The Flash #68: Shiny Happy People

The Flash would have a lot fewer problems if he would just run up behind his foes and punch them in the back of the head. But, hey, that wouldn’t make for very good storytelling, would it?

Let’s be honest: the Flash falls into the vintage DC mold of heroes who should have absolutely no trouble at all overpowering their foes, because they themselves are so massively overpowered. Now, DC has done a lot to scale that problem back and humanize its pantheon of heroes in the three-plus decades since Crisis on Infinite Earths made the DCU more functionally similar and down-to-earth to Marvel, but in Barry Allen’s case, the fact remains: dude can run through time if he wants. A ding-dong with a fire-gun shouldn’t really pose a threat.

So, what to do? Mark Waid famously augmented the entire Flash mythos with the introduction of the Speed Force, which created an entire run of new and deadly speed-related challenges that were able to up the ante for the Flash himself and what he could do at every turn. Geoff Johns went smaller scale, and focused on more intimate, character-based tales, and used that to really humanize and reinvigorate the Flash’s perma-Silver Age rogues gallery. And since the advent of DC’s Rebirth era, Josh Williamson – after a lot of dodging and weaving to get there – opted to expand upon the very concept of the Speed Force to include other forces: Sage, Strength, and Still. Each one presents a unique expansion of the Flash’s world (although their very existence seems to contradict Johns’ assertion in Flash: Rebirth that it was Barry running really really fast in the first place that created the Speed Force, but I digress), and each represents a new obstacle for our scarlet-clad her to overcome that can’t be fought simply by running and punching it in the back of the head. (Again, if it were that easy, Flash would be a really dull read.)

Williamson’s sticking point seems to have been how to present these forces in unique and interesting ways, and so far he hasn’t succeeded very well. The Strength Force made Axel “Trickster 2” Walker into a big hulking brute; the Sage Force bestows various psychic abilities. (Much is still unknown about the Still Force, but as a storytelling conceit it’s being played out in Justice League at the moment.) Having the Trickster utilize the Sage Force in a sideways manner by filtering it through Commander Cold’s 25th century machines to turn its victims into perpetually happy zombie-types shows Williamson is willing to have fun with these new concepts and play with what they’re fully capable of – it just doesn’t necessarily translate into the most original story.

Writers, though, shouldn’t necessarily be held to the wholly unrealistic idea that they should forever be coming up with unique and original stories. It just isn’t possible. It’s far more important that they write in their own voice, and in doing so give characters unique insight into situations and others that no other author can.

Williamson’s Flash tenure has been marked by a maddening level of inconsistency, but he’s typically at his strongest when dealing with Flash’s traditional rogues gallery or pre-established Speed Force matters. This arc, while not the most original, has been a lot of fun – and a breath of fresh air after extended storyarcs dealing with the nebulously-defined MacGuffins the Strength and Sage Forces. Sure, it’s utilizing those newfound storytelling blocks, but filtering them through James Jesse. And I do like the notion that he’s been plotting in the background for awhile now – at some point, I’m going to have to go back and see if his claims are legit or not – it’s the mark of a mature writer to be able to think several moves ahead and plant seeds for future stories.

But, about that last page…

Without getting too spoilery, if you believe that’s actually a thing that’s happened, you need to read more comics! Shock value is one thing, but what Williamson bestows upon readers is pure nonsense, and will be easily rectified in a couple of pages next issue.

Artistically, it’s always a treat for a certain generation of Flash fans to have Scott Kolins at the wheel. He was such an important player in Johns’ run, and excels at drawing a Flash who keeps a smile on his face. Kolins’ style is pretty singular unto itself, too, putting him on a short list of pencillers whose art can be immediately recognized at a glance.

So, although I can’t chalk this issue up to being great, it’s not bad either. It’s entertaining, forging ahead with the saga of the new Forces, and has some really fun and unique art, though I wish Williamson had come up with something more realistic for the cliffhanger.