The Flash Vol. 17

This volume is the 17th installment of The Flash series from the New 52 era. At this stage, Central City police scientist Barry Allen still protects Central City as "the fastest man alive." He has previously fought King Grodd and the gorilla army in the "Gorilla Warfare" event, and briefly allied with his arch-rival group, the Rogues. This volume continues that storyline: after a sudden explosion, a figure in black armor appears, declaring that "sometimes, you have to run backward"; the Reverse Speed Force—the opposing force derived from the Speed Force, the source of the Flash's speed—thus enters the story, introducing the Flash's most important archenemy, the Reverse-Flash. In the subsequent chapters, Barry must not only rebuild his shattered life—including his identity, job, and relationships—but also investigate a series of Speed Force-related murders in his capacity as a detective, checking clues one by one until he finally confronts the culprit. Because the New 52 wholly restructured the Flash's world, the Reverse-Flash in this volume differs from earlier versions in both identity and motive; he is the opposite pole to the scarlet speedster, each the yin to the other's yang. This is volume 17 of the series.