Why You Should Read "Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues"

Time travel never makes anything easier, especially detective work.

After the epic of "The Flash: Rebirth" and the terror of "Blackest Night", Barry Allen is back in Central City and zipping through the streets as the the scarlet speedster, The Flash. For fans who missed Barry Allen and new fans who want to get to know Barry, "Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues" is a fun story that will set into motion events that will forever change the DC universe.

The story begins with Barry Allen returning to his job at the forensic lab of the Central City police department, and his "part-time" job as the Flash. After being dead for so long, Barry Allen is ready to get back to his old life, unfortunately things don't go as he expected. 

The Central City police department is focused on closing as many cases as fast as possible, rather than taking the time to make sure that the right suspects are being convicted. It is Barry Allen who wants to take the time to carefully look at each case, to make sure the right person is in custody.

While investigating one cold case, Barry Allen is pulled away to investigate the supposed death of his old foe, Mirror Master. However, the victim turns out to be someone completely different, and suddenly the Flash finds himself being pursued by a team of time travelers who resemble the Flash's Rogues. The time travelers call themselves the Renegades and they are accusing the Flash of murdering their teammate, the Mirror Monarch. 

While the Flash avoids capture by the Renegades and seeks to find the truth behind the murder of the Mirror Monarch, the Rogues, led by Captain Cold, make their plans to respond to the return of the Flash. The Rogues decide to unleash a secret weapon that belonged to the original Mirror Master.

And if you thought that was already a lot for the Flash to deal with upon his return to Central City, I should probably mention that this story takes place after "Blackest Night". So, Captain Boomerang is also back and he's ready to cause trouble for the Flash and earn back the respect of the Rogues.

So, if you're also a Captain Boomerang fan, "Case One" is a big Captain Boomerang story about his own return after being dead. Like the other heroes and villains that came back from the dead after "Blackest Night", Captain Boomerang is chosen to fulfill a unique mission, which continues in "Brightest Day".

Geoff Johns did a great job of constructing such a beautiful web of a story with human characters and interesting plot twists. But I think that Francis Manapul, the artist, did a fantastic job and drawing the story. I mentioned it before, but Manapul is one of my favorite Flash artists and I think he does a great job of illustrating the Flash's speed and the designs of the characters.

"Case One" is a really fun Flash story that is good for a reader who doesn't want to get sucked into reading Flash stories until the end of time. As much as I'd like to suggest this story to new fans, I think that they should probably read "Blackest Night, and maybe "Flash: Rebirth" before starting. 

ISSUES: The Flash #1-6 (2010-2011)
 

Writing	Art	Character Development	Overall Enjoyment
8	8	8	9