WRITER: JEREMY ADAMS
ARTIST: FERNANDO PASARIN
PUBLISHER: DC
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 23RD, 2021
The Flash teams up with Doctor Fate and a very special guest star in an issue that highlights why The Flash is currently the best monthly comic DC is putting out right now.
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THE STORY
Doctor Fate whisks away the Flash to travel between dimensions in order to find a way to stop Eclipso. Coming along on the journey is none other than YOU the reader. That’s right the “very special guest star” is us the readers. As Flash #776 goes meta like a Grant Morrison comic and breaks the fourth wall to ask the reader to help Flash and Doctor Fate survive their journey.
Right from the start of the issue, you’ll realize this is not going to be a typical monthly superhero comic. Both Doctor Fate and The Flash directly ask the reader to handle the very comic they are reading in such a way that attempts to make you feel like part of the story. Think back to the start of the New 52 in Batman #5. In that issue in order to make the reader feel just as disoriented as Batman as he traveled a Labyrinth, the reader had to keep turning the book like a clock to follow the art. Here a similar gimmick is applied. Our heroes ask the reader to suddenly flip the page upside down or on its side. The point being to have the reader feel like they can control how Flash and Fate travel between realms. The pages convene the appearance of the characters moving based on how the book was turned.
ART
What could come across as a silly silver age-like trick is played very effectively here. Most of that is due to the amazing art by Pasarin. His art on this series is detailed in a way that reminds me of Bolland or Perez’s art style. This is DC’s next breakout artist. I imagine we will see him on a higher profile series or even event book someday. There isn’t much to say about the story as the point of this issue is the journey. Pasarin is doing the heavy lifting to get the story across, which he does beautifully. Our heroes do meet up with a particular team that I look forward to seeing in the next issue.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As an older long-time comic reader it’s nice to still have a superhero comic from the big two that can surprise me without going for shock value. This is DC’s best monthly book right now. It’s fun and inventive. Plus, even though Flash #776 doesn’t have much of a story, the pacing is still fantastic. Since the start of the new creative team, The Flash has made itself stand out as an almost retro/modern superhero comic.