The Flash #28 – Mark Waid/Christopher Cantwell, Writers; Vasco Georgiev, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The big DC KO fights have been spread out between the one-shots and individual issues of the ongoing books, so this title takes a break from the ongoing Impulse storyline for something even more explosive. We do catch up with Wally as he tries to get a depowered Bart to safety this issue, but there’s little time to do more than pay a visit to a familiar face while trying to save the Flash legacy. From one of the youngest Flashes to the oldest, the core of this issue is Jay Garrick, the most respected hero in the DCU, as he prepares for his battle against Guy Gardner. Jay is kind and wise, Guy is rude and aggressive, but Jay doesn’t let that stop him – he tries to appeal to Guy’s best nature and propose that they instead settle this duel with a honorable game of skill. It doesn’t go well, Guy says the one thing he shouldn’t to Jay, and we’re off to one of the most personal fights yet.
The first round is pretty quick, as Jay underestimates just how vicious Guy is willing to get, but that’s just the setup for what’s to come as they begin to be able to transform. Jay calls on one of his most powerful forms, from Kingdom Come, where he fully merged with the Speed Force, while Guy returns to his Red Lantern era – something that suits him very well. But for their third round, Guy turns to the infamous Warrior era, where he was missing his ring and instead defaulted to his Vuldarian ancestry that gave him shape-shifting powers. Jay, meanwhile, goes back to basics. This one feels like a foregone conclusion at times, but it manages to work in some great characterization for both heroes and show how different heroes approach this conflict – some allow the tournament to make them indulge their worst instincts, while others stand tall until the very last bell tolls.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
