4/5
The Flash's rogue gallery and his relationship with them has interested me ever since I started reading up on the character. They're in it for the score and make it a code to never kill. Then, sometimes, when Central City is under attack by, say, an army of gorillas, they don't hesitate to defend their turf and help the Flash. The first story in this volume plays around with the idea and really analyzes the rogues and what they stand for, bringing to the surface Joshua Williamson's talent for writing The Flash.
The second story of this volume follows up with a plot point laid out in the previous one: Wally West is in search of Daniel West, a Reverse Flash, who turns out to be Wally's dad (which really begs the question: Who is Wally's mom?). It's secrets on top of secrets that Wally has to uncover, leading to Barry having to make a big choice, which was probably one of the best executed scenes in the series so far.
As for the third story, well... I'll let you find out yourselves.
Carmine Di Giandomenico is back as the main artist for this volume and though his lines can be a bit shaky and questionable, I absolutely love it for the Flash. Carmine might not be the greatest at conveying emotions, but he gets the job done. Where he succeeds, however, is the action. The shaky lines mixed with the page layouts and well-illustrated composition makes the action sequences very fluid and really gives readers a sense of Barry's speed in a still image. The supporting artists do a great job here too, but Carmine's efforts really stand out here compared to the first volume.
I was hoping the Williamson's writing would pick back up after volume 2 and, to my relief, it did. Though this volume still isn't quite perfect (there's still some issues of the characters suddenly think out loud for no reason or give too much exposition), this series is shaping up to be something huge. I can feel it.
If he keeps it up, Williamson might be writing the best Flash run in years.
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