The Flash, Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution Author: Francis Manapul | Language: English | ISBN:
1401240313 | Format: PDF
The Flash, Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution Description
Review
Praise for Manapul's
The Flash:
"Showcases the Flash's likability and almost a hint of goofiness ... a lot of potential for greatness."—
USA Today "A visual treat.... Any reader can easily jump on board."—
The New York Times"The Flash will be one of the runaway hits of this reboot—and could eventually become one of the great runs of American superhero comics."—
Time Out Chicago"Flash fans should breathe a sigh of relief that the character is 100% definitely in the right hands."—
MTV GeekAbout the Author
Francis Manapul is the artist and co-writer of THE FLASH, which is part of DC Comics-The New 52. His previous work for DC Comics includes books such as ADVENTURE COMICS, SUPERMAN/BATMAN, and THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. His work has been published in various publications from the likes of Aspen Comics, Editions Delcourt, Top Cow Productions, and Devils Due just to name a few. Manapul was a TV Presenter on SyFy's Beast Legends, in which he and a team of scientists and adventurers traveled the globe in search of scientific data to create mythical beasts. Manapul was born in Manila, Philippines and currently calls Toronto, Canada his home.
- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: DC Comics (August 20, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1401240313
- ISBN-13: 978-1401240318
- Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Being a Flash fan, I was hesitant at first when two artists take over as co-plotters and artist for the Scarlet Speedster. I know Francis Manapul did work with Geoff Johns on Flash pre-52, but him and his colorist Brian Buccellato did not have a background at writers. And to my surprise, The Flash Vol. 1: Move Forward (The New 52) (Flash (Graphic Novels)) was a splendid reintroduction of Barry Allen for the New 52. Good writing and some of the best art work out there, the team of Buccellato and Manapul introduced a new villain and brought back old Rogue favorite Captain Cold and the Top, now renamed "Turbine". Volume 2 reintroduces all the old Rogues to take down the Flash and does it work out? We'll see.
THE FLASH VOL.2: ROGUES REVOLUTION collects issues #9-12, #0, and FLASH ANNUAL #1. Picking up from the end of volume 1, Flash has returned to reality and runs into Gorilla Grodd and finds out more about a "prophecy" he has with the Speed Force. Since returning to Central City, Flash has a few surprises happen to him. Dr. Elias is now the cities hero and against Flash, his alter ego Barry Allen is dead and finds a new job in Central City's sister city, Keystone City, working at a bar where the cities villains hang out. And it looks like Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, and Golden Glider have reformed The Rogues to finish Flash once and for all.
Volume 2 is heavy and fast on reintroducing the Rogues into the New 52 while slowly rebuilding Barry Allen's/Flashes return to normal life. Issue #9 is about Gorilla Grodd and his city, Gorilla City, connection to Flash and the Speed Force.
Flash goes from strength-to-strength in the New 52. There were a few odd moments in volume 2 that didn't quite gel in my opinion, but otherwise the story was strong and the art was excellent. Minor spoilers included.
The first issue of Rogues Revolution is a little weak. Flash turns up in Africa with no memory and is found by Grodd and his gang. Flash is thought to be a messenger from the Gods because he looks like a picture in some paintings. Strangely there is little mention of how unusual talking gorillas are. We also see Iris and the others still trapped in a mysterious zone from which they cannot escape. Not much is made of this and they don't show up again. I'm sure this is going to come up in some later stories, but it felt weird to just completely drop them from the story.
The main story from Brian Buccellato then starts. At first, I thought we were going to get a "villain-of-the-week" volume, but fortunately it goes beyond that. We get back stories for Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, Heatwave, and Glider, so all the Rogues feel relevant to those reading The Flash for the first time. I really liked the pages devoted to explaining how they got their powers. It was simple enough, but felt plausible and helped explain why there are so many super-powered people running around. Allen's detective work was also interesting. The story culminates in Annual 1 and leaves off on a solid cliffhanger.
Issue 0 is very good, although not the best I have read. The story moves around in time a lot, but by the end it does a good enough job of establishing Flash's creation and motivation.
Most of the artwork is done by Francis Manapul and his work is glorious. He has a few weeks off and leaves the drawing to Marcus To.
The Flash, Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution Preview
Link
Please Wait...