The Flash #6 review

Life’s been pretty trippy for Wally West since his comic book restarted. Central City is awash with weird cosmic beings. His powers are taking him ever weirder places. And he’s feeling out of touch with his family.

And it’s Wally’s wife Linda who we’re with emotionally in the sixth chapter of Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr’s enjoyably befuddling storyline. The Park-Wests are having a date night, superhero style, with Wally taking Linda to jolly old London where, well, this happens …

Wally’s actually pretty chilled, seeing the blobby creatures as no real threat to anybody… look at that old lady giving that wee critter a good kicking. Taking things more seriously, though, is the other superhero on the scene – The Flash!

As in Barry Allen, who, of late, has been in a bit of a fug. The fact he’s left his office and is out on the streets looking to protect people has to be a good sign.

OK, so there’s tension. But the two Flashes are pros and they don’t let awkwardness stop them cleaning the streets of extradimensional oddities.

But get rid of one lot, and a different set shows up.

The Stillness, the annoyingly enigmatic Who Knows What who popped up previously and dripped cryptic comments on Wally and Mr Terrific.

And things keep getting stranger, and murkier, and all the time we’re being told how things are from Linda’s perspective, even though a plastic mask hides her emotions so far as facial expressions go.

So far as enjoyment goes, this new series has been a case of one issue on, one issue off for me. This one just made me sad, as we have Barry miserable and angry, Wally confused and feeling a failure and Linda locked away from her feelings. Everyone the good guys encounter is unknowable, so I did cheer up when the final brought in some familiar faces, along with a bonus pun.

I think I’ve said previously that this storyline will likely be a terrific read once it’s finished and can be approached in a oner, but goodness me, it can be a slog on an issue-to-issue basis. I’m pretty sure everyone’s mood is part of the villains’ overarching scheme, but I’m really looking forward to having my Flash Family pals back in their happy place.

As a hater of Wally’s current cowl, I did love this moment.

And talking of masks, Spurrier never does tell us why Wally wants Linda in a Winston Churchill mask.

Deodato’s work continues to stun, his photorealistic world the perfect backdrop for some of the weirdest beings ever to show up in the DC Universe (at one point he sneaks in a ghost who looks a lot like Jack Kirby’s Glob). The action scenes, featuring two Monarchs of Motion, show what a sharp storyteller he is, while the way panels drop off the page fits with Wally having recently discovered he can shift between levels of reality.

Trish Mulvihill’s colours are a real pleasure, pages hit that sweet spot between naturalism and nuttiness. The tones denoting Linda and Jai’s skin colours are great to see after some of the complexions they’ve suffered down the years.

And letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou brings out the excitement of events; something I especially enjoy is the lack of key lines around word balloons, making the script sit more softly on the art, something that always worked brilliantly on Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V For Vendetta.

Deodato and Mulvihill’s cover is epic, there’s no other word for it.

So, another incredibly well crafted issue of The Flash, and I look forward to next issue which I will most likely love.