REVIEW: ‘The Flash’ Issue 27

The Flash Issue 27 is published by DC Comics. It is written by Mark Waid, with art by Vasco Georgiev, colors by Matt Herms, and letters by Buddy Beaudoin.

This issue is part of the DC K.O. event. The Legion of Darkseid needs to kill Impulse and the Flash, using their friends to try and do it.

Flash and Impulse have been utterly separated from the main timeline, giving this issue a real sense of danger. There isn’t any help coming when they are in the past, targeted by powerful members of Darkseid’s Legion. The pace is incredible from the start. The speedsters can usually outrun everybody, but there are members of the Flash Family on their side who can keep pace. It was a surprise to see Max Mercury standing with the
Legion of Darkseid, but he’s not the only one.

This means that when Wally and Bart try to run, there’s someone there to smack them down like elastic. The fight travels from the water to the sky, with the Speed Force fluctuating as the universe around them collapses. Each step had consequences, especially when civilians are caught in the crossfire. They threaten huge ripples in a time stream that is already devastated.

The Flash Issue 27 features speedsters who still can’t see eye to eye. Impulse is, well, impulsive, running off and doing what he sees is best. To Bart, his power means he can do anything, regardless of what comes next. But Wally is better at restraint, understanding what happens when you meddle with time. They both can do the same things, but Bart hasn’t had a lifetime of seeing what happens when a speedster goes too far.

The other members of the Flash Family included in The Flash Issue 27 are fascinating because they’re so different. Especially Max Mercury. One of the oldest and wisest members of the family, Max is calm, trying to train Bart to slow down. But this version, with the claws of Darkseid inside him, is obsessed with power and getting ultimate speed, something he’s never been bothered with before.

It highlights just how powerful Darkseid‘s influence is, able to corrupt someone so wholesome and honorable. He is assisted by Cosmic Girl, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl, further examples of heroes turned into horrors.

The art has two sides, both of which are spectacular. The main story is where Georgiev shines. The speedsters and their movement are sensational. The way their bodies sort and squeak as they run makes them look extremely fast. Then there’s a hit, and they’re sent flying. The momentum and physicality in The Flash Issue 27 is spectacular. Wally flies and swims, and both are fantastically rendered. One of the Flash Family dons a design similar to the Legion of Darkseid, featuring the cracked rock look and the Omega symbol on their chest.

But Max looks the same as he always has. What has changed is the emergence of a sinister, maniacal grin. The other major feature of the art is in the opening, which serves as a recap page. There are these adorable, cartoony figures, with big heads and tiny bodies. These appear later too, serving as funny glimpses into Impulse’s mind. It says so much without using any actual words.

The colors are superb. Red and blue, that iconic rivalry, occurs frequently. The scarlet of Bart and Wally clashes against the blue of Max. Even the power left behind is blue, separating him from the others. The other villains are a mixture of red and stony gray, truly making Max unique on the page. The lettering is extremely bold, making it very easy to read.

The Flash Issue 27 has friendly faces but very few real friends. Barry and Bart are in incredibly hostile territory, away from any other heroes. Those that first look like it are actually there to harm them, too. Waid has brilliantly isolated the duo, even more so when they bicker among themselves. The art gives the book a sense of velocity, even as the Speed Force is on its last legs.

The Flash Issue 27 is available where comics are sold.