The Flash #14 Review

Cold Lampin' With Snart

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 11, 2017

I have really started to like Flash and it's for one big reason...Kid Flash!  Having Wally step up his game has really cranked the fun level up and I love the interaction between him and Barry.  Of course, getting to see the first steps of the Barry/Iris love affair is not too shabby either and if that all isn't enough, the promise of the Rogues being back in Central City is pretty damn cool too! Seriously, if  Joshua Williamson keeps going at this pace, The Flash is quickly going to become the place to be!  So, does the fun train continue in this issue?  Let's find out...


The issue opens with Barry giving the reader a quick rundown of the Rogues.  It jumps from old school to new school and back again and I give Williamson so much credit for what we get here.  He ties so much into a couple of pages from Boomerang being in the Suicide Squad, to the hero turn of the team during Forever Evil to the teaming-up with Flash at the end of the New 52.  It is done very subtly, but if you read all of those arcs, it will put a smile on your face.

It all leads to where we stand now...the Rogues are gone and other villains are trying to fill the void.  Williamson picks up with this theme right where he left off with Papercut.  Papercut!!!  The origami villain is joined by a couple other ridiculously named fellows and it made me laugh as I yearned for the Rogues return right along with Barry.

On that front, Barry is working overtime to find out the what, where and why of the Rogues disappearance and it's nice to see him use some detective skills here.  What begins as a cold case (no pun intended) starts to heat up (maybe one there) and leads him directly to...a trap?!?  Without spoiling too much, we do get to see the Rogues, but it's still unclear what they are up to in their grand return to Central City.  There are a couple of hints along the way, but with their recent history, it's anyone's guess right now.

While seeing the Rogues is the highlight of the issue, there are a few other bits as well.  We see Barry and Iris go off on a movie date night (Horror?  Eric Shea would be in heaven here though I know it will kill him not to know the movies) and in a really nice touch, they bring Wally with.  As for Wally, we get a Teen Titans mention, but it's what he's researching that is interesting and will propel his story in this book forward.  All this was well done, but again...THE ROGUES!

I liked this issue.  It's the beginning of a new arc with what may be some readers first Rogues experience so it's description and recap filled, but I think Williamson did a great job filling everyone in.  We continue seeing the effort that Barry is putting into dating Iris and get a taste of what Wally is up to as well.  In the end, it's all about the Rogues and the issue ended with me wanting more...now!

Carmine Di Giandomenico is back on the book and does a really good job here.  We don't get to see the Rogues in all their glory until the end, but they looked awesome.  I'm still not a huge fan of Carmine's out of costume Barry, but as the Flash, he looks awesome.  

Bits and Pieces:

The beginning of Rogues Reloaded is full of recap and setup, but if you are a fan of Captain Cold and his crew, you won't mind a bit.  Joshua Williamson catches up readers on what the Rogues are all about, throws some hints and mysteries at you and then ends with the boys (and girl ) back in town. This is what I wanted out of Rebirth from the start and I'm so glad we are getting it now!

8.0/10