COMIC BOOK REVIEW - The Flash: Move Forward
By The Masked Medic
The Flash has always been one of DC’s more optimistic characters, whether it’s Barry Allen or Wally West under the cowl, the Scarlet Speedster remains a force for hope in the comic book world. Following the ‘Flashpoint’ event, DC’s new 52 universe has all come out of Barry Allen’s choice to try to change and then un-change his past.
‘Move Forward’ is essentially a two-part story. The first part deals with a character Barry Allen knew in the past; Manuel Lago. Manuel was experimented on and somehow his ability to heal from any injury and grow back tissue led to an army of clones who all just want to live longer than their limited lifespan allows. As the Flash attempts to stop them, an EMP blast knocks out the electricity in the whole city. This leads to Captain Cold, aka Leonard Snart, trying to gain revenge on the Flash, since Leonard’s sister is in the hospital and can’t be treated since the power is gone.
As I said before, the Flash is a really optimistic character, and this makes him really fun to read. We are constantly given an idea of what he’s thinking and feeling which just further improves the insight we have into the character. Manuel was also an interesting character in this story because he has this power that he doesn’t want, and the choices he makes to escape that life make him seem like a villain.
The artwork was done by Francis Manapaul who is one of my favourite artists, I wish he would do stories with other characters. His covers are beautiful, and the variants done by other artists were also really good!
Favourite Panel:
Tell me this isn’t inspirational?
Favourite character:
The Flash. He’s naive but his heart is in the right place.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★
Re-readability: ★★½
Level: Beginner