The DC Rebirth continues on, as we look at new issues of The Flash and Wonder Woman.
The Flash 4
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Neil Googe
We’ve hit the second half of the “Lightning Strikes Twice” story, which means the action should be ramping up. Given the pacing of many of the other Rebirth stories, The Flash, ironically, has been maintaining a pretty steady pace as it builds to the inevitable confrontation between The Flash, his newly-quickened allies and whoever new villain Godspeed ends up being.
The heroes thought they figured it out here, going after a former STAR Labs employee who was fired for trying to experiment with the Speed Force. Turns out, though, he was just a crazy guy trying to get his own power. Once Dr. Carver overloads on the Speed Force and Barry’s allies show up to give him a hand, the threat is neutralized fairly quickly.
Flash also gets hit on and kissed by Meena, the STAR Labs doc he’s been working with that also got speed powers from the lightning storm that kicked off this story and then reveals his secret identity. Because not enough people know Barry Allen is the Flash.
I’m enjoying the steady pace Williamson is going with here, but I don’t feel like he’s doing anything Earth-shattering with the Flash to set his run apart from anything that’s come before. Still, it’s a consistently well-done book, which is never a guarantee anymore.
Wonder Woman 4
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Nicola Scott
While this is the fourth issue of Rucka’s run on Wonder Woman, it’s just the second issue of the “Year One” story running in even-numbered issues. It’s not really not anything we haven’t seen before, as we’re back to the beginning, with Steve Trevor waking up after crash-landing on Paradise Island, the rest of his crew are dead and he is unable to communicate with anyone, because he doesn’t speak the same language as everyone else. I’ll assume it’s Greek, although I don’t think it was ever specified.
As the Amazons examine the US Military equipment aboard Trevor’s plane and awe at the power of the guns on board, Queen Hippolyta, Diana’s mother, calls for a contest to see which of the Amazons will bring Trevor back to his home. How will they do that, do you ask, since the Amazons probably don’t know how to fly the wrecked plane they’ve repaired? Well, they made the plane invisible and taught the plane how to make it home itself. Because comic books, I assume. The winner of the competition – the one who finally managed to parry a shot from Trevor’s gun – should be no real surprise.
I haven’t been high on Rucka’s return to Wonder Woman, as he is clearly wiping out what has come before, but at the very least, he is not drawing things out unnecessarily. Trevor is healed, a competition is announced and completed and Trevor and Diana are set off to return to “Man’s world.” So, at least we’re getting through the parts that everyone knows quickly.
We’ll see what Rucka has in store for Diana and how he adjusts the established origins in a month, with a return to the other story in two weeks.