It feels weird to see an issue of The Flash without Scott Kolins on art at this point, but I'll be damned if this wasn't one of my favorite issues of the book in a few months, even with a guest artist on board. Over in JSA, Johns has written a couple of one-off or epilogue issues after his big epic story, and The Flash is no different, as this issue is more of a checking in on supporting cast and moving forward subplots issue, and it serves as both a great teaser for what's coming up as well as a terrific character piece.
Johns teased the idea of Flash being a father earlier on in the series and then went another way, but it seems like he's ready to explore the idea of Wally as a super-hero/father soon, and I can't wait. Wally's reaction to the news and Linda's reluctance to tell people just yet is very realistic, and helps me get a feel for these characters as people, instead of just plot objects. The happy news also sets the tone for the rest of the issue, which is generally optimistic and light-hearted, as it should be after a dark and deadly crisis like Keystone and Central have just faced.
This issue was a treat for me, as I got to see Johns's take on a lot of the supporting players who I like in the book. Goldface's new leaf is a surprising turn for the character, and the brief appearance of Jesse Quick was a nice throwback to when she was a major player in the book during Waid's tenure. There's also plenty of fun to be had in seeing Flash play the spreader of good cheer, with a terrific scene between him and Cyborg and a nice "married men together" moment with him and Morillo. What impresses me most about all this is that Johns uses these scenes as introductions to the characters for new readers but also updates and fun moments for those who have been following the book all along.
There are also plenty of hints dropped about future storylines, most in fairly subtle ways. I'm amazed at how a simple bit of dialogue like Linda's "harmless" assessment of Cliff can send a chill down my spine, or how the relationship between Chyre and Iris can become so clear without Johns actually spelling anything out directly. And the finale has me chomping at the bit to see the next issue, which will once again let us see that nobody currently writing comics has a better handle on Flash's Rogues Gallery past and present like Johns.
Scott Kolins's industrialized look for Keystone and Central has become a defining part of the book, and I did miss his style on this issue, but Rick Burchett and Dan Panosian do a very solid job on fill-in art. Without a lot of action sequences, this could easily have become a boring talking heads story, but Burchett does plenty of good work on the expressions of the characters so that we can see the action taking place where it does in this story, on the emotional plane rather than the physical one.
If you still haven't jumped onboard The Flash, you could do worse than to check out this self-contained issue, even if it doesn't quite capture the greatness of the book without its regular artist.
