The Fastest Man Alive and the Dark Knight Detective flop through the timeline to investigate THE BUTTON, but wind up in a place that shouldn’t exist in the latest issue of The Flash.
The Flash 21
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Howard Porter and HI-FI
When we last saw our heroes, The Flash had arrived on the scene after the Reverse Flash popped back into the Batcave and was fatally consumed by radiation. Before he died, Eobard Thawne said that he saw God. And then he was gone. For Barry Allen, it’s a crime scene, right in his wheelhouse, and he starts to investigate.
All the data Flash picks up from Thawne in the Batcave leads him to make the decision to jump into the time stream and go back to the moment where Thawne saw what he saw. And that means using the Cosmic Treadmill, which last caused him to create the Flashpoint Universe.
With Batman tagging along, the trip through the time stream gives us some glimpses of the team’s history, both good and bad, with Barry and Bruce somewhat confused at what they’re seeing. Where they end up and who they end up meeting will certainly be addressed in the next chapter.
The problem is, they didn’t address much in THIS chapter. Much like last week’s Batman 21 by writer Tom King, Joshua Williamson’s first crack at the crossover feels like a whole lot of build-up. Both the first chapter and this one have teased the existence of two of DC Comics’ most storied – but currently unseen – teams, which understandably takes up some of each issues’ page count. While King continues to tease the Legion of Super-heroes, Williamson’s chapter gives us a couple teases towards DC Comics’ first super-team, the Justice Society of America.
I’ve never had much interest in the Legion, but when done right, the JSA can be a lot of fun. Getting a second glimpse of Johnny Thunder (the first was in the REBIRTH special last May) and a mention of the helmet belonging to the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick is probably a good sign that both teams will be back sooner rather than later. If I had to guess, King will be writing the Legion and Williamson will get a crack at the JSA.
After the way this issue ended, I’m not sure at all where they’re heading with this story, but I can’t believe we’re going to see anything of Dr. Manhattan or any of the other Watchmen characters. Much like what was done with SUPERMAN: REBORN, they’ll tease some resolution and then string us toward the next “epic” crossover, until Geoff Johns is ready to release a 7-part miniseries.