'The Flash' #750 Review: Weird science, warped timelines and a lot of heart get celebrated in brilliant issue
Spoiler alert for 'The Flash' #750
What makes the Flash a unique superhero is really not his speed — after all, he may be the fastest man alive, but speed powers are a dime a dozen among superheroes. What makes a good Flash story stand out is its mix of weird science, colorful characters, and at the center of it all, optimism and heart. And 'The Flash' #750 has those 'superpowers' right at its center.
Like all other big milestone issues, #750 contains several stories interspersed with pin-up art pages from a variety of artists, celebrating the Flash's legacy while teasing future stories to come. With two Flashes currently running around DC Continuity, this issue provides an epilogue to 'Flash Forward' and teases DC's biggest Flash-related event to come — one that does not center around Barry Allen.
This extra-sized anniversary special of ‘The Flash’ finally sees the Flash come face to face with the mysterious enemy that erased his future self — Paradox. Paradox isn’t a particularly compelling villain, in all honesty, but he does make some valid points. Barry Allen has been responsible for a lot of time travel shenanigans that may have broken the world, and it’s amusing that while the Flash deals with the man whose life he inadvertently ruined, Wally West is left to fix the timeline that Barry has also inadvertently ruined.
The first story, 'The Flash Age, pt 1,' continues the story being told in the current Joshua William run on 'The Flash.'
It's a great jumping-on point, quickly summarizing the comic's current status before reintroducing Godspeed and the master he serves — Paradox. The main conflict is preceded by accounts gathered by Iris West, however, who is gathering stories on just how much the Flash cares about the people who he's saving.
Barry Allen has always taken the time not just to stop crime and keep people safe, but make sure that they're doing okay afterwards. Whenever possible, the Flash tries to help people live better lives — or at the very least, have a better day. It's easy to see why the people of Keystone and Central City love him so.
Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins and Michael Atiyeh return to the Wally West era of the Flash to tell a story about Captain Cold. Cold remains one of the Flash's most interesting villains. For all the weird science of the Flash, Captain Cold keeps the series grounded. He's a man of the city. He's not the most moral man, but he takes pride in his work and in his principles that you can't help but admire.
The art team of Riley Rossmo and Ivan Plascencia get to shine in a short story by Marv Wolfman that sees the Flash go up against the Mirror Master in a bizarre, twisted mirror funhouse that Rossmo was born to draw. The warped dimensions that Rossmo tends to give people truly shine in an issue all about warped images.
'At the Starting Line' by Joshua Williamson, David Marquez, Alejandro Sanchez, and Steve Wands was meant to be a continuation to the new timeline that started being established in 'Wonder Woman' #750, but the story is less about the establishing of continuity than it is about celebrating the legacy of the Flash who started it all — Jay Garrick. In that right, it's a wonderful, sentimental story that shows just how far the legacy of the Flash has come.
The real 'Generations' prelude comes, ironically, in the epilogue to 'Flash Forward'. Written by Scott Lobdell, with Brett Booth penciling, Norm Rapmund inking, Luis Guerrero coloring, and Troy Peteri lettering, the story sets up just why a proper timeline revamp is so necessary.
Every attempt DC has made to try and streamline its complicated history has just made things messier than before, and it's nice to see DC acknowledging that. Also, it is heartening to see that Wally West, despite Doctor Manhattan's powers and being bonded to the Mobius Chair, hasn't lost his personality. All of time is threatened, and Wally's ready to fix it with a cocksure grin on his face. There's the Flash we know and love.
'The Flash' #750 is on sale now.
