Blackest Night: The Flash #1 review

Review by Eric W. Ridgeway

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Scott Kolins
Color: Michael Atiyeh
Cover: Kolins w/Atiyeh
Variant: Francis Manapul w/ Brain Buccellato
Letter: Travis Lanham
Editor: Adam Schlagman
Published by DC Comics

Now that the second set of Blackest Night miniseries has started my first question was where would they start in relation to the rise of Nekron? Well, if Blackest Night: The Flash is any indication they will mostly take place after the Black Lanterns have charged the Black Central Power Battery to one hundred percent. This issue, much like Flash Rebirth focuses on Barry Allen.

Written by Geoff Johns this issue has many scenes with Barry coming face to face with Black Lantern Professor Zoom and a Black Lantern Solovar. The issue does a great job of recapping Barry’s friendship with Solovar to the point where Barry would show him stuff he would not allow Batman to review. I had no idea Barry had a deep friendship with Solovar or that a Flash can see the border to Gorilla City. If there is anything to complain about it would be that Barry was seen twice in so called Black Lantern vision and this far into Blackest Night he would know to keep his emotions in check. The majority of this issue is written in Barry’s point of view which can be boring to the readers.

The cover was an excellent homage to Flash Rebirth. Scott Kolins art is great but at the same time no panel or images really got me cheering. My favorite interior panel was Barry getting rid of a Black Lantern Professor Zoom for the time being. I really like the way Kolins drew Barry in this book with the lightning trailing behind him as he is running. It seems like a nice middle ground especially for how much lightning is used around Barry in Rebirth and Blackest Night. If the art lacks anywhere in this book it is that Wally West just appears in one panel and I had to double check to make sure it was him. Also the variant cover by Francis Manapul doesn’t appear into the story. Overall this issue was kind of a letdown because it didn’t fill me with excitement like Blackest Night #5. I would love to have seen more Wally but maybe he will get more attention in the next few issues of this book or in Blackest Night.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10 (Above Average)