Barry’s search for the mysteries of the various forces have finally reached the tipping point!
Gemini and Santiago have been on a quest for immortality by draining the abilities of other Force users, and now they have finally caught up with Psych, Iris and The Flash! Who will be among the casualties!? And will The Flash finally discover the secret behind the Sage, Strength, Still and Speed Force? All of these answers can be found here as the Force Quest arc concludes!!!
I enjoyed this arc for the most part, but I will admit that the last issue left me a little exhausted due to all of the other events like Heroes in Crisis. When Heroes in Crisis revealed the death toll, many readers were left to wondering why the other titles barely acknowledged the events that happened in HIC. The Green Arrow book referenced it, along with Titans. But one book in particular that I was starting to get frustrated with was The Flash. Now it’s no secret that I’ve always recommended the book since I like Joshua Williamson’s tenure on the book. He has written some awesome storylines and provided some memorable moments that are now implemented within the Flash mythos. But in the last two issues, I kept wondering to myself “ man, I do like this Force Quest arc, but why is it taking forever for anyone to acknowledge the events that occur in HIC?”.
Well, I can say that despite my frustrations, my patience paid off as we got the conclusion of the Force Quest arc. And man, we not only discover the secret about the various forces, but we also discover how it’ll come into play when a certain evil speedster makes his return. Thankfully we get a glimpse of that secret and discover some of the nitty gritty details, and it seems things don’t look so good down the road for the Scarlet Speedster. What I enjoy about this issue is how Williamson wraps up the story after building up (in a somewhat slow burn fashion) to the conclusion of this arc. Barry realizes how much he contradicts himself and how despite all he knows, he could never be in tune with his abilities as much as his protege Wally. In addition to his naivety, that kind of realization costs him dearly as many suffer from those results as characters such as Gemini, Santiago, and Psych each are affected by those decisions.
Now, this might be a spoiler so: SPOILER ALERT!!!!!
Just in case you want to read the issue before reading this part of the review, I insist not to read any further until you’ve read the issue. Spoiler Warning!!!!!
I was sorta surprised that Williamson managed to connect things so seamlessly from this title to the reveal of the events of Heroes in Crisis. It is actually a satisfying reveal, but it left me wishing that Heroes in Crisis was released at the same time as this book so that there would have been good momentum for every title. That way, things could feel in sync with time instead of feeling out of sync. But that doesn’t change the enjoyment and contents of this story and how the ramifications of this arc will play a larger role in the later arcs of Williamson’s run.
In regards to the art, Jung’s artwork for this issue I felt was a good substitute for Sandoval’s work from the issue prior. It feels like a nice transition from Sandoval leaving the book to feel aesthetically intact as though nothing had changed stylistically. Jung delivers some solid pages especially on page 5 where he delivers a nice tapestry that mirrors The Flash’s monologue about his experience of the Force Quest. Hi-Fi does an excellent job at dishing out some solid color work making this an enjoyable read in accompaniment to the lettering of Steve Wands.
Overall, I enjoyed this issue as a fitting conclusion to the Force Quest arc. There are some interesting surprises that I think will get readers interested into what Williamson is planning next as the events of Heroes in Crisis continue to unfold. I definitely recommend adding this issue to your pull list for new comic book day since things are starting to get interesting! So don’t miss out!
Newsdesk