Continuing our examination of the latest titles to join the Dawn Of DC direction this time its time to spotlight The Flash. Previously I spoke about what’s going on with Wonder Woman in Dawn Of DC. Flash is following a similar trajectory as the franchise officially joins the Dawn Of DC direction.
When it comes to The Flash the franchise’s main series could arguably be said to be the first unofficial comic book set post-Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths. The reason for that is The Flash was the only ongoing title that had direct tie-ins to Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths. Those tie-ins, in The Flash #783 to The Flash #786, played a key role in expanding on many things that we saw go on during DC Comics’ latest big event.
The Flash tie-ins then ended in October with the Jeremy Adams telling the narrative he’s been building around Wally West. That all would lead to the current One Minute War event that involves the entire Flash Family. While all these stories since The Flash #787 are told in the post-Dark Crisis On Infinite Earth DCU the series has lacked the Dawn Of DC banner that has appeared on the Superman titles.
Now we know that Jeremy Adams’s run on The Flash will come to an end with the 800th issue milestone for the series. Though there is a difference in how DC Comics is going about Wonder Woman’s milestone issue. With Wonder Woman #800, that issue is dedicated to closing out Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad’s run and transitioning into Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s creative run. With The Flash #800 while it will mark the end of Adams’ run it will also be treated as a more traditional celebration issue as Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, and Joshua Williamson will contribute stories to the milestone issue.
On the Jeremy Adams front, he carried the torch of providing The Flash with another great creative run on the series. After over a decade of Barry Allen being the main Flash, Adams was tasked with reminding many why the Flash name is as much Wally West as it is Barry’s. Adams did that by focusing on a lot of what separates Wally from Barry, specifically Wally being a family man and juggling his home life with life as the Flash. Even as 2022 for The Flash was dominated by tie-ins to War For Earth-3 and Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths Adams made the best of it and really highlighted what makes Wally West a great series lead.
While I would’ve liked to have seen Adams continue his run in Dawn Of DC ending things with the milestone issue of The Flash #800 is a cool thing. And it is not surprising that Adams run on The Flash since he will be working on the new Green Lantern ongoing. Though given what Adams has already shown with his work on The Flash hopefully, DC gives Adams more work on other titles, as long as his schedule permits.
Making The Flash #800 even more special is the fact that Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, and Joshua Williamson will be contributing stories to the milestone issue. When it comes to modern-day Flash there are no bigger names tied to the series than Waid, Johns, and Williamson. They all had memorable runs of The Flash so it is only right they return for a milestone that only Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have reached at DC Comics.
That brings us to what comes after The Flash #800, which is a relaunch for the series under the Dawn Of DC banner and the new creative team of Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr. Based on the solicitation for The Flash #1 we know that Wally West will continue as the title character. In the solicitation we got the following information:
“Wally West has never been quicker, more fulfilled, more heroic. His loving family is around him. And yet something is off. Very off. His evolving understanding of his powers has opened Wally to new avenues of sci-fi adventure, and attuned his senses to strange new ideas. Something whispers from the dark vibrations beyond the Speed Force, and as Wally experiments with creative new approaches to his powers he encounters new realms, mysterious allies and mind-shattering terrors.”
Admittedly this creative team does not create instant excitement, especially in comparison to Tom King and Daniel Sampere on Wonder Woman. I have very little experience reading Simon Spurrier’s work so I can’t really say if he is a good fit. Mike Deodato Jr. is a great artist and has done a lot of wonderful work at Marvel. Not sure how Deodato’s art style will translate to delivering the momentum expected from a Flash comic book but he has a history of delivering a great looking comic.
All that said I do have to give DC Comics the benefit of the doubt when it comes to The Flash. That is because in most recent history the names of Robert Venditti, Joshua Williamson, and Jeremy Adams did not sell me on The Flash when they were given the title. But as I’ve read these last three runs on The Flash they have all been enjoyable. When it comes to The Flash DC Comics has earned my trust in selecting the right writer for the series. Spurrier is also coming with a history of writing a lot of superhero comic books for DC Comics and Marvel so I am in on checking out what Spurrier will do on The Flash.
Overall, The Flash Dawn Of DC announcement is similar to Wonder Woman. There is a lot to be excited about. Though this should only be the start of DC Comics’ plans for The Flash. The franchise has many great characters that Wally West shouldn’t be the only focus. Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, Wallace West, Bart Allen, Jesse Quick, Max Mercury, and others deserve to get a spotlight as well. Hopefully, we see them appear in this and other DC Comics titles yet to be announced.
Source: DC Comics