All great plans come with sacrifice. Darkseid is coming. The former Lord of Apokolips has created the Absolute Universe. That isn’t enough for him. He sets his next prize as the DC Universe. There is a possible way to fight back. A champion must be crowded to stand up to the “King Omega”.
It’s a shame Bart Allen never bothered to listen. His plans may sacrifice Wally West before the fight begins.
THE FLASH #26 by Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell, Vasco Georgiev, Matt Herms & Buddy Beaudoin kicks off a new writing pair taking the Scarlet Speedster’s reigns.
Let’s take a closer look at this new chapter’s start.
THE FLASH #26 by Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell, Vasco Georgiev, Matt Herms & Buddy Beaudoin (DC Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Uniting two heavyweight champion writers like Waid & Cantwell, Flash gets a very big jolt for this chapter. The opening sequence is vintage Flash. Wally West vs. Alchemist is a solid cap off of previous issues. It allows for the K.O. tie-in to ramp up. Passing the spotlight to Bart Allen allows for a tricky plot to lead the way.
The Flash family breakdown of Darkseid’s plans leads to an ambitious move. This causes more drama into the high stakes affair. Readers watch as the actions leads towards a more dire situation. Bart Allen has always lived up to his codename. In this circumstance, his brashness leaps into a threat he can’t outrun. The fallout moves Bart into uncharted waters. Whenever dealing with time travel, it is always complex. The dialogue brings out the grave missteps in the closing page. It leaves readers much to ponder as this trek is only getting started.
Georgiev and Herms tap into the electric feels from the opening sequence. The panel build to West’s leap builds up the excitement. It provides classic superhero themes before K.O. takes over. Impulse’s introduction concludes with a great Superman half page panel. The Darkseid full page image cements the dangerous stakes. It gives way to Bart’s reckless nature.
The full page image of Wally chasing Bart pops off the page. Readers watch as the mood changes quickly as they arrive in the recent past. Seeing the Flashes take on the overpowering threat shakes everything up. The flashback panels hit their marks. It moves Bart’s journey into an unlikely closing act. The art dictates the slow build to the final page. Once this crosses readers’ path, it leaves events with a solid showstopping image. Rest assured, there’s much to enjoy about what’s happening here.
OVERALL GRADE: 8.6
Bart Allen’s naive actions spiral into an absolute mess with this chapter. Waid and Cantwell speed readers into the impending danger. Georgiev and Herms set a great foundation to hold this chapter steady. The new run for the Scarlet Speedster is sure to fly fast into readers hands.
Let me know your thoughts on The Flash #26 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!