The Flash: Rebirth #1

By Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico and Wan Plascencia

The DC Rebirth one-shot dealt a lot with the return of fan favorite character Wally West. We’ve had some other one-shots come out since then, but none of them dealt directly with the fall out of Wally’s return. As we look at The Flash Rebirth #1 this week, fans will get some of the answers they were looking for. It’s fair to say that this feels almost like a direct sequel to the events that happened in Rebirth #1.

This is Joshua Williamson’s first issue on Flash and it has many things to look for moving forward. The first part of the issue gives Barry a case the reminds him of the murder of his mother. Williamson does a good job of displaying that Barry is spreading himself thin in this introductory issue. Whether it’s buying pizza for someone who just lost their apartment or helping out with landing a helicopter, Barry seems to be doing too much. Wally coming back into the fray is where the story really gets interesting. Williamson has good characterization on both Flash’s as it’s apparent that they both have deep respect for one another. Something as simple as Wally telling Barry that he doesn’t need to say he can count on him. There is also an older school feel to this book, something that hasn’t been felt since the New 52. Wally and Barry running together and getting an internal monologue from both was sorely missed. It’s also nice to see that Williamson is expanding on the relationship between Batman and Flash. It would seem obvious that Bruce and Barry would get along since they both are very meticulous when investigating crime scenes. Joshua Williamson turned in a very good script for the first issue of Flash and even better, he proved he knows some of DC’s biggest characters. This series is off to a good start.

The pencils this issue are handled by Carmine DI Giandomenico with colors by Wan Plascencia. The art department is where there is some room for improvement with this issue. DI Giandomenico pencils are similar to Francis Manapul, but messier. It’s a style that is distinct but a little bland. The first page in the book involving the crime scene looks very good. We get several pieces from different points at the scene and DI Giandomenico does a good job. As the issue progresses The art just gets a little stiff. There are homage panels in this issue, like Barry running straight at the reader, this is similar to the cover of All-Flash #1, but DI Giandomenico’s work isn’t as eye catching as the original. Even an image of Wally disintegrating from DC Universe Rebirth doesn’t look as good as the original, which if we’re being honest, was amazing. The colors by Wan Plascencia are decent, but get a little muddy in some panels. This is seen in the panels involving Barry and his father talking. The pencils and colors are by no means terrible, but there is room for both to grow as the series progresses.

The Flash: Rebirth #1 was a fun read that had decent art in it. Joshua Williamson gave readers an interesting first issue that should get fans coming back. While the art wasn’t perfect, it was good enough and shouldn’t ruin the issue for you. This is an issue that ties directly into the rebirth one-shot. Any fan who wants to know what is going with DC should pick up this book.