Okay, okay, so I fanboyed out big time reading this issue. I don’t know how you could be a Flash fan of any generation and not feel absolute joy at seeing some of the characters who show up in this issue. But the story here is critical – not just to FLASH continuity, but to the “Dark Crisis” in general. In other words, the fate of the Omniverse is in the hands of our heroes. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Let’s get this out of the way first. The title page has the usual great characters – Wally West, Wallace West, and Michael Holt. That would be enough for a great story. But we also have:

MAX MERCURY!

JESSE QUICK!

JAY GARRICK!

What more do you want? Bart is elsewhere in the Dark Crisis storyline, but still…MAX and JESSE and JAY!

Okay, enough breathlessness here.

Barry Allen has been lost for quite some time. He (thankfully) was not killed along with the other Justice Leaguers, but Pariah has had him trapped in an alternate reality, fueling Pariah’s efforts with his speed. Now, it’s time to find Barry and bring him home.

Mr. Terrific has tracked down three different Barry Allens in the Omniverse, and he has trackers that will take teams of speedsters to each location. Hopefully, one of them will be our Barry. Of course, that brings in the rest of the Flash family that I haven’t mentioned until now. Irey and Jai grab a pair of trackers and jump into danger before anyone can stop them. Jay Garrick follows…but we don’t see him again this issue (unless I missed something).

Irey and Jai end up in a placed guaranteed to be trouble (Red Death maybe?). Max and Jesse find themselves watching an automobile-based “Ghost Rider” version of Barry. But Wally and Wallace may have found the right place.

Our Barry is in a Silver Age version of reality, complete with the type of printing press capabilities of the era. In other words, Barry’s skin tone comes from a series of little red dots, just like they used to use in the 1960s (when I started collecting comics). This version of Barry has a young Wally West as Kid Flash, and their battles against Captain Cold are solved with some Silver-Age style ingenuity. This is an idyllic version of Barry Allen’s life – and he is buying this hook, line, and sinker.

So, what’s with the panel at the start of the comic? The rest of the story is “24 hours earlier” than that first page, so we’ll have to wait. But, our present day Wally and Wallace are completely baffled right now – what in the world (or Omniverse) is going on here?

NOTES:

• Linda tried to tell Wally about her powers, but was interrupted when the kids went headlong into that portal. But, she didn’t need to tell Michael Holt. He could tell already, and he gives her some good advice. We’ll see more of this soon – and it looks like “Flash Family” is taking on a whole new meaning here.
• I loved how the narrative AND the artwork changes between sequences here, especially with the Silver-Age version of Barry’s life with Iris and Wally.
• A Flash has had a major role to play in so many “Crisis” events, and it’s no less true here. When will everyone realize that it’s The Flash (in whatever generation you want to choose) that’s the REAL hero of the Omniverse?

SUMMARY:

It’s not often that I feel real joy like this, reading a superhero comic. But, that’s exactly what happened here. Pure, unadulterated joy at seeing so many of my favorite speedsters together again. This was a fantastic comic from start to finish – and I’m giving it a 10/10. Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

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