Since arriving in Corto Maltese The Flash, Iris and their new ally Fuerza embark on their quest to gain more knowledge on The Strength Force that influences Fuerza abilities in contrast to the Flash. As they journey for progress, they are ambushed by a S.W.A.T team controlled by Cauldron through the use of the Sage Force!!
Will The Flash and Fuerza set aside their moral differences to defeat Cauldron’s forces? How did Cauldron harness the power of the Sage Force? What is the source and conduit of the Sage Force? And will the Force Quest provide more answers or questions for the Flash?
I feel that the Force Quest arc for the majority of it has been an enjoyable story where readers get to see The Flash learning to get himself back to center again ever since the ramifications of Flash War. With all of the new forces that have been unleashed due to the damage of the Speed Force, its forced The Flash to reshape his entire perspective on his abilities which has been an enjoyable journey to see unfold with Williamson at the helm. It is surprising that Williamson has managed to stay consistent with this title ever since rebirth and maintain a level of excitement with the work that he produces.
I will admit, there are moments where I’ll feel that Williamson sometimes retreads certain themes at times in regards to Barry and his optimism at times, but it goes to show that Williamson understands that its an enduring trait that the character has always had since his existence. The story flows and is easy to follow while also providing a good amount of dense content that makes it feel like a nice enjoyable read that is worthwhile. I personally enjoyed how Fuerza was written as someone who is not easily swayed by words given the environment that she stems from where words are sweet nothings and it takes someone with the ability to spark an opposition to the systematic corruption that harms the very people that they claimed to protect. It was enjoyable to see Barry and Fuerza argue over their methods of how they handle the situation based on their abilities. I hope Williamson will revisit Fuerza down the road as Barry continues his journey to understand the source of the Force abilities.
I do feel that given the scheduling of books like Heroes in Crisis and Doomsday Clock, that despite my patience, I have become a little frustrated by the lack of impact that those events have on majority of the titles ever since the big promise at the beginning of rebirth. Some books have acknowledged the ramifications of Heroes in Crisis, some books don’t. Doomsday Clock is based two years after rebirth (something like that) but the plot threads from The Button, The Oz Effect, and a few others all feel sorta dismissed to some degree given that there isn’t much explained as to why certain characters came back or ended up missing etc. Obviously, we’ll get to see Williamson explore more about the ramifications that followed after the events of Heroes in Crisis (love it or hate it) and how he will tackle Barry’s reaction to the death of Wally in comparison to how it was handled in the event. Despite my frustration, I can at least attest that I’m glad that no storylines that were in development prior to events were scrapped just for the sake of a tie-in etc, especially this book.
Since the beginning of the Force Quest arc, I have been enjoying the amount of detail and quality that Christian Duce has managed to whip up. With every pencil mark that is laid out each panel, is so intricately illustrated that each page is worth the time spent scanning through it all back and forth before progressing to the next page. Duce’s panels are dynamic and raw with power while also refined with the cleanest line work that makes each character, panel, and page stand out. Whether it’s the double page spread (page 4 and 5) or even the smaller panels where characters are moving across the spaces, it all stands out and it’s all well illustrated. The colors by Luis Guerrero are vibrant and enhances Duce’s illustrations in such a way that provides a really nice cinematic quality that is perfect for a story such as this. Steve Wands continues to provide lettering in all the right places that compliment the entire layouts and colors making it an enjoyable reading experience.
The Flash issue 61 is an enjoyable conclusion to the Force Quest arc and provides some cool surprises as it unfolds. It’s got fun writing and some really fantastic art that it makes me hope that Christian Duce becomes the main illustrator for this series from here on out! I recommend adding this to your pull list, and even making it a holiday gift for anyone who is a fan of the scarlet speedster!
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