The Flash #790 – Jeremy Adams, Writer; Roger Cruz, Penciller; Magg Banning, Wellington Dias, Inkers; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Jeremy Adams’ Flash run has been the biggest surprise of the Infinite Frontier era, with his family-focused take on Wally West and the larger Flash family being a breakout hit. And when you have a hit run, an event can’t be far behind. Completely self-contained in this title—which is going biweekly for the duration—“The One Minute War” introduces us to a new villainous alien empire, The Fraction. Known for their ruthlessly efficient conquests, they strike planets with such speed that no one has time to react. No one, that is, except the Flash family. After this brutal gang of conquerors makes their debut, we shift the focus to the Flash family as they go about their day. Wally hosts a cookout for his civilian and superhero friends, and we see just how wide his “Family” is getting. Barry and Iris try to sort out some of their relationship issues, and Wallace and Bart deal with a surprising rivalry.
Other Flash family members are more isolated, including Jay, Max, and Jesse. All are dealing with their own personal fears and losses—but they’re going to be united soon. Because when the Fraction hit earth, it seems like everything freezes—except the Flashes. This is oddly similar to the recent Prestige miniseries Voidsong, which also involved the Flash, but I think the tension here is jacked up even higher. The threat is truly cosmic, and it’s fascinating to watch each Flash discover what’s happening in their own way. So far, Adams’ run has been low-key in terms of the threats Wally faced, and that changes in a huge way here. In fact, the way the issue ends not only threatens one character’s life, but the entire future of the Flash family. I imagine there will be some sort of deus ex machina soon enough, but it’s a testament to how good this story is that it doesn’t matter at all. This is a phenomenal start to an event.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
