DC Comics
The Flash #206
By Loretta Ramirez
January 31, 2004 - 14:04

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



flash206.jpg
After a few chokes, ignition is finally achieved. The end of a six-issue story-arc, “Ignition Part VI: Up to Speed” by Geoff Johns and artists Alberto Dose and Howard Porter, returns Wally West—The Flash—to high super-heroics and to more vibrant art. Here, the serial cop-killer gets caught, West reveals his superhero identity to his wife, and The Flash is again proud to be the fastest man alive.

“Ignition” focused on the rebirth of West’s heroism and closes with a lingering excitement as the Flash returns to crime-fighting. Yet, Johns fails to suitably tie-up a crucial sub-plot of “Ignition”—Linda West’s reaction upon hearing that her husband is really the hero she blames for her children’s deaths. Too quickly paced, Linda’s reactions are shallow, unconvincing. Still, this doesn’t drastically detract from the overall enjoyment of this issue.

Most of “Ignition” dealt with life without superheroes. Fittingly, Dose’s art was bleak and gritty. Yet with the plot transition that occurs in this issue—as The Flash reemerges—there is also a striking transition in art. Towards the end of the issue, West accelerates from a walk into a run as Porter steps in as the new FLASH artist. The pages spark with a vivacity and freshness that perfectly parallel the hero’s regained spirit.

Overall: A-

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