The Flash: Rebirth

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The Flash: Rebirth
Variant incentive cover art for The Flash: Rebirth #1. Art by Ethan Van Sciver and Alex Sinclair.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Publication date	April, 2009 – Present
Number of issues	3 (of 6)
Main character(s)	Barry Allen[1][2] Wally West[1] Jay Garrick[1] Bart Allen[1]
Creative team
Writer(s)	Geoff Johns[1]
Artist(s)	Ethan Van Sciver[1][2]

The Flash: Rebirth is a six issue^[3] monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. Published by DC Comics, the series features characters from throughout the nearly seventy year history of Flash comics. This is the creative team's second "rebirth" limited series, preceded by 2005's Green Lantern: Rebirth. The first issue was released on April 1, 2009. The series was first solicited to be lasting only five issues, but was extended to six issues in May of 2009.^[3]

The storyline follows the "rebirth" of the Silver Age Flash Barry Allen, after an initial return in the pages of DC's 2008 crossover event Final Crisis. The creative team, when asked which Flashes would appear in the series at Comic Con International 2008, replied, "All of them."^[1]

[edit] Foreshadowing

In Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #3, the Rogues are informed by Libra that "the Flash the Rogues first battled" has come back to the land of the living. Regrouping in the basement of the Flash Museum, the Rogues lament the possibility of Barry Allen having returned to life, saying, "He ain't like the kid who took it up after him. He never gave us a break."

Captain Cold ended the limited series by reflecting on and re-preparing for Barry Allen. "The Rogues can't outrun him. Once the skies are back to blue, the game's back on... and if the Flash is really back, there's no more rules in this universe to follow." The issue ends with a shot of Barry Allen in his Flash uniform running extremely fast, with the last line of the series being: "Coming next year: The Flash: Rebirth."^[4]

Ethan Van Sciver has stated in interviews that he has redesigned Wally West's costume. This is being done so that Wally and Barry can be visually distinct, with Barry once again becoming the primary Flash in the mini-series' pages.^[2]

Bart Allen, the second Kid Flash and fourth Flash, was resurrected in the 31st Century in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3 by Brainiac 5 to combat Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains. Geoff Johns confirmed that Bart will return to the past and play a large role in The Flash: Rebirth.^[5]

[edit] Plot

Two forensics scientists in Central City are investigating a murder case. Despite DNA evidence proving the accused man's innocence, the head scientist (citing the accused man's criminal record) insists on altering the evidence in order to relieve the media pressure the police department is facing. While the two are talking, a mystery man wielding a spear with a lightning bolt- shaped tip closes the door to the lab and brutally murders both scientists. He rearranges several containers of chemicals on the shelves and, using the spear as a lightning rod, recreates the accident that first gave Barry Allen his powers on himself. He escapes from arriving police officers with a dash of super-speed. The man's thoughts indicate that he is somehow responsible for Barry Allen's return, and that it's "the worst thing" he could do to him.

In Central City and Keystone City, Linda Park-West announces that a huge celebration will be held for the return of the Flash. Celebrations are taking place in both cities, as well as in Gorilla City. Meanwhile, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, Heat Wave, the Trickster, Abra Kadabra, and Dr. Alchemy are shown to be preparing for the return of their nemesis.

Different members of the Flash family react to Barry's return: at Justice Society headquarters, Jay Garrick recounts how Barry inspired him to return to superheroics; at Titans Tower East, Wally West remembers Barry with fondness and respect; at Titans Tower West, a newly returned Bart Allen views his grandfather's return with skepticism, admitting a desire for things to "go back to the way it used to be" with Wally as the Flash and himself as Kid Flash, as well as feeling angry that Barry is the only one to escape the Speed Force (referencing Max Mercury); and Iris West Allen waits happily for her husband to come home. However, Iris receives a phone call from police Captain Frye, who asks for Barry's help.

Barry Allen himself is visiting the Flash Museum, where he meets with Hal Jordan. Barry is studying the exhibits to catch up on everything that has occurred in his absence. He admits that his memory from his time spent in the Speed Force is fading. Barry also reveals that he feels he wasn't supposed to come back, and that the Speed Force is trying to draw him back in.

In Fallville, Iowa, Barry Allen's birthplace, two boys find the charred remains of the Black Flash. The skeleton crumbles to dust as soon as it is touched.

Back at the Flash Museum, Barry states that he won't be going to any of the celebrations in his honor. Barry feels that he can't waste time and appears obsessed with the notion of mortality ("...time will run out on me again. It'll run out on all of us. Every second does matter."). He dons his costume, commenting that he is going to "be late." Hal asks him what he means. Before Barry runs away, he replies that the world needs him.

Barry ponders on his return as he runs. In a flashback, it is revealed that Barry's mother was murdered when he was a child. Furthermore, his father was arrested for the crime. Barry's thoughts are interrupted when a hand materializes out of the lightning symbol on his chest. It belongs to the evil super-speedster Savitar, who fully appears a moment later. Barry recognizes him from one of the Flash Museum's exhibits and gives chase. However, as soon as Barry catches Savitar, he receives some sort of feedback from Savitar's energy and the villain begins to decay and crumbles into dust. As he dies, Savitar cryptically comments that "You were the beginning, Allen...and you're the end." Barry is left shocked at what he has apparently done.

At the same moment, all of the heroes connected to the Speed Force experience a sudden, painful discharge of energy. This includes, Wally West, Jay Garrick, Bart Allen, Wally's children, and Jesse Chambers.^[6]

In the Balkan Mountains, Lady Flash conducts a ritual in an attempt to contact Savitar. The lightning created by the process kills her fellow cultists, and Lady Flash witnesses a series of images displaying Savitar's death at Barry Allen's unwitting hands.

After Green Lantern arrives and quarantines Savitar's remains, Barry hurries home to talk to Wally about the deceased villain. He sees a police car outside of Iris' house and flashes back to the day they first met (revealed to be the same day on which he would gain his powers) after the trial of Sam Scudder. It is also revealed that, even after his father's death in prison, Barry never stopped investigating the murder of his mother in the hopes of proving his father's innocence.

Barry arrives at Iris' home and meets with police captain Frye. Thanks to Wonder Woman and her government connections, the outside world believes that Barry has been in witness protection during the years he was missing. It is then that Barry receives a phone call from Wally and learns of the "speed seizures" the other super-speedsters experienced.

Barry and Wally race to Fallville, Iowa to investigate a mysterious lightning storm taking place over the town. They discover the remains of the Black Flash, and try to figure out what happened to him. However, the pair are attacked by Lady Flash, her powers amplified by the sacrifice of her fellow cultists. As soon as Barry touches her, though, she disintegrates in the same fashion as Savitar.

After Lady Flash dies, Barry's costume begins to transform. As Wally watches in horror, Barry turns into a new Black Flash.^[7]

In Abra Kadabra's hideout, the villain is attacked by a mysterious figure who comments that "there isn't room in this century for the both of us." The magical villain's fate is unknown.

At Justice Society headquarters, Jesse Chambers is contemplating a statue of her parents: Johnny Quick and the original Liberty Belle. While being comforted by her husband Rick Tyler, an explosion suddenly occurs in front of the pair. An image of Johnny Quick materializes and begs Barry Allen not to hurt Jesse before vanishing.

Back in Fallville, the Justice League, the Justice Society, and other heroes have built a containment chamber for Barry, whose personal energy field has become tainted with a black aura that burns through speed energy. The heroes plan to disconnect Barry from the Speed Force to save his life. Iris is brought in order to act as Barry's "lightning rod" to help keep him from being reabsorbed into the Speed Force. However, after remembering their first date, Barry's energy field overloads and destroys the chamber.

Green Lantern creates a new chamber with his ring and carries Barry away from the other Flashes. With lightning bolts targeting him from the sky, Barry soon breaks out after achieving a safe distance from the other speedsters and begins to run. He reveals that he plans to run back into the Speed Force to spare his friends and family. Despite Superman attempting to stop him, Barry proves that he is faster and achieves the speed he needs to escape the material plane.

As he begins to reenter the Speed Force, Barry witnesses past events of his life in reverse, ranging from the past days' worth of events to his own birth. Barry desperately tries to remember Iris' name as he begins to lose his individuality. With some prodding from a mysterious voice, Barry retains his memories and fully enters the Speed Force. Barry is shocked to discover Max Mercury and Johnny Quick, both imprisoned within the energy inside the Speed Force. Johnny grabs Barry's wrist and pleads with him not to "let it" hurt Jesse (the full version of the message Jesse witnessed) before Barry's energy kills him in the same way as Savitar and Lady Flash.

Before the two are pulled even deeper into the Speed Force, Max manages to tell Barry that he is not responsible for the deaths of the speedsters. The true villain then reveals himself: Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash (wielding the lightning spear used at the beginning of the story), boasting that he's "shifted [Barry] into reverse."^[8]

[edit] Continuity Changes

When Barry Allen flashes back to his childhood, it is revealed that his mother was killed and his father, arrested for the crime, eventually died in prison after a number of years. Previously, both had remained alive and well for most of Barry's life.

Barry and Iris are now confirmed to have met on the day Barry would receive his powers, after the trial of Sam Scudder (before he would become the Mirror Master). The two had originally known each other for some time prior to the day Barry became the Flash.

[edit] Reception

The first printing of The Flash: Rebirth #1 sold out completely at Diamond Comic Distributors the first day of its release. A second printing with a variant cover was immediately commissioned to be released on April 29th.^[9] A 3rd printing has also been anounced^[10], followed again by a 4th printing.

The first issue, and series as a whole to date, have received positive reviews. Newsarama, in a positive review, pointed out Johns' take on Barry Allen as particularly interesting, saying, "Johns' main strength in Flash is the same he had with Green Lantern: he knows what makes Barry Allen tick. While Hal is a study in recklessness and charismatic defiance, Barry is a little more down to earth. 'This man refused to believe the line between good and evil blurred like the scarlet and gold he wore.' Methinks this might be a theme, one that may even be as resonant as overcoming fear."^[11]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Silver Age Flash at heart of miniseries, Colorado Springs Gazette, March 27, 2009
• Geoff Johns on Barry Allen's Rebirth, Comic Book Resources, April 2, 2009