![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7-gAiU_iQ2v_WnL8109iIugo9zYHzYkfEhMXOkM4l-i1Hr0tkM-b_UYVWpP5c007stQUFZQ0Y0bsazH6RalVlI0HN9PVbXGYPWxNw068nSxYps-6DZO14VgdCx5Jhr_VuYyTm0FQSxfzH1QYE6dD4_ljvWRoKieJjj58BMA8fxBEzF7hEQseBWaTeZvt/w260-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-26%20100317.png)
Written by: Si Spurrier Art by: Mike Deodato Jr.Colors by: Trish MulvihillLetters by: Hassan Otsmane-ElhaouCover art by: Mike Deodato Jr., Trish MulvihillCover price: $3.99Release date: December 26, 2023
The Flash #4 takes Wally on an introspective tour of a plane based on pure concept while Irey and Liberty Belle chase down the source of Chad’s Speed Force power.Is The Flash #4 Good?
The Flash #4 is better. Not great, but Si Spurrier turns down the faux intellectualism a few notches to focus on a clear story with direction and purpose. The high-concept artifacts are still present, and clarity comes at the expense of most of the weirder plot threads, but this issue is an improvement over the previous three.
When last we left Wally West, aka The Flash, Wally and Max Mercury warped through planes of existence, courtesy of Wally’s unexplained untethering from reality. Bart stayed behind in Central City Park to watch the mysterious anomaly hanging over the park’s statue. During Wally and Max’s unexpected trip, the two separated, leaving Max lost in some unfindable plane of existence.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQuJCBtEtaX59ePwNczPBMIq7p00T8UUgA4KalMha15ZjoAFeVyA-5qgB0cqO3VIEqBh_Zig7Q4OTD924t6BFJv7WcOcmHrJS0GJuvW8pxOp8LJqDTUrRuHILt8Z4CJMKkmTdxKlEOw7E7Rkt4-9nKlBiEbJ9yAjVm779bURSA2lFMHVw3ebGSde1nFvC/w412-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-26%20100329.png)
Now, Wally disappears to a plane he could find that represents thought beyond the Speed Force… or something like that. While Wally considers the nature of who he’s becoming, (slightly older) Irey decides to play investigator to find out how Chad got speed powers. Her research results in a team-up with Liberty Belle, who briefly battles Chad’s girlfriend and learns that the Speed Force has been distilled into a drug. The trail leads to a souped-up Rogue.
Do you see that? Do you see what happened there? Si Spurrier delivers an issue with two distinct plot threads that eventually weave together into a somewhat coherent plot, which is how it always should be. Unfortunately, so many of the bizarre questions brought up in the first three issues get ignored, which hurts the mystery(s) established.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYrsmHb5tKLI1PMfHm-8okJS2HnPtmmCWeNSRU4Cyh2IDSfPkC2mIDLIyObNsBoXn1jiUxoUH_0iJspcsPfPReABnvXzAyNyC5g0WfJ3l7Yyftu4I2yGYpfnAIqrDzu8P5XOsM9AYTPmEzNeJ8foIM0Z8kXvq9Q46dBXqWiIi-uZGdj5xr59a8KqGBFEB/w416-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-26%20100335.png)
What’s great about The Flash #4? Spurrier delivers a clear, (mostly) coherent story that pushes the boundaries of the Speed Force and Wally’s understanding of it. It’s unclear where Spurrier is going with this story, but an exploration of the Speed Force is long overdue, so I’m interested to see where this goes.
What’s not so great about The Flash #4? The trouble with trying to make a story too high concept and too (faux) intelligent too fast is that you lose focus. All the questions set up in the previous issue, barring one (Chad), get put on the back burner while a few new ones are introduced. For example…
Why is Irey suddenly two to three years older?
How did Bart know about Chad, and why did he tip off Liberty Belle instead of The Flash?
What is the strange anomaly over Central City Park? Grodd put in a lot of effort to bring it into existence, so now what?
Why did Spurrier tease that Linda was either unhappy about her marriage, suffering from postpartum depression, or both? Why did Grodd think the Flash’s marriage had failed?
Why is nobody putting any effort into rescuing the people captured in stasis-not-stasis bubbles?
What’s going on with Mr. Terrific, and why is he grudgingly agreeing to kill all speedsters at the
Source link