Flash #26 Review

It's a Speediful Life

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 12, 2017

The Flash is one of those books that I hope is good every time I read it.  I know that really should go for every book, but Barry Allen Flash is my second favorite character and I want to like this book so much.  The truth of the matter, however, is that I don't.  Sure, it's better than it's start at the beginning of Rebirth, but it still hasn't gotten to the point where I can say it's great.  Heck, I'll take consistently good and die a happy man.  Seeing Howard Porter on art this week makes me hope that I may be able to do just that.  Is that the case or do I have to keep trudging through this cosmic play we call life?  Let's find out...



To say that Joshua Williamson throws the reader into the deep end of the pool without any warning this week might be a bit of an understatement!  Besides the "Near Future" tag, I had no idea what the hell was going on.  Howard Porter's art made it all look fantastic and seeing an old Barry and a kickass Speedster Iris in a world gone wrong was so damn cool!

I won't tell you things got clearer right away as we get name drops of Wally and August and can figure out some of the grim past that lead up to this point.  Still, nothing prepared me for what was next, as Barry went to confront the two who were ripping Central City apart...Don and Dawn.  What?  You don't know Don and Dawn...Allen!?!?  Yep, Barry and Iris' kids gone wrong are the big bads here, at least for a little bit.  That is, until we pull back and see that we aren't the only ones watching the scene unfold...so are Eobard Thawne and our Barry Allen and Iris West.

It's all Thawne's plan to show Barry how awful he really is.  He just digs into Barry about how terrible a father he will be to his and Iris' kids and it all ties into all the lies he has told Iris and everything important he's missed out on being the Flash.

It's all part of Thawne's plan to get Barry to make a final sacrifice for those he loves by disappearing forever into the Negative Speed Force.  Of course, it's all a trick and Barry realizes too late all the important things he should have done for the ones he loved.  It's a pretty emotional scene and done really well.

One of the reasons Barry did what he did was because Thawne promised to stay away from Iris...a promise he breaks immediately!  However, Iris is one tough cookie and her experience fighting Black Hole comes in handy and she holds her own which I love so much.  The issue ends with a bit of a reunion, but the guest of honor does not seem to be himself.

I really liked this issue a whole lot.  It felt so fresh and Joshua Williamson finally made me glad that Reverse Flash is still alive.  Thawne has gone back and destroyed Barry's family in the past, but seeing him revel in the fact that Barry would be the one to destroy it in the future was great..and seeing it's because he chose being Flash over spending time with his kids hit me in a personal way.  I can hear Cat in the Cradle playing somewhere in the distance.

Howard Porter is one of my favorite artists and he didn't disappoint here.  I love his character models for old Barry and Iris and I think he captures the Speed Force with the best of them.  Maybe it's the fanboy talking, but I wish he was on this book full time.

Bits and Pieces:

While this issue takes a bit to ease into, it feels so fresh and fun.  Watching Thawne use the Flash against Barry was so awesome and Howard Porter's art made it all look fantastic.  This is easily one of my favorite issues of Rebirth Flash.

9.0/10