So Kid Flash meets former Kid Flash who is now just Flash, but not the Barry Allen Flash, who is also hanging around. So many people have super speed now that it just makes me feel all the less speedy.

The new supervillain in Central City is … get this … Papercut. Yes, if you don’t empty your wallet, he’ll give you one of those annoying papercuts. Seriously? A kid with safety scissors could defeat this villain.

Kid Flash wants to prove himself, but he can’t quite do it, even with a third string villain like Papercut. To make amends, he goes after an old Central City supervillain … The Shade (vintage 1940s version). Of course, Kid Flash ends up as a captive in the Shadowlands, and of course Flash and Iris West suffer the same fate. The story turns from mediocre to ridiculous when Iris becomes the co-Queen of Shadowlands. The “possessed by evil” plot is the last refuge of deadline-driven writers who can’t coax something original from their imaginations. The same is true of the intertwined “stop them before they open a portal to Earth and destroy everything” plot.

Just as Flash and Kid Flash are about to be overwhelmed by Shadow Monsters, they take a break to have a heart-to-heart talk about all of Kid Flash’s anxiety issues. Seriously? How about the anxiety of being devoured by Shadow Monsters? I don’t have much patience for soap opera even at appropriate moments, but tossing it in at a laughably inappropriate moment is just too much.

Fortunately, F and KF are able to save the world with a (spoiler alert) fist bump (end spoiler alert). Just how silly is that? The art in this story … well, it’s a sketchy style I don’t want to get used to.

The final story starts with Barry going on a date with Iris. Although you wouldn’t know it because the two characters are drawn in a completely different way. They wouldn’t recognize themselves. Not that the version of Barry Allen in the earlier story even remotely resembles Carmine Infantino’s conception of the character, which is my book is the one true face of Barry Allen. The story’s concept, which isn’t bad, is that Kid Flash battles crime to give Barry and Iris a chance to have dinner together. The story features supervillain Tar Pit and has a nice little Christmas message. It doesn’t redeem the volume, but it pulls a 2 star complaint fest into a 3 star review.

This was a great read, story kept me glued the entire time and the artwork was awesome to boot!

ARC from Netgalley.
This Volume of Flash has a main story and two side stories. The side tales (Kid Flash vs. Tar Pit on Christmas Eve AND a Wally/Barry/Wally team-up) are very interesting and could hold the Volume on their own, but I really like the play of light vs. dark in the main story.
Wally and Barry begin to fight against shadows, when they find out that Barry's old friend, Shade, who usually controls shadows, has lost control and both his wife Hope and the Iris we all know have been sucked into the Shadowlands. The only thing to combat it? The light from the lightning of the Speed Force. But why are Hope and Iris attacking them?
Since Rebirth, Flash has been pretty good, but I look forward to seeing the return of Captain Cold in the next Volume.
Recommend.

It’s real simple: I love the Flash. And I always, always want to love every Flash story and every Flash graphic novel. But this time I didn’t: Speed of Darkness a huge fail.

This one starts off showing the Flash (Barry Allen) and Kid Flash (Wally West) working together. It’s not really a sidekick kind of story, but then again it is. (Weird, I know.) Barry is trying to teach Wally about the incredible power of the speed force, but Wally doesn’t really know or trust Barry, plus he thinks there isn’t anything to being a hero and wants to run into things full blast.

[PIC 1]

During the story, Barry and Flash deal with Shade, fight darkness demons, fight things from the Shadowlands, and then after that they do some more fighting.

So I kind of hated this comic. Know why? One, I hated the way Barry was written. Two, it wasn’t a Flash comic at all. Nope, this one should have been titled Kid Flash: Speed of Whine, because it didn’t have much at all to do with the Flash and Wally spent the whole story whining about everything he wanted. RIGHT. NOW! Wally really acted like a baby. Honestly.

As for the art, it was decent, I guess. Some of it was really good, others not so much. At least, that is what I thought, but I’m not an artist, so I don’t really know how to explain what was wrong with the art the majority of the time. I didn’t like it is about the best I can do.

[PIC 2]

I hate being so negative about this book, but I didn’t like it. If you thought it was great and totally disagree with me that is cool. Glad you enjoyed it! As for me, I really don’t know if I’ll be picking up another Flash book for a while; I just don’t think this writer is the right one for me.

Well, I hope you liked this review, and if you are on Goodreads, friend me any time to talk about my reviews or comic books in general.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

my rating: ★★★☆☆
tags: comics, DC
goodreads rating: 3.44

I received an arc copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS ON VOLUME ONE:

I am not totally sure how I really felt about this volume. This reminds me a lot of the show, though I have to say I have recently fallen out of love with the series. I had a hard time getting into this volume as I wasn’t really digging the art but as the volume went on I really started to like it. I really enjoyed Godspeed and Avery so I’m hoping to see their characters develop in volume 2.

Notes:
-easy to read
-cool villains/plot
-everything happens very fast
-centered around Wally West

REVIEW

This is what I said on Goodreads after I finished the comic:

“I wasn’t really expecting to like this because volume 1 was pretty meh and I am really exhausted lately but I actually really enjoyed this one. I’m hoping to read volume 3 when it comes out later this year.”

Though I think I disagree with this now that I’ve had time to think about the comic. While I was definitely more impressed with this volume than the first, I still wasn’t a massive fan of it. Overall, I was pretty bored and now that it’s been a month since I’ve read the comic, I really doubt I’ll read the third volume.

-

In this volume we really got to explore the relationship between Wally and Barry which I really liked. I think if you don’t know much about the comics or you’re interested in learning more about Wally West, Rebirth is good place for you to start, especially because the series is so new and you don’t have too far to catch up.

I think in this comic I really realised why I preferred Francis Manapul’s series, 1 I just really preferred Barry in that series and 2 I have never been a fan of the Barry x Iris reltionship, especially in the show because they’re asically siblings and it’s too weird.

This is definitely a cool comic series but after waiting a couple weeks after I read the second volume I’ve realised that I don’t really care about Rebirth. I much prefer Manapaul’s series. The only thing I really care about in this series is Wally, Barry is wet and boring, whereas Wally is more interesting to me as I know a lot less about him.

Also, I think I’m just falling out of love with The Flash in general, I don’t watch the show anymore. Actually, in general I might have fallen out of love with DC completely. The only thing I really care about is the WW films (my mum’s excitement makes me excited) and I am still planning to see the Aquaman film, though I doubt I’ll see it in the cinema.

I think Barry Allen as a main character is too much of a wet towel for me, I much prefer a superhero like Iron Man or Spidey, a character who actually has personality and isn’t just a guy with a sad past.

Overview
-Continuing plot from volume 1 but barely
-Weak plot arc
-I enjoyed it while reading it but I just don’t think The Flash is for me

Will I Continue?
I doubt it. I am interested in the storyline and how the comic series will end but I don’t really care enough to actually finish the series.

Much smaller stories in this volume told from Kid Flash's point of view. Pre-Flashpoint Wally West shows up for an issue. Next up is a three issue arc featuring The Shade, followed by an issue where Barry and Iris finally go on a date.

The Good: These are much more character focused issues mainly on Kid Flash. Felipe Watanabe and Neil Googe definitely have potential as artists.

The Bad: I hope we don't have to hear Wally West while about not knowing the Flash's identity for much longer. Yes, it is realistic that a kid would do this, but Jebus it's super annoying.

The Ugly: You can see the ill effects of a biweekly schedule on the art. Some of the art in this book is absolutely terrible. Jorge Corona shouldn't be left near a pencil again. Same thing goes for Davide Gianfelice.

Plenty of Flash goodness in "Speed of Darkness". The volume opens with a Halloween episode between Kid Flash and Barry Flash with Wally Flash showing up to help save a bridge. Then comes the Shadows. And then Shade shows up to swallow Kid Flash, Flash and Iris. After plenty of action, chases, and fights, the Shadows are banished, and peace of a sort is restored. The final episode is a Christmas special starring Kid Flash providing time for Barry and Iris to have a date while he battles Tar Pit and a Santa with a submachine gun. And what does Captain Cold and "those plans" mean for the Flash? Stay tuned for the next volume and find out!

Two and a half stars.

So-so – this really could have done with better artists, and the story brings a new level of hokum to the title, but I didn't find myself disliking it much. It doesn't exactly help us solve anything regarding the actual Rebirth event/causes, so it's no wonder people are claiming this to be filler.

DC Comics's Flash Vol. 2: Speed of Darkness remains distinctly connected to the ongoing Rebirth storyline, with plenty of touchstone moments that call back to DC's most popular characters and continuities. In a three-part story bookended by two one-off tales, Joshua Williamson has a good structure for the book, and certainly the premise of appearances by Wally West and the Shade makes for a promising collection.

Compared to the first Volume, I found this second Volume to be a let down. When it comes to The Flash, I have never been overly excited about him. Some part of me just does not find it interesting that he can just run fast. I am sure that he has other stuff that he can do but neither the TV Show or the comic books have ever made me interested in finding out. This Volume has not changed that for me.

The storyline was very simple. Wally West does not trust The Flash as he does not know who he is, yet The Flash knows his identity. Wally wants to become more independent from The Flash and gets reckless doing so. The rest of the story stems from Wally impatience and The Flash has to come and save him and fix the problems that he caused.

The art work did not seem to work with the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, some of it was very nice but on the whole it just seemed bland. Normally when I look at the page of a comic book, my eye tends to be drawn to one part of the page but whilst reading Speed Of Darkness I found myself struggling to find anything interesting. As I am not an artist I would not have any idea what it is that I do not like but I feel like either it should have been more colourful or had on colour theme being dominate.

If you love The Flash, then you will most likely enjoy this volume but for majority of people I do not think that it will be good enough.

So many Flashes (ooh, and two Wally Wests too... as well as maybe maybe another Flash soon?)

Like the previous Supergirl Rebirth that I read, I feel like these comics are trying to be the shows which they share a name with, instead of being their own title. But, I will say that in this TPB it annoyed me much less than in Supergirl.

Still, t here was some interesting stuff re: everyone's relationships in this one, and the adventure that they went on was pretty good too. Kid Flash and Flash went up against Shade, sorta.

Heh, and Kid Flash doing what he could for Iris' personal life was pretty cute too. That was good stuff.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.

'The Flash, Volume 2: Speed of Darkness' isn't a bad bit of storytelling. It's also a fairly accessible title for new readers to jump into, unlike some of the other Rebirth titles I've read.

There is a new Kid Flash and his name is Wally West. He even meets his older namesake at some point in the book. Wally's mentor is The Flash, but he doesn't know who the Flash is, and that causes him to be distrustful. In an effort to prove himself capable, Wally gets in a bit of trouble with The Shade.

There is also a Christmas story where Wally handles things in Central City so that Barry and Iris can go on an uninterrupted date. Whether that leads anywhere, only time will tell.

I liked the story by Joshua Williamson. The art holds up the story nicely. I don't mind this new Kid Flash, but I hope future volumes are more about The Flash himself.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

uuugh... I really wish this was a bit better... While the idea behind it, the premise of the story were excellent, the execution fell a bit flat. It lacked character, heart... Barry's personality and kindness have always been one of the greatest assets of the Flash's storylines and they were absent from this story. Even the action scenes were a bit meh, and Wally (both of them) took the spotlight from Barry. And since the artwork was also meh for me - not bad exactly, but not my cup of tea or something extremely beautiful either - it was a comic book that didn't really work for me.

I love this series but I have to admit that I am so confused. I'll admit that I didn't read much of the Flash during New 52 so I am sure I missed some stuff but these books are confusing because I keep waiting for answers and none have come in two books. The being said I have been so wrapped up in Vol 1 and 2 that I still have loved every panel of these books. A big thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for allowing me to read this for a review.

Now before I get into the book I am going to explain why I am so confused. This may be a spoiler so read forward at your own risk. In volume 1 we see briefly that Wally West has come back. What do you mean Wally is back you might be asking yourself. Wally has been there all the time. Well I grew up with one Wally West and since New 52 there has been a whole different Wally West. So now we have 2 Wally Wests in this world and I have no idea how my Wally ended up gone and how this new Wally exists. So yeah, my fault I haven't been an avid Flash reader but at the same time I was expecting to get some answers in this book, especially since it has a decent bit of my Wally in it. At the same time it did make for a great cover that made me nostalgic for the original Barry Allen Jay Garrick one of old. I loved this take on the classic cover. To tie into this

I also have to admit that one other thing confused me is at the beginning Barry freaks out and starts to fade into the speed force. Of course it takes the two Wallys to work together and pull him back to reality, and while in the Speed Force Barry gets a vision that gave me goosebumps. Here is my issue, this seems like a set up for what this volume will be dealing with and then all of a sudden the book takes a left turn and we never speak of this fade into the Speed Force again. Why bother getting this all set up if you aren't going to even develop it.

So the Flash has been dealing with a lot since Rebirth started. He has had to deal with a lot of new speedsters at first like in Vol 1 and Wally has been getting powers, much like in the tv show. Barry has been dealing with training him and keeping his identity from Wally and Iris, on top of holding a job as CSI for the Central City police department. Of course new Wally is anxious to really test out his powers so he tries to go out on his own and in doing so he is pulled into the shadow world. This book has the Shade in it. Once a villain he has now crossed over to side of good all for love. Changing his emotions and thoughts has caused a problem with his shadows and they go rouge. No the Shade is desperately looking for Barry because he is the only one who can help him save the love of his life and keep Central City from being overrun by darkness.

I really liked the story in this book. The writing was so engaging and well plotted. I wasn't a huge fan of the art work in this book and it looked a little rough. I have seen much better art work in Flash comics before and the writing is the thing that carries this book. All of this being said I will give my rating. This is a 3.5 out of 5 stars due to the art work being less than spectacular. The writing and characters will allow me to round this up to 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this continuation of The Flash and following my favorite speedsters through their new struggles.

Yet another great Rebirth issue. I loved the story line and the intricate plot between The Shade and later, Tar Pit. A good mix of villains and I look forward to reading about the Rogues involvement!

Just as our favorite super speedy friend Barry is starting to be overrun by all the rogues showing up in Central City a new speedster appears to help, but from who knows where? Following on volume ones footsteps volume two dives right in with awesome action, suspense and illustrations! D.C. has really done a great job with their writers and illustrators, I have really enjoyed all of their rebirth series graphic novels, it is so much fun reading comics as an adult, I really hope they allow me to continue to review their different series.


This will appear on my blog on May 23, 2017