The Flash #49

Flash War Part 3

Joshua Williamson Writer
Howard Porter Artist
Hi-Fi Colorist
Steve Wands Letterer
Porter & Hi-Fi Cover
Francesco Mattina Variant Cover
Andrew Marino Assistant Editor
Rebecca Taylor Editor
Marie Javins Group Editor
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.

Our cover shows the Justice League and Titans trying to stop Barry and Wally on their Flash Race ... er, I mean, War! But seriously, it is really nice to see that this conflict has attracted the attention of the most powerful heroes on Earth. And it's a nice demonstration of how difficult it can be to contain the fastest men alive when they don't want to stop. The only downside of this cover is the Titans feel like a complete afterthought.

Our variant is another extreme closeup by Mattina, which is what he excels at. It's a painful, unsettling image of Barry screaming out in pain. But is it actually Barry? Look closer, and you'll see his eyes aren't glowing from his regular lightning — they're the sinister red eyes of Zoom. It's a really cool way to foreshadow the direction of this story.

Our story begins with Barry and Wally running around and around and around the world, and they're actually creating quite a mess. Enough so that anyone who's anyone in the DC Universe is actively trying to stop these racing speedster. Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor set up a bunch of tanks and military personnel in their path, mainly hoping the show of force would get their attention. But it's doesn't work. Wally is still determined to build up enough speed to free his children from the Speed Force, sparing them the torment he endured. Barry oddly suggests talking to Linda again, but Wally refuses to hurt her by talking about children she doesn't remember.

Eventually, the Justice League gets involved and Superman tries to chase down the Flashes. But he can't even catch up to them. Green Lantern sets up a massive wall, trying to vibrate it at a frequency to slow them down, but Wally easily plows right through it.

When Barry finally realizes he can't stop Wally, he decides to help him. Wally plans on racing into the Speed Force together and smashing through the other side, and his body turns into pure energy as he reaches the necessary speed. Barry can't quite keep up with him, but he feels that something is wrong. Wally keeps pressing ahead, until there's a large explosion and the two of them come crashing down in Central City, surrounded by the Justice League and Titans.

The sky is filled with a raging purple and yellow storm, and Barry ominously says he thinks they broke the Speed Force. Wally is wondering where his children are, when suddenly, all the heroes around them are knocked out. A voice explains that they didn't break the Speed Force — they broke the Force Barrier.

The voice naturally belongs to Zoom, who was faking being powerless when he last encountered Wally. Hunter admits he manipulated Wally and Barry because he needed the both of them to break that barrier and grant him the power he needs to become a "true hero." Hunter also changes his costume to the classic Barry design and even declares himself the Flash. As Barry and Wally charge at Hunter, demanding to know where Jai and Irey are, Hunter demonstrates his new powers from the Sage Force and the Strength Force.




Huh. So this is the climax of the grand Flash War, the four-part story that had two and a half prologues. It's interesting ... but I feel like Williamson couldn't fully commit to the idea of Barry actually fighting Wally. There was a lot of yelling, a lot of bluster, but it all dissolved pretty fast. And so now Zoom is randomly calling himself the Flash, so we can technically still call this a Flash War — Barry Flash and Wally Flash against Hunter Flash. I guess it's fine ... just a little odd. Of course, nothing is more odd than the idea of a Sage Force and a Strength Force. I don't think I'm against the idea of these other Forces, but I don't understand the logic of them being exclusively connected to the Speed Force. Oh well. The important thing here is the Barrier has been broken, which will be a big deal for us next issue. But first, the new ads:

Justice League Odyssey. Going where no League has gone before!

Justice League Dark. The wonder of magic fights darkness with light!

The DC Nation interview is with Robert Venditti, writer of Green Lantern.

Next: Flash vs. Flash vs. Flash in The Flash #50!