The Flash #51
DC Comics
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Scott Holins
Colors by: Luis Guerrero
Letters by: Steve Wands
Iris West has decided that it is time for her to become whole with the memories that she has gotten back with the return of Wally. After the events of Flash War, Wally himself is in crisis and running all over creation trying to find a way to rescue his children. At the same time, Barry has to come to grips with his limitations as both a mentor and a friend and it’s up to Iris to find a way to stop the fastest man alive from going after Wally. Both Iris and Barry are desperate to find a way to help Wally and an angry, hurt and confused Wallace, but the lesson they are learning is that they might have to just wait for the two young men to come to them.
Williamson wrote a huge arc with Flash War and it is good to see him slow down the pace and give everyone a moment to breathe, including the reader. He gives dimension to Wally and makes his pain real instead of it being another plot point. He also allows for Iris to be the hero in this issue and making this part of the story from her point of view adds additional resonance to what happens to Wally at the end of the issue. I would have liked to have seen more of Wallace because so much of this is affecting him as well, but it keeps being glossed over and pushed to the side.
The art by Scott Holins falls in line with this story. It is more subdued than the previous issue and allows the reader to become a little more immersed in the story. It’s effective in moving the story forward at a slower pace that this personal story needs to move at. Definitely, a good issue that takes its time to deal with the impact of events before barreling into another huge arc.