The Flash #41 Review

Written by: Robert Venditti and Van Jensen
Art by: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 24, 2015

Zoom Zoom

I have been waiting for Flash to come back for one thing...Professor Zoom.  I am one of the few reviewers who seemed to love the Savage Land of the Speed Force and the future Barry of the last arc, but when it ended with the reveal of Professor Zoom, I think everyone cheered.  Of course, the two month Convergence layoff made the wait that much harder, but Flash #41 is finally here.  Was it worth the wait?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with a flash (Flash?) forward that throws you right into the action. Barry is fighting a giant armored wrecking machine of a villain and things are going as you'd expect.  Pissed off bad guy, trash talking Flash and...Professor Zoom?!?  Yep. we don't have to wait long and while Venditti and Jensen only give us a nibble, it's enough to make me starving for more.  Bad guys try to hurt you, evil guys like to mess with you first.  Zoom is pure evil!  Barry sees him and it throws him of his game big time.

The issue then shifts to the present and we see a little of the repercussions of Barry and Patty's breakup.  I don't know about you, but I never really liked Patty.  I'm not saying that I think Barry and Iris should be together, but the Patty thing just felt like something thrown in to shake things up for the New 52 relaunch. Now that he's single and ready to mingle, Barry has rented an apartment and may need to talk to his landlord about privacy issues.  After a very weird scene with a pet rat, it's off to Iron Heights and a little father-son talk.

I'm sure everyone reading this already knows the back story of Henry Allen, Barry's father. Convicted of killing his wife, he's been in Iron Heights serving a life sentence while Barry continues searching for clues to prove his innocence.  Well, Barry finally has a real lead, but when he tells his father, Henry freaks out.  During the entire New 52 run, there have been hints that Henry (and Daryl) know the truth and are keeping it from Barry.  I am so excited that we are getting to see more.

I'm also excited because it is opening a crazy, cool story that I never saw coming.  I won't spoil it, but Henry Allen is about to become a huge part of this book and I'm not sure Barry is going to be too happy about it.  I may have been excited about Professor Zoom when I started reading this issue, but it's Henry Allen that has me pumped going forward.

I really liked this issue, but that's no shock as I'm a huge Flash fan.  Yes, regular readers may be turned off a bit that this issue is setup for new readers to jump on and may even feel a bit more like the television show than it has in the past, but if it gets more fans reading, I'm in.  We get the setup for two awesome story lines in an issue that had the speed and excitement that a Flash story should.

Speaking of excitement, Brett Booth's art is just that.  His action scenes are always kick ass, but the parts with Henry Allen (and some cool guest stars) were the highlight for me this week.  Norm Rapmund's inks combine with Booth's art to make this such a "fast" looking book and Andrew Dalhouse continues to show why he is one of my favorite colorists in comics.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue is a good jumping on point for new readers, but there is plenty for returning fans to love as well.  The big draw coming in was Professor Zoom and while his appearance was brief, it sets him up as a pretty evil badass.  However, Henry Allen stole the show and what he does has me so pumped up for the book going forward.

9.0/10