Product Description

The Flash races into adventure in this incredible graphic novel from Geoff Johns, the writer of INFINITE CRISIS. This new edition of a classic Flash title now includes the additional story "Iron Heights".

The Cicada, charismatic leader of a deadly cult, makes his debut by ruining The Flash's lifetime of heroism. Cicada's cult has been systematically murdering every person The Flash has ever saved.

Now, as The Fastest Man Alive realizes that he is indirectly responsible for the death of innocents, he must ignore his guilt feelings and face Cicada head-on before any more blood is shed in his name. But when he discovers that someone special from his past is one of Cicada's devoted followers, The Flash finds himself on the verge of a catastrophic breakdown.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93041 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-20
• Released on: 2008-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781401216474
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

The Flash Speeds In A New Direction!
This trade paperback represents the beginning of writer Geoff Johns' now classic run following the departure of fan-favorite Mark Waid. Unlike the previous printing of Blood Will Run (which also collected issues #170-176, plus a story from 'The Flash Secret Files'), this updated version reprints the out of print Iron Heights one-shot special, as well. This new addition is pivotal since it showcases the Flash's villains, or rogues, escaping from the Iron Heights prison and banding together to torment the Flash. This is technically the second volume collecting Johns' Flash work, the first being Vol. 0: Wonderland, which collected issues #164-169. However, that storyline was a rather mundane effort from Johns with very little bearing on the continuing saga that would be fleshed out during the tenure of his 5 years on the book. For all intents and purposes, this collection is the best starting point for those wishing to read the genesis of Johns' Flash stories.

Unlike most other collections, which reprints a major storyarc, this paperback collects narratives that represent the seeds of ongoing storylines to be developed later. The first tale has the Flash battling a killer cult that sees him as a God, while the next has the Flash racing to save a baby who might be his own. When Geoff Johns took over the writing chores on this book, his primary mission was to boost the Flash's rogues gallery to new heights of fear and respect. Easier said than done with names like Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang. However, throughout the course of Johns' stories, the rogues were given a uniformed purpose as well as individual personalities. The back stories for some of the villains highlighted troubled pasts and some rather coherent reasoning for the silly costumes and monikers. By making such sympathetic and driven characters, Johns managed to elevate the stories beyond just good versus evil. The artwork in this collection also warrants mentioning. The majority of the art is by Scott Kolins, whose cartoony approach to the Flash might take some adjustment. Kolins does not render shadows, and as such, the foreground, middleground, and background all seem to exist on the same plane. Even the color palette chosen to enhance the drawings are primarily washed-out pastels, with the Flash's costume representing the boldest colors. This might very well have been intentional, but it makes for rather drab visuals. The art is far from mediocre but better artwork has graced the pages of this title. Speaking of which, Ethan Van Sciver's highly detailed pencils on the 'Iron Heights' story cannot be overlooked. Sciver's work stands in stark contrast to Kolins, and readers might be taken aback by the radical shift in visual styles. Sciver is a master of anatomy, architecture, and dynamic storytelling through his art, and it should be no surprise that he was selected to draw Barry Allen's reintroduction to the DC Universe in The Flash: Rebirth mini-series. A responsibility he has some practice with having done the same with Hal Jordan a few years back in a storyline also written by Geoff Johns.

DC has managed to do something rather remarkable with Geoff Johns' Flash stories, and that is collect them all in trade paperback from. For those interested in continuing on from this paperback, the remaining collections are Vol. 2: Rogues, Vol. 3: Crossfire, Vol. 4: Blitz, Vol. 5: Ignition, Vol. 6: The Secret of Barry Allen, and Vol. 7: Rogue War. Be warned, though, that some of these collections are now out of print and highly costly so it will be beneficial to shop around. Geoff Johns is among the best writers in comics today and is constantly in high demand by DC to helm many of their most lucrative projects. But before having become a household name in comics, Johns carved out a niche in the superhero genre with his pioneering work on the Flash. These collections offer fans a chance to re-live some of the best stories to ever showcase the fastest man alive!

Love Geoff Johns Storys
Great and excellent shipping. I enjoy reading the Geoff Johns "Blood will run", it feel like a detective story and not a superheroes story. For sure I'm buying the sequel of it!!

Really nice art
Scott Kolins is a great "Flash" artist. Ethan van Sciver maybe not so much.'Nuff said.