The Flash: Season Zero #4 Review

Written by: Andrew Kreisberg, Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walczak
Art by: Phil Hester
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: October 15,2014

Etsy Snapchat Donnie Darko

I may be a big dummy, but this book is nothing like I expected it to be.  I know it's a tie-in to the CW television show, but you could have fooled me.  It's fine that the Barry within these pages doesn't look like Grant Gustin, but why does he look 20 years older?  Also, the "Season Zero" in the title lead me to believe that this would lead up to the pilot episode of the new program.  It does not.  I know that if it did, the book would be a Flash book before there was a Flash and that wouldn't work, but why make it seem that way?  Tie that all together with an opening arc that's been ridiculous and not that good and it's hard for me to get excited about this title.  Well, the arc continues this issue and while this is my favorite issue in the series so far, it's far from great.



The issue opens with a little recap of the story thanks to Caitlin and some handy newspaper articles.  I don't like the circus myself, but Mr. Bliss and company take it to new heights.  Seriously, the guy has to get with the times and realize that no one cares about the Circus nowadays and get on with his life.  Instead, he has used the meta powers his gang got from the particle accelerator accident and is out for revenge.  Barry suits up and heads to the Big Top to end it once-and-for-all.

When Barry gets to the Circus it's a pretty fun scene, buit it also pushes one of the things that annoys me in this book.  The humor...or the lack of it to be exact.  As Barry goes from a pack of evil clowns to an odd (and confusing) sword swallower, the reader has to sit through lame jokes and pop culture references.  It all comes off as desperate and forced.  We get it, Barry is a young Hipster who uses Etsy and has watched the Empire Strikes Back.  That doesn't make me like him any more or less than I already did.

The issue ends with Barry taking a trip to outer space (really) and then coming face-to-face with Mr. Bliss himself.  You can tell Bliss is evil because he blows cigar smoke in Barry's face.  What a dick!  The last page is the best of the issue even if the end declaration is just ridiculous.  I will be back in two weeks, but I won't say I can't wait.  Believe me, I can.

Phil Hester is still on art and I have the same problem with this issue as all the others...everything is so generic.  While he does an okay job with the varied villains, the main characters suffer.  The set pieces are also pretty average as well and add little to the story.  There aren't that many male characters in this book, please make them look different.

Bits and Pieces:

The Flash: Season Zero #4 is another sub par issue in an already underwhelming series.  The story is fun enough, but the forced references and humor doesn't help with anything but my eye rolling practice.  The art continues to be too generic to make me care and in the end, I can't recommend this book to anyone.

5.0/10