion of Central City. Grodd is one of the weaker villains ever brought forth on the TV show, and his presence hear leads to a muddled story and cluttered illustrations that left this novice in the dark and hoping for the end.
Volume 4 is much stronger and not coincidentally for this reader features the best villain of the TV show, Reverse-Flash. Everything about Reverse Flash is different in this story but the prospect of an evil speedster counterpart is apparently hard to mess up. This volume also features a cameo by Kid Flash and a coda where a pre-powers Barry Allen meets Iris West while investigating a crime in Gotham City.
I feel somewhat fraudulent writing these reviews as my limitations obviously call my judgment into question. I’m going to continue on with Volumes 5 and 6 but I’m not sure I’ll be counting them toward my reviews.
