I like to think that if Moebius were to write and draw The Flash, Time Flies is what it might look like. Rozum provides an intriguing high concept that serves as an excuse to create a super-fast antagonist for the Flash and a fascinating future world, with stunning designs and artwork by Seth Fisher. The story actually reads somewhat like a Silver Age "done in one" story, albeit of a longer variety, but the art and some of the concepts are decidedly modern. This is very different from the current Johns/Kolins Flash, but it's still a very strong read.
Rozum kicks off the story with an interesting concept, wondering if the sensation that time is flowing faster than usual is not just an appreciation for weekends or leisure time or an actual phenomenon. Everyone has at one point or another thought "where did the time go?" but most of us mark it up to our perceptions. Rozum positions this question as the jumping-off point for a super-hero/science-fiction story where a time traveller has inadvertently caused time to actually move faster. This is not only a clever idea, but it makes this a book that works specifically for the Flash, given his links to speed and time travel.
This is a concept that would have gone very differently with any other artist, but Seth Fisher brings his sensibilities to the work and helps shape the future world that Rozum has created into a strange visual collage of biogenetics and Victorian infrastructure. Rozum provides this setting with biomechanical monsters, clothing that is grown rather than sewn and weapons that fire tarantula fur and Fisher makes it absolutely believable and wondrous. Chuckry's colors are vibrant and lively, helping to make Fisher's stunning designs pop off the page.
There is a lot of attention paid in this issue to how the Flash is different from other super-heroes. Rather than simply trading blows, he has to use his speed to out-maneuver his opponents. Scenes of him putting together devices at superspeed, or which show him and his opponent the Blur rushing through the world as if they coexist alongside it rather than it, help to bring the nature of his speed home to the reader. There are also some terrific Matrix-like effects when he dodges a thrown weapon or plucks bullets out of the air, using static images to reinforce motion in clever and unusual ways.
It's been a while since the Flash was a science hero, in large part because Wally West isn't the scientist that Barry Allen was. However, this is a good story putting the Flash into a science-fiction setting and using the character to explore big ideas as well as telling a good super-hero yarn. As a bonus, it features the beautiful and unusually detailed art style of Seth Fisher, which helps to bring the big ideas to life.
