The Flash #38
“The Speed Was Power, and the Speed Was Joy” Part 8
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Gavin Guidry
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Publisher: DC Comics
"Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast"
—Ron Burgundy, Anchorman
Wally West finds out that seeing the future isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and Batman isn’t the only Justice Leaguer to have contingency plans for his friends…
Tower of Babel Redux
Even though Flash put the people who would be responsible for three simultaneous bridge bombings in prison, the explosions still happened. He races to Metropolis and Star City to help, but neither Superman (Jon Kent) nor Green Arrow is happy to see him.
Green Arrow calls a League meeting at the Arrowcave, where he reveals a tech arrow that will remove Flash’s powers. They debate the merits of having such a weapon when Flash appears to defend his actions. Red Tornado reveals that constant use of the Speed Force has caused wormholes to appear in Flash’s brain, and they’re killing him…
Drain Bramage
The Flash #38 continues raising the stakes, now putting Wally West’s very life on the line. It’s funny to think that when this story arc started earlier this year, he was essentially stopping “influencers” from doing stupid and dangerous things. Now he gets wrong visions of the future, has wormholes in his brain, and is fighting his friends. That’s some serious escalation—but it all fits together.
Jon Kent might make jokes about how the Arrowcave looks just like the Batcave, but it totally works given what else we learn Green Arrow has in common with Batman. A contingency plan for a teammate? That’s never gone badly before… Oh, and bonus points for the Arrowcave being a literal cave on a mountain.
I’m very curious what is going on with Wally’s Flashes of Insight. If he stopped the three culprits for the bridge bombings, then why did they still happen? Is something that big destined to happen no matter what? Or maybe the Flashes are showing him possible futures, and in this case he changed things so soon that another one just took its place? There are so many possibilities.
More serious still, however, is the reveal that Wally’s constant use of the Speed Force is preventing sleep from actually rejuvenating him—and that it’s creating wormholes in his brain. Which, in turn, is affecting his personality. He was definitely starting to sound a little fascist during the Arrowcave scenes, and with Green Arrow there… well. Things escalated.
I do have one question for Green Arrow. So you have a gizmo that can take away the Flash’s powers, and you put it on an arrow? I know you have a motif and all, but how are you supposed to actually hit him with it? I don’t think he’s going to stand still for you…
Raise the Stakes
The creative duo of Ryan North and Gavin Guidry have now put out eight consecutive issues of The Flash, on time, with no fill-ins. It’s crazy that I consider that a huge accomplishment, but in today’s market it is. North and Guidry have found a great creative rapport and really made this title their own.
North’s writing has the same upbeat, family-oriented feel with plenty of humor that has served him so well on Fantastic Four. The science is dialed down a bit here, but there’s still plenty of Speed Force inner workings to maintain that similar feel. Even as the stakes get higher and the tone gets darker, he still keeps lighter moments like the encounter with the Trickster (not the good one) to balance things out.
Guidry’s art is a big part of that balance. His style is very cartoony, which allows for a wide variety of facial expressions. He handles motion very well, which is a must when you’re working on a book about the Fastest Man Alive. I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles a big multi-power fight, like what the end of the issue promises against the Justice League.
Adriano Lucas’s colors round out the creative team, and he’s a great match for Guidry. The colors are bright and vibrant, which matches the cartoony art well. But he’s able to crank up the shadows in the Arrowcave scenes and give everything a more sinister edge, which helps sell Wally’s personality shift in these scenes.
Personality Shift
The Flash #38 continues to escalate the stakes of Wally West’s new precognitive powers while the story takes on a darker tone. The implications of these new abilities for Wally’s life are immediate and dangerous, but the Justice League may have to beat some sense into him before he’ll understand that. I don’t need precognitive powers of my own to know that the League has their work cut out for them.