The Flash #12

The latest issue of The Flash is mainly set-up putting the final pieces in place for next week's The Flash Annual #1 featuring the Scarlet Speedster against The Rogues. Glider gathers the rests of The Rogues (including the first appearance of The Trickster), leaves her brother (Captain Cold) for dead, and manages to frame the Flash for murder without breaking a sweat.

Fans of the series should get their money's worth, but if you're looking to save a couple bucks you could probably skip this issue and jump right into next week's Annual without missing much other than the Flash's confrontation with Darwin Elias (that do much to explain the scientist's recent actions anyway).

The issue's certainly not bad, but to get the payoff this storyline has been slowly building to it looks like readers are going to have to put down a little extra cash to pick up the annual next week. On the plus side writer/artist Francis Manapul has set up an annual that looks like it's definitely worth picking up (which, as those who have read comics for a while know, that's usually not the case). Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]