Review: THE FLASH #782
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Jeremy Adams
Artists: Fernando Pasarin, Matt Ryan
Colours: Jeromy Cox, Peter Pantazis
Letters: Rob Leigh
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
The Flash #782: The Speed Force on lockdown! Some of the Rogues are plotting something big inside Iron Heights, and the Flash goes inside to root out the plot. Meanwhile, Wallace figures out his future, and Linda tries to find out if she really has powers…
Positives
The Flash #782 picks up where last issue left off, with the Flash and Kid Flash encountering the supervillain Girder. Dealing with the villain poses little challenge. However, when they deliver him to Iron Heights, Warden Wolfe tells them that Girder escaped a week earlier when a guard forgot to engage the forcefield on his cell and he “barrelled through the front door”. This rather sketchy story triggers Wally’s suspicion.
The two speedsters sneak into the prison later on to try to figure out what’s really going on. I found the idea of stealth uniforms an interesting idea. They do provide the cousins with an interesting alternate look. However, is there really any practical point to having a stealth costume when you typically move too fast for the human eye to see? Perhaps it’s in case monitoring technology is capable of capturing images of them even at super-speed.
They manage to discover one thing that is liable to complicate Wally’s life in the near future. Warden Wolfe is about to embark on a campaign to become the mayor of Central City. Wolfe clearly has something nefarious planned, and I suspect that becoming mayor would only be the first step in his scheme.
Positives Cont.
I like that we get a peek into Wally’s civilian life this issue. We see him introducing Wallace to his coworkers at Terrifitech. This is the first time we’ve seen them since they were introduced. And we also get to see the project that Wally has been working on in the Speed Lab: his own “Flashmobile”. Wally chooses to work on this car at normal speed. When Wallace says that he could put it together in two seconds, Wally responds, “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? This thing deserves patience. Precision.” I find it interesting that Wally finds enjoyment in slowing down and taking his time.
Meanwhile, Linda takes Irey and Jai on an outing to the park. When Irey is almost hit by a car, Linda pulls her to safety at super-speed, revealing her powers to the kids. But when she attempts to tell Wally later, they are interrupted when Wally is called away to help Detective Chimp with “something about the Justice League”. This appears to be directly leading into Wally’s presence in the Hall of Justice at the end of Justice League #75. So, with Wally heading directly into the events of Dark Crisis, Linda may not get a chance to have this discussion with Wally for a while.
I also like the fact that even though Wallace seems the more serious-minded of the two cousins, we see Wally stepping up as a mentor and giving Wallace some guidance about phasing through objects, and helping him recover afterward. Despite his carefree and impulsive demeanour, Wally demonstrates that he is an experienced and capable hero.
Negatives
Jeremy Adams still has yet to make any missteps as the title’s writer. And the artwork of Fernando Pasarin and Matt Ryan is absolutely stunning. I can find no negatives to point to here.
Verdict
The Flash #782 is another fantastic issue from Jeremy Adams. Adams has done a great job of re-establishing Wally as DC’s foremost speedster. I look forward to seeing what Adams has planned for Wally as he heads into Dark Crisis and next issue’s “The Search for Barry Allen”.
