Welcome back, everybody, to my read through DC Comic’s next Justice League Event for 2020, Endless Winter. Today I’m taking a look at Flash #767, Part 2 of Endless Winter. I’m going to be taking a look at each issue, including tie-ins, and assessing the extent of this Nordic nightmare! I’m adding each review to the master Endless Winter Reading Order and assessing which issues are essential and what tie-ins you can leave out if you like. You can also check out the primer we published a couple weeks back to get familiar with the landscape before diving in!
Releasing today, 12/8/2020, Flash #767 is fun, but treading a little bit of water! The Flash is running around the world trying to put out fires….er….blizzards and describing the effects of the sub-zero blizzard on his powers. He’s getting tired, and that’s not something he’s used to.
You can still grab a copy of Flash #767 over at TFAW as of the time of this writing. If you prefer, you can grab it digitally on Amazon Kindle or Comixology.
Check out the full solicit and then my review below. Beware, dear reader, spoilers abound ahead!
THE FLASH #767
written by ANDY LANNING and RON MARZ
art by CLAYTON HENRY
backup story art by MARCO SANTUCCI
cover by CLAYTON HENRY
variant cover by HICHAM HABCHI
ON SALE 12/8/20
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | FC | DC
“Endless Winter” chapter two! As the world’s heroes rush to stop the freezing conditions running rampant across the globe, the Fastest Man Alive speeds directly into Black Adam. With the planet losing hope, the Flash and Kahndaq’s ruler must find a way to work together, while a story from Black Adam’s past reveals his connection to the threat that now returns to end the world with freezing ice and fearsome frost.
The art in Flash #767 is bright, vivid, and fully of dynamic action. The entire issue takes place through Barry’s perspective running around the earth, so even basic conversations on the radio take on an action-packed feel. The fine details during the 10th century flashback are where Henry’s art really shines in my opinion, but the rest of the issue is no joke either. The Frost King, or a version of the Frost King appears yet again and his dazzling, glowing blue ice demons are a great bit of splash and flare in this issue. My one nit pick is how small Black Adam’s head is on Cover A. It’s one of those things where when you see it, you can’t really unsee it.
When it comes to the underlying story, this issue was entertaining, but it really felt like the Endless Winter story line was on a treadmill here. Lots of running without much movement forward. Black Adam is placed in the story and we get some hints that he knows more about this global blizzard and the Frost King than he is letting on. He rather unfairly, and unhelpfully, postures at the U.N. and points blame at the Justice League for their inability to subdue the source of this winter. Flash gets worn down to an absolute stop in this issue, but it’s nothing that can’t be resolved by the end of the issue.
So, I keep saying it’s an entertaining read, but what makes it so? For starters, watching each of the Justice League take on an ice demon in their own particular way is great. We’ve got Superman Original defending Metropolis, Green Lantern projecting a giant Abe Lincoln about to chop one down in D.C., and the Chinese Superman knockin’ em dead in Beijing. The reluctant team up with Black Adam, the Norse Prince, and Hippolyta as mediated by Swamp Thing gives us some insight into the larger-than-life forces at play here. Finally, Barry’s connection to Iris gives the conflict stakes.
Maybe Black Adam’s role in all this is being foreshadowed here and this issue will prove more important in retrospect. Maybe Flash’s weakness to the cold becomes a pivotal narrative device in upcoming issues. Maybe Barry’s choice to fight the Frost King or protect Iris will prove to be the apex of a conflict. If so, this issue will probably become elevated in my estimation. At present, however, it was just an enjoyable read that didn’t really move us very far forward through the story. I’d remind you, though, that an enjoyable interlude of a read is not necessarily the worst indictment you can receive.
You can keep up with the full reading order with reviews over here!
