Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Release Date:  July 13^th, 2016

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I’m not as caught up as I’d like to be with the latest DC books, but whenever I do find the time to read one it always seems that I go for The Flash first. He’s probably my favorite DC hero right now and his book’s tone is a great deviation from some of the darker things going on in comics and film today. Writer Joshua Williamson seems to really understand how to bring out the best aspects of the Flash and put them into these compelling stories. So, does the winning streak continue with The Flash #2, or is it over before it had a chance to begin?

In this week’s Flash, Barry’s best friend August has turned into a speedster. Barry begins to train August as Iris looks into a group known as Black Hole who were present when August was struck by the lightning and seem to know quite a bit about the Speed Force.

I love the whole “buddy cop” storytelling structure. Who doesn’t? It’s basically just a simple story that revolves around two people messing around with each other. It’s the equivalent of you and your friends doing the same shit. This book is one that really seems to get that buddy cop structure, which isn’t surprising considering that DC has been writing dynamic duos for decades. In this book though it works particularly well, with Williamson writing fun banter between Barry and August, with August’s super power story proving to be a great addition to the Flash comics.

With Rebirth, it seems that DC has been creating quite a few sidekicks, and August is definitely one of the most interesting thus far. Even when there are some lulls in the story, the banter between August and Barry is enough to keep you connected to the book. You get this genuine sense of friendship from them that provides you with some emotional stakes in the book, certainly more so than some others.

One aspect of The Flash that I’ve loved since the first Rebirth issue is that they manage to keep the tone light and fun while still managing to add some depth to Barry, showing that his speed has him wishing he could be in even more places than he already is. It’s an arc that is brought up just enough to be incredibly effective.

I know I said it in my Rebirth review, but I have to say it one more time, Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art design and Ivan Plascencia’s colors make The Flash the most beautiful DC book currently hitting shelves. Every panel is absolutely stunning to look at.

The Flash is definitely one of DC’s best books out there right now and issue #2 is a testament to that. Coming from me that’s saying something because I love basically everything that DC is pumping out right now, with The Flash being perhaps the most exciting, fun book of the bunch. It’s not a perfect book, there are moments where the story falters a bit, but every time I thought that the book was going to completely fall it would pick itself back up with a fun line or a cool twist. DC is doing good right now and this book is one of the best examples of it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you still haven’t picked up this book yet, do so immediately.

Rating: 4/5.

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PREVIEW ARTWORK
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The writer of this piece was: Mike Annernio
Mike Tweets from @MikeAnnerino

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