Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge 1

Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Scott Kolins
Colorist: Dave McCaig

Issue Rating
Story: 7/10
Art: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

Issue Developments
Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Heat Wave also known as The Rogues have returned to Keystone City from the events of "Salvation Run." They go back to their old hide out and find some gang has taken it for themselves. The Rogues quickly dispose of these gang and the new Trickster, Axel Walker, comes in and annoys all the Rogues.

Elsewhere some police detectives are going over The Flashs and their villains files when they are attacked by Pied Pipper.

Over at the home of Iris West we see Iris looking over some old photo albums when she hears some voice calling out her name.

Back at the Rogues hide out they decide to send a message to Libra telling him that they reject his offer to join his villain society. This pisses off Libra who crushes the mirror the message was sent from. The Rogues than decide to break their rule of "Never Kill A Speedster" one more time by going to kill Inertia.

At The Flash Museum some of cops are preparing to take the frozen Inertia over to a real prison when all of a sudden a red bolt of lightning strikes Inertia that allows him to move again. Inertia quickly kills the cops at the museum. He then starts running towards Wally West house when all of a sudden Zoom The Reverse Flash appears before him telling Inertia he is going to be the new Kid Flash. End of issue.

Review
Well this was a pretty disappointing issue. Geoff Johns is usually money when it comes to writing the Flash and his villains. I loved Johns run on the Flash but I found this issue to be nothing more than average. The only reason I may read the whole mini series is because it is only three issues and I still have hopes for this series picking up next issue.

I did like how Johns wrote the Rogues. Each one was were written to be a badass especially Captain Cold. I also like that the Rogues were shown to be tired and beaten up after all that has happened to them. Considering they have been on the run for a couple of months (comic book time) and are just returning from the hell they went through in Salvation Run series.

This is probably the only series were I have actually see a character(s) reacting to the events that happend in Countdown. While I did not read one issue of Countdown I do feel bad for does that spent $150+ on Countdown because DC seems to be completely ignoring that horrible series. Because I would have thought more of the villains would have been pissed of for being sent to another world. Instead what we have is villains gathered together for another villain society that will not work out at the end.

Also I do wonder what Johns is going to do with Pied Pipper because one of the guy's that worked over at my LCS told me he was supposebly dead. So I wonder were Johns is going to be this story.

And while the of the issue hooked me to get the next issue I have to admit I really don't like Zoom or Inertia. I have always found Inertia to be annoying and the scene were he kills those cops was a little over the top and not needed to prove this guy is a bad guy. Also Zoom has never been a villain I liked since I hate it when villains can't find their own identity so they decide to adopt a costume similar to the hero. So I am really hoping the Rogues decide to not only kill Inertia but also Zoom aswell.

I also thought it was actually not a good move by Johns to have the Rogues punk out Libra like the way they did. The reason is because the reader of Final Crisis has to believe that Libra is one of the most dangerous villains ever to be a villain of a justify him being big bad of a series that promises big stuff like Final Crisis. But when you have someone like the Rogues punk out your big bad than that doesn't look good for that series.

I have to say I wasn't to big of a fan Scoot Kolins art and thought it was way below average. I actually thought that the Rogues were in Gotham City not Keystone City with the way he drew it. Also the way he drew his characters were all over the place. Kolins art would work better for a Batman or The Outsiders title and not a title like the Flash.

Overall: If your a Flash fan than this is probably you should be reading. But if your not than I do not recommend this title and save your money and get something else like the excellent Final Crisis: Requiem that came out last week.