Jay Garrick: The Flash #1: Click, Click, BOOM!

Jay Garrick: The Flash #1 picks up after the conclusions of Flashpoint Beyond and Stargirl: The Lost Children. In summary, those series saw the “return” of several new characters who had been erased from continuity for an unknown reason. One of those characters was The Boom, Judy Garrick, the daughter of Jay and Joan Garrick. In Stargirl: The Lost Children, Boom was instrumental in the escape of the children who were kidnapped and held by the Childminder, teaming up with Red Arrow and Stargirl to save the day. As she returns in Jay Garrick: The Flash #1, there appears to be a clear culture shock, as she is returning to the world of 2023 America, having disappeared when her now elderly father was only a young man. Throughout the issue, the perspective shifts back and forth from past to present, displaying how Jay and Joan’s lives had changed with the disappearance of their daughter.

One thing that makes Judy’s return all the bittersweet is that her erasure from reality left Jay and Joan with no memory of her existence. Now that she is back, they remember her, but not with the guilt and grief that would typically be felt in situations like this. This creates an odd family dynamic that is destined to give this book a unique outcome. While this series is titled Jay Garrick: The Flash, the book more so revolves around Jay, Joan, and Boom, as they look to establish their relationship. Much like Wesley Dodd: The Sandman, and Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, this book also looks to retcon certain aspects of the DC universe, leading up to some sort of conclusion in the New Golden Age. While that end goal is in site, Jay Garrick: The Flash #1 keeps the story character focused.

Jeremy Adams is coming hot off of his run on The Flash with this, bringing over some of the plot themes such as the father daughter relationship. Adams has stated in interviews that this mostly comes from his relationship with his own daughter, but this also makes him a perfect fit for this series. Adams was also one of the architects behind Flashpoint Beyond, so this series has ties to a  lot of elements surrounding his sensibilities. That all shows in Jay Garrick: The Flash #1, with Adams’ writing feeling as though he’s very comfortable with this world. All of this translates into a well written, clearly thought out plot.

Diego Olortegui’s art excellently mirrors the work of Todd Nauck from the Stargirl: The Lost Children series, helping the transition from that series to this one. This style lends well to the comic book landscape, giving the characters a manga-adjacent feeling with the depiction of expressive eyes and firm action. This also works well for a Flash series, where the action needs to be swift, while also highlighting the strong character work between the Garrick family.

Luis Guerrero’s colors do an excellent job bringing these characters into this superhuman world, highlighting the red color of their costumes in a way befitting a Flash series. Keystone City has never looked as bright and jubilant as it does under Guerrero’s colors. He brings a sense of vibrancy to this book that makes each image pop off the page in a wonderful way.

Steve Wands rounds out the creative team with the letters, giving Jay and Judy their own unique flair of text boxes to clearly outline who is narrating on any given page. Wands creates an excellent sense of readability here that makes this book a blast to read through. Wands also fills the action segments with some wonderful onomatopoeia, reinforcing the action in a fun and dynamic manner.