Review: The Flash Vol. 6- Out of Time

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume contains a lot of excitement. The first half of the future-focused story arc is enjoyable.

Cons: The murder mystery story arc only manages to be moderately entertaining. The conclusion to the future-focused story arc is bad and damages the arc as a whole. Relationships between characters are written poor throughout the entire book.

Overall: This collection is the first New 52 Flash book that really manages to disappoint. The mystery is uninteresting, conclusions are botched, and interactions between characters simply play out weird. There are places where it feels like the volume is getting good but these moments are typically countered at another point in the narrative. Readers who really like the Flash may enjoy parts of this collection but those with no interest in the hero should look to a better comic for entertainment.

Story

The Flash Vol. 6: Out of Time, by Robert Venditti and Van Jensen, has a lot of potential but, unfortunately, spoils nearly all of it by the time the book concludes. Part of the collection follows a moderately interesting murder mystery that, ultimately, fails to generate any true excitement. The other part of the collection follows a clash between the present and the future that starts out very strong but self-destructs as it ends. Alongside all of these, poorly written interpersonal relationships damage Barry Allen’s personal story. In the end, the story in this book feels like something that could have been worthwhile but simply is not.

(spoilers start here)

Out of Time is essentially split into two major story arcs. One involves Barry Allen’s attempt to solve a series of murders that have taken place in the wake of Forever Evil (Review). The other involves a future-Barry Allen’s attempt to repair damage to the Speed Force at the expense of killing those around him.

The murder mystery story arc only manages to be moderately exciting. From the start, this mystery feels secondary to everything else going on and does not seem to pose any significant threat to anyone. Then, it concludes with a pretty obvious reveal and wraps the whole thing up in a way that ensures it will be forgettable. It depicts some fun battles and has a few exciting moments but, for the most part, this arc just isn’t that entertaining.

The future-Barry Allen arc starts with way more promise. It stars a future version of the Flash as he attempts to travel backward through time in order to correct his past mistakes. Each of his stops along the timeline are interesting and are entertaining to see play out. They also provide unique snapshots of what Barry could develop into at points in the future.

However, this arc falls apart as it reaches its conclusion. The big showdown between present-Barry and future-Barry only lasts a few pages and doesn’t have either character say anything that deep to the other. Then, it concludes with a future version of Wally sacrificing himself to save the day, which feels almost meaningless considering how new of a character this is and how little character development he has received. This entire confrontation is also marred by the random logic and unclear rules of the Speed Force, as readers are completely unaware what exactly will fix the problem since they aren’t exactly clear on what the problem even is. In general, this conclusion is a big mess that severely damages any appeal this story arc would have otherwise.

Throughout both of these story arcs, there are also moments where Barry’s interpersonal relationships become a focus. Almost all of these are mishandled in a way that makes them uninteresting. Tension between Barry and Patty flairs up at random points in a way that feels inauthentic to their characters, especially considering how the last two volumes depicted their relationship. In addition, Barry’s connection to Wally feels weak, as the two only shared one brief moment of friendship, but is played up as an integral piece of this narrative. These problems damage Barry’s personal story and make it far less appealing.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Out of Time comes across as a bit mixed. Brett Booth displays a lot of creativity and talent in depicting the elements of this story from the future. Redesigned costumes and cool technology help make the future-focused story arc start out with some serious intrigue. Booth also handles battle scenes in a way that generates some excitement, whether they take place in the future or in the past. 

However, Booth’s layouts can be a little too chaotic in places and can hamper the flow of the story. There are also places, especially in the present, where colors, from Andrew Dalhouse, make the world look strange and almost inhuman. In addition, most of Ron Frenz’s work in the Annual chapter ends up being disappointing. This mix of quality creates a book that feels mediocre when it comes to visuals.

Continuity

The Flash Vol. 6: Out of Time continues the story from The Flash Vol. 5: History Lessons (Review).

The story here continues in The Flash Vol. 7: Savage World (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• This volume takes place directly after the events of Forever Evil (Review) (Reading Order). These events are referenced throughout this volume.
• Barry Allen’s shirt in The Flash #31 is likely a quick reference to his time as a member of the Blue Lantern Corps. He became a member during the Blackest Night events, specifically in Blackest Night #6.