Kid Flash! Godspeed! The big battle! Exclamation points! Actually, well-deserved exclamation points! This issue of THE FLASH finally gives us what so many fans have been hoping to see for so very long – young Wally in the yellow and red. Issue #8 takes on a big assignment in doing so while wrapping up a monumental arc…so how did it do? Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Everything we’ve seen so far in this volume of THE FLASH has led up to this – Flash vs. Godspeed, and the battle lives up to the hype. It’s more than just a race – it’s a battle that has already given us new understandings of the Speed Force and what it can do for a speedster. Godspeed has stolen enough speed from other speedsters that he is at least as fast as Barry, maybe faster. And, Godspeed can do one thing that Barry can’t – appear in two places at once! That advantage means Barry is in a LOT of trouble here! But, just when things appear to be at their worst…
Young Wally West arrives!
Barry may not be able to split into two…but now he doesn’t have to do that. Barry and Wally take on the dual Godspeeds and manage to steal just enough Speed Force back to win the day. In the process, something almost magical happens…Wally appears in full Kid Flash gear!
Much like the older Wally, young Wally’s Kid Flash uniform appears out of the Speed Force itself. In this case, it is almost a gift directly from the Speed Force, as the uniform appears without any direct thought by Wally. Barry foreshadows next issue’s “Kid Flash of Two Worlds”…but Godspeed isn’t totally through yet.
Barry puts a choke hold on Godspeed…does he kill him? The panels certainly will remind you of a certain story from the 1980s, but…
Here’s where we are:
- Godspeed, rather August is now at Iron Heights. Barry reveals something we’ve expected to learn, that Billy Parks was not guilty of killing August’s brother! August foreshadows that we may not be done with Black Hole yet.
- Young Wally is now Kid Flash. He idolizes….Iris! This fits the young Wally’s character perfectly. Yes, he admires the Flash, but Iris has been a true hero to young Wally.
- We see a fleeting image of Meena…is she now a part of the Speed Force? Could be…
NOTES: Godspeed has turned out to be a great new addition to the Flash mythos. He’s not easy to classify – a villain who truly believes he’s a hero, someone willing to go way too far in order to accomplish his warped idea of “making things right”. The pacing of this arc was spot-on…and not just for August Heart’s evolution into Godspeed. We also had a great build-up for the new Kid Flash. Having the two come together for the conclusion of this arc was icing on the cake.
Joshua Williamson has given us a wonderful first arc, effectively establishing who Barry, Iris and Wally are in this REBIRTH world and pointing us to bigger and better things down the road. Williamson has become a fan favorite already, and given the level of passion this fandom feels for all things Flash, that’s saying something. The artwork continues to be outstanding thanks to Carmine Di Giandomenico (with colors by Ivan Plascencia). This arc has been a 10/10 for me…what do YOU think? Leave your comments below!
I’ve wanted to love this book so bad, but I found this first arc very average. August was always going to be Godspeed, Barry’s new possible love interest was introduced & dispatched in short order, giving us no time to see any sort of relationship develop or character building.
I’m sticking with the book for the time being, but I would really like to see some real tension and drama in upcoming stories.