FLASH #751

There once was a god of speed, who enjoyed dancing, joking, and smoking weed. So to curb this bad habit. He molested a dead rabbit. In order to replace his perverse need. Want to know more? Then please ignore the following adventure created by Joshua Williamson, Christian Duce, and published by DC Comics in April, 2020.

TO QUOTE Albert Einstein: ‘You can't blame gravity for falling in love‘.

THE STORY:
At the end of last month’s episode, we saw Paradox instructing Godspeed to attack The Flash, under the proviso that he will tell him the truth about his brother’s mysterious death. So, just for fun, let’s see if you can guess what Godspeed decides to do next? Does he: (A) Attack his old adversary. (B) Tell Paradox to piss off. (C) Wait until Iris throws a spanner in the works. Or (D) Play a game of tennis.

Well, to find out, please pick up issue 751 of The Flash today. In the meantime, though, here, have a look at this...

THE REVIEW:
Overall, I quite liked this month’s adventure because Christian Duce’s artwork was crisp, clear, and captivating to behold, whereas Joshua Williamson’s storyline was one part progressive and one part tease. Well, to be fair, this episode was a rather relaxed read, and in many ways, it flowed in a rather conventional three-step fashion. Step One, presented us with the aftermath of last month’s cliffhanger, which involved Godspeed racing against The Flash throughout Central City. Then Step Two, depicted a sequence that showed Iris West discovering and accessing Commander Cold’s secret files. And finally, Step Three, Bang!, gave us a fight, a fairly flimsy fight, that posed a number of very intriguing questions. Or to be more specific about it, these questions…

1) After his fight with Barry, Godspeed turned to him and declared that he’s acting as a double-agent. So, did this revelation seem plausible and sit well within the scheme of things? Personally, I didn’t buy it at all because his sudden change of heart came across rather abruptly, Ka-Slap!, especially when you take into consideration his dubious history with The Flash and the CCPD! Well, not only is August a known liar who’s previously killed innocent people, but in addition to this, he’s also allowed his own obsessions to get the better of him (like his obsession with his dead brother, for instance). So for him to now say, ‘Hey, I’m a good guy, honestly I am, and I only joined forces with Paradox so I could figure out his master plan and take him down’? Well, to me, his actions didn’t really make much sense. Not totally, anyway, even though I’m not against him redeeming himself by turning into The Flash Family’s equivalent of The Red Hood.

2) Prior to Godspeed’s revelation, Paradox told Barry that he blames him for corrupting the multiverse. So, is he right or is he wrong? Well, with some benefit of hindsight, I suppose that all depends on your point of view. On the one hand, Barry did instigate the creation of the Flashpoint Universe, and by default, the formation of the New 52 Universe and the Rebirth Universe. While on the other hand, Doctor Manhattan altered the fabric of time during ‘Doomsday Clock’, which directly brought about all of those additional changes made to the multiverse. So, to some extent, I suppose you could — I repeat, could — partly blame Barry for some — I repeat, some — of the alterations sustained. But not all of the alterations, mainly because of Doctor Manhattan’s actions as well as all of those other idiots who want to piss about with time.

3) Near the end of this issue, Iris finds out that Barry isn't capable of defeating Paradox, even though The Reverse-Flash is. Why? Why do you think this is the case? Now, in all honesty, I can’t really answer this question because it doesn’t make much sense. Well, let’s face it, if logic dictates that Barry can beat up Eobard, then that would mean he can also beat up Paradox as well. Beat him like the misguided fool he truly is. Having said that, though, there is one thing that does give Eobard a slight edge. He’s a villain. A vindictive villain, and he’s willing to cross a line that most people aren’t willing to cross. So with this in mind, we have to presume that Barry’s good-hearted nature will work against him, as opposed to his level of power or super-fast skills. But then again, I could be wrong, and most probably am. So maybe, just maybe, the advantage Eobard has over Paradox is connected to some kind of knowledge or ability that Barry doesn’t possess. What that is, though, hasn't yet been revealed.

4) While all of this was going on, Iris West was able to gain access to the Speed Lab and discover Commander Cold’s secret files. So, are these files a good thing or not? Yeah, they seem ok, more or less, and hopefully, they will give Barry the edge he needs to figure out what he has to do next (If at all possible, wink-wink!). Or in other words, Cold’s futuristic files are a nice way of linking future-Barry’s previous predictions to Commander Cold’s past death and Reverse-Flash’s eventual return. Basically, they're a plot device, a somewhat simple plot device, which acts as a glue, or an adhesive, that sticks stuff together. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you. If anything, they’re a good thing, and I particularly liked the fact that it was Iris who discovered these files and is now in a position to help Barry with his quest. What do you think, dear reader? What do you think about these files and the way this storyline is progressing so far? I mean, are you a bit like me? Happy to go along for the ride? Or would you prefer a less obvious route? Something more complicated, perhaps? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

THE MUSIC:
For this month’s musical match-up, I’m going to align this adventure with the Jackson Five classic, ‘Blame It on the Boogie’, because at the moment, Paradox seems to be playing the blame game. Know what I mean? Wink-wink!

THE COMPARISON:
I’m now going to compare this comic book to a watch, a broken watch, because time has been severely damaged and needs to be repaired.

THE CONCLUSION:
At the end of this episode, Barry comes face-to-face with a member of his own family. So, out of the following eight candidates, let’s see if you can guess who he meets? Could it be…