DC Comics
The Flash #204
By Loretta Ramirez
November 30, 2003 - 09:32

DC Comics
Writer(s): Geoff Johns
Penciller(s): Alberto Dose
Cover Artist(s): Alberto Dose



theflash0204.jpg
Wally West is learning to accept that he didn't choose to be The Flash; he IS The Flash. And, this is a responsibility that he can no longer deny. In "Ignition, Part Four: Cold Reality" by Geoff Johns and Alberto Dose, the story-arc is in transition as West fully resumes the role of the Flash and all the complications that follow-kidnappings, distance from his wife, and sleepless nights.

Though marking a change in direction, this issue is a slow read. Not much occurs. West is abducted by Captain Cold, but neither learns much from the other; he also meets the police's new rogue profiler, but, again, the confrontation doesn't clearly impact the story. Yet, there are funny moments-West's outrage that the rogues threw a party when he was presumed dead. Plus, the issue closes with the arrival of a superhero ally.

Dose's art has always been bleak but appropriate to the story's mood; yet, here it feels flat. Perhaps the style is too gritty to smoothly follow the shift to a more classic superhero story. Also disappointing is the ally's arrival, the drama of which is weakened by his oddly proportioned body and veins that stud his arms although he should be wearing body armor. Still, the characters' faces are lively, and West's escape from Cold is noteworthy in its swift portrayal of movement.

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