The Flash #13 Review

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Neil Googe, Ivan Plascencia and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 28, 2016

While I didn't end up loving the Shade's visit to Central City (and the Shadowlands) in the last two issues of Flash, I did enjoy the Barry/Wally interaction and the way the last issue ended had me so excited!  Barry asking Iris out on a date is what Rebirth is all about!  Joshua Williamson may just win me over yet.  I respect him so much as a writer, but to this point, it feels like he is not a great fit for The Flash.  Does this issue change my opinion?  Let's find out...


The issue opens and while it's the Holiday Season, it felt a bit odd to get a Christmas setup.  Maybe that's just me, but it felt like someone coming to the door for free candy on November 1st...Get out of here, ya bums!!!  It is just setup to show that Wally is out fighting crime while Iris is on a date.  Okay...why is Wally out on his own just because Iris is on a date?  Come on Wally, put two and two together!

We then head off to the date and Iris makes sure it's all about Barry and herself...no cellphones, no running off and as Barry says to himself, No Flash!  I immediatley worried about Wally and we find out my worries were well founded as the young Speedster runs right into Tar Pit!

I haven't really been a huge fan of Neil Googe when he shows up in this book, but I'll tell you, Tar Pit looks awesome!  Williamson doesn't play him off as a big threat to the city, just to Barry and Iris' date.  As Wally tries to stop the big bad, Williamson lays some hints that Tar Pit has some less than nefarious plans going on here.

Meanwhile, Iris calls Barry out on his dating history (pretty funny when Jessica Cruz falls in the "other" category) and the two try to figure out why they just can't make it work.  I'll give Williamson a ton of credit here, he isn't just going to get these two together because people want it.  He is going to do it in a realistic way and that means some bumps in the road, even this early.

Back to Wally and Tar Pit, we do find out why TP needed the money and it's something that is tailor made for Wally to care about.  While it doesn't save the bad guy from Iron Heights, it points to even badder guys for Wally to take care of.  The scene that follows is a bit more cartoony than this book has been, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, it's one of the first times in this series that Wally actually deserves the title, Kid Flash.

The issue winds down with Barry and Iris looking like they just might make it work this time, but after a coy little hint from Iris, we see what Williamson has in store for the series coming up.  Again, we get an awesome cliffhanger showing something that every reader of the Flash has wanted since Rebirth started.

This issue was a full out setup issue for the upcoming arc, but I liked it.  In fact, I liked it a whole lot.  Seeing Wally do his thing for a totally unselfish reason was what I've wanted to see from the character for so long.  We also get a bit of an uncomfortably first date (2nd? 3rd? 4th?) that is all about avoiding distractions...just as one of the Flash's biggest ones is headed to Central City.  I'm suddenly looking forward to the next Flash issue and I am so happy for that.

I mentioned above that I am not a Neil Googe fan.  His story is a bit too cartoony for me...which is why it fits tis issue so well.  The Wally-centric story and slight goofiness of it made Googe's art a perfect fit here.

Bits and Pieces:

After being disappointed by the Flash book for the most part of Rebirth, I am so glad to be able to recommend this issue.  Sure, it's a downtime, setup type of issue, but it made me smile and that means something to me.  Neil Googe's art is a great fit for this story and I suggest everyone check this out...especially those who dropped the book already.

8.5/10