The Flash #85 Review and *SPOILERS*

Hurry It Along

Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Christian Duce, Luis Guerrero
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 1, 2020

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The Flash has really hit its groove in the most recent storyline. Sure, it’s a little over the top but it’s something new that we haven’t really seen from the Flash before. Add into that the fact that Williamson is taking these new interactions in a way that I wasn’t expecting and this story is really blowing us away. I’m really excited to see where it takes us. Some of the Rogues have teamed up with our heroic speedsters and they plan on gathering the pieces of the mirror in order to bring an end to Cold’s reign. However, he’s desperately clinging to power, willing to do whatever it takes to hold on to his control. So, what will happen when these two come head to head? Let’s jump into this issue and see where it takes us.

We start our issue with another inner monologue from King Cold. He talks about how everyone expects the son to grow up and be exactly like the father. However, he has risen much higher than his father ever did. He has done bad things to get to this point, but they were worth it to him. We catch back up with our speedsters and the rogues. They’ve been training to try and get control over the speed force once again. While they are getting better, they are still far behind. However, Barry seems to be further along. His training session is interrupted by Golden Glider who brings food. The two sit down and talk for a little bit. They talk about having a normal life and how the rogues have never known such a thing. Even before they became criminals, their lives were forever changed by their own circumstances. So, none of them really want normal lives. However, they do want the lives they had back.

The subject moves to ice skating as Barry asks Glider about that part of her life and shares that he never learned how. She agrees to teach him and the two share a surprising moment. It’s an almost romantic scene. While learning, Barry uses the speed force and he doesn’t lose control. However, the scene ends on a sour note when Barry comments that he will have to arrest the rogues when this is all over. He claims that he was kidding but before he can fully explain himself, they are interrupted by Weather Wizard. They have found that Mirror Master has been hiding out at S.T.A.R. Labs and quickly the team gets together to face him. Our team breaks into the lab and before them, they see the missing two pieces of the mirror. We see that our team is being stalked by Mirror Master as he moves from mirror to mirror. Just as Barry is about to grab the mirror pieces, he jumps them and the fight begins.

After exchanging a few blows, Glider realizes that he was waiting for them but it’s too late to get away as he shoves the team into the mirrors. They find themselves in the middle of King Cold’s fortress, surrounded by his army. Finally face-to-face, Cold demands an explanation. Glider tells him that she wants things to go back to the way they were. Lex causing the end of the world is too much. That’s why she did what she did. Tensions start to rise until eventually Cold snaps (heh!). He unleashes his power and freezes everyone in the vicinity except himself and Flash. Cold reveals that when they fought last time, he had an advantage that was given to him by Lex Luthor. He drops his outfit to show that he has had significant augmentation done to his body. The fight begins and this is where the issue leaves us.

This issue is a bit confusing. There are things that I really like about it but eventually, we get to the point where it feels rushed at the end. Let’s start with the relationship between Flash and Glider. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I’m getting a very flirty and sensual vibe from their time together. This is very weird considering how the book has been dealing with Barry and Iris lately. Granted, they aren’t really together but they’ve been the main focus for a while now. I’m not against it or anything, it just seems odd that she was in this story earlier and has disappeared while another relationship forms. Then, the story was kind of amping up for our heroes to form a plan and execute it to eventually come face to face with King Cold. Instead, they run into Mirror Master and get teleported to King Cold right away. Then he freezes them all and all of his allies so that he can fight the Flash one on one. I like the book still and I’m still invested in this story, but this was a down issue for the book.

Bits and Pieces

The Flash takes some inspiration from its title character and races through this issue to take us to the big climax of this story. Along the way, we get a few entertaining but confusing scenes that eventually take us to a big face-off between our hero and his main villain. The issue has some great art and the story is still good enough to give us plenty of entertainment, but this issue did not live up to the standards set by the previous issues.

6.0/10