This review contains spoilers.
The Flash #48 is written by Robert Venditti and Van Jensen with art by Jesus Merino and colors by Guy Major. In this issue, Barry Allen has to team up with the Rogues to take on the Flash.
Previously, the Flash stopped Zoom and cleared his father of the murder charge but lost the trust of the police in the process.
The cover by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado is okay. The Rogues certainly look cool and I love the wanted poster but it’s pretty standard and generic beyond that.
The issue begins with Darryl, the police captain, introducing Barry to the Rogues which consists of Weather Wizard, Trickster, Mirror Master, Golden Glider and Captain Cold. Darryl believes that the Flash needs to be stopped and the Mayor has assigned the Rogues to get the job done thanks to Captain Cold’s time with the Justice League. The first step is that the city is being monitored by drones designed to spot the Flash and let the Rogues know where he is.
This plot point is somewhat of a wasted potential. Venditti and Jensen could easily do something in future issues since this is just part one but the idea of police using drones is scary. The moral implications are not really talked about other than Barry saying that it’s wrong.
Barry has a sweet scene with his dad before a mysterious man sets off a gas leak that is endangering a building. The Flash heads off to rescue the people but his electricity combined with the gas creates an explosion that destroys the building. This only furthers Darryl’s beliefs and Flash is confronted by the Rogues. He manages to escape which infuriates Captain Cold while Wally West shows signs of the speed force at home.
The issue ends with the mystery man revealing that he has Heatwave hostage.
Verdict
This is a solid issue. The premise of making Flash an outlaw and the Rogues heroes is really funny and should make for a good story going forward. The Rogues are an incredible amount of fun to follow and I like that there is accountability on the Flash. He doesn’t get to do whatever he wants just because his name is in the title. I recommend checking this issue out. It is a lot of fun.
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