Come On Get Happy In The Flash #67
by Tony Thornley
Happiness is a good thing, right? Well, you’d think so but The Flash #67 shows how too much of such a good thing could become scary.
Joshua Williamson, Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero, and Steve Wands take Barry back to Central City. But not all is right…
Barry breaks up a violent cult and takes it as the perfect opportunity to return home. He bounces around the city, disturbed to discover everyone is happy, frighteningly so. The Flash might be the only thing that can save the city, once again.
Unnatural happiness is an effective horror trope, and Williamson knows that. He puts several pieces in place, but then moves into an unexpected direction. He crafts a great horror story here, even using a more conventional horror trope- an evil cult- to make it even more frightening in comparison. Barry’s unease is palpable through the script, twisting the issue effectively away from the initial setup.
Kolins and Guerrero are the perfect team for this issue, precisely because they don’t seem to be. Kolins often does classic superhero comics, and his usual style, with Guerrero’s bright colors, is able to make the progression of the frightening situation even worse. The rigor mortis grins and barely contained tension build it all up even more. It’s scary and unexpected, and executes everything perfectly.
Williamson, Kolins and the team continue their winning streak in this issue. Things are not going well for The Flash, and it’s only going to get worse. But for us readers, that’s a good thing.
The Flash #67 is available now from DC Comics.