[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
“NEGATIVE” part one! It’s a bleak new day as the citizens of Central City meet Negative-Flash! He’s got a terrible attitude and volatile powers that leave a wake of destruction wherever he goes. Exactly the kind of person you’d want The Flash to put behind bars. There’s just one problem: he IS The Flash! Can Barry Allen get his new powers under control before they kill him?
Positives
Barry’s really going through a rough patch these days. The status of his relationship with Iris is up in the air, his protégé Kid Flash is recovering from a fight with Reverse-Flash, and to top it all off, his powers have changed drastically.
On the surface, it seems he has the same powers of super-speed, but instead of being powered by the Speed Force, they are derived from the Negative Speed Force. His speed now acts erratically and poses a danger to those around him. He needs to get a handle on his new powers and fast – or find a way to restore his old powers.
Also, a fair bit of the issue is spent dealing with Barry’s professional life as a police scientist. This aspect of his life has been getting ignored recently, and it is good to see Barry getting back in touch with that aspect of his life. And it seems that there is a mystery brewing in the Central City Police Department. Will he be able to solve the case as Barry, or will he have to do so as the Flash?
Negatives
After how the last storyline left Barry and Iris’ relationship, it’s a bit maddening that we didn’t get any updates about how things stand between them. Although, Barry’s worries about how things stand between them show that it hasn’t strayed far from Williamson’s mind, and I’m sure he’ll be carrying the story further before too long.
Verdict
Although Barry has it tough right now, the added drama makes for great reading. The Flash is one of the titles I tear into first as soon as I get ahold of it because I have to find out the latest development in Barry’s chaotic life.
