Flash #798: A Storm of Continuity

The Flash #798 not only references the current workings of Geoff Johns’ Star Girl and JSA but also brings back a fan-favorite Fantastic Four-like team, The Terrifics. This smorgasbord of throwbacks proves to be a ton of fun, setting up a grand finale for an excellent run. Jeremy Adams also has worked closely with Geoff Johns, so seeing him reference concepts such as hypertime and the multiverse feels right at home. This issue also sees Wally interact with his position at Terrifitech, which was set up early in the run but hasn’t been featured much since. The suspension of disbelief of Wally not ever being at work kind of gets broken here as Mr. Terrific tells Wally that he’s on an extended parental leave due to his son’s birth. Any employed individual would know that benefits like this normally must be accrued, so are we implying that Wally has been working here long enough to gain those benefits? Or is Mr. Terrific just a nice guy helping out a friend? Either way, these questions arise when the person reading this series is a working-class adult.

Unfortunately, the references to Geoff Johns’ works come at a price: they spoil major plot points of Star Girl: The Lost Children. Anyone reading that series will know that Hourman plays a vast, mysterious role, and this issue seems to spoil immediately. Ironically, this is the same thing that Johns and Adams did in Flashpoint Beyond when they spoiled Dark Crisis, so it’s only fitting. That being said, you would think there would be better synergy between the two creative teams so things like this didn’t happen.

Not only does this issue reference a lot of DC continuity, but it also brings back a lot of staple features from Adam’s run. Even though it only feels like Adams has been in the book for a short time, he covered a lot of ground. That being said, the plot of this arc seems to fall apart when you remember that Adams will be off of the book in less than two issues, with Flash #800 passing the book over to a new creative team. As fun of an issue as this is, the idea of a quick resolution makes everything that happened feel less impactful. Si Spurrier is not likely to carry over many of Adam’s creations, so fans can only hope they will show up in his Green Lantern book that will be coming out later this year. 

Fernando Pasarin has been the artist for most of this run, returning for the penultimate chapter in glorious fashion. Pasarin’s pencils provide emotion for the heartfelt moments but are not afraid to rake up the intensity when the action starts. Pasarin is joined by Will Robson on art, which assists in areas that seamlessly tie together with Pasarin’s art. Early panels featuring the birth and excitement of Waid West become a perfect bookend for a series all about the West family, with Pasarin and Robson bringing each of the characters to life in unique ways. Even tiny background details get the same level of care as the main story unfolding in the foreground. Oclair Albert’s inks build upon this with a nice, muted ink pattern that allows the pencils to flourish. Albert’s most remarkable success here is his pairing with colorist Matt Herms, as the inks flow into the colors as if one person did them. This art team does a stellar, perfect job bringing this issue to life. Overall, look no further than Flash #798 for perfection in art.