The Flash, Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues

Barry Allen, the super-fast superhero the Flash, is back from the dead and rebuilding his life in Central City. Allen finds a city transformed; the population has tripled, the crime rate has quadrupled, and the forensics department is overworked and staffed with burnouts. Flash finds a city overrun with costumed villains, in particular the Rogues, both the villains Barry knew and new criminals stepping into established personae. A bad situation takes a turn for the worse when the Renegades, the 25th-century descendants of the Rogues, arrive. Futuristic policemen enforcing draconian, inflexible laws, the Renegades' target is the man who the Renegades' records show will commit murder, a killer better known as the Flash. In keeping with the retreat into Silver Age nostalgia that saw Barry Allen's successors pushed aside to reintroduce one of the few fallen heroes whose death seemed both permanent and meaningful, this story resembles a '60s-era tale expanded six-fold. Manapul's art is lively, making for a comfortable but unchallenging tale. (Feb.)