The Flash #70 is available now where all good comics are sold!
Synopsis
“The Flash Year One” starts here! Barry Allen feels helpless in his life in Central City. As a forensic scientist, he’s always catching criminals after they’ve committed their crimes. All that changes one fateful night when Barry is struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals. When he wakes from a coma, he realizes he can run at incredible speeds. Can Barry master these powers and be the hero his city needs…or will the powers burn through him?
Review
I could honestly say I’ve yet to come across a character in the DC Comics pantheon who doesn’t deserve the “Year One” treatment. In fact I’m flabbergasted (yes, I said flabbergasted) that Barry Allen hasn’t been given this treatment before.
But actually I’m not surprised by Joshua Williamson is absolutely the man for the job.
This issue is a cracker. I went in to it expecting to watch the death of Nora Allen all over again and to follow this up with the night he was struck by lightning and gained his powers.
So I was pleasantly surprised when in the opening pages we instead take a look at some other moments from Barry’s life which haven’t previously been in the spotlight.
The opening splash which reflects back Barry in costume through a storm is a brilliant opening gambit for “Year One”. The artwork by Howard Porter and Hi-Fi really shines here.
Moving through the story we get some emotional memories of young Barry with his mother, yes there’s a brief glimpse of the night he gained his powers as well. But really the focus here is on his first attempts to use those powers.
The motif of the cupboard full of trainers is a fun way to illustrate the passing of time in the book. Seeing his attempts to control his speed as the cupboard of used trainers builds up adds a little humour to the drama.
There’s also a gleefulness to Barry which has haven’t seen in the main book for a while. It’s going to be really enjoyable to see this pre-burdened version of Barry unfold over the course of the story.
After all that we get to see the first time Barry hits the speed force and travels in time (or is that across worlds?). I had heard rumblings that Williamson wanted to give King Turtle some new exposure and he sure introduces the character in dramatic fashion here.
This is a hugely exciting jumping off point for DC’s latest “Year One” story.
Verdict
The first part of The Flash “Year One” offers some interesting insight into the early days of the character. Instead of focussing too heavily on the aspects of the story we all know inside-out it chooses to expose parts of the story we may have never considered before… and I love it!
9/10
The Flash #70 is written by Joshua Williamson with art by Howard Porter, colours are by Hi-Fi who also worked on the cover with Porter.
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