This volume of THE FLASH is not for the faint of heart. It’s a mixture of horror with psychedelic visions – layers of reality that keep peeling back for Wally West to find. Only, these layers of reality are not so inviting. Wally is gaining new powers but losing touch with reality at the same time. Max Mercury and Bart Allen show up in this issue…and that’s a great thing for a lot of fans. But, what happens to them in this trippy world? Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This weird phenomenon has even Michael Holt confused…and that says a lot. Wally is calling it “Spooky Speed Force Stuff”, and I think that describes it best. Enter Max Mercury, who goes with Wally into several different layers of reality, each stranger than before. They eventually run into some familiar faces from the most recent run of THE FLASH – and you would think that’s good news. But, there’s no time. Literally. There is no such thing as time in that layer of reality…Wally gets away with Max’s help, but runs into another bad guy with an upgrade…this time the Folding Man.
As Wally tries to escape, he finds himself in a place that threatens to keep him there forever. It’s just so peaceful, so nice, so…
And Bart saves the day as only Bart can do.
There’s a lot more to this story, but I really don’t want to spoil it all. Let’s just say that we still have a LOT to learn about this phenomenon, and what it has to do with the Speed Force. What we do know is that when speedsters access the Speed Force in our layer of reality, there is some potential damage happening in those other layers. What’s the connection? We’ll have to learn that in upcoming issues.
NOTES:
- The Folding Man seems to know a LOT about Wally’s family. Maybe more than Wally realizes at this point. You know that will play into future storylines…and I’m looking forward to watching how this plays out.
- I’m in for any story that brings back Max and Bart – and their characters were used perfectly in this issue. Their inclusion did not appear forced, as in “let’s stick someone into the plot”. Instead, they fit in organically to the plot and their personalities had a chance to shine (particularly Max, though I will take that last moment from Bart).
- The art design is trippy – and it adds so much to the story. Everything about the script and the artwork seems designed to leave the reader a bit unsettled. It makes this strange and weird volume of THE FLASH work out well.
SUMMARY:
This storyline sets everything we know about The Flash on its ear – and that seems to be the intent. If so, it’s working – and I’m enjoying the ride. I’ll give this issue an 8/10 – of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!