THIS WEEK: World’s fastest man hits another milestone as the flash celebrates 800 issues with stories from a range of star designers.
Warning: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comic in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Lightning #800
Writers: Jeremy Adams, Marc Waid, Joshua Williamson, Geoff JohnAnd Say Spurrier
Artists: Fernando Pasarin and Oclair Albert, Todd Nauck, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Scott CollinsAnd Mike Deodato Jr.
Colorists: Matt Hermes, Ivan Plascencia, Louis GuerreroAnd Trish Mulvihill
Letterers: Rob Leigh And Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover artist: Clarke’s Stubbornness
Seems like not too long ago we were treated to an oversized Flash birthday celebration, though this week the flash #800 is a bit different. 2020’s issue 750 was an 80-page 80th anniversary spectacular with a strong focus on the Barry Allen version of the character – natural, considering Barry was the show’s star at the time. This week’s #800 is much smaller, a 38-page slip featuring four stories from creators who have all worked on the series in the past, plus a prelude story from a new creative team that will be coming to the series later this year.
The issue’s first story, “Don’t Come to Central City,” comes from the writer’s outgoing creative team Jeremy Adamsartists Fernando Pasarin and Oclare Albertcolorist Matt Hermesand letter Rob Leigh. It’s a fun story with a group of lower-level villains swapping stories about why not to commit crimes in The Flash’s hometown, and it’s perfectly representative of the rest of the show’s creative team. . Adams’ storyline is lighthearted, pitting the adventures of The Flash against those of other heroes of the DC Universe in a humorous, character-driven way. The works of Pasarin, Albert, and Herms throughout their run on the show have been highly stylized and energetic, capturing both comedic and dramatic moments, and their work on this story is no different. It’s a nice capsule for a solid run on the series of creators we will miss.
The Next Step is by far the highlight of the issue, an Impulse-centric story titled “The Max in the Mirror” by the writer Marc Waidartist Todd Nauck, Herms and Leigh. This story, set in the early days of Waid and Humberto RamosIt is Impulse solo series, is a pure delight, because in a few short pages, this team captures the dynamic between Impulse, Max Mercury and Flash in a clear and hilarious way. Bart Allen has come a long way since his first appearances, but after reading this story by Waid and Nauck, who for years have drawn the adventures of Impulse in the pages of young justiceyou’ll want to go back and read these stories in one synapse.
Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Leigh’s story, “Flash Family,” focuses on the relationship between Barry Allen and Iris West, an interesting choice for a Wally West-centric issue. The Flash family, as readers know, originated when Wally was DC’s main Flash, but this story, told by Wally, features Barry and Iris as inspiration. It’s one more celebration of Williamson & co.’s pre-infinite border run on the show than on Wally, but it’s a nice reminder of how solid their understanding of Barry and his world is.
If there’s a miss to be found in this issue, it’s Geoff John, Scott Collins, Louis Guerrero, and Leigh’s “Blitz Back”, a story centered on Hunter Zolomon, the time-manipulating speedster known as Zoom. Johns and Kolins created the character during their run on the show, and this story is largely a rehash of Zoom’s origins and history from Johns’ pen. The Flash is barely present in this story, which sounds like it might be meant to set up something for Zoom, but there’s no indication what it might be. As teasers go, it’s pretty weak, and there’s usually not much to this story.
The issue ends with “Between Love and You,” the teaser story for the new Flash creative writer team Say Spurrierartist Mike Deodato Jr.colorist Trish Mulvihilland letter Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This story, in which Wally slips away on a date night with Linda at high speed and finds himself caught in a strange hyper-scientific trap set by an old, energized enemy, is an intriguing introduction to the new team’s plans for the character. Spurrier’s Wally is, at its core, a man trying to maintain a decent work-life balance, a relatable struggle even for readers who don’t get caught in extra-dimensional traps between the tickings of a clock. The scientific aspect of the caper has largely been a trap for Barry in the past, so seeing it applied to a Wally story is an interesting surprise. Deodato Jr. and Mulvihill certainly bring a unique aspect to the story, but the artwork is sometimes hard to decipher, especially when a whole new character is introduced and you can’t tell which body part is what or even how many parts they have. The art team brings a bold departure from the previous Flash visual styles, for better or for worse.
With some big highs and a noticeable low, the flash #800 is an uneven collection of stories that also feel like it misses the mark of its mission statement. The cover presents the issue as “A celebration of Wally West”, but the collection of stories ends up being more of a celebration of the characters and concepts created during Wally’s time as The Flash than of Wally specifically, this which is a little disappointing considering Wally’s history and the important role he’s played in the DC Universe over the decades. It’s a pretty nice assortment of stories, but maybe not what we expected.
Final Verdict: Browse.
Overview
- This week also sees the arrival of steel mill #1, DC Comics’ writing debut of Steel’s legendary voice Michael Dorn. Dorn is joined by artists Sami Basri And Andrew Dalhouse and letterer Rob Leigh for the series, which stems from the recent events of action comics And Superman. This first issue largely establishes the status quo of John Henry Irons for the series, with John almost feeling like an inverted Lex Luthor in this issue, and it’s an interesting angle for the character as he tries to help Metropolis. rely less on super-people than on themselves.
- The Captain’s new adventures continue in Marc Waid, Dan Mora, Alexander SanchezAnd Troy PeterIt is Shazam#2. Much like the first issue in the series, this latest installment is a fun and heartbreaking superhero thread that deepens the mystery of the captain’s surprising behavior from the very first issue. There’s also a talking T-Rex alien bureaucrat who’s dressed like the Mr. Monopoly. If that’s not enough to get you into a comic, I don’t know what is.
- poison ivy #13 is the first issue in the series as an extended ongoing affair. Writer G.Willow Wilson is joined by the regular artistic team of Marcio Takara & Arif Priantoas well as guest artists Guillem Mars, Kelley Jones & Jose VillarrubiaAnd AL Kaplan for a story that finds Ivy trying to put down roots in Gotham again after being away for a year. This series has been very strong since the very beginning, and the upgrade from miniseries to continuity doesn’t seem to have broken its rhythm. In this issue, Kelley Jones draws Batman again, which is always a welcome sight.
Missing one of our previous reviews? Discover our complete archive!