Gianfelice does a very good job with the art on the story. I really like how he draws Kid Flash, and his shadow realm stuff is also very effective. Read Full Review

I personally thought this was just going to be an average filler, to get to the rogues arc, which I’m really excited about, but this arc was really good and the end of the issue reveals who Barry asks out on a date. Read Full Review

The art of this series consistently blows us away. The colours and the style that the characters are drawn in make them jump across the page. Everything is meticulously coloured as the light (or the shadows) hit the heroes, and it looks absolutely bloody gorgeous. Overall,The Flash #12 is another great instalment of the series. It's written brilliantly, and although it misses a couple of beats with Iris and Hope – it still proves to be a refreshing storyline. It plays a small role in the Rebirth event, and it's definitely a sign of things to come. Read Full Review

Williamson's ability in gracefully telling a story while setting up multiple storylines is fascinating. I never feel distracted or disconnected from the book I'm currently reading when it comes to his work. Carmine Di Giandomenico and Davide Gianfelice make for one heck of an art/colors combination as they show off their skill bouncing between Central City and the Shadowlands. Read Full Review

There's not much depth to the whole story but it definitely leads into something big. I'm still not a fan of the new art direction but it's not taking away from anything. With the cliffhanger we should be looking at a pretty interesting follow up. Read Full Review

Once again, we see that DC is reclaiming a lot of the hope and optimism that is at the core of Barry Allen. Barry has had to go through a lot of tragedy, but at the core he's a bright and hopeful character. This reflects the central theme of Rebirth which is seeking to do the same for the DCU in general. Read Full Review

Joshua Williamson excels at exploring the growing bond between Barry and Wally, one built as much on humor and the love of speed as a sense of family and legacy. Read Full Review

Davide Gianfelice's art is a little too stylized for a book like The Flash. Beyond very rough character faces, the characters are overall drawn too blocky. They lack a sense of fluidity and crisp movement a book about speed demands. Read Full Review

Joshua Williamson pulls a buzzer beater this week and turns a loss into a win with one final page.  I can't ignore how bad parts of this issue were, but it ends with something that has me so excited going forward.  Despite my score, I am back onboard with this book and I hope Williamson uses this opportunity to give fans the book I hoped he would from the very start. Read Full Review

It's good art, but it's not Flash art. I think the same goes for the writing in all fairness, it's good just not for this title. Read Full Review

Now that "The Speed of Darkness" has ground to a lurching halt, we have to hope that Williamson has recharged his writing powers. Next up is a one-off issue titled "Date Night," which will depict Barry and Iris' first date. It's a fun idea, and hopefully, will restore some of the series' earlier character charm. THE FLASH started with a lot of promise, and up until this arc has been one of the best titles in the REBIRTH lineup. With better care and craftsmanship, hopefully, THE FLASH canattain that greatness again. Read Full Review

I have loved Williamson's run on Flash, but this issue was lacking, with some of the plot points being solved to easily. The arc was a interesting idea, but the execution fell flat in a few places, with the ending being too easily wrapped up and happy. I still am looking forward to the Rogues Return arc.

Comic Book Review (8/10) “Great”
The Flash #12 “The Speed of Darkness Part 3”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Penciller: David Gianfelice
Plot: This issue takes us back to a time when Flash aka Barry Allen was teaching Kid Flash aka Wally West how to vibrate through walls using the speed force. And of course in the present time this very ability becomes the answer to get out a tight bind in the present as Barry, Wally, and Shade take on the forces of the Shadowland to rescue Hope (Shade’s lover) and Iris West from the shadows’ control…
This is the conclusion to this particular story arc, and I have to say that I had fun with this story arc. Williamson treated this story like a villain of the week, but also explored the new relationship between Barry Allen the teacher and Wally West the student. Through this experience Wally West learns to trust Barry and himself, while Barry also discovers that sometimes trusting others can help him out too. I actually liked this story arc a lot better than the previous story arc because it didn’t feel like this story was a few issues too long and I feel like Williamson does better as a writer when he only has write a smaller arc.
Gianfelice is not my favorite Flash artist, but for the purpose of this story he gets the job done. His greatest strength is the ability to draw action, as this is an action packed issue – the fist bump was a corny, but fun idea. It seems his greatest weakness is the ability to draw eyes, as his characters feel lifeless and sometimes emotionless on paper. more

This entire arc was all about the team up of Flash and Kid Flash. The villain was more or less themselves figuring out how to work together to stop shadows. More or less, this specific comic reminded me of a half hour WB cartoon episode. Even the art reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon to a degree. With that being said, I grew up on Saturday morning cartoons! Kid Flash learns a new ability. Barry shows some interest in Iris. The arc was average. I'll continue to read .

Found Gianfelice's art distracting. Hope Di Giandomenico is back with the next arc.

Score: 6.6

This arc is an incredible disappointment. The first one was definitely flawed, but it was fresh and quite inspired. Now, the dialogues are far-fetched, the plot is almost nonexistent and the characterization is really repetitive. The artist has a nice style, but some panels are rather sketchy and he doesn't have the opportunity to show off his talent very much in this rigid story.