The Flash: Move Forward (Comics) | Review

The Scarlet Speedster crashes into the New 52 reboot running faster than ever but speed alone won't solve his problems. Francis Manapul (Detective Comics: Anarky, Justice League: No Justice) and Brian Buccellato (Detective Comics: Icarus, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion) deliver a story that feels timeless and modern for Barry Allen.

No origin retread. They throw Central City's fastest hero into a mess involving rogue clones, dimensional tears in the Speed Force and a friend who might be his biggest threat. Move Forward collects issues 1-8 and establishes Barry's New 52 continuity following Flashpoint.

The creative team wastes zero time on exposition dumps, trusting readers to keep pace: visual storytelling that pushes panel boundaries and character work that gives Barry emotional weight. This volume sets up threads continuing through Rogues Revolution and connects to the Flashpoint aftermath re-shaping the DC Universe.

The threat comes from Mob Rule, a villain everywhere at once through self-replicating clones. Manuel Lago, Barry's childhood friend, underwent CIA experiments that gave him regenerative powers. When he loses a limb, both parts regrow into separate, sentient copies.

Years after disappearing, Manuel returns to Central City alive but his clones are dying in order of creation. These duplicates formed Mob Rule and hunt Manuel to extract his DNA for a cure. They kidnap scientists, plunge Central City into darkness, forcing Barry to choose between saving his friend or stopping a citywide crime wave.

Barry discovers Manuel joined the CIA seeking revenge for his father's death. The agency trained him for an experimental regeneration project but he went rogue hunting Basilisk. His clones were unintended side effects, now dying and taking pieces of his conscience.

Flash realizes stopping Mob Rule requires thinking faster than running. He taps deeper into the Speed Force, pushing his brain to process information at superhuman speeds. This lets him predict outcomes and react before enemies move, glimpsing immediate futures. The ability saves Central City but comes with consequences.

Dr. Darwin Elias offers a genetic re-coder that could stabilize Manuel's dying clones. Flash destroys the machine fearing unknown side effects, killing every clone instantly. Manuel blames Barry for murdering his only family, creating a tragic rift between childhood friends.

The emotional fallout hits harder than any punch. Manuel starts cutting himself desperately trying to create new copies. Barry watches his friend spiral into self-destruction, unable to fix what his heroism broke. Their friendship becomes collateral damage he never anticipated.

Captain Cold appears in later issues with ice powers fused directly into his DNA. Dr. Elias used genome recording technology to merge the Rogues with their signature weapons, eliminating their need for external gadgets. Cold can now generate absolute zero temperatures, creating ice constructs and freezing objects through touch.

The Speed Force becomes unstable. Barry accidentally tears holes in spacetime while running, creating temporal anomalies across Central City. The Speed Force reveals itself as a complex dimension with its own prisoner population and rules Barry doesn't understand.

A mysterious figure named Turbine appears trapped inside the Speed Force, desperate to escape even if it means trading places with Barry. His existence raises questions about who else might be imprisoned and what happens to speedsters who push too far. The encounter foreshadows dangers waiting in volumes to come.

Iris West works at Central City Citizen as Barry's colleague and potential love interest. Their dynamic feels fresh without previous continuity baggage. She investigates corporate corruption while Barry juggles forensic work. Their chemistry builds naturally, avoiding forced conventions.

The climax forces Barry to confront impossible choices. Save Manuel and let criminals escape, or stop Mob Rule and doom his friend's clones. Every decision carries weight. The resolution leaves emotional scars defining Barry's character moving forward through New 52 timeline.

Manapul's artwork elevates this book from solid to spectacular. His panel layouts break traditional structures, using Speed Force energy as visual connectors. Time flows differently across pages, showing past and future simultaneously while Barry processes superhuman information. The technique makes reading kinetic.

Colors by Buccellato deserve equal praise. His palette shifts between Barry's forensic lab scenes bathed in cool blues and vibrant yellows and reds when Flash taps the Speed Force. Central City feels alive with neon reflections and motion blur capturing superhuman velocity.

The co-writing between Manapul and Buccellato creates cohesive storytelling. Since they handle both script and visuals, nothing gets lost in translation. Emotional beats land through facial expressions and body language as much as dialogue. Barry's internal struggle shows in his posture and panel framing before he speaks.

Dialogue stays tight and natural, avoiding exposition overload that bogs down many New 52 launches. Characters sound distinct without verbal tics or forced catchphrases. Pacing stumbles in issue six when a cold case murder mystery interrupts Mob Rule's momentum.

Move Forward succeeds as both a New 52 entry point and compelling Flash story that stands alone. Manapul and Buccellato understand Barry Allen works best when his optimism crashes against problems speed can't solve. Manuel's tragedy gives this arc emotional stakes beyond generic superhero punching and promises payoffs.

The artwork alone justifies the purchase. Every issue features double-page spreads deserving framing and innovative panel work pushes sequential storytelling into territory few mainstream comics explore. This feels like creators given freedom to experiment with the medium.

Move Forward connects directly to the Flashpoint event that birthed the New 52 timeline. The volume sets up Rogues Revolution and later arcs exploring Speed Force mechanics. Manapul and Buccellato lay groundwork that pays off across their entire run, making this essential for understanding Barry Allen's New 52 journey.

A must-read for fans seeking Flash stories balancing kinetic action with genuine emotional depth. Manapul and Buccellato nail visual storytelling while Manuel's tragic arc grounds the spectacle. The debut volume hints at stronger narratives as the team hits their stride.

The Flash: Move Forward marks the start of Barry Allen's New 52 era and is collected in The Flash Vol. 1 (2013), available in paperback and hardcover from DC Comics. Digital readers can find it on ComiXology, Kindle and DC Universe Infinite for quick access.