The Flash issue #30 is published by DC Comics with writing credits attributed to Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell, with art by Vasco Georgiev, colors by Matt Herms, and lettering by Buddy Beaudoin.
The End of an Era: Wrapping up DC K.O
The Flash #30 sees the conclusion of the Impulse Control storyline, which has lasted five issues and is tied into the wider DC K.O. line-wide event. For this reviewer, the five-issue storyline has been a very mixed bag of interesting ideas and fun issues, as well as some very boring issues that made for a tiring trudge to get through. I have felt it had some good ideas, such as implementing the corrupted Legion of Darkseid, as well as being an Impulse-heavy story. However, I also do not think the story used those elements to the full effect. This has been quite disappointing and really prevented the story from living up to its full potential. It makes the whole storyline feel largely like an issue of what could have been.
For readers who have not been following along, the story so far has focused on Impulse traveling back into the past in order to stop Darkseid before he can even gain enough power and Anti-Life energy to begin the King of Omega Tournament. However, in doing so, in a brash manner and without thinking anything through, he ended up making everything worse and corrupting the past in the process. Thanks to Impulse, we saw a Legion of Darkseid, which is a vile and corrupted version of the Legion of Super-Heroes. We also saw the return of a more obscure member of the Speed Force in Max Mercury, who has also been changed by alterations made to the past.
There have also been some fun fan service moments. These include Wally West and Bart Allen trying to get Barry Allen to go through the accident that gives him access to the Speed Force. Bart Allen is also made the most important member of the Speed Force, becoming one with it. It is then able to communicate through him and see anywhere in the past, present, or future. This is a really cool moment for fans of Impulse, especially as the character has not seen much love in the last couple of decades since the Flash run from Mark Waid finished.
Impulse Control: Talking About The Plot
Starting the review of issue #30, I am confident in saying that I am fairly glad the Impulse Control storyline is finally over. After five issues and inconsistent levels of writing, the arc felt quite forgettable. I do, however, think that it had a very sweet and great ending. The final few pages feel very wholesome and convey a great message.
A massive takeaway from this issue was how much fan service it featured. It really felt as if Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell wanted to end this storyline and run with a bang. A member of The Challengers of the Unknown played an integral part in the story. I had not read the most recent Challengers of the Unknown comic, so the inclusion and pretext felt a little confusing, but I still largely understood what was going on with the character.
We also had more of Bart Allen being one with the Speed Force and the entity communicating through him. As I mentioned in the review of issue #29, this inclusion could be read as a little blasphemous and cynical. One might think Mark Waid is only doing it for a character he created. However, as a big Impulse fan, I actually really like it. It feels full circle for the character.
This also leads to arguably the biggest fan service moment and the ultimate climax of the story. Bart and Wally stop Darkseid and the Legion of Darkseid from Barry Allen sacrificing himself to save everyone, as depicted in Crisis on Infinite Earths. This led to the most touching moment, which made the whole storyline worth it in the end. Barry Allen finds himself being greeted post-death and sacrifice by the descendant, Bart Allen, who tells him how proud he is to be an Allen and how the sacrifice was not in vain. I am not always on board with retcons, especially when they concern major moments, but this felt both satisfying and needed. It added a much more satisfying feel to the ultimate sacrifice of Barry Allen at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths over forty years ago.
A Couple of Unsatisfactory Outcomes
However, although this issue ended quite well, I was a little annoyed that the creators did not expand on some aspects that I would have liked to see more of. This includes the characters of the Legion of Darkseid and who they are. In fact, this issue featured even fewer of them than in past issues of this storyline. This makes sense in context, as the issue needs to wrap everything up, but it is still quite sad to see nothing done with those characters whatsoever.
I also think the issue suffers because it has hardly any action set pieces. The issue is very much dialogue-heavy to progress the story. We do get a gnarly moment of Darkseid destroying a Legionnaire for failing to stop Barry Allen, but that is merely two panels. This made the story feel largely rushed, as if it were desperate to get to the conclusion as quickly as possible with little to show for it.
Overall, I am looking forward to the next issue of The Flash. It will be the start of a new era for the character with DC K.O. finally behind us. I am hoping the new creative team can bring some new life to Wally West. I believe the series has been quite underwhelming for at least a decade, and The Flash is a very important character to the DC canon that does not really seem to get the love and respect he deserves.
Speeding Scarlet: Talking About The Art
The art in issue #30 is still largely on par with the rest of the story. I do not think it looks as rushed as it has in past issues. However, there are some moments when the members of the Flash gang have strange-looking, overly thin limbs. I also think this could largely just be the way Vasco Georgiev depicts the characters in motion.
The issue does not have a whole lot of action to go off of, so the art is not particularly exciting, but I like the way characters such as Darkseid and Challenger Rick look. I think Vasco Georgiev would be a good fit for a book focusing on either of those characters.
I still do not really care for the costume of Wally West, as I just think it looks like an attempt to be modern. It is just distracting whenever Wally is on the panel in it. I hope the next run puts Wally back in the old outfit, which was much simpler and less distracting.
The Final Verdict
In conclusion, The Flash issue #30 feels like a solid and rewarding climax to a mixed bag story that has largely felt inconsistent in tone as well as quality. The Flash issue #30 sees the conclusion to the Impulse Control storyline. Although it feels as if there were several missed opportunities along the way, the ending serves as a satisfying conclusion to both this storyline and the creative run for the character.