Flash #22 Review

Big Moments, Little Answers

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 17, 2017

It's here!  The ending to the Button is the biggest thing since the Rebirth Special and even though I haven't been the most positive when it comes to the entire story so far, I have jumped on the hype train and can't wait to see what comes next.  Seriously, this may technically be a "crossover", but it's so much more than any so-called Event we've seen so far (no offense Justice League vs Suicide Squad).  I don't even want to waste time in this introduction, so I will jump right in.  Was it worth the wait?  Let's find out...


The issue opens in the Speed Force where we left Flash, Batman and Reverse Flash.  While I thought Reverse Flash was beyond the whole villain thing after what he's seen and done since the last time we saw him, he is not.  He tells Barry all the things he will do to make Barry's life a living hell now that he is a "living paradox".  While this is going on, Batman hears a voice call out to Barry and Flash explains that anything they see or hear are from moments that could've been but weren't.  Does that go with the stuff they saw before...Identity Crisis or the classic formation of the Justice League?  I guess that is a yes now.

Thawne then smashes the Cosmic Treadmill sending Flash and Batman flying as he arrives at his destination.  His trash talking suddenly ends as he realizes that he's miscalculated and we see his death as the Button gets pulled away from him.  I have to admit, this part was a bit underwhelming.  There is only a brief bit of dialogue and since we already know the end result, I was hoping we'd get more of the who and why here.

Things pick up when Barry, who can't use the messed up Cosmic Treadmill, takes a chance on Batman's suggestion and follows a voice that tells him to say "Jay".  Yep, you guessed it...Jay Garrick is back!  I love the idea of this, but again, it felt a bit underwhelming.  It just kind of happens and feels too convenient when he pushes our two heroes back home.  Unfortunately, after getting back to the Batcave (their Batcave!), Jay explains that Barry must remember him like he did Wally and disappears back into the Speed Force.  Bummer!

The issue continues with Bruce talking to Barry at his parent's grave site.  Barry thinks all of what happens was a result of Thawne's death, but Bruce isn't willing to give up the case.  Barry has a point, though...it's tough to solve a case when the main suspect is God!

The issue ends with Bruce thinking about what his Father told him..."don't be Batman" and possibly taking that advice.  Then it happens.  We see who is behind everything and it's not a shocker, but it's still huge and it's still awesome.  There is an epilogue as well that continues the cliffhanger, pushing it into the Doomsday Clock coming in November and that is cool just seeing the focus of it all.

This was a good issue that felt a little rushed to get to the ending.  I know there are some huge things happening here, but events just happen to happen and without any real resolution, I was a bit disappointed.  We do see the big bad, but other than that, we are only a tiny bit closer to getting any real answers.  I guess we will have to wait until November for that and that's a long wait indeed!

I loved Howard Porter's art.  Everything looked fantastic and there are some big moments that he nailed.  The best panels were easily seeing Jay Garrick and I hope that when we do get a JSA book, Porter is involved.

Bits and Pieces:

The ending of the Button had some big moments as far as Rebirth goes, but I still felt a tinge of disappointment after reading it.  If you are looking for answers, you are going to have to wait until November.  We do see the big bad and the return of a great character, but in the end, we haven't gone that far since the beginning of this crossover.  I hate to say this was all a setup for the Doomsday Clock, but it feels that way right now.

7.0/10