REVIEW: ‘The Flash,’ Issue #794

The Flash #794 is published by DC Comics, written by Jeremy Adams, pencils by Roger Cruz, inks by Cruz and Wellington Diaz, colors by Luis Guerrero, and letters by Rob Leigh. This is part 4 of the One-Minute War. With Wally seemingly dead and Jay mortally wounded, Irey is left protecting the frozen heroes as the grown-ups face disaster.

This story arc has been constant intensity, and The Flash #794 is no different. From the opening page, things are dark and bleak. Taking place immediately where the last issue concluded, Irey faces a villain that the older heroes struggled against, with much more at stake. Adams structures this chapter beautifully. The scenes play in a linear fashion instead of intersecting with one another. This gives each moment in time power and suspense where cutting away may damage that. The theme of family has been pivotal to Adams’ run on The Flash, and still is now. But before there was positivity. Family brings strength and hope, and so many issues have been spent building that unit. But the script also taps into the hurt and pain that happens when a family is torn apart. It’s a hard-hitting part of the comic. The action is still high and energetic, with those glimpses of hope returning with every move. 

The characters in this comic are fantastic, with their struggles bringing the best out of them. In the centre is Irey, having to be brave as she is left on her own with her back against the wall. She is superb in this issue, with resilience and real anger against those that threaten her family. But her youth and inexperience lead to a really heartbreaking second act. The script is stunning, not using many words but utilising extremely effective ones instead. It is the smallest word balloons that draw out the most emotions. It isn’t just the young that excel in this part of the story, with the elder statesmen of the Flash Family stepping forward too. Jay is hurt, yet still displays temerity.

The art is brilliant also. The difference in the character design is fascinating, blending sharp angles with curved and gentle lines. This is largely due to the inking, but it completely alters the perception of the art. There is a ferocity to the Fraction, the villains of the book, with pointed armour. In contrast, the heroes tend to have rounder features. The action is unleashed and full of vigour, bringing with it some fun aspects that made me smile. The chaos of the situation is captured well, but it is always easy to see the direction a character is moving or what they have planned.

The colors are really fitting for the tone of the book. All of the costumes and science fiction elements of the comic can be bright and vibrant. The Fraction is frequently embossed with blue and purple which generates an inhuman feeling around them. But these characters also spend a lot of time in the shadows and the backgrounds can be presented as sickly and dystopian in their shades. The lettering is terrific aside from one small gripe. Miss Murder’s word balloons do not have a tail, so it appears as a narration context later in the book. And the color choice of a dark green background with white text can make it tricky to read.

The Flash #794 blends the dark and the light. It has those streaks of hope that will always be present in a Flash comic, coming from such strong and unrelenting characters. But there is also a deep sadness to the book that Adams brings that is both gorgeous and devastating. This arc has not shied away from being bold with its story choices and what happens in it, exposing the Flash Family to trauma I was not expecting at the start of the One-Minute War.

The Flash #794 is available where comics are sold.

William Tucker

William is a screenwriter with a love of comics and movies. Once referred to Wuthering Heights as “the one with the Rabbits.”