Rise Up
Written By: Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter
Art By: Howard Porter, Hi-Fi, Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $4.99
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 24, 2019
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
The most previous issue of the Flash really set the bar high for this story as we suddenly went from a story that I cared very little about to a story I was anxiously awaiting the next installment of. And now here we are with the finale of the Year One storyline. As I’ve more time to sit on it recently, I still think this story overall has been a little boring BUT I am really looking forward to the finale as the previous issue was something really special. However, now the creative team needs to stick the landing otherwise it will have only been a single great issue in the middle of a tedious story arc. The Flash faces off with the Turtle from the past and the future so let’s just jump into this issue and see where it takes us.
We pick up where we left off with The Flash going face to face with both Turtles. We get the typical dialogue from the hero who wants to give the villain a final chance and we get a typical response from the villain who just reaffirms his evil plan. Meanwhile, Iris is watching from a safe distance and thinking of ways to help The Flash. We see the citizens of Central City are watching, chained up by the Still Force. Seeing an opportunity, Iris drives a metal pole through one of Turtle’s computers which frees the citizens from their chains. Future Turtle makes his past self leave the fight with Flash in order to handle the situation with Central City. Soon after, he finally hits Flash with the Still Force. Barry frees himself and begins to believe his only option is to run but he remembers the heroes from his mother’s comics and he rushes back into the fight. The Still Force begins to steal his Speed Force away and Iris finds herself in danger from the Turtle of the current time. Barry’s inner monologue reveals that he sees Iris as a hero and he would do anything for her. This is when he finally taps into the full potential of the Speed Force.
Barry explodes with speed and first uses it to get Iris and everyone else to safety before returning his focus to Turtle. Barry is able to tap into the Speed Force that is inside of everyone and he uses it to take everyone a few seconds into the future with him which severs Turtle’s connection the this time. Future Turtle and Future Flash disappear as the time loops has been broken and Central City is saved. We see current-day Turtle who wallows in his defeat. Iris begins to confront him but Barry shows up in his regular clothes and tells her that it is over and that he will see her later. We flash forward to February 11th which has become known as Flash Day in Central City. We see Barry at the lab working on his mother’s case when he is interrupted by Iris. The two share a nice moment before she introduces him to her nephews, both of them. She gets called away and Barry connects with the young Wally West over his love for The Flash. We fade away from the scene as we see lightning strike the lab once again.
We return to the present day where Barry meets Steadfast, the new avatar of the Still Force. We cut to see Barry aid some construction workers before giving them the day off. We see some glimpses of Steadfast’s past as he tells Barry that he will have to be at his best in order to face what is coming soon. As we see scenes of Barry reconstructing the Flash Museum, he makes a choice to start getting things back to where they are meant to be. He meets with Commander Cold to make some upgrades to the Museum. We see some scenes of what is to come in the future of this book before we end things. We get a small story about what has been going on with Captain Cold currently. He has been working for the Suicide Squad and during his time there, he has lost much of his motivation for what he used to believe in. However, when he enters a confrontation with a guard, it is interrupted by none other than the new Lex Luthor who offers him a deal. Cold accepts under the circumstances. This is where the issue ends.
I enjoyed this issue. Now, was it the best issue in the world? No. Did it capitalize on the amazing issue that came before it? Not really. However, there wasn’t really anything bad about this issue. It was a typical end to a story. We had the big fight at the end between our hero and villain, our hero tapped into his true potential, and using that potential he was able to save the day. We then got a little preview of what is to come in the book going forward. It was fine. I didn’t dislike it at all and the art was very good. Overall though it just feels kind of bland. Maybe my expectations were too high based on my enjoyment of the previous issue. However, the excitement I had about the last issue was noticeably absent during this one. I don’t want to seem too hard on this book. I still enjoyed it, just not really as much as I would have liked.
Bits and Pieces
This Year One storyline comes to a close with this extra-sized issue and while it has a satisfying end, it all ends in typical fashion. Nothing new or exciting happens and this plays out like any typical third act in a superhero story. Lots of great art and cool scenes really pull this issue together and I still found myself enjoying it. Perhaps I would have liked more, but I’m satisfied with what I got.
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