Rating: ****
If you were a fan of the run Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins did on The Flash, this book is for you. I wasn’t a fan of Kolins’ work on The Flash at first, but the artwork grew on me and the stories that Geoff was pumping out were classic. This issue picks up during the Blackest Night event and after the Flash: Rebirth series.

I was a bit confused by the story in this issue at first because we see that Eobard Thawne aka Professor Zoom the Reverse Flash appears as a Black Lantern, which got me wondering how could he be a Black Lantern if he’s been resurrected? Then I remembered that when Zoom returned in the Flash: Rebirth series, he stated that he was from the future after he was resurrected by a friend of Barry’s. This is what happens when series get delayed. Flash: Rebirth has yet to end so we don’t know what has happens to Zoom at the conclusion to the series. One can assume that he’s still alive at the end. Who is the “friend” that resurrects Zoom? My guess is it’s Hal Jordan as it seems he will get possessed by Paralax once again in Green Lantern #50.

This series will also focus on the Rogues as they battle the Black Lantern Rogues. Geoff has done a great job in developing the Rogues characters. He really writes them as characters who walk the line between good and evil - especially Captain Cold, my favorite of the Rogues. The current Captain Boomerang Owen Mercer makes an appearance at his father’s grave here. I’m sure his father the original Captain Boomerang will be resurrected and we’ll be seeing father and son battling it out sometime during this series. Boomerang is buried at the special Rogues cemetery and it is here that a Black Lantern ring find the grave of Zoom and resurrects him as a Black Lantern.

Barry confronts the Black Lantern Professor Zoom and throws him in order to get some distance between them so he can run and get some advice on the situation at hand from his old friend Solovar. Unfortunately, Barry is unaware that Solovar was killed years ago. Barry enters Gorilla City in the midst of a battle. Thinking it’s Grodd attacking again, he discovers that Solovar is dead as he has now been resurrected as a Black Lantern and is attacking the gorillas. Barry is able to defeat the Black Lantern Solovar. The Black Lantern Solovar cries out to him for help. Barry wonders if Solovar can truily be resurrected because of the Black Lanterns? He wonders if this is how Zoom is resurrected.

We end with the voice of I’m assuming Nekron telling Barry that his death was the first and his resurrection will be the last. This inspires Barry as he calls out to Wally and Bart and informs them of a new plan. We then switch over to the Rogues who have entered Iron Heights Penitentiary in Keystone City to do battle with the Black Lantern Rogues.

Great start to this series. With their collaboration on this series and last year’s Rogues Revenge, will we be seeing Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins as the new creative team for the new monthly Flash series? I hope so. I also hope we get a satisfying conclusion to this whole Blackest Night storyline. As I’ve mention before, I’m really enjoying this and I hope it doesn’t run out of steam by the end. I’m very curious to see what will be the connection - if any - between the resurrection of Professor Zoom and the Blackest Night. I still think Hal will play a role in Zoom’s resurrection. How will that effect his relationship with Barry if this is true? Will Barry become distant from Hal even though it will probably not really his fault.

I love the Flash world and although there are too many speedsters running around (Jay, Barry, Wally, Bart, Jesse, Max, and Iris) it’s still lots of fun. I hope the new series is geared to be more of a team book than a solo series for Barry. I think there are too many interesting characters to let them be pushed out into the background - especially Wally. Wally has been the Flash for me for many years. Although, I’m enjoying Barry’s return, I still love the character of Wally West and hope he gets a lot of face time in the DC Universe. Whether you’re a Flash fan or not, this is a great issue and I highly recommend it.