ARC from Netgalley.
Gorilla Grodd is dying and only the Speed Force can save him! So.... why not have a huge battle over it?!
Grodd, Black Hole, Mulitplex, Negative Flash, and Raijin
vs.
Flash (Barry Allen), Flash (Wally West), Kid Flash (Wally West), Flash of China, and Godspeed

Lots of things happen but nothing really sticks (though the story is excellently done and I'm getting used to the art style, though still hate when they switch artists mid-issue!), including Barry losing his powers and regaining them, good speedsters getting turned and then turned back, and the eventual defection of Negative Flash. Ultimately, Grodd is healed and then taken back to Gorilla City.
Where the heart and future ramifications of the title lie is around the story of Iris. She and Barry reconcile, but when (adult red haired) Wally is brought around her, she (finally!) remembers him. But she also asks, "Where is everyone else?" When she asks that, a storm of memory and chaos surrounds Wally and he falls to the ground holding his head. What could possibly be next?

I'm really excited to find out! High Recommend.

Barry and Iris have trust issues. And then Grodd comes calling, wanting all of the Speed Force to cure his degenerative disease. And he brought the new Negative Flash with him. After losing his speed powers, Barry manipulates both Wally's Godspeed, and the New Flash of the China Justice League to gain speed again, but he manages to make things worse until he figures out how to cure Grodd without losing the Speed Force. But that still leaves Central City up for destruction. Will the Speedsters survive this? Read and find out!

Things are still not great between Iris and Barry, but Barry is trying to tell her the truth as much as he can. Of course, there's still the humongous Wally #1 secret.

And red headed Wally is in this too helping Barry fight Meen as well as her boss (I won't spoil it).

It was an up and down story. I mean, I felt like some of the plot beats were a little, 'this is how we want you to feel' (aghast or sad or worried or whatever), while others rang perfectly true. A definite back and forth with tone.

Overall though, it pushed forward some interesting stories, especially Iris/Barry in a big way, and I'm always a fan of Iris getting her time on the pages.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.

Williamson's Barry Allen is wearing thin on me. At this point, there is nothing likable about this character at all. He's selfish, self-righteous, and obsessive with a martyr complex. It shows all the more when the OG Wally West shows up who is altruistic and self-sacrificing (along with being better as using his powers!). I've been going back and re-reading Mark Waid and Geoff Johns's runs on Flash and it really shows just how awful these books are in comparison. At this point Barry Allen is a pale imitation of Wally West.

Grodd's motivations in this are very weak. He's trying to steal the speed force and when he gets it, he doesn't really use it. It was just dumb. At least by the end of this, they finally started referring to new Wally as Wallace.

Who is Barry Allen if he's not the Flash? In Flash Vol. 7: Perfect Storm, writer Joshua Williamson gives a good answer; the conclusions Williamson arrives at about Barry Allen, about speedsters, and about the peculiar "Flash family" of the early Rebirth era are all quite heartening. Williamson's <em>Flash</em> is ramping up for its big "Flash War" and I'm eager to see what happens next.

Avery Ho, the Flash of China, is a wonderful, bright addition to the book, a character not seen for almost thirty issues but who's been making her name over in New Super-Man. By the end of this book Williamson has created this new, weird "Flash family" made up of two semi-reformed villains, Godspeed August Heart and Negative Flash Meena Dhawan, plus Avery and the past and present Kid Flashes Wally and Wallace West. They are not Impulse, Max Mercury, and Jessie Quick, but there's a similar feel with a modern aesthetic. I cheered when Barry resolved that the speedsters are "at our fastest ... when we run together," with his new "family" spread out next to him.

Artists including Carmine Di Giandomeico and Christian Duce offer an attractive, eminently readable book, and the next one can't get here fast enough.

'The Flash, Vol. 7: Perfect Storm' by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico brings us the whole Flash family and Gorilla Grodd.

Barry Allen is finally going to clue Iris in on things, when Central City is attacked by an angry and dying Gorilla Grodd. Flash finds old friends siding with Grodd, and Grodd manages to take away Barry's powers. Now he has to rely on Wally West, and...Wally West? Barry becomes singularly focused on getting his powers back, but at what cost?

I'm really not a fan of the main artist on this title right now. What I did like is Christian Duce's art in the final issue collected here. It was a nice contrast. The story isn't bad, but really bad things happen to Central City, and then things get cleaned up with no apparent cost or trauma.

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.

This action-packed volume takes the reader back in time to some of Flash's earlier trials. The 3-D character is shown in his self doubts, but his heart is a good one and he's definitely the hero, as always. Great stories, and highly recommended.

The Flash is back! Though I suppose I should clarify which one, huh? In this case we have Barry Allen as the main perspective, but there are also cameos from multiple other Flash characters. In short it’s a fun read, especially if you love seeing all the varying characters interacting with one another.
Honestly, it’s hard to believe that we’re already up to volume seven in the Flash. I feel like it was just a few months ago that I picked this series up and binged it, but I’m fairly certain that was at least four volumes ago. I’ll resist the urge to make some speed and time goes here. You’re welcome.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Perfect Storm is a fast paced volume with a lot of action and conflict. I mean, this is the Flash we’re talking about. I personally really enjoyed this volume. Not only did I get to see a lot of other characters that I love, but I always love a plot that forces the main protagonist to take a look at his actions and take measure of him or herself.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Grodd, so in a weird way I was actually kind of happy to see him wreaking havoc here. I know that sounds twisted, but you’ve got to admit that DC has always been capable of creating strong and interesting villains. Still, it’s nice to see them get changed up from time to time, and this was certainly a refreshing change.
As I mentioned above, I really love plots and events that force our heroes to really evaluate themselves. In this case we see Barry going above and beyond, as always. He’s doing what he can to protect those he loves…but one has to wonder, just how selfless are his actions here? This is one of those times where you really kind pretend that it’s all for the greater good. And I’m okay with that. Actually, I love that. I love that these characters are human enough to have actual struggles and conflicts. It’s one of the best parts about reading superhero comics, if you ask me.
I did really love the cameos too. While I’m sure that not all of the Flash variants arrived, a good number of them did, and it was nice to see. To be honest I had forgotten how many of them had managed to branch out into other series, so it was really nice to see the reminder. It also made it clear that I should probably catch up in those series…alas.
Probably the best part about this plot was that they managed to seamlessly set up another plot at the same time. I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing that one come to a head right away or not. I think I’ll be okay with it regardless. And yes, I’m being a bit vague on purpose, but I don’t want to spoil anything good. It’s worth it, trust me.
I can’t wait until the next volume of Flash is available! This series has been pretty solid so far, so I’m glad to see it continue, and that it’s getting so many spinoffs and the like.

THE FLASH VOL 7: PERFECT STORM, by Joshua Williamson, brings Grodd back and along with some help, wants to take over the speed force and defeat Flash once and for all. The Flash wants to handle Grodd alone and not put anyone else in danger, but he realizes that he is infinitely stronger with a team of allies by his side.
Williamson uses the Flash's constant struggle of personal risk vs working as team again in this graphic novel. While this torment is not new to the Flash, Williamson keeps it fresh by including the unique perspectives of all the other speedsters. Each one has their own reason for being there and wanting to help. The artistry is great and the layout and panel choices really enhance the storytelling,
Williamson's THE FLASH VOLUMES is currently the only graphic novel series I read and will keep coming back to because of how well done the volumes are done from top to bottom.

Intense, heartfelt and well-written. This story definitely did not disappoint comic readers, and lovers of the Flash. I loved all of the amazing artwork as well. The speedsters were definitely in all their glory!

The Flash Vol 7: Perfect Storm shows the Flash Family at its best—battling villains together.

Barry Allen is the Flash. His arch nemesis, Grodd, has built a giant lightning rod to catch the speed force in the hopes of saving his own life. The lightning rod slows time throughout Central City. Barry isn’t strong enough to combat Grodd, Multiplex and Negative Flash alone so he gets some from help from Wally, Kid Flash and Avery.

I admit that I haven’t read a Flash story since Barry died in the 1980s. He was resurrected in 2008 in Final Conflict. This was followed by six issues of The Flash: Rebirth. Despite three reboots including title changes and renumberings, Barry has been continuing his Flash story since 2010. The Flash Vol 7: Perfect Storm collects The Flash Vol 5 #39-45 from the DC Rebirth.

The Flash Vol 7: Perfect Storm explains enough of the Flash Family’s back stories to allow it to be read as a stand-alone. The plot involves the fear of losing self by trusting others. It has a nice message that power isn’t always everything. It’s a good lesson for younger comics fans. The artwork is stellar and pops with bright colors. 4 stars!

Thanks to DC Comics and NetGalley for an advance copy.

A very well drawn comic with a great deal of detail in every frame. Attractive and interesting plot.

The Flash Vol. 7: Perfect Storm pits team Flash against Gorilla Grodd. Grodd needs to steal the speed force to save himself from a terminal illness. Barry, Wally, Wallace, and Avery fight the clock to keep their powers as Grodd plans to steal all the speed force for himself. Barry gets a little dark in this story when he loses his powers. With a single minded determination, Barry grows ruthless to get his powers back. Flash's dark street totally clashed with all the preconceived goody two shoe notions I had placed on Barry. The writer takes the Flash to new dimensions with his character development for an interesting twist The story is action packed and beautifully illustrated with eye-popping colors. My voluntary, unbiased review is base upon a review copy from Netgalley.