REVIEW: ‘The Flash,’ Issue #75

San Diego Comic-Con happened last week and a lot of information on the sixth season of The Flash tv show was revealed. In the meantime, you can see more of Barry Allen in The Flash #75, which hits shelves this week. The comic is published by DC Comics, written by Joshua Williamson, illustrated by Howard Porter and Scott Kolins, with colors by Hi-Fi Color and Luis Guerrero, & letters by Steve Wands. In addition, there’s a short section near the end on The Rouges, which is written by Joshua Williams, illustrated by Christian Duce, colored by Luis Guerrero, and lettered by Steve Wands.

In The Flash #74, the Future Turtle arrived at Central City with the Future Flash as his prisoner. Turtle plans to put an end to The Flash in this current time in order to make sure his plans are successful. In order for this to happen, he teams up with The Turtle from the present. Barry’s still figuring out his powers and still believes that he’s completely unprepared to deal with something like this. Realizing that he’s Central City’s only hope, Barry attempts to muster enough confidence in order to save the future. He races to save Iris and the rest of the city in what will be his toughest challenge yet.

This issue immediately picks up where the story left off. Barry is currently fighting both versions of The Turtle while trying to free the citizens of Central City. Even in the midst of battle, Barry is still questioning himself but this doesn’t completely take over him. He’s close to making the final step to becoming a hero. Meanwhile, Iris is providing any help she can, which Barry uses as a way to influence him into saving the city. Also in this issue, a small snippet of Captain Cold receiving an interesting offer from a mystery being.

I wasn’t quite sure how the creative team could have topped the action and emotions that transpired in The Flash #74, but this issue completely blew me away. Within the first few pages, The Flash #75 has also become of my favorite Flash comics that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It reminded me why I fell in love with the Barry Allen character and brought back memories of reading several Silver Age comics when I was younger. It perfectly encapsulated the hope and determination that make up what kind of hero Barry is. There were several moments during Barry’s fight with The Turtle that took me on an even bigger emotional ride that I never imagined could be possible.

One of these particular instances occurs during the first few pages of the comic. After getting seriously hit by The Turtle, Barry starts to hear his mother’s voice. It’s the much-needed boost of confidence that he needs to finish the fight and win. The relationship between Barry and his mother has always interested me, especially over the last few years. This particular run of The Flash has done an excellent job in focusing on how strong the love they had for each other really was. His mother may be dead, but he still keeps all of the lessons, values, and words that his mother gave to him. Williamson has found a way to not only make me care about their dynamic but to see if it can be developed even further.

Porter’s incredible artwork fleshes out the fight between The Flash and both versions of The Turtle. Each panel flows very well to the point where it further pulled me into the story. As he’s fighting both versions of The Turtle, Barry continues to reflect on the lessons that his mother taught him. The words on the panels match well to the illustrations they accompany. It added to the already emotional moment in such a way that did manage to make me tear up.

I could not have imagined a better way for this Year One arc to have ended. It not only retold the story of Barry Allen from a different perspective but it helps embody who he is as The Flash. The ending of the arc sets up the future dangers that Barry will have to deal with. From the looks of things, he’ll be in for quite a challenge as many sinister forces will be coming after him. The short snippet at the end teases a deadly alliance that will prove to be quite challenging for Barry.

The Flash #75 is available now wherever comic books are sold.