The Flash #5: That’s Jai’s In The Spotlight

The Flash has possibly been the most bizarre piece of the Dawn of DC, an initiative that is now becoming obsolete since 2023 has come to a close. Some of these new starts have seen various heroes returned to their roots, whereas others have been thrust into bold, new directions. Much like the dimension spanning story within, The Flash has taken the titular character and his supporting cast and flipped the entire script of the genre in a mind bending way. Simultaneously, the series has seen the creators reference and use the material from the previous run in an almost bizarre way. Needless to say, nothing about this series is normal, and that’s not even getting into the plot and creative process. The Flash #5 is yet another issue that continues to push this series into a new direction while keeping the mysteries at arms length… and it is glorious.

Si Spurrier is definitely familiar with providing a bold take on characters, look no further than his work on X-Men to prove that. Here, the story pivots over to Wally West’s son Jai, who has suspiciously felt left behind since the end of the Jeremy Adams run. Thankfully, Spurrier has been doing this all with a purpose, highlighting Jai’s special role within this story in a very profound, yet mind bending way. It’s crazy to see a story grow more complex every issue, yet at the same time, continue to be fully engaging. None of the mysteries receive any sort of resolution here, and that is perfectly ok, as Spurrier is definitely setting everything up for one long haul of a run. The way Spurrier portrays Jai feels very genuine, and never feels like he is retreading ground that he covered with Iris, Wally’s daughter. Overall, if you are looking for a very mature, complex story about family and cosmic stakes, look no further than The Flash.

Mike Deodato Jr’s art never ceases to be amazing here, truly embracing the kind of art that exacerbates the pace and bizarreness of the series. It is absolutely astounding to see such poignant character moments between a father and son mix so well with the high concept science fiction imagery that make this book so different from everything else. Deodato has an almost lifelike quality that he fills his characters with, cementing them in a reality that makes the reader feel like things should be relatable despite the science fiction rigamarole that makes it anything but relatable. This kind of dichotomy fills the book with an existential dread which firmly feels like the desirable tone of the book. 

Adding to this tone are the colors from Trish Mulvihill who gives the art a very dark tone that helps further contrast the personality of Wally, who is known for being a whimsical ball of fun. This book may be all over the place when it comes to how insane the plot is, but Mulvihill and Deodato truly help iron on the themes and tone through cues from the art. In The Flash #5, this comes across from the way Jai is depicted, especially in the bizarre use of his powers.

Rounding out the creative team is the utterly fantastic Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. There is absolutely zero doubt that Otsmane-Elhaou is the best letterer in comics right now. The way that each lettered segment in the book feels unique to the character truly shows how much work he is putting into every issue. The Flash #5 keeps the lettering up to par with everything he’s done in prior issues and it is absolutely glorious.