"Day 1": One night, a lab accident turned forensic scientist Barry Allen into the Fastest Man Alive. After sacrificing his life to save a multitude of universes, a miracle event brought him back to life. Now back in a time that he can barely recognize, Allen tries to stay updated with the changed world.
Summary: If you're new to the Flash, this isn't a bad jump-on point, opening up with a strong 8 pages of characterization for Barry. With a turn of a page, the world changes without warning to a very different world that new readers may not pick up on. Character names that veteran readers could identify are dropped at a fairly steady rate, but this does not affect the story much. The important details are quickly pointed out: Barry no longer has superspeed and his mother, whose murder case has haunted him his entire life, is now alive. The city is currently under attack from two opposing forces claiming to be heroes: Citizen Cold (a "new" take on the classic Flash villain, Captain Cold) and The Pied Piper (also a reboot of a Flash villain of the same name). Barry's mom cannot recall any Flash or Justice League existing, but she does recognize "Batman." We then meet this "new" Batman, a more grizzled version who is much more low-tech than the Batman everyone knows. He also lacks the "no kill" rule that made the standard version famous, as he drops a female henchman of "Joker" off of a building. She, however, is caught by who we are led to believe is the central hero of this new world: Cyborg, appearing and acting virtually the same as always. Batman and Cyborg argue heroics and Cyborg invites Batman to join his group of heroes to take on the curent world despots: Aquaman and Wonder Woman. A hologram appears of all the "heroes" on Cyborg's team, though not much is known about any of them at this time.
We are then treated to the other big change in Barry's life: his wife, Iris, does not know him and is married to someone else. Flashing back to "hero" meeting with Cyborg and Batman, a vote is taken on whether or not they would all take on the world despots. Batman says no, and everyone then declines as well. Barry Allen takes a car to Gotham to Wayne Manor to find Batman. Once inside, he is attacked by Batman, who is actually Thomas Wayne, avenging his murdered wife and son. Which is not a huge surprise.High Points: I've always been a fan of alternate earths and What If type stories, but DC assures all that this is the same world that all the other books are taking place in. I think its a great opening for a miniseries and a twist ending that's not so much shocking as it is thought provoking. The art in some scenes is top notch, and characters are treated with familiarity and mystery all at once which is not an easy task.
Low Points: Yes, some scenes are great artwise, but most are not. The art seems a little too grainy and rushed in places, saving the great stuff for the first time we wee a character. The story is a bit convoluted in a number of ways, and although I was very interested in the group of "heroes," I'm not a fan of having to buy several other miniseries to understand who they are.
Verdict: A-: Like most major events, there are a lot more questions at the end than answers, but I think it has a lot of promise. Johns has been working on this story for years now, so I guess we will see how it turns out. I'd suggest buying it, if you can. James, anything to add to increase the dramatic tension of my first entry?
Thanks, bud. See everyone next time.
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