The Flash: Rebirth #3 Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Ethan Van Sciver

Last time I reviewed this series, I said "what makes this Flash more important than of the other ones." Geoff Johns makes a valiant effort addressing that this issue. I was eagerly anticipating every plot twist while reading it, but I still don't care for the character.

The theme that Geoff John pushes is that it's not "the Flash" who is worth the trouble of saving, it's Barry Allen. The first 70% of the issue is spent with the Justice League and various iterations of the Flash frantically trying to find a solution to the Black Flash situation of Barry. They theorize that by separating Barry from the Speed Force, thus taking away his powers, they will cure him. I really liked this approach. DC's heroes have lost so much lately that they aren't willing to let another one of their friends go. Barry has just gotten back and the Justice League is desperate to keep him.

Barry Allen is not a fan of their approach though. It seems he identifies himself more as the Flash and a detective and is willing to die if it means keeping his powers long enough to find out what is really happening. His and the Justice League's conflicting strategies climax in an intense scene where Superman chases the Flash to keep him from potentially sacrificing himself. The eternal question about who is faster is definitively answered in this issue.

Ethan Van Sciver's art is a little disappointing. All of his characters suffer from blank faces. Iris, Barry's wife, is hardly sad. We can't see the desperation to save his friend on Superman's face while he races Barry and neither can we see the struggle on Barry's while he tries to almost break the Speed Force. This inability to show emotion takes away from the great characterization that Geoff Johns establishes. However, Van Sciver can draw some mean speed and running effects. His blurry lines and lightning bolts are highly effective.

I enjoyed this issue a little more than I did the last two. Geoff Johns is establishing a story about the struggle to keep your power even it could destroy you. However, he still hasn't made the Flash a cool character to me the way he did with the Green Lanterns when he relaunched that series. I actually wouldn't mind seeing Barry Allen become the Black Flash full-time. That would be a nice little twist that would make the Flash cool. Am I just a Flash hater, or do I have a valid point?