The Flash and the rest of his family are still fighting in the One-Minute War. The parasitic alien threat known as the Fraction has invaded Earth by exploiting the Speed Force. Unfortunately, DC’s speedsters have been outrun. Their only hope is to beat the Fraction with their own tech — specifically, one of their military vehicles. Things seem to be taking a grim turn, but Impulse has a plan of his own.
Written by Jeremy Adams, with art by Roger Cruz, inks by Wellington Dias, colors by Luis Guererro and lettering by Rob Leigh, The Flash #792 has Impulse — accompanied by a reluctant Kid Flash — on a mission to infiltrate the Fraction. With the psychic Fraction assassin Miss Murder on their trail, the two young speedsters need to think and act quickly.
One of the best things about the One-Minute War arc is that it explores each member of the ever-growing list of Speed Force users. In this issue, Impulse is the star, but his teamwork, dialogue and rapport with Kid Flash steal the spotlight. Writer Jeremy Adams brilliantly utilizes and plays up Impulse’s spontaneity and impulsivity as an effective plot device. While the rest of the Flash family is forced to slow down and come up with a plan, Impulse immediately takes the initiative to break into the Fraction’s forces and steal a vehicle, without thinking twice.
The fact that Impulse acts without thinking — contrasting heavily with the rest of the Flash Family — is what ultimately saves the day. This is demonstrated best in this issue’s excellent action sequences, especially those against the Fraction’s assassin, Miss Murder, who uses her opponents’ thoughts to track their movements. Unfortunately, this approach downplays the threat Miss Murder poses, leaving her character underutilized.
The Flash #792 is a nice blend of action and comedy, a welcome change of pace given the intensity and violence of the One-Minute War. With the previous issues being so tense, with tragic character deaths at every turn, The Flash #792 is a great tonal shift, taking a slight detour from the severity of the storyline without derailing it. Kid Flash and Impulse are more lighthearted characters, even in a cast comprised of the cheeriest characters in the DC Comics canon. By design, The Flash #792 was destined to be less weighty, and Adams intelligently played that up to the series’ benefit.
Although the One-Minute War rages on, The Flash #792 upholds this comic run’s palette of warm, bright and heroic shades, courtesy of colorist Luis Guerrero. Bright primary colors dominate this issue, indicating a lighter tone than the dour secondary shades, used with acidic bitterness when the Fraction has the upper hand. Letterer Rob Leigh utilizes the same bolds and brights and large, vibrant shapes to convey the levity and grandiosity of this issue. Even the line art, with its soft, fluid line work from Roger Cruz and Wellington Dias, is warm and easy on the reader’s eyes.
After the doom and gloom from the One-Minute War, The Flash #792 gives Impulse and Kid Flash the chance to do what they do best, and run with it. In true Speed Force fashion, the action ends too quickly, leaving behind anticipation for the next issue.
