The Flash #754
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Rafa Sandoval
Inks by Jordi Tarragona and Arif Prianto
Colors by HI-FI
Letters by Steve Wands
Eobard Thawne is the only being who has beaten Paradox and he will team up with Barry to bring him down again, but will it be enough.
Barry and Reverse Flash make their way through the time stream to the future after Eobard’s defeat of Paradox. In order to take down the villain, they will need the weapon Reverse Flash created to stop him and Barry will have to keep his greatest enemy from learning the truth about his own future. After finding the weapon, Eobard tells Barry that the only way to stop Paradox is to do something Barry wouldn’t approve of.
At the same time, Paradox continues to destroy Flash throughout time and the multiverse, but it isn’t enough to destroy the hero’s legacy. When he senses Barry in the time stream, he knows where he must go next. When Reverse Flash present Barry with the only way he sees to stop Paradox, Barry balks at the choice and Paradox decides to go after Flash through the people he loves.
Joshua Williamson does a great job of bringing the reader into the history and legacy of the Flash throughout this issue. While there are some annoyances with the pace of the story, the characters are consistent and that helps to keep the reader engaged. That being said, going after Flash’s loved ones just doesn’t feel fresh as an idea. Making everything personal takes away from Flash as a hero and turns him into a being fueled by selfish self-interest.
Rafa Sandoval has some beautiful art in this issue. There are some awesome hero panels, a great splash page with Thawne and Barry and Paradox’s destructive path through Flash’s life offers some great visual moments and nods to the characters legacy.