Final Crisis - Rogues' Revenge #1 (of 3)

One-sentence summary: This final crisis "tie-in" seems like it could be an interesting series, and the detailed, almost gritty art really works well for a series about villains.

First off, I need to get my biggest criticism of this series off my chest, simply due to the fact it has no bearing on the quality of the book. I hate DC's habit lately of doing tie-ins that are, in no way, tie-ins. At Marvel, even if the tie-in sucks, it usually has something to do with what it's being tied in to. Not so at DC. You'll have Countdown tie-ins with characters from 52, or with Captain Carrot for Pete's sake, and now you have a final crisis tie-in that I can almost safely assume will have nothing to do w/Final Crisis.

That being said, it could be a good story. The first issue was a good set-up, some neat stuff happens, and the artwork really was pretty neat. However, as it's the first issue, it's tough to judge how the series will be; the main plot of the story hasn't really been reached yet.

All in all, I think this series has definite potential, and I'm digging the art, but don't expect any actual connection with Final Crisis. I mean, why should you -- it's just a tie-in with the words "Final Crisis" in the title. Friggin' DC.

All Flash #1

One-sentence summary: even w/multiple artists doing this, the story stayed cohesive as a way to introduce Wally West back into the DCU as the Flash, but not much more.

All Flash (sort of an odd name for a one-shot introduction, but, hey, whatever) wasn't a bad comic by any stretch, really, it just didn't do much for me. I think that's mostly because I grew up w/Impulse and the Flash from the cartoons; my Flashes are usually jokesters with the books having a generally light-hearted feel. This is so far from light-hearted it borders on down-right horrific with the fate of Inertia; Waid definitely does a darker job on this than most his stuff. I'm not complaining that this book wasn't jokey; I didn't really expect that, as Bart Allen is dead because of Wally's return. I was just hoping for something even moderately more upbeat than this for the Flash. As is, what I got was a mostly vengeful and depressing comic with an end foreshadowing what look to be some of the worst Flash characters since...ever, really.

However, I should stay positive. The art can definitely be nice in the book, and the story, as one that had to be told, is pretty well done. Wally West is back, and this book cements him back in place.