Convergence: The Flash #1 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Federico Dallocchio
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 22, 2015

Barry Didn't Choose the Dome Life...

If you have been following our site and/or our podcast, you will know that I jumped on this DC Comics trolley with the New 52.  Sure, I dabbled in comics before hand, but never got down on my hands and knees and...wait a second, what the hell I'm I talking about?  What I'm trying to say is that even though DC pushed this Convergence Event as a thing for old school fans, I think they were selling it short.  Take this book for instance.  Flash is my second favorite character (right behind Dick Grayson) and Barry Allen is my Flash.  When this Event was announced, this is one of the books I was looking forward too.  Old school, New School, No School (like Eric)...what does it matter, I couldn't wait.   Now that it's here, was it worth the wait?  Let's find out...



If you have been reading the Convergence tie-ins, you'll know the routine by now.  We are introduced to our hero and find out why he or she is in the City of the week.  This issue we get Pre-Crisis Earth One Gotham City and Barry was in town for the Paralympics when the Dome covered the City.  Hey, I'm a miserable man who likes (loves?) to complain, but how can I complain about the Paralympics?!? Anyway, Dan Abnett quickly gets readers up to "speed" with what's going on and while I can't say the opener was rip roaring fun, I really enjoyed it.

The reason I liked it right away may be a bit personal.  As this Event has gone on, I have gravitated to the titles that showed the personal side of Dome life.  This may be my favorite so far.  While we get the usual "Flash" stuff like Barry starting his day by trying to jog the Speed Force back into him, we also get "Barry" stuff.  He misses Iris and thinks about her constantly which is nice, but when he goes to work at the GCPD, I had a huge smile on my face.  Barry may not be Fastest Man Alive at the moment, but he's still fighting crime in the Crime Lab.  I loved seeing that so much!  This is more of a Barry book than a Flash book and I didn't mind one bit.

Dan Abnett gives us another thing sorely missing from so many of the other Convergence tie-ins...interaction.  By that, I mean interaction between heroes.  Barry meets Bruce Wayne for coffee and it's two old friends who have been through the ringer together, trying to figure out what to do next.  While nothing really comes from it, it's a nice scene and Bruce has one of the best parting comments to Barry ever.  Just an aside...Bruce seemed very relaxed to me.  Maybe he has found some peace under the Dome?  Just saying.

Again, if you have been reading the other Convergence books, you are waiting for the next part to happen...the Dome comes down, Telos gives his speech and boom...Barry is the Flash once again. He quickly realizes that they are not on Earth and then his opponent arrives.  I am not fully versed in the Tangent Universe, but if you are, I'm sure you'll be excited.

If you haven't figured it out, I really like this issue.  However, it is far from perfect.  It is all setup for next month, I wish Barry getting his powers back was more exciting and I think that when Barry realized he's not on Earth, he'd be more upset.  All those things didn't upset me too much and I'd recommend this issue to any Flash fan out there.

I liked Federico Dallocchio's art and have to give him huge kudos for sticking with the 80's styles of the Crisis timeline.  Big hair, neon clothes and "let's get physical" exercise outfits fit the time period so well.   While I didn't love Bruce Wayne's look in this issue, everything else looked great.

Bits and Pieces:

If you love the Barry Allen, you will want to get this issue.  Sure, it's setup for next month's finale, but if you've been following the Event, you know the routine.  Dan Abnett gives us a day in the life of Barry Allen and I wish I could see more.  This is a very personal issue and I applaud Dan Abnett for it.

8.0/10