Customer Reviews

The Flash: Stop Motion

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best comic character-based novels to date, and the best of the DC novels I have read. There is great characterization, especially as the point of view focuses on Wally West nearly exclusively. His insecurities and lack of confidence as a JLA member are dealt with very nicely.

Basically, as with other JLA novels, a new villain is created and dealt with, leaving nothing to interfere with the comic universe itself, but adding nicely to the feel of the universe. There is a new speedster in Keystone City, one who is faster than the Flash. This new speedster's actions cause some calamitous world disasters, as well as a number of gruesome murders. The JLA are largely insufficient to the task, with only Wally able to oppose this particular villain.

There is great exposition, good atmosphere, and a great comic-book feel. A number of other JLA members make appearances, though for the most part they are incidental window-dressing. What I like is that Wally actually is shown to be a round character, with his disposition altered over the course of the story. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying, somewhat abrupt and without the resolution to the climactic encounter. Still, this is a great book, and it works even for non-comic readers, as I am a fan of old but not terribly up to date as of the last decade and then some.

Wally West, also known as The Flash, has never felt quite at home in the Justice League of America (JLA). Forever relegated to the second string when it comes to power, at least Wally knows that he is the fastest man alive. However, when someone starts murdering people in Keystone City, Wally quickly realizes that there is someone faster than he is. To make matters worse, this is a purely super-speedster problem, which means that the rest of the JLA can't help him. Only the Flash can save the world (and more!), but only if he learns to transcend his own limitations.

I have been a fan of the Flash since I was a kid, and continue to read Flash comics to this day, and I must say that I really enjoyed this book! The author does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat, building up the tension, and keeping you guessing right up to the end of the story. I loved this book, and give it my highest recommendation.

Was it Wally West portrayed as a greater whiner than even in his most whiny days in the comics?

Was it the awful characterizations of the other JLA members, speaking and acting not at all like their comic (or cartoon) counterparts?

Was it the big deus ex machina at the end that helped defeat the villain, change DCU continuity, and resolve all of Wally's character woes?

Was it other odd continuity gaffes, like suggesting that Iris Allen has never actually met Batman?

Was it the Flash, in the very first sentence of the book, "flying" through the air at superspeed and duking it out with meteors?

I have no idea. But this is probably the weakest of the DC JLA novels I've read to date. Mark Schultz has written some good stuff in the past, but this isn't representative of it.

I'll be honest, I'm not super-familiar with the Flash or the JLA. A cousin recently got me back into the animated JLA series, though, and I've become a big Flash fan. I was a bit surprised that the Flash came across as very insecure in the book (not generally a problem in the animated series), but from what I understand that is supposed to be one of his biggest weaknesses in the comics. I very much enjoyed how his character grew and he gained confidence during the book, and I also liked the technical explanation behind his powers and the glimpse at where they could go. This Flash is alot more powerful than the animated Flash, which was also interesting to read. All together, I found this to be a very good book, and I recommend it.

I recieved a copy of this CD set from the original author. If you think that makes me biased consider only that it takes time to listen to this as well as to praise it and it's far easier to ignore mediocre efforts even from good friends. I have many reviews and I treat this one no differently than for those of complete strangers.

I do not like books on tape for one very big reason: I like to read. I like to put my own voice to those tales. It's a point of fact that in a lot of cases our inner voices excel because they are ours, with our inflections and characterization based upon our own experiences.
This book on a set of 6 discs has changed my mind the way no previous spoken word book format ever has. From the start the production values are both dynamic and very well suited to the material. The sound effects alone are nothing like I could, or at least, would have come up with in my own head. Then the different actors' voices seemed to match the various characters so well that imagining better voices for each of them was moot. These people earned their pay.
Okay, so the quality of drama was good and special sound effects and characterization were better than spot on. So what? There's still the story to deal with, right? After all it's just a silly superhero tale about a character who is often seen as being a weak link among such titans as the Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern (even GL as played by new guy and illustrator Kyle Rayner).
Well, now I have to back up because the Flash is actually a very interesting character and Mark Schultz and this story go a long way explaining why he deserves the focus. We learn a lot about the Flash in this story because prose and this spoken drama have allowed the time needed to flesh out this overlooked character. In comics complexity is often overlooked or ignored because the visual medium requires dynamic panels filled with action to move the story along. Not since those great Carmine Infantino rendered comic panels 40+ years ago has the Flash been more interesting and the prose is the reason. I now know what it's like to try to fill the former Flash, Barry Allen's shoes. I know about the doubts that this relatively new member of the elite heroes has to confront, knowing he has so much to learn at the feet of these giants. Best of all I know now why being the Flash, a master of speed in all it's layers is both a great responsibility as well as something of a liberation.
Then there's a rather puzzling problem revolving around a set of odd, disturbing killings in the Flash's home town that seem to defy conventional investigative procedures. There's his dealing with local law enforcement and the questionable goings on at Star Laboratories that might be connected to the events that the Flash and the police are investigating.
There's Wally West's aunt, the widow of Barry Allen (the original Flash) who also figures into the strange events as well as odd demensional shifts in space which are having profound effects around the globe and continuing to heighten the alert status for all the JLA in dealing with them.
There are plenty of great subplots and the way Schultz' story ties all of these together with the touching details of Wally's relationship with his wife and his aunt, Iris West, are so masterfully done that the listening is more than just a treat. I found this story to be almost essential to understanding why the superhero genre has lasted as long as it has.

I hope there are more to follow. I also hope this prompts someone to make Mark Schultz an offer on another novel. He's a first rate storyteller. This dramatization of his novel proves this once more.

This is a great book for any Flash fans or anyone who likes the JL in general. I particulary enjoyed the interaction between the Flash and the other JL members. The author was also very talented at working in things from the Flash series (but still very readable if you don't know the Flash series). A great read.

Were it not for the horrible ending, this book would have been a solid four stars.

Following up on Mythos, the Flash gets his solo effort in the JLA novels. The author does a good job focusing on the Flash without ignoring the other members, or going out of the way to remove them from the scene so the Flash can take center stage.

The Flash is nicely presented as a younger hero, very powerful yet insecure against the legends of the JLA, and the otherworldy antagonist is effectively creepy and interesting.

After building up the powers of this extra-dimensional SuperLuminal in anticipation of the final encounter the author does the unforgiveable. From out of nowhere another hero summons the Flash to Quantum-Paradise and gives him godlike powers, temporarily, and advice on how to defeat the entity as well as a healthy dose of quantum physics hand-waving to explain the powers of the Flash. Afterwards the new powers go away, and so does the convenient savior albeit with a "shock revelation"

So much promise with what had been a good character driven novel focusing on the Flash and his civilian and superhero life just thrown away by this Deus ex Machine ending.

The Flash was the first of the every-man super-heroes (i.e. what if a regular guy had an accident and got super powers), which includes characters like Spider-Man. In this story Wally on an almost spiritual lever, like Luke Skywalker. The villain is a high-tech Frankensteinian creation of science gone awry. I hope that there will by more novels of the Flash as good as this one.

I was recommended this book because of my interest in the Cartoon Network series "Justice League." Naturally, the cartoon version is a bit different than the comic versions, and the variations in this book. Still, I found it easy to follow as far as the switch from cartoon to book goes. I found this novel to be full of adventure and a good read (I couldn't put it down.)
This story centers mostly around him (obviously). The Flash is one of my favorite JLA characters, but I was still hoping for more interaction between him and the rest of the League. My other favorite JLA character is Batman and he seemed almost tacked into the story. I was also a bit annoyed with the rather abrupty ending to the story. The climax came about 3 pages to the end. It was abrupt and not at all what I'm used to. I'd have rather had another page or two just bringing the story down from its climax. Still, this being the first novel of its kind I've read, and riding on a recommendation from Amazon, I was quite satisfied with the purchase.

I've been reading Flash comics since 1977. The Flash was a big part of my childhood, and will always be my "favorite super-hero." My hat is off to Mr. Schultz for creating such a fine portrayal of the character in print form. No easy task, because many of the physical aspects of the Flash's powers have to be *explained* to the reader in a plausible way. This job was made even harder in the 1990's by the unfortunate introduction in the comics of the "Speed Force," a load of mystical mumbo-jumbo that has essentially replaced any kind of physics or science-based origin for our hero, and made him all the poorer for it. Miraculously, Schultz manages to acknowledge all of the Flash's history, while downplaying the parts that make no sense; this allows him to put the Flash back on a science-fiction footing, where he belongs, and to deliver many original insights about what it would be like to Move. That. Fast.

But the book is much more than a pseudo-physics lesson in super-speed (though that was my favorite aspect). The characters, particularly the other JLA members, are well portrayed, with just enough mystery and drama at the right spots to create a sense of wonder at their presence. Schultz even manages to make detectives Chyre and Murillo (two bland flatfoots from the comics) interesting foils, and the villain -- a being that is faster than the Flash, with a neat twist -- is a great idea worthy of the best Flash storylines from the comics.

The beautiful cover by Alex Ross is a nice bonus, too. It's my favorite of the series so far.

For any potentially new readers: even if you've never read a Flash story in your life, you won't be left behind by this one. It's a breezy and entertaining read, suitable for kids of all ages. It's a super-hero novel, done right.