When the Flashpoint tie-in mini-series were first announced, it was this mini-series, focusing on Kid Flash Bart Allen, that immediately caught my eye.Considering how the Flashpoint event spins out of events from the Flash comic, it would stand to reason that a mini-series focusing on a member of the Flash family would have the potential to be one of the most enjoyable tie-ins.Sadly, this has proven to be untrue, as this tie-in has felt unnecessary, uninspired, and dull.The first issue ripped off the Matrix, and this issue has a moment that reads like an homage to Back to the Future, but at least in this issue it works better, and felt less like blatant stealing of ideas and concepts, not just in the script but the artwork as well.
This issue doesn’t fare too much better than the first issue, with Brainiac being dumbed down to a painful extent, and Gates continues to push the new Hot Pursuit down the readers’ throats.Talk about a character with paper-thin motivation, as suddenly this bystander, for lack of a better term, is co-starring in a crossover tie-in mini-series, and making a sacrifice to help propel Bart back to the past (our present).The sacrifice holds no weight, and really doesn’t matter to the reader, as she’s a nobody character suddenly given something important to do.
Gates is better than this, as the overall plot line for this series pits a depowered Bart up against a future version of Brainiac, and then he has to outwit him, so that they can take him out so that Bart and Hot Pursuit can return to the present.I appreciate the root concept here, but sadly Gates doesn’t go deep enough to develop it, resulting in the issue feeling way too oversimplified, and Brainiac being written horribly out of character.
The artwork by Nome isn’t bad, it’s actually one of the more enjoyable aspects of this issue, but then that’s not really saying much.I feel badfor Nome here, because as an artist, when you’re told you’regoing to be working on a book starring Kid Flash, you’re probably excited about illustrating the speed and swiftness of the characters.Yet here he gets a script with a depowered Bart, and it definitely makes the issue a more difficult sell visually, with Nome doing his very best under the circumstances.
This issue is disappointing, lacks an engaging narrative and plotline, and is very forgettable.Considering my high expectations and level of excitement going in, this series has thus far failed to impress.
