Final Crisis, Rogues' Revenge 1 & 2

I tried. I really, really tried, but I just couldn't stop myself anymore. I finally gave in and read Rogues' Revenge 1 & 2. You see, normally, I like to read an entire limited/mini series in one sitting, so I usually wait until I own all the issues, then I read the story from beginning to end, without having to wait a month for the next installment. However, as I mentioned on an earlier post, Bart Allen was one of(if not)my favorite DC character and this mini series spins out of his death. So, instead of waiting for the final part of the series to come out, I broke my own rules and jumped the gun, reading the first two issues. Here are my observations.

The Story- The story itself is firmly entrenched in the Final Crisis story, which I haven't read yet, so some of the events going on I am unfamiliar with. The story starts with Flash's Rogues, Capt Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master and Weather Wizard, finally making it back from the prison planet they were stranded on for their roles in the death of the Flash(Bart Allen). They decide that they were going to quit the costumed Super Villain business, because they never intended to kill a Flash, especially Bart Allen, who was practically still a kid when he took up the Flash mantle. Their plans for retirement are put on hold when they learn that the person responsible for tricking them into killing Bart, Bart's evil clone Inertia, has been sited around their lair in Keystone City. They pick up the Trickster, a second generation Rogue and turn down an offer from Libra, who is the big villain in the Final Crisis books, to join up with him and his Secret Society of Villains. Capt Cold decides that their final act as Rogues will be to kill Inertia for his chicanery and all the trouble he brought them due to Bart's death. Before the Rogues can make their move, Zoom finds Inertia and tells him that Libra, wants Inertia to become the new Kid Flash, since he was responsible for Bart's death. Inertia at first refuses, but is no match for Zoom, and reluctantly dons the Kid Flash attire. Zoom then proceeds to train Inertia, with both of them unaware they are being observed by the reformed Rogue, Pied Piper, who is hoping that the Rogues make a move against Inertia, so he can take them in for there role in Bart's death. We discover that Libra requires the cooperation of the Rogues in order for his master plan to succeed, and kidnaps the infant son of Weather Wizard. With this leverage, Libra intends on forcing the Rogues to kill "Kid Flash", who is actually Inertia, again. Libra reasons if he can force the Rogues kill another young Kid Flash, which they all regretted doing the first time, they would be willing to preform whatever act he commands of them.

The Good- One thing that really angered me after Bart Allen's death at the hands of the Inertia and the Rogues was the fact that few if any characters made mention of Bart's passing. Off hand, I can only think of maybe three comics that made mention of Bart's death. Being a huge Bart Allen fan, I am really glad to see the aftereffects of Bart's death finally explored. I like the fact that the Rogues seem to be truly sorry about their roles in Bart's death and that Inertia, who hated Bart with a passion from way back to Bart's Impulse days was completely unrepentant. All the Rogues, from Pied Piper to Trickster, were all following exactly as I would expect their characters to, which is no surprise considering Geoff Johns is the writer and he always seems to nail the way characters should/would act. The story thus far has me positively salivating in anticipation for the final part of the series. Will the Rogues kill Inertia? What role will Zoom play? What will Weather Wizard do concerning the fate of his kidnapped son? Will the Rogues be able to keep their distance from Libra's Secret Society, or will they be forced to join? I can't wait to find out all these answers and more.

The Bad- I can't complain too much, because I don't really know how the plot threads are going to wind up tying together. Since I haven't read any of the other Final Crisis Books yet, I also can't really comment on Libra and his plans. So far, I don't have anything bad to say. I guess we'll see if that holds true after I read the last part...

Overall- If you were ever a fan of Impulse, Kid Flash, Flash, Bart Allen, any of the Rogues, or anything to do with the Flash universe in general and you don't all ready own these comics, I don't know what's wrong with you! Even if you aren't into the Flash comics, these two comics were great reads, which I wholeheartedly recommend. They are definitely worth a read.