FLASH #50

The comic industry has been in a buzz of late. New comics, free comics, new creators, and of course, new movies, have been dominating the tongues of people left, right, and center. Some would say it can be a little overwhelming. Heck, even Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, and Jesus Merino couldn't help but turn Central City on its head, with a new threat ready to finally make his move. It's May, 2016, and it's DC Comics The Flash!

TO QUOTE Eleanor Roosevelt: “We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up ... discovering we have the strength to stare it down”.

THE REVIEW:
What is there to be said about Barry Allen? He is many things to many people. He is a scientist, a friend, a son, and The Flash. Now, he’s also a criminal and under arrest.

Picking up from where issue 49 left off, we see The Flash being escorted into police custody away from the school where Wally West is being taught. Captain Frye of the CCPD, in his usual way as of this arc, tells the questioning reporter Iris West that The Flash is dangerous… for some reason. Elsewhere, we get a fun little parallel between this series and The CW version of The Flash, as much as like his live-action incarnation, Dr. Allen, upon hearing of his son’s predicament, races to his aid.

Meanwhile, The Trickster pays a visit to his new ally and to his shock, finds out just how deep the rabbit hole goes, finding his benefactor in possession of his old teammate, Mick “Heat Wave” Rory, and threatening his own well-being with a new, explosive arm. These aren’t the only busy criminals of Central City though, as Dr. Allen’s plan to aid his son is revealed in the assistance of Girder, who enlists Overload to help him get The Flash loose from the robotic arm of The Trickster.

Yes. You can assume that doesn’t go quite well. Especially since the next few panels lead to Iron Heights going up in smoke!

Overloads’ Super Flare not only leads to The Flash escaping his bonds, but also knocks out any electronics in the vicinity, those that weren’t destroyed earlier of course. In addition to this, the Flash manages to save the police officers, and also gets to deal with a prison full of enemies who spring loose. So naturally, once making it back to the city, why wouldn’t he run into The Rogues? After all, those pesky drones introduced a few issues back are associated with them, right?

In classic Rogue fashion, the team (led by Captain Cold) comes at The Flash in full-force, insinuating that they will be happy to help recapture the Iron Heights inmates only when Central City hires them. Until then, they still have to catch The Flash. But things come to a head, when those oh-so-important drones I mentioned start to open fire upon The Flash and The Rogues, together, at the same time! So prudently the Trickster makes his own move, and before anyone knows what hits them, POW! The mastermind behind this entire affair makes himself known! The Riddler makes his presence known and it looks like his endgame will be The Flash’s grand finale!

Plus, not to spoil anything else from this special issue of The Flash, but you’ll notice that there was nothing mentioned about what’s been happening with Wally West during this entire story. But we’ve still got a few pages so… yeah... nuff said.

THE MUSIC:
Throughout this entire arc The Flash has been hunted down by drones, by the Rogues, by the Police, and now The Riddler has our Scarlet Speedster in his sights! Through it all, there has been a constant here. The Flash has always done what he does as a hero. He has helped people, saved people, and risked his life to ensure the safety of Central City. So for the lack of a better way of saying this, The Flash is a hero. This makes the musical choice of 'Hero' by Skillet, a fitting track for this issue.

THE COMPARISON:
This supersized edition of The Flash had a lot to offer. It was enjoyable to see everything unfold with The Flash and then what happened with Wally West just made it all the sweeter. It was like enjoying a classic vinyl record, and then being able to turn it over and listen to the B-Side! Hence, my comparison to a Vinyl Record!

THE CONCLUSION:
Over the past few weeks we’ve been given hints on who this new individual to challenge The Flash might be, and now it’s been revealed to be an enemy of Batman. This is an interesting quasi-crossover to see and the success of this makes me wonder what other villains of other heroes could bring a challenge to The Flash. Which of these Villains would you like to see challenge The Flash for an arc?