Flash Rebirth #4 (OF 6)

At last we reach the true turning point of this series as the events of this issue decide on the direction for the rest of the series and what the series is actually ultimately about. I, for one, could scarcely be more disappointed.

On the positive side, and saving the issue from the lowest score, are a number of very nice moments. We finally have the return of Max Mercury and the conversation that he has with Barry in the Speedforce regarding having something to anchor him to the real world was very nicely done. I especially like how Barry convinced Max that he is, for all intents and purposes, Bart Allen's father. We also had some nice moments as Wally plunged head-first into the Speedforce to rescue Max and Barry, sure that his connection with Linda would bring him back and Bart and Jay going up against Zoom. And that last page was very exciting indeed.

Sadly, all of these great little moments are weighed down by a story that feature some of the most inane, moronic and unnecessary plot developments and retcons that I've come across in quite some time.

First we have the revelation that Barry actually created the Speedforce when he got his powers, rather than just tapping in to it. Everything about this retcon stinks to high heaven. It doesn't serve a purpose, it is absurdly illogical and there are already plenty of reasons to love Barry Allen as a character, this just strikes me as overkill. Worse, it contributes to the second stupid plot point of Thawne having his own "negative Speedforce" that again comes totally out of left field. Add these two plot devices together and we basically have the basis for the entire miniseries. All the cool moments in the world can't save the book from being ultimately uneventful and silly, which, when added to its slow pace and ill-fitting tone for a Flash book, makes for one large dud of an event.

As for Van Sciver's art, there is again so much to like about it: it's bold and wonderfully detailed and yet I can't help but think that he isn't a good fit for the Flash either. The Flash works best with someone with a lighter touch at the helm and however much I've loved his work in the past, EVS's harsh and static pencils don't work here.

I say all this knowing full well that this is clearly a passion project for both artist and writer. All I can say is that while I love the intention behind it, Flash: Rebirth is simply a massive missfire by two very talented creators who I have no doubt will go onto to do better things - and indeed in Geoff's case he already is doing some pretty terrific work on Blackest Night and GL. Maybe they should just leave the Flash to someone else.