Barry has his hands full, with danger on every front. [REDACTED] appeared last issue to try to kill the user of the Still Force. Captain Cold is up to something tied to the Year of the Villain, and that can’t be good. And, the Speed Force is…dying! Things are starting to look bleak for our Scarlet Speedster. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Just a note that comics are written and illustrated months ahead of publication. So, it is simply outstanding timing that this issue opens in the Amazon Rainforest…and we see nothing but devastation! Yes, the “lungs of the world” is on fire in real life…and apparently in The Flash’s world as well! The one thing the DCU has that we don’t is a Weather Wizard (or is that a Weather Assassin?). Marco brings on the rain, while agreeing to join Captain Cold and Heat Wave as they put the band back together for one more run at the Flash.
That takes us back to the Flash Museum and the battle with the Black Flash. This time, he isn’t after a speedster. Nope, he’s after the avatars of every other force. That means Steadfast is his target, and three Flashes are out to save him (with help from Commander Cold). A little teamwork does the trick, but the real battle has yet to begin.
Realizing that the Black Flash will go after every one of the new Force users, Barry and Steadfast go to round up Fuerza and Psych. There is a truly hilarious battle going on in Corto Maltese, but I’ll leave that for you to read on your own. Back to the main story line – Fuerza still does not trust Barry. But the connection of her Strength Force to Steadfast’s Still Force convinces her to go along.
It’s when they find Psych that things go wrong. Peering into Barry’s mind, Psych gets an image of the Black Flash. It flips a switch for Psych, who (true to form) uses his abilities to leave the others high and dry as he escapes. That takes us to the end of this issue, with the story to continue in issue #78.
NOTES:
- DID ANYONE SEE JAY GARRICK’S HELMET IN THE FLASH MUSEUM???? Okay, the old fanboy in me just loved seeing that!
- Wallace and Avery are beginning to trust Barry again, though real trust is still a ways off. For her part, Fuerza still doesn’t trust Barry – and given their history it’s not a surprise. Hopefully this arc will help Barry deal with more of those relationship issues.
- As much as I liked last issue’s art, this issue was even better. Thanks to Rafa Sandoval (pencils), Jordi Tarragona (inks), and Tomeu Morey (colors).
SUMMARY:
Joshua Williamson has given us another solid script in an arc that I’m enjoying quite a bit. This issue might not stand alone as a single issue – but it’s not meant to be that. What is does well is keep the arc moving forward without creating any hiccups along the way. I liked this one – and I’ll give is an 8/10. Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!