The Flash's Fear State
Running back onto the scene to save your day from boredom, it's Wally West, the current and best Flash we have, and if you haven't been picking this series up since it came back from Future State... Well, you've been missing out on one of the best titles that DC Comics is putting out right now and one of the best runs of The Flash in years. Let's jump into this issue and see if that streak continues as a new villain is introduced onto the scene...... Dr. Nightmare. Let's check it out.
For this issue of The Flash, we see a ton of heart that involves Wally West and his family, mostly Wally and his daughter Irey as the two are going off to a "Daddy/Daughter" dance. It's here that Wally puts a smile on your face when he sees his young daughter coming down the stairs and understands that time moves way too fast and he is scared of missing out on things like this... Which is understandable in a normal sense, let alone someone whose family was winked out of existence. It's a real sentimental moment that makes up the best parts of this issue because sadly, our new villain Dr. Nightmare just doesn't cut the mustard on his first outing in either style or story.
You see, this new character, while he's called Dr. Nightmare and could essentially be Flash's Scarecrow, his first outing here left a lot to be desired since nothing about it really made sense and he just ended up being background so that Wally and Irey could easily and safely team up and that's a shame because I know that you could have both the family feels and a real threat...... and the worst part is, this character comes off as a joke now, especially since the rules of how this villain's technology works just doesn't work in the end.
All in all, this was a disappointing outing for the Flash this issue and where I wanted to see this new villain be as cool as someone like the Scarecrow, it's going to take a while in my mind for him to be forgotten enough so that he can be reintroduced and seen as more than just a joke character that was taken down by the good dreams of a little girl. The sentimental stuff is solid but it's tucked deep in a story that doesn't make much sense by the end so because of that I'm just thankful that we got great art throughout because I was looking for something more to like in this issue than Wally being a good dad but the art can only save so much.
Bits and Pieces:
While this run of the Flash has been one of my favorite series that DC's been putting out lately, this issue comes off as a huge disappointment to me as a new villain is introduced in a ridiculous story that just ends up not making much sense overall and sacrificing the effectiveness of this new character and threat. Yeah, you get some great Wally family moments and some great art throughout but the majority of the story felt lackluster.
Personally I thought this was a fun one and done. It's nice sometimes to get a villain that we don't need to take seriously. I'm really enjoying this run. So glad they shifted focus back to Wally.
ReplyDeleteI love this current run too, I just think that his issue was a bit down in the plotting just so we could get a nice family moment...... which I did enjoy, I just wish it wasn't at the expense of the story.
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