DC COMICS
WRITER: Mark Guggenheim
ARTISTS: Tony S. Daniel, Art Thibert
COVER: Tony S. Daniel

Bart Allen loses his super-speed and must now face the assembled ranks of the Flash-rogues. By now, the ending of this comic must be public knowledge and one variant cover actually gives away the details. There has also been a lot of speculation that this issue is basically DC's admission that the latest version of the Flash was a flop. Well, without going into any of these details, let me just say that this was a very effective-- and affecting issue. Bart finally shows what he is made of, struggling to fight back despite his powerlessness. The brief glimmers of hope offered to him are enough to keep the reader guessing-- even when they know what is coming. And when the end comes, it is touching rather than gruesome. The art isn't very flashy (pun intended) and in some places, is actually fairly crude-- especially in the depiction of women. But the tension, desperation and final violence in the battle between Bart and the villains is conveyed very well. For all its faults, this book gets four and a half stars out of five.