The Flash #70 Review and *SPOILERS*

Flash Origins

Written By: Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter

Art By: Howard Porter, Hi-Fi

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 8, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Flash has gotten back on his feet after the previous issue. Last issue really set a high bar and maybe that will weigh this new story arc down a little bit but I hope this isn’t the case. The previous story line was very well done and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This was especially nice after Force Quest shenanigans took over the book and dragged it down into the muck. But we’ve left that behind and it was revealed at the end of the previous issue that we would be getting a Year One story. Frankly, that idea can go either way. It could be really fantastic or a trash fire. Let’s jump into this issue and see where it takes us.

We begin with Barry looking out at a lightning storm when he was a young child. The storm has blacked out their neighborhood and Barry was in the attic looking at his mother’s old comic books when she joins him. During their conversation, it is revealed that Barry got in a fight at school protecting another student. His mother beams with pride hearing about how he stands up for the weak. We flash forward 15 years and Barry is showing up late to a crime scene. He meets his friend August there and begins examining the scene. A quick glance and Barry is able to uncover clues vital to the investigation. They are interrupted by Iris West who aside from doing her job, drops some hints to Barry about her intentions. August tries to convince Barry to take her out that night but Barry refuses.

Barry goes back to the precinct and works on his mother’s murder case. The police believe that his father was the killer but Barry is convinced that isn’t the case. He ends up having to work late and while working a storm hits the city and Barry is struck by lightning and covered in chemicals from his lab. His mother’s voice and the voice that the reader knows is Professor Zoom race through his mind as medical personnel try to save Barry. He wakes up in a hospital, disoriented. He knocks over a tray of food and does a Toby Maguire’s Spider-Man impression as he moves fast enough to keep all the food from spilling on the floor. His powers then go haywire as he finds himself racing across the city.

Barry begins experimenting to figure out how his body has changed. He finds the limits of his powers at this point. He can read fast but fails to retain the information, he can create tornados, he can complete projects in moments and of course he can run really really fast. He designs shoes that can withstand his speed and then he takes off until he goes too fast and he feels a boom. When he collects himself he finds that he is in Central City and it has been taken over by someone called the Turtle King (one guess as to who that is lol). A couple of soldiers spot him and are going to cause him harm until a flash goes by and takes them out. It is a much older version of himself and he isn’t happy to see Barry. This is where the issue leaves us.

Thank God, after seventy issues of this series, I finally know what the Flash’s origin story is. Granted, I know that this is a Year One story so it has to take place around this time but did we really need to do the entire Flash Origin for an entire issue? Do you think readers have been reading this book for seventy issues and none of them know the Flash’s origin? I know a Year One story needs context about the time the story is taking place but that could have lasted a couple of pages, not an entire issue. Sorry but this one is a waste of money. At least the art is good and the cliffhanger is interesting. Just when I was starting to like this book.

Bits and Pieces:

Have you been reading this book for seventy issues and have been asking yourself, “What is the Flash’s origin story?” If so, this is definitely the issue for you. If not, you have to reread an origin story that you probably know like the back of your hand at this point. It should be said that a Year One story needs some context for the reader but did the entire issue have to be the same story that we all know already? Just take a couple pages and move on. This is lazy. At least the art and cliffhanger and cool.

3.0/10