THE FLASH #38: Desperate Measures.

4

Wally’s flashes of insight are broken and no longer working how they first were. To top it all off he has found himself at odds with the Justice League and Oliver Queen in particularly. The stakes have never been higher and now Wally’s life is on the line and the League is out of time and must resort to desperate measures if they want to save him and innocent lives.

Creative Team: Ryan North, Gavin Guidry, Adriano Lucas, and and Buddy Beaudoin.

The Story:

Ryan has been slowly turning up the heat on this current arc much like the boiling frog theory, where Wally doesn’t think he is doing anything wrong. However, things have come to a boiling point for everyone and North has perfectly brought the stakes up to an alarming high. Each issue feels almost like science class with how Ryan weaves in scientific facts and theories tying it together with Wally and the speedforce. This may be the first time as well that the speedforce is now causing a certain level of harm to the user in an intriguing manner by creating wormholes inside of Wally’s brain! I love the call backs to previous Flash runs such as Barry Allen in 2013 making this feel like a truly cohesive storyline. To top it off we don’t need a crafty villain when Ryan is writing Oliver Queen who even I would love to punch in the face at this point.

The Art:

Gavin and Adriano’s art has always portrayed a light and happy vibe from Wally despite the odds he is up against. However, the method in which Wally is shaded and Buddy’s cold lettering is showing how desperate Wally has become and for the first time a level of anger across his calm and happy demeanor. The sequences where the League is together tells a story on its own as everyone’s faces have various expressions and add weight to the discussion that Oliver is bringing forth to them. I love when art tells a story in a way that words sometimes can’t and this issue is a prime example of how in tune everyone is.

Final Thoughts:

The Flash #38 is bringing this arc to a boiling point and tensions could not be higher amongst those who are supposed to be friends. Each issue is a gift that keeps on giving with fun scientific tie ins and a story that has its hooks deep into me.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

Who is in the right, Wally or Ollie? Be sure to let us know in the comments and check out more from Matt!