Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Daniel Acuna
Company: DC Comics

It’s impossible to argue the point that writer Mark Waid has the art of writing an extraordinary superhero comic book down pat, as it’s something that he does with ease and flair on a regular basis. One can only imagine how hard it is to write your basic good versus evil battle time and time again, while at the same time still making it seem different and just as enjoyable as the last. This above all else is something that Waid does perfectly here in the pages of The Flash. At its core, this is a traditional comic. There’s a group of villains, a hero (or heroes, as is the case), an overall conflict, action and an ending that makes you want to come back for the next issue. Having all of those things, done well of course, is something that one can only hope to get from every superhero book that comes out, but what sets Waid’s stories apart from the others is the sheer amount of additions, details big and small, that he is able to layer into that traditional superhero mold to make it fresh.

The biggest detail that adds something new to the book is the notion of taking what was essentially the solo adventures of The Flash and changing it to an ensemble book that stars The Flash’s entire family. I was skeptical at first about the Incredibles-like, more light-hearted approach to The Flash, but it’s a dynamic that Waid already has some familiarity with from his Fantastic Four days and he really makes it work. Each member of the family brings something different to the table. Wally’s the resident hero, his wife, Linda, is the scientist of the group and unlike most child characters, the Flash’s two kids, Iris and Jai, aren’t annoying or of the sort that you hate to see appear on panel. In fact, the majority of this issue focuses on them and their exploits as the army of underwater sea creatures from the previous issue starts to take over the city.

That might seem a little boring or out of the ordinary but again, the devil is in the details. The interaction between them, the bantering and the complete lack of understanding of the modern world and what it means to be a superhero, is utterly engaging. Waid truly gets the child mentality that the characters obviously need to be believable but he goes that step further and also gives them depth instead of making them one dimensional, throw-away characters. Also, the addition of their powers “crashing” was a nice surprise and is very reminiscent of Mike Baron’s run on The Flash in the late 80’s where Wally West had to constantly eat in order to keep his metabolism up so he could use his powers to a better degree. It’s used in a humorous way here, more of a gag than anything, but just the notion of the science behind their powers and the inclusion of it adds more information for the reader to enjoy and ponder on.

But enough about the kids and the science, how about those villains? No, I’m not talking about the Rogues, I’m talking about those pesky sea creatures that are bent on world domination. In this day and age when most of the time we have superheroes fighting masked criminals, it’s nice every once in awhile to see this sort of thing. Again, it feels like the kind of threat that the FF would go up against but seeing the Flash and his family take them on is such a cool spectacle to watch that it evokes the question, “Why don’t we see this kind of thing more?” As for their overall look, Daniel Acuna goes to town with the design, evoking a sort of Creature from the Black Lagoon feel that gives them an eerie presence. Beyond that and his uncanny knack of being able to capture a wide range of emotion on a character’s face though, Acuna’s artwork has the tendency to feel a little dry at times. The cel-shaded meets animation style should work hand in hand with the story, and at times it does, but there are other times where the colors look so washed out that you seem to lose some of the finer details of the characters and the backgrounds. This wasn’t the case when Acuna was working on Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, so I’m unsure if he’s just trying out a new style or if he was a little rushed. Either way, there’s still a lot about it to like but it could have been better.

All in all, if someone asked me what a prime example of what a modern day superhero book should be like, I’d probably point them in the direction of The Flash. It’s action packed, filled with wit and humor, and contains a story that’s absolutely original and worth reading. Honestly, what more could a person want?