Flash (vol.5) #49 (2018)

Flash (vol.5) #49 (August, 2018)
"Flash War, Part 3"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Howard Porter
Colorist - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Rebecca Taylor
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

Heyyy... my DCBS order (finally) arrived, so we can finally rejoin the Flash War.  I feel like I'm almost definitely going to have to "double dip" on issue #50... I'm sure Comics-Twitter is already chomping at the bit to spoil that... that is of course, if DC Comics themselves doesn't spoil it in some newspaper over the weekend!

--

We open with Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller trying to track the racing Flashes across the globe... ya see, at the speed at which they're running, they're putting the Earth in one heckuva predicament.  We pop in on those Flashes, who give us a bit of a quick and dirty recap... so, I will too.  Hunter Zolomon promised Wally West that he could save his pre-Flashpoint children is he... get this, breaks the Speed Force.

Barry, being a dude who has messed with the timestream cautions Wally about his pending actions... and so, they continue to run.  This activity does not go unnoticed throughout Earth... and we get cameos from several members of the Heroing Community.

Speaking of the Heroing Community... Steve Trevor has called in the services of both the Justice League and the Titans!  Hey, I guess here's one way we get to see Cyborg work alongside his pre-Flashpoint pals!  The Flashes continue to run, and Barry finally spills the beans about he and Batman investigating Wally's return... and the potential "others" he'd learned about during The Button.

As they pass by the heroes, Superman enters into the race... however, finds that he's not fast enough to keep up!

Elsewhere, Hal Jordan erects a construct wall to stop the Speedsters... this doesn't go according to his plans.  Wally plows right through the wall, without any concern for Hal's safety... though, he does know that Barry would save Hal regardless.

Wally appeals to Barry to enter the Speed Force with him.  He knows that between the two of them, they have enough power to smash through without getting "stuck" there.  Also, he knows that they are each other's "lightning rods", and only together, they can be sure to remain "grounded" the entire time.

And so... they give it a shot!  Coming out the other end, however... they find something completely unexpected.  They didn't break through the Speed Force... they broke the "Force Barrier"!

After several KRAKings are heard, the Justice League and Titans collapse.  It's revealed that Hunter Zolomon wasn't exactly forthcoming with what the result of this endeavor might be.  Ya see, well... he lied.  He still claims to know where Irey and Jai are, however.  Anyhoo, he needed the Flashes to break the Force Barrier so he could "gain access to what lay beyond".  He then, using Barry's original Flash Ring that Eobard Thawne's had stolen, becomes... the Flash?!

He then demonstrates his mastery of both the Sage and Strength Forces... and promises to kill Barry and Wally to save them from their own terrible futures!

--

Pretty good... maybe a slight step back from the previous two issues (not as much fan-service, I suppose), but I'm still really enjoying this story.

I gotta say, I'm really digging just how much they're letting happen here.  This actually feels like "an event", and we're not having to pay "event-level" prices... nor have there been skatey-eight hundred prelude/tie-in/frontline issues and series running alongside it!  I feel like the modern fan has been sorta beaten into submission... where we expect every "event-level" story to be some overblown, overpriced mess... which may or may not even come with a conclusion!  Flash War's conclusion still remains to be seen at the moment, but I gotta hand it to 'em for keeping the entire event quarantined to this series.

So... about this issue.  Let's talk about Barry letting Wally risk it all, just to prove that he trusts him.  That seems a bit weird, though Barry seems to be in this odd kinda penance when it comes to Wally.  He was, after all, responsible for the Flashpoint... and forgotting his old sidekick, so his decision-making here is kinda wonky.

I suppose we've all been there... going along with a pal's cockamamie plan just so you don't hurt their feelings... or because you feel as though you "owe them" your loyalty... but, I mean... I don't think any of our situations had the potential to split the skies, right?

We get another mention of the "others", which really scratches me where I itch.  The last "other" was Jay Garrick... so, oooh boy... there might be something really fun on the horizon!

Wally's still in the "tunnel vision" state he's been in since learning of Irey and Jai... and I suppose it's hard to blame him.  I appreciate him mentioning that the children isn't something he wants to burden Linda with just yet... as he fears/knows that it would only bring her pain.

Zoom is still kinda playing at being something of an altruist here... which is a welcome sight.  Rather than his just being revealed as "horribly evil", he still feels as though he's doing something "for the good".  I'm not totally sure what to expect from this, however, I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow sacrifices himself... dying heroically to send things "back to normal".

When I saw the cover, I did kinda groan.  I was afraid the League was going to be the focus here.  I'm glad that they were more background noise for the race... interesting the reveal that Superman couldn't keep up with either Barry nor Wally.  Wonder if that's a one-and-done revelation, or the hierarchy of speed going forward?

Overall... can't call it a "letdown", but definitely, at least to me... a step back from the previous two chapters.  That might just be due to the lack of fan-service... it might be due to having the League involved.  Either way, this is still (to me) the best DC book going, and I still highly recommend checking it out. 

--

Interesting Ads:

888

Flash (vol.5) #48 (2018)

Flash (vol.5) #48 (Early August, 2018)
"Flash War, Part 2"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Howard Porter
Colorist - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Rebecca Taylor
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

And, we're back to normal... with a very recent issue of one of (if not my) favorite ongoings at the moment!

--

We open with Wally flashing (ha!) back to the long ago where he was about to have a race with his twins, Jai and... I guess we're calling her "Irey" now as to not confuse her with Wally's aunt (and her namesake) Iris.  We quickly pop into the present, with Wally in the 25th Century Flash Museum stood before his grown-up children....'s costumes.  Impulse's costume is behind him... but, that's not what's important at the moment.

Wally is then confronted by last issue's reveal... Hunter Zolomon, ZOOM.  Wally goes in for a punch, however, when he makes contact memories of their previous run-ins (ha!) flood his brain.  We see snippets of the stories from around Flash (vol.2) #200, where Zoom, after a time of being a close friend to the Flash, attempted to kill Linda.  Porter gives a great Scott Kolins-esque look to these bits.

Hunter removes his mask and assures Wally that he's not there as his enemy... and he isn't looking for a fight.  He wants to work with him in order to bring everything back.

Meanwhile, at the Temporal Courts... it's quickly made clear that when Iris killed Thawne, she did so in self-defense.  So, why all the hoopla?  Well, maybe it wasn't Iris the Judge wanted brought into the future at all.  Maybe he wanted the one fella who didn't make it all the way to the court?  Oh, also... the Judge himself is missing, so there's that.  Commander Cold attempts to corral the Flash Family, but finds it no easier than herding cats.

Back at the Museum, we get a refresher on the last time (well, last major time... I guess) somebody tried to change the past... when Barry caused the Flashpoint that started this whole shebang.  Barry is assuaged of most of his guilt... with Zolomon claiming that he'd "corrected" his mistake... yet, hasn't put everything "back" correctly.

Then... the Flash-Family arrives on the scene.  Barry is shocked to see Wally consorting with a man in a yellow Flash costume.  Wally explains the sitch... he's got twins.  Barry's dumbfounded... but Iris remembers them!  She then wonders aloud who else she might've forgotten... which is definitely food for thought.  Wally shares his plan of re-entering the Speed Force in order to fetch them.  Barry ain't diggin' it.

Wally stops Barry right there... and informs him that he wasn't exactly asking for permission.  With that, he takes off... into the Speed Force.  He is soon joined by Barry... and Zolomon.  Interestingly, this causes a sort of Zero Hour effect on those left behind.  As if this future will now never come to be.

We rejoin Wally as he nears a Central City of the past.  As he gets ever nearer, his head is filled with memories of his life before the Flashpoint.

Then... Barry!

Barry tries to reason with Wally... he tells him that Zolomon is surely lying... and he won't let Wally make the same mistake he did with the Flashpoint... which, I gotta say... isn't an angle I'd even considered.  Amazing stuff here!

Barry then tells Wally... if he decides to run, he will catch him.  With that... Wally decides to run.

--

Amazing.

And not just because I might be getting back some of "my" continuity at the end of this... because, by this point... just the acknowledgement that these pre-Flashpoint concepts actually did happen is enough for me.

Now, you'll have to pardon my ignorance here for a bit... I hadn't really followed much of this volume post-Rebirth.  Seemed like every time I cracked open an issue, it was Barry versus the "Evil Speedster of the Month" and, for me... that got kinda old.  But, has Iris remembered her pre-Flashpoint relationship with Barry at all?  If she now remembers Wally... then, how do we explain away Wallace?  Maybe these are questions yet to be answered... or, maybe I really oughta do my homework.

My big takeaway from this issue is Barry's reluctance to allow Wally to re-enter the Speed Force, fearful that he'll perhaps trigger something akin to the Flashpoint.  That's not something I even considered... and it really opens up some intriguing story options.  Does Wally get "talked down"?  Does he just throw caution (and the Universe) to the wind... and go anyway?  Does this cause an irreparable schism in the Flash Family?  I gotta tell ya... I can't wait for the next part.  I might even have to "double-dip", as I'm still a couple of weeks away from my next DCBS delivery!

Another takeaway was Iris wondering "who else?".  Does this open the door for Jay Garrick and the Justice Society to return?  Does Bart Allen get another shot?  Maybe Max Mercury?  The possibilities are nearly limitless... which is what makes this story arc the one I've been waiting for for so long!

Art is still fabulous.  Not sure if I imagined Porter evoking a "Kolins-esque" look for those flashbacks... but, I gotta think he did... and pulled them off spectacularly.

Overall... if you're a Flash fan... or a pre-Flashpoint DC Comicsfan, I couldn't recommend this story arc enough.

--

Interesting Ads:

As someone who wishes superhero movies would just "go away", I can't help but love this tagline.

876

Flash (vol.5) #47 (2018)

Flash (vol.5) #47 (July, 2018)
"Flash War, Part 1"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Howard Porter
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Rebecca Taylor
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

Heyyy, #BrightestMay is behind us... and you know what that means...

It's safe to read Chris is on Infinite Earths again... tell a friend!

Today's piece is covering a very new book... in fact, it's the latest issue of Flash (vol.5).  At the risk of burying the lead... this might just be my favorite book of 2018 (so far).

That said, I'm going to endeavor to be a little "lighter" on the spoilery synopsis... hate to fully spill the beans on a brand new book!

--

We open with Barry and Wally standing in a barren wasteland as a lightning storm rages in the background.  They're in a heated argument about saving "them".  We then hop into a very recent flashback... like 47 minutes and 18 seconds earlier sort of flashback, and check in with Iris and the other Wally... guess we can call him "Wallace".  Hopefully I remember that.  Anyhoo, Iris is repairing a motorcycle as they chat about the Flashes... then, speak of the devil, the Flashes arrive.

Barry and Wally razz each other about their speed... Barry's always keen on taking the scenic route, while Wally is always zeroed in on the fastest.  Worth noting, in case you haven't been following this run (ha!) of Flash, Wally's memory is coming back, and he's finally come clean about who he really is to his Aunt Iris.  Speaking of memories... Wally is suddenly hit by a flood of 'em, including... get this, the "Magnificent Seven" incarnation of the JLA!  As if my socks hadn't been rocked already!

Just then, the Renegades from the 25th Century arrive in the present to arrest Iris West for the murder of Eobard Thawne!  Heyyy, we know these folks!  Barry however, doesn't recognize them... which is something that doesn't surprise Commander Cold all that much.

Wally refuses to listen to the Renegades and instead scoops Iris into his arms and skedaddles.  Barry and Wallace give chase... as do the Future Cops.  Iris insists Wally put her down so they can face whatever this is head-on.

Just then, the Golden Guardian recites a familiar Oath... revealing herself to be a... Yellow Lantern?!

After several pages of fighting Yellow Light Constructs and Inter-Flash-Family arguing, Wally goes down to another memory jolt.  Commander Cold notices this, and orders his team stand-down.  He recognizes Wally's malady as a "temporal seizure"... and says he can help him, so long as Iris comes back to the 25th Century willingly.

The whole Flash Family agrees that this is the best course of action... and they decide to accompany her... to the Temporal Courts!  Lookit, lookit... it's Impulse!  And Max Mercury!  Jesse Quick!  Barring one giant omission, it's the entire Flash Family!

Also, Wally doesn't appear to have made it!  He somehow winds up at the ruins of the Flash Museum... where he sees a whole lotta delicious pre-Flashpoint stuff... including he and Linda... holding a pair of babies?!

We wrap up this chapter with Wally stood before the man who seems to have brought him here... Hunter Zolomon... ZOOM.  Behind him are the costumes of Wally and Linda's children, Iris and Jai West!

--

Ho-lee cow.

Um, by now y'all know that I'm a pretty soft touch when it comes to comics... particularly, for some reason, Flash comics.  I still can't get through that scene in Rebirth... hell, I can't get through Geoff Johns describing that scene in Rebirth!

This gave me a very similar feeling... a true testament to the talents of this creative team.  Just... man... just great stuff.

And... ya know, I'm not just gushing because they're telling the story I've wanted to read.  It's more than that.  It's that Williamson is using the past to craft the future.  This is the way comics should be done!  You play the ball where it lays... and you don't just flush away everything that came before... or anything you find inconvenient.

I love that we're getting bits and pieces from just about every run (ha!) of the Flash here.  Iris' 25th Century origins... the Renegades... even Jai and Iris (who I really didn't care for when they were introduced).  So many questions we had from Rebirth-on are finally getting answered.  At this point, I'm on board for just about anything.  Even if this somehow wipes certain things out... at least it's being addressed and done in-story... rather than in a boardroom.

I mentioned a giant speedster omission during the synopsis... and that is, of course... Jay Garrick (who we haven't seen since The Button)!  Gotta assume he's either going to be a big reveal... or they're waiting on some Doomsday Clock-related thing to reintroduce him.  Either way... I'm on board... and cannot wait to see how this unfolds!

The art is also fantastic!  I mean, we actually get a panel of Howard Porter drawing the JLA... his JLA.  I had to blink a few times... couldn't believe I was seeing the hook-handed Aquaman!  Just so cool.

Overall... I haven't been this happy reading a comic book in a lonnnnnnng time.  Highest possible recommendation.

--

Interesting Ads:

852

Justice League 3000 #1 (2014)

Justice League 3000 #1 (February, 2014)
"Yesterday Lives!"
Plot - Keith Giffen
Dialogue - J.M. DeMatteis
Art - Howard Porter
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Colorist - Hi-Fi
Editors - Kyle Andrukiewicz & Joey Cavalieri
Group Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

Already bracing myself for social media feeds full of "Best Movie Ever" and "Worst Movie Ever" missives.  Seems when it comes to superhero movies, it's all about the extremes.

I just shake my head, and wish we were still that passionate about the comic books they were based on...

Anyhoo... if you're headed to the theater, I hope you enjoy what you see!

--

It's the early 31st Century... and it's been ten years since a group of nogoodniks referred to as "The Five" arrived on the scene to cause all sorts of havoc.  It's really quite the bad scene.  Not everyone is willing to just sit back and deal with it though.  It's here we meet a woman named Ariel Masters, and she's on the run... from Cadmus?  She narrowly escapes capture, before we...

Switch scenes to Cadmus itself.  Well, themselves... if we're talking about the (wonder) twins that are currently the focus of the place.  Oh, and it's not just a lab in Metropolis anymore, a thousand years from now, Cadmus will be it's own planet!  So, we've got that to look forward to.

The twins, Terry and Teri... are the worst.  I feel like we're going for a Maxwell Lord vibe here, but unfortunately without any of the charm.  We learn that Ariel Masters was once their friend and mentor.  They bicker back and forth about the state of the universe... and how they might intervene, and perhaps even profit in saving it.

By using... the Justice League?!

We join the League as they do battle with a member of The Five known as The Convert.  It has the ability to convert a whole bunch of people to fight for its cause.  The Wonder Twins have its potential pegged at about 30-40 converts... but Batman's math is far different, he counts the converts in the hundreds!

By the way, this League is full of awful people.  Batman seems to lack focus (except when it comes to competing with Superman), Superman is a conceited showboat jerk, Flash and Green Lantern are confused and noncommittal milquetoasts, and Wonder Woman... well, Wonder Woman is barbarically (is that a word?) insane.

The League eventually come out on top... and begin to interrogate the final of The Converts... converts.  Right when it appears as though he's gonna squeal, Wonder Woman punches him into next week.  By the time the fella comes to, The Convert will have long evacuated his body.  This, of course, prompts another Justice League argument... which nearly ends in Superman punching Batman's head clean off his shoulders.

The Wonder Twins break things up, and order their team back to base.  Terry and Teri have different views on how successful this battle was... but rather than argue til the cows come home (assuming there are still cows in the future), they decide to debrief the team... which provides further insight as to how terrible they all are.

The Wonder Twins then give us the quick and dirty on this League... looks like they're clones!  It's always clones, isn't it?  In an interesting wrinkle, it's made clear that the originals from a millennium prior were made up from more than just powers.  I mean, we know all that... but it's still neat to see it mentioned.

We wrap up with the Twins discussing how much is riding on their plan... and also learn that Ariel wasn't chased out of Cadmus... she split town!

When the subject of getting the Justice League members to work together against The Five is raised... we get those famous last words... "how bad can it get?"

--

Well... there's a lot to like here, but also a lot that I didn't.

Let's get the bad out of the way... with some full disclosure.  Back when this first came out, I actually considered dropping this book around issue six.  That might not sound like a big deal, however, for a lunatic like me to get to the point of "dropping" a book... it's a bit bigger than that.

I am, like many (I assume/hope) comics enthusiasts of my vintage, a completist/completionist... however ya wanna put it.  So, when I'm collecting, say... Justice League... I'm collecting everything in the "family".  Same with X-Men, same with (God help me) the Avengers... you get the drill.  I'm also pathetically loyal... and hopeful that "rough patches" in a comic will pass.  This is why I have several YEARS worth of unread contemporary Marvel cluttering several longboxes.  It's my inability to "let go" and my hope that things will return to (my perception of) greatness, that I hang on to books for so long.  So... Yes, I'm part of the problem.

With Justice League 3000... all I needed was a handful of issues to realize it wasn't for me.  These characters had no redeeming qualities... there was no "heart" to the humor... and the far-flung future left me feeling detached and uninvested in the stories.  (Wanting to) drop this book was doubly bad, as... not only am I a Justice League completist... I'm also a sucker for Giffen and DeMatteis.

Ever since "discovering" their post-Crisis Justice League, I've tried to grab everything with their names on it.  It feels like post-Flashpoint, however... their collaborative efforts are just missing something.  I bought their entire run on Larfleeze... and didn't like it.  Scooby Apocalypse... same deal.  It feels like rather than writing about unpleasant people in pleasing and charming ways... they're just writing about unpleasant people.  It's hard to point to exactly what "heart" is when it comes to story... or characterization, but it feels as though, post-Flashpoint... it's definitely missing from much of their work.

It's no different with Justice League 3000.  The humor is mean and the characters have no redeeming qualities.  I know... that's the whole point.  That's fine... it's just not for me.  The only reason I actually stuck with this book... and this is going to sound silly... was the rumor that this was actually occurring in the future of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe.  I recall Giffen saying in an interview that these stories might be taking place in a universe where Superman "wore his underwear on the outside"... and that's all it took for me to stick it out.  Added to that... issues #9 and #10 shipped without The New-52! emblazoned on the cover.  That sent my mind reeling!  When it came back with #11, I was a bit annoyed.

Okay... the bad went on far longer than I thought... let's get into the good!

The book looks fantastic.  Howard Porter turns in some characteristically wonderful work.  Always love it when Hi-Fi colors his work too!  They were definitely the bright spot of the aforementioned Scooby Apocalypse.

As for story... it's always neat to see that the heroes are made up of more than just their powers.  The idea that a Superman raised without the love and homespun wisdom of the Kents could turn out to be a braggadocios jackass is quite interesting.  Obvious... but interesting, and certainly worth exploring.  A Batman who didn't have to deal with the loss of his parents is a similarly obvious... but interesting concept to delve into.

I didn't mention it during the synopsis, but there's a time where Batman refers to Superman as Clark... which kinda sets him off.  Superman refers to "Clark Kent" as "a fiction"... which, isn't completely untrue... but kind of sobering to see coming out of the Man of Steel's mouth... and not something we'd ever imagine our Superman saying!

This raises the question... how reliable are historical records?  The Wonder Twins were concerned that their Batman and Superman weren't getting along... because, the history books depict them as super-pals.  Well... what if history isn't entirely true?  Perhaps Superman was always a jerk... maybe Green Lantern was always a wishy-washy wimp... maybe the Justice League never got along!  These are definitely interesting ideas to pursue... and even resonate a bit in real-world history.  They say it's written by the victors... so, who can say what really happened millennia ago?

Overall... I'm on the fence.  I'd say this book is a difficult read, but that it's still worth reading.  In revisiting this opening chapter, I still can't commit to saying that I like it... but, I definitely didn't hate it.  This is probably a big fat "your mileage may vary" kinda deal.

--

Interesting Ads:

656