Flash #23 Review – Sad Flash is Going to Stay Sad
I haven’t read any issues of Batman since The Button arc ended, but I’m curious if that arc has affected Batman as much as it seems to have the Flash. He’s jittery, even for a guy who can vibrate through materials. He’s lost in his head, he’s nearly obsessed with what happened in the world of Flashpoint, and he’s very nervous that Reverse Flash isn’t dead. Sure, his skeletal remains are in the Central City morgue, and Eobard’s DNA matches the bones. But Barry doesn’t want to take his death for granted. He thought Reverse Flash/Zoom was pretty much gone before, and look how wrong that turned out to be.
However, Reverse Flash and Flashpoint are far from Barry’s other problems. Kid Flash Wally still isn’t entirely speaking to him. He will barely glance in his direction. In addition, Iris has been suspecting something is up since issue #20. She was willing to confront him about it another time, but since Barry is acting distant at his own surprise birthday party, he’s pushed it ahead on her to-do list.
Good thing his good buddy Hal Jordan has flown in for the party to distract him a little, because we know two Justice League members together won’t attract any attention at all.
Oh Hal, be careful what you wish for, you silly goose. It’s not technically aliens who invade the party, but the sentiment is all the same. Multiplex crashes the party to hunt for a girl he went out on a date with once. Perhaps he should read/watch He’s Not That Into You and learn what obsessive stalking means. Pro tip: it’s a turnoff for girls and guys alike.
Green Lantern and Flash are able to get the poor girl to safety, which only angers Multiplex further. He continues to multiply to overwhelming numbers, and thanks to Flash letting his mind wander, the duplicates overwhelm both Flash and GL.
Wally was able to whisk Iris to safety, despite her protests that she’s not a delicate flower. Kid Flash uses this brief moment to try to talk to Iris about his father, Daniel West, but he’s interrupted. He’s interrupted by the guy who just won’t stay dead. Why won’t Eobard Thawne stay dead?
Since this is the first issue of The Color of Fear arc, (which is yellow, by the way) I’m hoping with every fiber of my being that Eobard’s presence is an illusion of said fear. Barry’s fear of Thawne not being dead. Iris’s fear of what is going on with Barry. Wally’s fear of not knowing the truth. Barry’s fear of what Bruce is going through. There’s so much fear in this area, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Yellow Lantern showed up.
The “next” teaser is for the next issue of Flash, not a crossover title, which is surprising. I thought this would be a crossover between other members of the Justice League, since discovering the following Superman cover.
However, it does not seem to be a crossover at all. Hal Jordan’s appearance, though, has to link all this to the Lanterns somehow, right?
Or does this all have to do with the beginning of the comic, which made very little sense. It opened in a museum that had to be in the far, far future. The museum was dedicated to Flash, and it contained an interesting set of twin statues—Reverse Flash and Flash running side-by-side as friends. The museum placard even suggests that the two were best friends.
Two weeks to wait to unravel all of these mysteries, and probably open new ones.
Our Rating: meh
Author: Joshua Williamson
Artists: Carmine di Giandomenico and Ivan Plascencia
Publisher: DC Comics
Publish Date: 05/31/2017
Acquired via Publisher
