The Flash #47
DC Comics

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Howard Porter

“FLASH WAR” part one! Barry Allen and Wally West…at war?! The long-rising tension between mentor and former sidekick is brought to a head when the Renegades of the 25th century come to claim Iris West for the murder of Eobard Thawne…but that’s only the beginning of a plot that will change the future of The Flash forever! By the end, it will be Flash versus Flash in a mythology-shaking event!

(SPOILERS)

It’s finally here. The event DC Comics has been hyping up for months is in our grasp, and I must say it does not disappoint. Writer Joshua Williamson and artist Howard Porter go all out with this new story that puts Barry and friends in a journey through time that’ll end up making the Flashs go to war. For now, Barry, both Wallys and Iris are visited by the Renegades, a group of rogues(?) that work for the temporal court. They’ve come to arrest Iris for the murder of Eobard Thawne, and this immediately causes indifferences between Barry and Wally. They very different ways of going about securing Iris, and I can’t blame Wally for not trusting some time-traveling cops that look like Rogues.

After a not-so-civil discussion, the Renegades and the speedsters fight for a little while Wally ignores Barry’s plans. There are some neat reveals for the Renegade group, including showing the Golden Lantern, obviously inspired by the Golden Glider, use fear against our heroes. The fight doesn’t last long however when Wally gets another memory attack, and that’s when they realize his cure may lie in the future. The characterizations are spot on as always and it’s so entertaining seeing some of the best Flash characters interact.

 

I love how Williamson is intent on having Wally against Barry but is not willing to sacrifice aspects of their personalities to do so. They fight, and then reconcile momentarily as expected, but you can still see how the tension is growing slowly but surely. When the gang arrives to the future they realize it was a trap set by Hunter Zolomon, and Wally is transported to an abandoned Flash Museum to drop the big reveal.

After Wally came out of the speed force all the way back in Rebirth, it started a trend of ideas and characters from Pre-Flashpoint to leak into the current timeline. Something fans have been waiting to see is if any of the Flash Family members from Wally West’s time as the Flash would ever return, and it seems like that’ll be the case soon. Hunter Zolomon confronts Wally and tells him if he wants his old life back, he needs to break the speed force. What exactly that entails isn’t clear, but one could assume doing this would breakout Pre-Flashpoint characters, and bad.

The art is, of course, fantastic, what else would you expect from Howard Porter. It’s certainly unlike other art so it may not be for everyone, but I believe it sets the tone and paints a picture that accurately represents the story. There’s a certain style he goes for that just works so well. Everything from the colors to the details Porter brings to life an epic story.

In conclusion:

A fantastic start to a major comic event Flash fans will surely be mentioning for a long time, if all goes well of course. And if this issue is any indication, then there’s no doubt it’ll become a huge turning point for Barry, Wally, and the surrounding characters. There’s action, twists, and plenty of drama here to grab hold of, I would recommend to any comic reader to start this story asap. It’s not perfect, but I didn’t expect it to be, especially since they are pumping out issues on a bi-weekly basis. Williamson and Porter were born to do The Flash and I’m glad they are having the chance to really break new ground with these iconic characters.

Rating: 9.8/10

– Marcos Melendez