Flash - The Fastest Man Alive, Book 1: Lightning in a Bottle [Paperback]

Danny Bilson (Author), Paul DeMeo (Author), Ken Lashley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (March 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401212298
• ISBN-13: 978-1401212292
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Flash is back!, March 22, 2007

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flash - The Fastest Man Alive, Book 1: Lightning in a Bottle (Paperback)

Bart Allen hasn't been the same since the Infinite Crisis. The former Kid Flash and Teen Titan went toe to toe with Superboy Prime; inadvertantly traveling into the future which resulted in the destruction of the Speed Force, the disappearance of then Flash Wally West, and his own aging into an adult. Fast forward one year later, and Bart is a factory worker in Central City with no powers, and wanting none of the Flash legacy. However, soon enough he and his friend Griffin Gray are caught in an accident that reconnects Bart's link with the Speed Force, and gives Griffin his own powers as well. Naturally, you know what's coming. Yes folks, we have a new scarlet speedster in town, and thanks to writers Danny Bilson and Paul Demeo, this Flash for a new generation already gets his share of a rogues gallery, as well as a love interest. Lightning in a Bottle manages to pack in enough Flash history as well as tie up some loose ends left over from Infinite Crisis (just what happened to Bart in the future?) while artists Ken Lashley, Karl Kerschl, and Ron Adrian, do solid work. The only real downside is that this first volume feels way too short, and the idea of Jay Garrick in mortal danger has been a Flash plot device for so long now that something better can surely be thought of. That aside, Lightning in a Bottle is a great new beginning for the Flash, and I for one am looking forward to seeing what Bart Allen will be racing towards in the future.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than You've Heard, June 21, 2007

By 

Scott William Foley (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flash - The Fastest Man Alive, Book 1: Lightning in a Bottle (Paperback)

Yeah ... so ... um, I swear I've been meaning to write a review of this collection for about a month now, and just when I sat down yesterday to write it, well, we got some news about Bart Allen and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive Issue #13. I promise you, the recent news did not alter my thoughts on this work whatsoever.

When this new series began, I honestly didn't get it. I didn't understand why they ended one of my all-time favorite runs with Geoff Johns' Wally West as the Flash. What initially put Wally on the path to greatness, after a bit of a rocky start, was Mark Waid's fun and fanciful writing, and Johns just kept that sprint moving.

So, even though I didn't understand why they were relieving Wally of his duties, I also didn't get very upset about it. After all, Wally was once Kid Flash, and he had to step into Barry Allen's boots, and, though it took many years, he eventually became a top-tier character in terms of roundedness and dynamic. I didn't see the point in tossing Wally aside, but I also had faith that Bart would come into his own one day. I love the character of the Flash, no matter who's in the mask, so I was going to stick with it.

Oh, but the fanboys cried havoc! I kept hearing the news series was terrible; Bilson and Demeo, the new writers, didn't have a clue what they were doing. Blah, blah, blah. As is my habit, I waited for the trade.

Guess what folks? It's not bad.

Granted, it's not up to the level of Geoff Johns' or Mark Waid's run, but those guys are seasoned all-stars. I thought it was a nice intro to a new series with some interesting plot points, art ranging from the very good to the serviceable, and while Bart wasn't as fun as he use to be as Impulse, or, to a lesser degree, Kid Flash, he also seemed to bring an interesting perspective to the character that I felt would be interesting to follow.

Did I like Bart as much as Wally? No, but once upon a time I didn't like Wally as much as Barry, and that changed in the early nineties when I was in high school. Bart had been around for a long time, I felt fairly confident he would come into his own and the writers would get into a groove with who they wanted him to be and where they wanted to take him.

Well, if you've heard the news, it's all a moot point. I don't want to give anything away, but the second volume of this series will be the last. I'm looking forward to reading it, and, with the news of Mark Waid returning to a Flash book picking up where the other series left off, I'm fairly stoked to read those, too.

But, don't let the disgruntled readers fool you. Lightning In a Bottle is not bad and, if you're a Flash fan, despite who's wearing the uniform, I think you'll enjoy it.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder if Bart Allen could be the Flash?, January 2, 2008

By 

Heatwave the Rogue (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flash - The Fastest Man Alive, Book 1: Lightning in a Bottle (Paperback)

Bart Allen started his fictional superhero career as an annoyance to Wally West and then as comic relief in his own "Impulse" series. These writers took this character and answered the question of "What happens when Bart Allen grows up and becomes The Flash?" and they do it strong.

Don't let the fanboys influence you on the internet about this one, it's a fun read that only people that can't bear to see someone else beneath the mask will tell you it's terrible. It's not bad, in fact it's very very good.