Flash: Rebirth #1

I think it's about time I finally get around to reading this comic. Alright Barry Allen, this better be good!

-We open with some unidentified character returning to the spot where Barry Allen gained his speed powers way back when. This mystery person kills a couple of cops, splashes himself with chemicals and gets himself struck by lightning, identically how it happened to Barry(well, without the cop killing!).

-We find out that Bart(Kid Flash)Allen returned to the present after the events of Legion of 3 Worlds, and that he isn't exactly pleased that Barry has returned from the Speed Force. He feels(as do I)that Wally West is the Flash and that Wally has more than proven himself.

-Barry meets Hal Jordan at the Flash museum and Barry reveals that he himself isn't exactly overly pleased that he is back from the Speed Force. Barry can't understand why the Speed Force released him and not the other speedsters trapped there. Hal tries to reason with Barry, but Barry is pretty fatalistic and tells Hal that he won't be attending any of the events being thrown in honor of his return. With that he leaves Hal in the dust.

-This issue ends with Barry literally running into Savitar, who has apparently escaped from the Speed Force just like Barry did. Barry grabs Savitar's arm to stop him and Savitar disintegrates into dust. As Savitar dies(?), all of the other speedsters get struck by some kind of strange feedback which fells them. Barry is left trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

OK, before I say anything about this comic, I have to state for the record I am NOT happy that Barry Allen has returned. Wally West is my Flash, and I was quite pleased that Bart hit upon that in this issue. Barry died in a very noble fashion, and even said that he had no unfinished business. He really didn't! He helped save the world and he left a very skilled protege behind to carry on his legacy. Mission accomplished, right? I guess not...

The story here was a bit all over the place, which with the circumstances kind of makes sense. Not only is Barry back from the "dead", but so is Bart, and Barry has no excuse for his return except for "I don't know". I found Barry to be kind of unlikable here as well. He was pretty standoffish, and a bit annoying. You'd think getting a second chance at life would at least make the guy crack a smile...

I did enjoy Bart's part in this comic, which should come as no real surprise, since I am an unabashed fan of Bart, and I have been since his Impulse days. I liked the fact that Bart was pissed that Barry came back and not the other speedsters trapped in the Speed Force. It seemed to me that Bart was specifically upset that Max Mercury didn't get a second chance. For those not in the know, Max basically raised Bart after Bart arrived from the future, so I'm glad Geoff Johns touched on that potential bone of contention between Barry and Bart.

For a score, I'll give this comic a 7 1/2 out of 10. This series is obviously still in the early stages, so I can forgive the fact that much of the story didn't make sense yet. I'm sure in a few issues Geoff will have things running smoothly... Heh heh, I said "running smoothly" in a Flash review!