Summary
Warning: contains spoilers for The Flash #3!
DC has finally admitted the truth about Flash’s Speed Force–and now fans can stop arguing. The introduction of the Speed Force was one of the biggest developments in the character’s history, a rational explanation for how Flash’s powers work. Now, Wally West is learning there is still even more to the Speed Force than he thought, and this is confirmed in The Flash #3.
The Flash #3 is written by Si Spurrier and drawn by Mike Deodato. Irregularities in the Speed Force are becoming more commonplace, and Wally consults with Max Mercury about it. Mercury, who has lifetimes of experience with the Speed Force, admits to Wally that no one “understands” how their powers, and by extension the Speed Force, work.
Mercury confides that he too has been detecting signs of distress in the Speed Force.
The Speed Force Is Still An Enigma
Mark Waid made many contributions to Flash’s mythos, and the Speed Force is first among them. Introduced during his and Mike Wierringo’s acclaimed mid-1990s run on the character, the Speed Force has evolved over time. Originally the source of speedsters’ powers, it has become one of the fundamental forces of the DC Universe, crucial to the flow of time itself. Max Mercury is perhaps the speedster who knows the most about the Speed Force–and he admits he does not know everything.
Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato’s first three issues of The Flash have proven Max’s point: there is much more to the Speed Force than we thought. Flash has begun developing new powers, such as the ability to step outside reality itself. Furthermore, he has encountered strange, god-like beings in the Speed Force, calling themselves the Stillness. Desperate for answers, Wally has turned to both his boss Michael Holt (Mister Terrific) and Max Mercury. While Holt takes a more scientific, rational approach, Mercury approaches the Speed Force in a reverential fashion. Other speedsters, such as Jesse Quick, have their own ways of using the Speed Force.
The Speed Force Is Constantly Changing, Constantly Moving–Just like the Flash
Max Mercury confessing that not even he knows the full power of the Speed Force is a sly shout-out to its constantly changing nature. Since the 1990s, other writers, such as Geoff Johns, Frances Manapul, Scott Snyder and now Si Spurrier, have added new layers to it as the story demands. Rather than compromise the original concept of the Speed Force, these changes honor it: the Speed Force is about movement and not sitting still. The Speed Force’s continually shifting nature not only keeps the DC Universe moving, but reflects the real world as well. The Speed Force is still the frontier for Flash, moving and changing along with him.
The Flash #3 is on sale now from DC Comics!
