The Black Flash
May. 7th, 2009 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieSo I went looking for the post I made of this a long time ago, only to find I'd made it at scans_daily, not here, so it's been bahleeted. One person in particular wanted to know who this creepy bastard is, so, here's his first in-person appearance in continuity; previously, there were a few indicators of something weird being up with speedster deaths, and in The Flash #138, he appeared in a photo of Wally, then another in the next issue, freaking out Max and Jay...
But honestly, I think this thing could freak anybody out.
Especially if it was chasing you.
These are all from #140 & #141; Linda has just died. Superman makes a speech at her funeral and everything. Linda's mom slaps Wally in the face then screams at him for it all being his fault. Wally turns into a powerless wreck. He grows facial hair and decides to leave for Europe and be depressed away from everyone. It doesn't work out like that.
Pause for love of Bart being cute! XD
And yes, that soda says "Booster Gold" on the side of it.
The writing makes for wonderful tension build-up...
...the art makes for a fantastically scary looking Black Flash. I mean, just, goddamn. I was seriously a little freaked when I first read this, back when I was getting into Flash comics and had never heard of the Black Flash, so him just appearing on that full page, after that building tension... it's like a well-done horror story moment.
Pretty much the only thing the art flatters is the Black Flash, but enough so that I can forgive it in spades.
This is my favourite Flash comic cover. There are others close behind, but this one has a special place; not only was the story freaking me out in a wonderful way, it was illustrated here with this wonderful contrast and simplicity that still shows that uphill chase, how close the Black Flash is behind with his claws of death, a bit stylistic but not too much.
It's just wicked cool.
There are times with a simple black panel with just a few boxes of text in it are the way to go; and this is one of those times.
Goddamn that thing will not stop creeping me out...
And goddamn that is a great tense moment there. It's kinda amazing that Wally manages to elude the Black Flash for the pages he does on his own, but I imagine the Black Flash let him... sadistically toying with him a little. Eesh.
Jay, Jesse, and Max (who feels the Black Flash's arrival and guesses he's coming for Wally) fend it off for a while; Jay locks Wally in a closet to keep him safe, until he feels someone (Jay) go down... and bing bam boom, he's got his powers back.
He uses them well.
Everyone's pretty sure that Wally's a goner, until he comes back... and not alone. Max actually uses the word "suicide" when he explains where he went to Bart.
I'll say right now I think Wally was able to save Linda just because it was the Black Flash who got her, therefore putting her in the Speed Force. Many theories about the Speed Force illustrate how it can go anywhere in existence... but I'm not thinking Wally's quite at that power level, even if that was just a pretty spectacular display of power.
And that's how Wally told death itself to bugger off.
But honestly, I think this thing could freak anybody out.
Especially if it was chasing you.
These are all from #140 & #141; Linda has just died. Superman makes a speech at her funeral and everything. Linda's mom slaps Wally in the face then screams at him for it all being his fault. Wally turns into a powerless wreck. He grows facial hair and decides to leave for Europe and be depressed away from everyone. It doesn't work out like that.
Pause for love of Bart being cute! XD
And yes, that soda says "Booster Gold" on the side of it.
The writing makes for wonderful tension build-up...
...the art makes for a fantastically scary looking Black Flash. I mean, just, goddamn. I was seriously a little freaked when I first read this, back when I was getting into Flash comics and had never heard of the Black Flash, so him just appearing on that full page, after that building tension... it's like a well-done horror story moment.
Pretty much the only thing the art flatters is the Black Flash, but enough so that I can forgive it in spades.
This is my favourite Flash comic cover. There are others close behind, but this one has a special place; not only was the story freaking me out in a wonderful way, it was illustrated here with this wonderful contrast and simplicity that still shows that uphill chase, how close the Black Flash is behind with his claws of death, a bit stylistic but not too much.
It's just wicked cool.
There are times with a simple black panel with just a few boxes of text in it are the way to go; and this is one of those times.
Goddamn that thing will not stop creeping me out...
And goddamn that is a great tense moment there. It's kinda amazing that Wally manages to elude the Black Flash for the pages he does on his own, but I imagine the Black Flash let him... sadistically toying with him a little. Eesh.
Jay, Jesse, and Max (who feels the Black Flash's arrival and guesses he's coming for Wally) fend it off for a while; Jay locks Wally in a closet to keep him safe, until he feels someone (Jay) go down... and bing bam boom, he's got his powers back.
He uses them well.
Everyone's pretty sure that Wally's a goner, until he comes back... and not alone. Max actually uses the word "suicide" when he explains where he went to Bart.
I'll say right now I think Wally was able to save Linda just because it was the Black Flash who got her, therefore putting her in the Speed Force. Many theories about the Speed Force illustrate how it can go anywhere in existence... but I'm not thinking Wally's quite at that power level, even if that was just a pretty spectacular display of power.
And that's how Wally told death itself to bugger off.
no subject
on 2009-05-07 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-05-07 09:01 pm (UTC)At the very least, I've long thought #141 to be a Flash fan must-have. :D
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on 2009-05-07 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-05-07 09:07 pm (UTC)In light of recent events, I'd say the Speed Force is a fickle and vindictive master that can turn on them at any time and I wouldn't put any horrid fate for it's avatars/followers/speedsters past it.
I would still buy a Black Flash action figure if they ever made one. XD
no subject
on 2009-05-07 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-05-07 10:09 pm (UTC)If they ever end up making that Flash movie, I so hope he's in it somehow. That'd be sweet.
no subject
on 2009-05-07 10:55 pm (UTC)BRB, peeing my pants in terror.
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on 2009-05-07 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-05-08 06:15 am (UTC)So... feral. Or something.
And... it never talks. That is just... so creepy.
Kyer (Fanfiction[dot]net)
on 2009-05-08 12:18 pm (UTC)That was....okay, no way Wikipedia could have possibly beat this for information on The Black Flash.
(( 0.0 )) shaking in slippers
That was just....whoa.
And Barry's become this thing?
Whoa..whoawhoa.... (((0.0)))
When does #3 come out for Rebirth?!
The possibilities are running amok through my brain.
Has the Black Flash come back and is seeking revenge on it's earlier defeat by *purposefully* using Wally's beloved Barry to become his death? That would be wicked twisted!
You commented earlier on the Rebirth scans that Barry had been touching Wally before that girl bit the dust. Sorry, that means nothing. Expecially if this is a revenge thing. Even it isn't, that touch may have happened in the last split second before another touch would have doomed the Wally. Either way Wally's life is going to suck big time (however long it lasts) unless he can both evade that thing AND return a normal looking Barry to Wonderland--I mean The Speed Force.
This is so not good it should be capitalized.
THIS IS SO NOT GOOD. (there.)
BTW, I'm beginning to see why they call it The Speed FORCE. Its like Star Wars with it's good and dark side. Jeez!
Re: Kyer (Fanfiction[dot]net)
on 2009-05-08 03:31 pm (UTC)Well, it does mention the whole "Is the Black Flash the same as the Black Racer/Death/etc?" question (I would have voted yes until the Barry thing, now I's not a clue).
#3 comes out 10 June (http://dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=11881) and... that's an ominous teaser summary if I ever read one. The #4 one isn't any better. Makes it sound like he's going on a killing spree or something... better not be.
If this is a revenge thing, I'mma be upset. It better be deeper than that, or else my faith in Geoff Johns will crumble painfully and I'll scream and cry about DC being a sadistic conglomerate of evil. Uh, or something. But yeah. I'm still fairly certain Wally isn't a current target because of both those speedsters crumbling before Barry knew wtf, but that could be wrong. We'll have to wait and see...
If Bart starts pulling Jedi mind tricks I'd totally call foul. XD
Re: Kyer (Fanfiction[dot]net)
on 2009-05-15 05:59 pm (UTC)Thanks for the info....really wish I could get these things, but now at least know when should start searching Google for tidbits of info. :P
Bart doing Jedi mind tricks...Now I see him at his youngest with a cardboard box for a pod racer, zooming around the neighborhood and annoying Wally. God help him if that boy ever discovers the franchise.
no subject