The Flash #3 Review

Flash Fact or Fiction?

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 27, 2016

If you come to our little site, you may know that I was not so happy with The Flash book at the start of Rebirth.  It's not that it was bad, but was more rehash and recap than I was hoping for.  That all ended last issue when Joshua Williamson finally put the past behind him and Barry Allen and got this book moving forward into a fun and exciting now.  It only took that one issue to get me pumped for this book and as of now, I am all in.  Does that continue after reading this issue?  Let's find out...


The issue opens with a quick narration that got me jealous again that I didn't have Speed Force powers.  My envy grew even more immense as we see a couple douchebags affected by the Speed Force Storm.  They have gone on a crime spree, but before they can get too far, Barry and August on there to stop them...dead in their tracks.

Now this is the fun I've been waiting for!  A Speedster Army sounds so cool, but seeing how different people react to getting such an awesome power may be even better.  We also get another little hint at August not being such a great guy.

It's no secret what's going on in Central City as we see a news report on the Storm which leads to the best thing Williamson has done since taking over the book.  I don't want to ruin it, but it's one of the Flash's biggest villains reacting to a city full of Speedsters.  Hilarious!

After seeing that August is a glass half empty kind of guy, him and Flash take the robbing and a stealing Speedsters to Iron Heights in a really nice callback to the New 52 book.  Flash then fills August in on Zoom and i can only think that Barry has crossed the TMI line right here and now.  I guess I'm a glass half empty kind of guy as well.

After August becomes Captain Obvious and figures Dr. Carver and the Black Hole are responsible for the Speed Force Storm, Barry is told that S.T.A.R. Labs has set up a Speed Force training center. Boy, that was quick...no pun intended whatsoever.

The center is run by Dr. Meena Dhawan who seems to be interested in Barry (and vice versa) and is also a Speedster herself.  She has some interesting evidence from the Speed Force Storm, but before getting into it, we are off to see Wally West use his improved (?) powers to grab police evidence on Black Hole.  I so want more of Wally in this book!

The issue ends with some good and some really, really bad.  The bad is seeing Flash help a poor little girl deal with her new Speed Force powers.  Now this is the Flash I love so much!  The bad is seeing our first real glimpse of Godspeed and the destruction he leaves in his wake.  It sets up so much and also might lay to rest some early theories on the villain of this book.

Williamson continues pressing the right buttons and while this issue is setup heavy, we get to see the Flash being a great guy, a possible love interest (am I the only one who thinks she will be dead sooner than later?) and a cliffhanger that has me wanting the next issue right now.

As each new issue comes and goes, I am more impressed with Carmine Di Giandomenico's art in this book.  I know that people have a problem with the art when Flash is just plain old Barry Allen and I was in that boat myself when the series started.  This issue is pretty much all Flash, but the other "regular" characters look great as well.  In fact, this is the best looking issue of the series so far.

Bits and Pieces:

I'm still all in and maybe even more after this issue.  Williamson is giving us a fun Flash book with a character everyone can fall in love with.  The Black Hole investigation gets put on hold this issue to concentrate on the new Speedsters and Barry reacting to them, but Dr. Carver and his crew will surely become more and more involved as we go forward.  I have theories on who Godspeed is, but I don't want to spoil anything...not even with ridiculously wrong information.

8.6/10