Flash

I've been reading the recent Flash graphic novels by Robert Venditti and they've had their ups and downs but despite finding them underwhelming I decided to go all in on the Francis Manapul ombnibus. From a price standpoint it makes sense since we get the issues from the first four Manapul graphic novels combined in one book and it's a good looking book. Previously, I'd only read the Golden Age omnibus's which all included a white border around the page images but this omnibus has the images go right to the edge of the pages which is a nice usage of space. The only issue is occasional gutter loss but I can't recall any instance where text was buried in the gutter.The first story arc involves a friend of Barry's named Manuel who's been given awesome regenerative powers. Not only can he regenerate body parts but his bodyparts can regenerate new versions of him. The duplicates, which don't have regenerative powers, form a group called Mob Rule and are desperately trying to find a solution to the problem that they have very short life spans. During this arc the Flash also discovers some amazing new powers. He's now capable of not only vibrating his own molecules to pass through solid objects but he can also vibrate other objects like a pair of 600 ton barges. But that's nothing compared to his new ability to calculate future events and essentially see into the future and prevent disasters that haven't occurred yet. Combined with his faster than light speed he's essentially God like which makes a group like Mob Rule seem like no real threat. I didn't love the first story arc. It occupies the first five issues and really didn't capture me. We're supposed to accept that Manuel Lago is Barry's oldest and best friend but I've never heard of the character and wouldn't be surprised if this is his first appearance.The book hits its stride with the five part Reverse-Flash story arc. Not only do we have a villain that is a legitimate threat to the Flash but he has an interesting motivation even if the source of his powers seemed a bit weak. The Grodd storyline was also pretty good and Manapul gave Grodd some Speed Force powers to make him a conceivable match to the Fastest Man Alive. The problem with both stories are the abrupt, forgettable endings. It was like Manapul just ran out of energy. There are several crossover events here including Forever Evil and Zero Year but since we only get the Flash issues they feel very disjointed.In my opinion Francis Manapul is a better writer than Robert Venditti and Brian Buccellato is a better penciller than Van Jensen but the differences aren't as large as I was hoping. Manapul tries to get fancy with his writing, trying to explain how some of the elements of the Scarlet Speedsters powers work but in my opinion this is a mistake. Once you get the readers thinking about the physics behind a man running at speeds anywhere near the speed of light you've opened a door with endless problems. I can respect Manapul's attempt to bring some intelligence to the Flash's powers but sometimes you just got to let it go. The other problem is an age old problem concerning the Flash. How can a light speed running human be beaten? As if it weren't bad enough Manapul gives him precognition so when someone comes along and gives the Flash a boot to the head and knocks him out I'm just not buying it. None of the Flash's rogue's, besides fellow speedsters like Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom (who are now two separate people), should stand a chance against him.My last issue is with Manapul's heavy usage of the Speed Force. It's an interesting way to explain the source of the Flash's powers but I find it overused here. I'm just not into all the Speed Force pseudoscience and found a lot of it tedious. Others may really enjoy the Speed Force stuff. It's just not for me. Overall I think this is a better than average comic run but I wasn't blown away.

I've been a DC Comics fan for a very long while, and I've never been fully satisfied with the quality of their books. Specially the Omnibus line. I crossed the street and went to the other company because of it, and turns out the competition have a better craft when they produce big collections, so I stay there.A few years back (2011 to be exact), The New 52 kicked in and I decided to give it a shot by buying the frist trade of some of their titles. Batman, GL, and Superman were in, of course, but I also decided to include The Flash since Geoff Jones made a good run with Barry Allen before everything ended.I was disappointed by most of the books I got. About the Flash... I found nothing memorable on that first trade, so it was another title I wasn't going to follow.Fast forward 2016. I saw a REALLY good deal in which I was able to get The Flash Omnibus, with the complete New 52 run, for over $30. I might not have loved the book, but a bargain is a bargain, is a bargain. So I bought it. And I love it!I absolutely LOVE this book. First, because is so well made. Good binding, lovely cover, lovely inside cover (once you remove the dust jacket). Second, the art. Very good. Somewhat cartoony but fits great on thbe book. And Third, the writing. Kudos to Manapul. I had a blast reading this.This book is big, so the current price ($59.68) is a good one too. I highly recommend it!

Much as people like to say all of the New 52 was garbage there are some parts that are not, The Flash is definitely one of them. This omnibus is a great value and a handsome edition to any collection. The stories told here are fun and the art is fantastic.

Why is it most flag ship titles have the worst art? Seriously, the art in this book looks like DC hired the artist right out of high school.

Some low and high points, but I think its worth the read. The art is really good.

bought for my son's birthday he absolutely loved it! great condition!

Great collection

Item arrived in perfect condition!

First page was broken. Because of tha cover falls apart. It is not like new as shown in the offer

Temos o run completo de Francis Manapul (maior parte do roteiro/arte) e Brian Buccellato (roteiro/cores).Os 4 arcos escritos e com arte da dupla (Seguindo em Frente, A Revolução dos Vilões, A Guerra dos Gorilas e Flash Reverso) estão presentes no volume, além de edições extras que precederam o evento Vilania Eterna mostrando como os principais inimigos do Flash agiram no começo.A arte é simplesmente exuberante e as histórias bem divertidas. Vale pegar em promoção grande, o que tem ocorrido bastante com essa edição no segundo semestre de 2018.

Después de lo ocurrido en Final Crisis escrito por Gran Morrison, los eventos de Flash Rebirth y una breve andadura de 12 números escritas ambas por Geoff Johns llegamos a una "especie" de reinicio por parte de todo el universo DC, aire fresco en algunas cabeceras, Barry Allen de la mano de Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato nos ofrecieron una historia redonda, villanos clásicos de Flash corriendo nuevamente desde una "nueva" perspectiva corriendo por Central City, nada que no se haya contado ya pero para nuevos lectores al universo de Flash es una buena propuesta para subirse al rayo, por otra parte y es donde luce y levanta más el libro es el apartado gráfico, el diseño de las páginas y la forma dinámica de contar la historia es simplemente brutal por parte de Manapul, las splash-page son geniales en cada número, que junto a la paleta de colores de Buccellato forman una gran obra.Sin duda un gran omnibus desde la parte gráfica, por lo escrito es entretenido de leer, este supuesto gran inicio de parte de DC comics.

I was genuinely excited when I was waiting to receive the omnibus as reading Geoff Johns' run on "The Flash" and also reading "The Flash: Rebirth", it made me an enthusiastic fan of the Flash. In reading the omnibus, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, in my opinion, knocked out of the park with their run on the first half of the new 52. The artwork is visual delight to say the least and coupled with the story telling, it reminded me of Geoff Johns iconic Green Lantern run and his corresponding omnibuses.Granted, as a massive Geoff Johns fan, his run on Green Lantern, I hold the pedigree of that run to be in the hall of fame. I have nothing but great things to say about this book however I do have one personal gripe with it. I just wish that both Francis and Brian were able to write/illustrate the majority of "The Flash" run for the new 52 similar to Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo.Highly recommend for any new Flash fans that are looking to get their feet wet or for anyone who is as huge of a fan as I am of DC Comics.

Beautiful artwork and well written story. Loved everything going on, loved the character interactions and how they treated Barry. The art is really well done, and there are certain aspects of the art that make you appreciate it so much. And the quality of the pages are really nice, definitely recommend.