The Flash #19: A Battle of Cosmic Proportions

The Flash #19 picks up with a rampaging Flash on Earth who the Justice League are having trouble stopping. Meanwhile, Flash’s copy is still on Skartaris getting beaten down by Eclipso’s would-be bride while his powers are gone. To say this issue is absolutely insane would be putting it lightly. If you thought that the cosmic elemental discussion from the first couple of arcs was insane then just you wait.

Comic book fans often argue about how powerful The Flash really is. In many ways, the Speed Force gives The Flash abilities that make him even more powerful than the Gods. This all became exacerbated when Si Spurrier took over the title, making the Speed Force even more science fiction and complex than ever. Now, with The Flash #19, these complex understandings of the Speed Force take an even weirder turn as the living embodiment of the Speed Force’s child, who is now The Flash’s family dog, takes on the living embodiment of darkness and evil, Eclipso. As this fight ensues, the humorous debate over if the Justice League can stop The Flash becomes laugh-out-oud, as all of them seem to think that he is simply just fast. This leads to The Flash activating his dimensional teleportation powers, making even the likes of Superman look like chump change.

Spurrier’s Flash has got to be the most powerful version of the character of all time. As the Justice League discusses containing him, the issue makes it incredibly obvious that no one can even comprehend his abilities, making for a lot of meta humor that captures the debates fans have had for many years. All of this is just one facet of an incredibly dense issue, making this book well worth the money. Some comics come out monthly and sometimes feel like stepping stones for a larger journey, whereas The Flash feels like a constant new chapter in the greater lore of the DC Universe, wrapped up in a tale about family and love.