The Reverse-Flash has put together a “family” of his own. This group of villains, plucked from across time, are simultaneously attacking Central City – each in a place that has meaning to Barry Allen! This highly coordinated assault may be more than even The Flash can handle…and that’s just the beginning of the trials ahead! Barry Allen is being tested physically, mentally and emotionally by Eobard Thawne. It’s looking bleak…and there are more terrible twists in this issue! Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Everything about the attacks has been planned to get under Barry’s skin. Even the length of the attack…5 minutes 13 seconds…was meant to mimic Barry’s May 13th birthday. Barry did manage to get his Flash family away to safety, but at a cost – to the people of Central City. He bears the weight of that as well…and that was likely part of the plan.

Add to the plan…the Tornado Twins! Yes, Thawne has gone into the future and grabbed a twisted version (courtesy of Thawne of course) of Barry Allen’s own children. He brings them back to the present to add to the attack. This is the “secret weapon” Thawne has brought to the fight.

Flash doesn’t stand a chance. He’s trapped in a circle of Thawne’s “Legion of Zoom”, held in place by Don and Dawn Allen. Here’s where it gets really freaky…

All Eobard Thawne ever wanted to be was The Flash…or at least a recognized replacement. Now, he’s figured out how to do it…

BIG SPOILER AHEAD…DON’T SCROLL DOWN UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THE ISSUE!

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Thawne finds the right vibrational frequency and enters Barry’s body…taking it over! Now in the actual body of The Flash, he is off to “take care of” Barry’s Flash Family! Meanwhile, Barry’s spirit is trapped in some strange place – not the Speed Force, but where? All we know is that mummified versions of Jesse Quick and Max Mercury are headed straight for him!

NOTES:

• Joshua Williamson keeps digging deeper and deeper into the psyche of Barry Allen. He has gotten Barry’s voice spot on since taking on the title, but this is something more. Every motivation, every hope, every fear that Barry has ever had is coming to the forefront. This is shaping up to be a truly powerful story…one of the best of Williamson’s run (and that’s saying something).
• I’m glad to see Jesse and Max…even if our introduction is Walking Dead versions of the characters. Hopefully we will see them back in main DC continuity full time. We’ve seen glimpses of them…but a full return would be awesome.
• Being a long time (over 50 years) comics fan, it was great to see (if only briefly) Don and Dawn Allen in the outfits they first wore back in that Legion of Super Heroes story in 1968.
• The artwork is once again exceptional. Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero took on the first 18 pages, with Scott Kolins and Hi-Fi doing the last 2 pages. Steve Wands lettered the whole issue. Kudos to all for the great artwork!

SUMMARY:

While you may expect the bad guys to have the upper hand early in an arc, I confess that I didn’t see this coming at all. It’s a great story already…and I cannot wait for the next issue! 10/10 for this issue of THE FLASH – of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

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