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Review: The Flash #753

Nemesis

It would seem that the prevailing adage for The Flash should be, the more things change the more things stay the same.  For a man who can zip from one end of a planet to the other in seconds it is phenomenal that he can never seem to outrun his past or the mistakes he has made.  The Flash #753 doubles down on this notion, revealing the limitations of a hero who is godlike in his skill set but trapped by the expanded nature of his reality those very skills unlock.

Previously in The Flash, we were introduced to the villain Paradox as Flash defeated The Turtle.  It became apparent that whether intentionally or unintentionally, The Flash’s actions always seem to have ripples across the time stream; a legacy of Flashpoint and numerous instances of temporal tampering by The Scarlet Speedster.  Enter then Paradox, a villain whose true motives, beyond mayhem, remain largely unknown though it is obvious he desires Flash and his connection to The Speed Force.  Writer Josh Williamson (Birthright, Captain Midnight) gives us small doses of Paradox in this issue but what we do see, illustrated superbly by artists Howard Porter (Batman  Beyond, Fantastic Four) and Brandon Peterson (Green Lanterns, Mystic), is daunting.  In particular, one scene features Paradox using an enslaved Godspeed to fuel a cosmic treadmill and thus journey through time.  Flash, after journeying forward in time to be confronted by The Time Bureau’s Black Hole Task Force, realizes that he must find Eobard Thawne, The Reverse Flash, in order to defeat Paradox as it Thawne who was successful in defeating him previously.  Thus, as in most Flash stories, we must return to the beginning and Flash returns to the defining moment of his life; the murder of his mother by Thawne.  Williamson’s writing is superb here in so much that Thawne is keenly aware of Flash and the differences in the moment as only the Reverse Flash can be.  In point of fact, while Barry is the titular hero it is the writing on Paradox and Thawne which drives this story forward.  If I had any criticism it would be in a brief vignette featuring Kid Flash and Iris that seems to be disconnected and superflous to the story so far.

The art on this title continues to amaze and if there is one DC book that continually impresses me visually it is this one.  A Flash title should always have a keen sense of motion with characters feeling like they may literally burst from the page and zip around the four corners of your room at any moment.  Both Porter and Peterson are very successful in this regard and the depictions of Thawne are particularly pleasing, portraying him as an amoral fanatic with all the power of Flash and none of grounded morality that keeps Flash being a terrifying monster of speed and lightning.  Likewise, the color is incredibly on point in this issue and once again, Thawne stands out as the main recipient of outstanding work.  I loved every bit of the work done on Thawne.  Perhaps it is because I have not seen a DC comic in some time due to lock-down or, perhaps, it is because my very first comic book featured The Reverse Flash.

All in all this was a wonderful issue of The Flash promising more to come in future issues as Eobard Thawne and Barry Allen briefly walk together during the paths of their lives.  If you are a fan of Flash this is certainly an issue and story arc you will enjoy.

Writing – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Inking – 4.75 of 5 Stars
Color – 4.25 of 5 Stars

Overall Score – 4.5 of 5 Stars

Writer – Joshua Williamson
Art – Howard Porter, Brandon Peterson
Color – HiFi
Letters – Steve Wands
Publisher – DC Comics

Author Profile

Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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