Just when Barry Allen’s life seems to be settling down after the chaos that was his clashes with the Rouges and the invasion led by Gorilla Grodd on Central City. Barry’s life appears to be getting to a better place moving in with his girlfriend Patty Spivot and has rescued Iris West and the others who had been trapped inside the Speed Force. All appears to be good, until a super powered murderer starts killing those with a connection to the Speed Force. A new Flash epic stars here.
After the more fantastical elements have been dealt with in previous story arcs, the central conflict of Reverse is that of a murder mystery that’s a bit more grounded approach for a story. It’s a more compelling story than previous of the run so far, it exercises some restraint in its approach. The style of story and art by Manapul feels like the mystery stories that he worked with writer Geoff Johns on their 2010 series. The Flash can do almost anything but here he uses his scientist skills to help solve the grisly murders. With both Barry and Iris both targets of this killer, their proximity to each other may prove problematic for Barry’s relationship with Patty. With earlier Flash stories of the series having so much happen so fast, this story is slowly unraveled, just the way a murder mystery should. It has a greater emphasis on Barry’s police work and interpersonal relationships, adding more substance the world of the Flash. It also gives the core conflict a sense of urgency. The plot thickens at a slower pace than normal and it’s nice that the slow reveal gives the events ample room to breathe. Just as the killer's identity is revealed, the Villains Month issue steps back from current events and reveals the back story of the interesting villain, building anticipation and suspense for the overall story. The new take on the Reverse Flash is fantastic, his plan is a darker reflection of Barry Allen’s good intentions during the Flashpoint story by Geoff Johns in 2011.
The two year run by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato finishes on a high note, it’s a great ending story arc to their run on the Flash. Their Reverse story arc serves as a nice farewell to character that the creative team have handled so deftly. But before it can feel like a grand finale send off from the creative duo, they’ve one more story to tell. The Flash #25 is part of the Zero Year tie-in reveals Barry’s role during the Batman: Zero Year story. During Gotham’s blackout caused by The Riddler six years ago and before Barry Allen got the powers that made him The Flash. He responded to a call set out to Law Enforcement Agencies during their state of emergency, Barry is in Gotham helping out Harvey Bullock investigating a new drug on the streets of Gotham. In a surprising reveal it is the first meeting of he and Iris West. The two get on well and this flash back story sheds some more light on the chemistry between them, despite what is taking place in Barry’s relationship with Patty in present day continuity. The creator’s ability knack for characterisation carries the story through what would otherwise be a straightforward plot. It is an interesting tie to Zero Year with the focus on showcasing the kind of person Barry Allen is, with an eye on the hero man he’ll one day become.
The art thankfully remains one of the best parts of the series. Manapul and Buccellato fully perform art duties on their final story arc. In terms of art, the duo have been one of the most consistent on a comic series. Artist’s Scott Hepburn and Chris Sprouse pencil the Villain’s Month and Zero Year issues respectively, with original artists returning to their stunning art for the final few pages in Gotham. The art has always remained one of the greatest qualities of the stories, from the innovative layouts to the combination of soft tones and strong splashes of colour, everything about The Flash's visuals is executed with a level of sophistication that few superhero comics could match. In their final arc the two speedsters clash and produce incredible violent battles throughout the story that make the incredibly vibrant art alone makes this a Flash fight a standout of their run and one the Flash's greatest battles.
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato wrapped up their epic Flash run by introducing Reverse-Flash in a big way.The final story arc Reverse, concludes the run by pair duo 25 issue run on the Scarlet Speedster. Reverse plays more to Barry Allen’s strengths as an Crime Scene Investigator while the events of the story further complicates Barry’s personal live with an ensuing love triangle between Barry Iris and Patty.While Buccellato would continue as a writer for the last few issues on the series collected is The Flash Volume 5: History Lessons before both creators brought their amazing talents to Batman Detective Comics with issue #30. The final story puts the Flash against a new version of an old enemy while returning the character to its stronger central theme of a murder mystery that Manapul started with previous Flash writer Geoff Johns. This was the story I was most looking forward to stars a new and interesting iteration of the Reverse Flash as well as a brilliant and fantastic end to the creative run of Manapul and Buccellto, concluding their stunning run of The Flash.
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