Review: The Flash Vol. 3- Rogues Reloaded

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume has plenty of action and excitement, particularly in its largest story arc. Emotional moments are written well. The artwork looks beautiful at most points.

Cons: Some of the smaller story arcs

Overall: This volume is a satisfying continuation of the story running through this series. The volume combines fun moments of excitement, emotional moments of character growth, and beautiful artwork in a way that creates a worthwhile reading experience. Not every story is great but all of them offer something to the mix. Fans of the Flash, particularly those who are already reading this series, will likely enjoy this book.

Story

The Flash Vol. 3: Rogues Reloaded, by Joshua Williamson, is another worthwhile addition to the Rebirth Flash series. This volume details several heroic escapades, including one particularly exciting one against the Rogues. It also handles the book’s characters well throughout the collection, hitting emotional moments just right. Plus, the entire volume does a great job of building up excitement for future storylines. Some of the book’s shorter arc’s aren’t brilliant but none of them are downright bad. In the end, this collection has plenty going for it and makes for a solid read.

(spoilers start here)

Rogues Reloaded opens with its largest and best story arc. This arc has the Rogues attempt to pull off one final, epic heist before ultimately being stopped, once again, by the Flash. Watching the Rogues’ plan unfold is the most satisfying piece of this arc, as it plays out in an unexpected way that makes the reader appreciate the care the Rogues put into their actions. Plus, it reaffirms the Flash’s position as Central City’s true hero.

The next arc is shorter and ends up being a bit mixed. The portions of the arc focused on drama and action are uninteresting, as the stakes never actually feel present. However, the emotions easily make up for this. This arc has Kid Flash realize his father died and also has the Flash reveal his identity to Kid Flash. Both moments are well-written and make you feel for these characters.

Finally, Rogues Reloaded ends with an Iris West-focused chapter. Outside of building up conflict for the future, this chapter also ends up being a bit mixed when it comes to appeal.

This building toward the future is something Rogues Reloaded does well throughout the book. The first arc assures readers the Rogues will be returning, the next hints at Reverse Flash’s violent comeback, and the last builds up some dramatic tension between Barry and Iris. These plotlines all have plenty of potential and made me seriously excited to read the next book in this series.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Rogues Reloaded mostly continues the high-quality found in the previous two entries. Carmine Di Giandomenico’s work, which forms the bulk of this collection, is as appealing as ever. It imbues the characters with the sense of speed and urgency that is necessary in a Flash book while also containing a level of detail that adds to the experience. Plus, the uniquely stylized visuals just look downright beautiful. Other artists, like Jesús Merino and Neil Googe, also contribute work to the book. Though their contributions are not as stunning as what is seen elsewhere in the collection, it still looks nice and properly depicts the events of this narrative. Overall, the entire volume is visually pleasing. 

Continuity

The Flash Vol. 3: Rogues Reloaded continues the story from The Flash Vol. 2: Speed of Darkness (Review).

The story here continues in Batman/The Flash: The Button (Review) (Reading Order) and then in The Flash Vol. 4: Running Scared (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• The Rogues helped defend the city from Gorilla Grodd across The Flash Vol. 3: Gorilla Warfare (Review).
• The Rogues helped defend the city from the Riddler across The Flash Vol. 9: Full Stop (Review).
• The Flash helped out Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad (Reading Order) during the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (Review) (Reading Order) event.
• Daniel West went on a deadly mission for the Suicide Squad (Reading Order) in New Suicide Squad Vol. 2: Monsters (Review).
• Eobard Thawne was killed by the Flashpoint Batman at the conclusion of the Flashpoint (Review) (Reading Order) event.