The Flash #792: You May Say He’s Impulsive…

This issue picks up with the speedsters regrouping and coming up with a plan. Wally comes up with the idea to go to Terrifitech while Barry muses about gaining control of one of the Fraction’s vehicles to see how it works. Meanwhile, the Fraction’s leader continues his nefarious scheme, which turns out to be rounding up people who have powers, while his assassin, Miss Murder, is on the case to find and dispose of any speedsters. This all comes to a head when Impulse and Kid Flash steal one of the Fraction’s vehicles, revealing that its battery is a person.

I have been super hard on this story arc, particularly the art by Roger Cruz. This issue, however, has allowed me to look past a lot of that. The art continues to have the same problems, yet, they seem to be easily more dismissible this time around. The two main factor’s that tie into that are the significant increase in action scenes and the break issue we got last week in The Flash: One Minute War Special #1. Cruz’s talent is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the action here. It’s a shame that it took three issues to put all this on display, but we have arrived at a point where I can finally understand why Cruz is penciling this arc. The break issue last week was also an excellent pallet cleanser so I wasn’t stewing in my thoughts about the first two issues’ art. All of this coalesces in fun and action-packed artwork that highlights Cruz’s capabilities.

This issue is also a huge step forward for the story. The first two parts meander, with the break issue offering much-needed context. But here, Jeremy Adams gives us a great example of how high-flying action and well-thought-out exposition coexist. The narrative never pauses the effort and vice versa. This kind of writing makes The Flash as excellent as it has been heartfelt since the beginning of Adam’s run. A great example is when Impulse and Kid Flash discover that a boy is hidden inside the car’s battery, only to be chased away by Miss Murder. This was an excellent blend of narrative focus while also reminding us how dire the world’s situation is. Adam’s writing is as fun and action-packed as The Flash himself.

Diving into the plot and speculation for future revelations, we have to discuss the elephant in the room, Miss Murder,  the Cenobite, Batman Who Laughs, illustrated character who has been subtlety revealed through these issues, and this issue starts to give us our most extensive hints. We learn that Miss Murder is telepathic but may have been a hero before her current activities. I’ve read some theories related to Miss Murder’s origin being connected to the Dark Multiverse, which seems more likely. I’ve also speculated that Miss Murder may be a Dark Multiverse version of Iris, Irey, or Linda.

None of this is proved in this issue, but the bigger picture seems to be coming closer and closer.