The promise of a villain with superspeed to match the Flash is what has me really enjoying "Blitz," and while this issue is more of a prologue to the story than anything else, there is every indication that Johns, Kolins and Hazlewood intend to live up to the hype that the return of the "Reverse Flash" has engendered. In many ways, this issue is about the personal life of Wally West, his friends and loved ones, and given Zoom's emphasis on tragedy, I'm a little worried that Johns may take the story in a direction that is so tragic as to ruin the fun of the book that has been a hallmark of his run. However, I have faith in this creative team, and this issue is a pretty solid balance of fun, super-hero action and hints of the darkness that heroes must face.
There's an interesting structure at work this issue, as the reader is well aware of the darkness on the horizon, but the characters are gathering to celebrate something. The result is a heightened sense of danger and tragedy, even while the characters are going about their normal routine. In addition, Johns manages to work in some character development, from the relationship Wally has with father figure Jay or little brother figure Impulse to the wife of the Flash relationship that Linda and Iris share. The latter, in particular, gives rise to some of my fears this issue about Zoom's plan, given what happened between the original Reverse Flash and Barry Allen.
I came into this issue expecting the superspeed battle, but it seems that the creative team is holding off on that until a little later in the story. Instead, we're presented with Zoom as a sort of phantom, causing havoc and fear mostly unseen, so that when he finally does make his appearance at the end of the issue, crackling with manic energy thanks to the work of Kolins and Hazlewood, he's truly scary. There's also plenty of indication that a battle of speed is in the offing, because Wally's use of his momentum-stealing powers and speed to derail a potential catastrophe with the building again show that he's no amateur in terms of using these abilities.
Just as Zoom sort of raced off the cover toward the reader in the previous issue, Kolins gives us an opening page that provides a nice intro for Wally and Jay. The sense of speed, with the city in the background, conveys the joy of super speed in the same way that some artists can manage the joy of flight. In addition, he does a great job with the way the eye perceives super speed, whether it's the Flash disappearing from the media circus or the almost off-panel sonic booms created by Zoom's finger snaps.
The word that most defines this issue is "menace," and it is sure looking like the creators aren't kidding around when they say this story is going to make major changes in the life of Wally West. I'm hoping that they won't go completely down a dark road, because the sense of super-hero fun is as much a part of why I enjoy this book as the danger of the Rogues that Johns and company have brought, but they've definitely built up Zoom as a dangerous adversary, and I can't wait to see him clash with Wally.
