FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

THE FLASH - THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #13: Full Throttle

by Marc Guggenheim and Tony Daniel

(DC Comics)

Reader Appeal: Ages 10 and up

Genre: Comic Books / Superhero

This is a pretty well-written comic, but it is a little bit hard to follow, especially if there is no background knowledge of the previous comics in this series.

In The Flash #13, apparently a future incarnation of the Flash (Bart Allen) has lost his powers, and is in the middle of some sort of conflict with a gang of super villains. Although Flash is powerless, he still has to buy time for his friends so that they can make some machine work that will save thousands of lives. Flash has to realize that, even though he may die, he still has to give everything he has left to fight the forces of evil and save lives. Inertia, who is apparently Flash’s super-speedy brother, plots against him, Flash must stop Inertia and his cronies from getting to the device that will save thousands. Will he make it?

Although I have no background knowledge about this story, it seems that it is brought to a close thoroughly and artfully. By the looks of it, several questions the readers might have had were answered throughout the comic. It reveals which side everyone was on, and how some people were hatching plans against those who were supposedly their friends. Also, the art in this comic is very well drawn. There are several pictures in particular that stand out. One of these is where a girl named Valerie is trying to fix the machine, and Flash is asking how much time he needs to give her. On the left half of the page is the left side of Valerie’s face, and on the right side is the right side of Flash’s face. Both have a similar look of determination that blends together and creates one full face and expression. One more of these drawings that is extra good is a close up of Flash’s eyes. One of them is shut tight (possibly swollen that way), and the other is just cracked open. He looks quite angry, and there is some blood running down the small portion of his face is shown.

Even though the comic comes to a nice close, and most of the art is really good, the story was definitely hard to follow. It was especially difficult for me because this is the first time that I have read any of this story arc. For a newcomer like me, there isn’t much to be gained from reading this. It is confusing to try and figure out who people are and why they are doing what they are doing. It also is not clear when or where this story is set - is it the future? the present? I'm still not sure. Another downside to this comic is that there is some mild language in it. It is nothing terrible, and most teens and adults should be able to handle it appropriately, but it doesn’t really enhance the story at all, and isn’t really needed.

I would say that this is a good one to read if you have been following this story arc so far, but if this is your first one in the Flash series, either skip this issue or go back and read several of the previous issues first.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B

AFTER THE STORY

If your family members are interested in this book, then encourage discussion about it afterward. You can use these questions to get started:

• Who was your favorite character in this issue? Why?

• The Flash's true heroism doesn't lie in his super power, but in his willingness to sacrifice his life in a struggle to save others - even when he has been robbed of his super powers. What makes someone willing to sacrifice like that? Explain.

• If this comic had been given a "theme verse" from the Bible, what do you think it might have been? Defend your answer.

--TN

Note: All book or comics-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publisher.