REVIEW: ‘The Flash,’ Issue #790

The Flash #790 is published by DC Comics, written by Jeremy Adams, pencils by Roger Cruz, inks by Matt Banning and Wellington Dias, colours by Luis Guerrero, and letters by Rob Leigh. This is part one of the One-Minute War. The Speedsters around Central City and beyond are all disturbed by something in the sky, which no one else can notice.

The previous issue of The Flash set up the notion that something was coming, bringing devastation with it. With that in the back of my mind already, this issue is filled with even more tension. Despite the vast amount of speedsters, the pacing is slow, doing an excellent job of demonstrating the location and mindset of each of the Flash Family members. Dread and peril is implemented early in the issue, jumping between scenes that all end at the same point in time. The overall feeling of the first issue is monumental. The final part is explosive and enormous, ending with a heartbreaking surprise.

The Flash #790 reintegrates many of the Flash Family into this series. Whilst they have been included in previous issues, the focus has primarily been on Wally and the Wests. Adam’s script is terrific. At the start, there is that friendliness and positivity that has been ever-present. But as the issue progresses the tone gets darker, depending on the character. Jay Garrick and Max Mercury’s scenes have a distinct sadness to them, whilst the Kid Flashes have a bitter and jealous confrontation. This creates an unsettled atmosphere across the book right before the true danger hits.

The art is fantastic as a new team joins for this story. The style that Cruz, Banning, and Diaz bring to the comic is almost a perfect match for The Flash. There is a distinctive, angular look to many of the characters that carry with it a hark back to the 90s. There are some awesome action shots of many of the heroes and villains, with the new bad guys for the story particularly sharp and awesome-looking.

There is individuality to their designs and seem like huge fun just from first impressions. But the artists take a softer approach when needed. For example, Linda looks much gentler than the villains, purely due to rounder lines. The action scene at the end of the issue has a sudden influx of momentum and chaos. That feeling of force is brilliantly demonstrated across many locations over a couple of panels. The sense of place within every individual area the characters is in is fantastic.

The colors are amazing. There are extremely rich tones for characters whilst a more natural and lighter shade for the objects in the background. When the action kicks off, Guerrero superbly overpowers the pages with this intense energy. As the letterer, Leigh has to provide caption boxes for almost every member of the Flash Family. Each instance is colour coded for the character and does not overlap into scenes they aren’t in, helping get over an initial confusion.

The Flash #790 is an excellent example of an opening gambit. The atmosphere is constructed beautifully, shifting in tone from the previous issues of the series and again mid-issue. The suspense is huge and the art is terrific, with a final page that proves that Adams is not willing to mess around.

The Flash #790 is available where comics are sold.