Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Howard Porter
Published by DC Comics
The storyline entitled “Year One” had a breathtaking first issue. I was hoping that writer Joshua Williamson and artist Howard Porter would keep up the momentum. I’m happy to report that they have indeed and that this issue is nothing short of completely excellent.
A young Barry Allen is now in the future and he meets up with his future self in this issue. Young Barry has made the time travel trip by accident and now he is stuck in a strange future. The older Barry may be the oldest version of Barry Allen that we have seen in comic books. It’s a pretty shocking sight to be honest.
There are a bunch of police type characters who appear. This leaves the young and older Barry to run away!
Williamson gets this issue going right out of the gate and it’s exciting as can be.
This is a new dynamic that he has created and it’s one that we haven’t seen before. And it’s brilliant.
From there, we get an excellent scene with the elder Barry talking to the younger Barry about his life as The Flash. And it’s so beautifully written that they should give Williamson an award. Hearing the elder Barry reflect on his marvelous life is perfect. He talks about how it all went by so fast. It’s so nice, that you even forget that they are in a strange future.
The younger Barry thinks it’s completely insane. “How could I ever be a superhero,?” he asks.
Then, the two of them fight against the villain known as The Turtle. Younger Barry gets a little bit of training. They have a fight with the villain. Finally, the elder Barry sends the younger Barry back through time with the cosmic treadmill. Young Barry then encounters the Turtle in his era and the issue ends in spectacular fashion.
What more can I say about Williamson’s writing? It’s perfect and he hits the tone of this story flawlessly. And Howard Porter does his best work here. This storyline is something really great. I’ll be racing to pick up the next issue for sure.
RATING: A
