Writer: Kenny Porter
Art: Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Steve Wands, and Max Fiumara
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
After Barry’s exploits with the Justice League, he’s resolved to develop into a genuinely competent and passionate superhero. So, as a new danger arises in Central City, Barry turns to the Dark Knight for guidance in order to subjugate his new abilities. Let’s race into The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 by Kenny Porter to see if Batman can assist the Crimson Comet in stopping this new metal maniac.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 Review.
BACKGROUND
Readers searching for another Flash comic to brighten up their pull list should stay clear of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1. Now, even if you knew nothing about the story and stayed clear of the previews, you’d still notice that the cover distinctly tells fans this is a Flash Movie tie-in. So, you should know the background of the character if you watched the Justice League Movie. And thus, all we know is that Barry has powers and helped save the world from Darkseid’s invasion. However, this story dives immediately into Barry kickstarting his own Superhero career in Central City.
THE DISPATCH
Immediately, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 has its issues. Even though Barry has fought Parademons and stemmed off an invasion, Porter treats the Flash as having no ability to fight whatsoever. All he can do is run fast. Additionally, the Flash appears as though he hasn’t taken the time to master his abilities yet either… or even iron out any of the details around his abilities, which again doesn’t seem to jive with the Justice League Movie at all.
The focus of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 is Barry getting help from Batfleck on how to fight. For starters, going to Batfleck to learn how to fight while a madman metahuman is running loose isn’t plausible. Sure, Barry’s fast but he can’t learn martial arts in an hour. The idea came across as foolish by Porter and was only thrown into the issue to get Batfleck involved. And thus, the premise of the entire comic seemed forced, trivial, and pointless.
A FEW MORE MISSTEPS
Moreover, the character’s voices didn’t seem like the Movie characters nor did they seem like the characters from DC Comics. Nothing this cast did or said made them appear like Batman or the Flash in any universe. Plus, when Barry races in to find Batfleck in Gotham, he just lets the events roll off his back almost as if Barry is this weird, sitcom neighbor for comic relief. That’s not the Movie Batman. Batfleck was straightforward, hard-nosed, and direct… not like this portrayal.
And lastly, the build-up with Barry learning his powers more should have turned into a showdown with the Flash. However, Porter and his creative team literally jump over the fight with the line “Ten minutes later”. Excuse me. The purpose of the issue was to learn how to fight. So, once he does and begins the fight, you take it away so we never see it? One punch is all fans get. Doesn’t that seem a bit silly?
ART
Now, as silly as the plot and story were, the art was truly where the biggest missteps of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 bellowed through. Ricardo Lopez Ortiz’s almost anime style makes this issue look way too rushed and blurry. The character’s eyes were way too large in multiple spots. Their arms and legs were elongated in a variety of scenes. And more importantly, Barry didn’t look like the Flash from the Movie nor did Batfleck look anything like himself. I hate to even say it but the renderings just came across as sloppy. Take the time to really look closely at the smaller panels and you’ll see some off-centered eyes and partially drawn faces that were a large cause of concern.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 is a hard pass this week. From a jumbled plot and bad characterization to a messy display and rendering of the characters that looked nothing like the Movie or comic, there was very little to salvage from this issue. The story beats didn’t jive with the Justice League Movie and the almost anime artistic choice in style made the issue come across as less serious and fragmented in nature. Plus, without knowing if the Flash Movie is actually coming out in June, it leaves the question as to whether or not The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 truly ties into the Movie. Heck, who knows if we’ll ever see that Movie after the incidents with Ezra Miller? For right now, if you need a Flash fix this week, I’d just reread an old Flash comic. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!