Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul continue the Flash run this week, pressing forward that has been comics at it's finest. Let's recap what we know real quick.
Barry Allen has been accused of murder,a murder that takes place in the future. Bizarre, I know. Even more bizarre are his accusers: The Renegades. A police squad from the future that mimic the looks and powers of The Rogues from the present. All of this while just trying to return to work, and get back settled in with his life.
This issue picks up in Iron Heights Penitentiary, where Digger Harkness is plotting his escape. He's lured all the guards into his cell, planning on taking them all out at one time. Problem is though, he doesn't have any weapons, so his attempt just lands him scrambling on the ground, surrounded by five guards and a doctor. When it seems like he's not going any where, but he discovers a hidden power: An ability to summon black lantern boomerangs, unlimited weapons.
In Central City, Barry leaves the police department crime lab, after being questioned when his DNA appears on the Mirror Monarch body. The lab director takes the results as sloppy scene work, so Barry gets his scolding, and heads out to see Iris.
This is where Johns really shows his grasp on the character, his reaction to all the mess he's in. Barry is not concerned with his life, instead his focus is on a case on the office, where a boy may be accused of a crime he didn't forget. Of course life won't let him forget about his troubles, as The Renegades show up ready to take him into custody.
They insist that Barry will murder the Mirror Monarch in eighty-four days, and that the have evidence that will convince him so. The Renegades seem to imply that Barry commits a murder in reaction to Iris being killed, but that's just my theory.
With a combination of freeze rays and glue guns, Barry is stuck and looking like he's headed back to the future with The Renegades. But suddenly, a boomerang flies out from behind The Renegades, taking them down and letting Barry Allen loose. Harkness approaches Barry, asking menacingly about what happened after his death.
So somehow, in someway, all of this is connected to Flashpoint. And all we know about Flashpoint is in the two page preview we got at the end of The Flash #1. But what about what happened in this issue? Are The Renegades really who they say they are? Is something going to happen to Iris, leading Barry on a quest across time to erase it from history? Is that Flashpoint? Am I asking way to many questions? Yes.
Fun book though, with great story by Johns, and fantastic art by Manapul, who seems to get better and better with each issue. While The Flash may not be the most mysterious book on the self, I'm positive that Johns will unveil to yes a few tricks that will propel this book to the top of any reading pile. Check back next month.
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