"I guess it's time for the fastest man alive to get to work!"
"The Flash's story isn't over...it's just beginning...The life I had...The people I lost...And the ones I can still save...It's not over. It's not going to be easy — It's never been easy. I just need to keep running."
The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive is a 3-part comic tie-in for the cinematic release of The Flash, making it part of the DC Extended Universe canon.
Some time after his adventures with the Justice League (and tapping into the multiverse), Barry Allen has found the crime in Central City is starting to adapt to his presence, with the added consequence of his personal life struggling to. With his usual tricks causing more damage than they prevent, he's compelled to better himself to be the hero his city needs.
The series was released in September 2022, written by Kenny Porter and illustrated by artists Ricardo López Ortiz, Juan Ferreyra and Jason Howard, with the film's director Andy Muschietti providing cover art variants.
Tropes
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Girder and Tar Pit are traditionally villains of the Wally West version of the Flash, but here they deal with Barry Allen when he's on the tail end of his salad days.
- Animesque: Issue #1 is illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz, who takes full advantage of the character's nature to deliver some ultra-kinetic imagery complete with exaggerated facial expressions and rapid-fire fisticuffs.
- Call-Back:
- When Flash feels like he's hopeless against Girder, Batman tells him that going up against a metahuman that powerful is commendable in itself, echoing a line from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
"You're not brave. Men are brave.""You rushed here to save lives knowing you could lose this fight. Failures don't do that — Brave men do."- Batman also reminds the Flash that he saved the world. As the Flash in the theatrical cut only rescued bystanders while Superman did the heavy lifting, this can be taken as confirmation that the story acknowledges the Snyder Cut as canon.
- In issue #2 Henry encourages Barry to perform their Window Love gesture. Barry is hesitant at first because he was struggling to keep his molecules from destroying anything in their path, but by holding his focus, Barry was able to touch the window without disturbing it.
- Clothing Damage: This marks the final time the Flash wears his homemade suit, as it's unable to withstand intense speeds and super durable opponents at the same time.
- Dare to Be Badass: Barry's biggest insecurity is causing massive amounts of collateral damage if he goes all out against an enemy. Batman repeatedly tells him that he needs to quit doubting himself and let loose, as being a Destructive Savior is better than no savior.
- Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: Issue #1 shows the Flash gaining a new suit courtesy of Bruce Wayne that can be compressed into a gold ring, bringing him in line with the comics.
- Mythology Gag:
- While being trained in hand-to-hand combat by Bruce, Barry tries reading a guide to boxing written by Ted Grant, who fans of the Justice Society would know as the boxing vigilante Wildcat.
- As a nod to the theatrical cut of Justice League, Flash tells Batman that he's not equipped to deal with super-powered opponents, usually just pushing bad guys around.
- Superman Stays Out of Gotham:
- Lampshaded by a Gotham crime boss who decides to take his business to Central City due to the Flash being more predictable than Batman.
- Defied when the Flash helps Batman deal with the latest Gotham gang. Batman returns the favour by coming to Central City to help him fight Girder.
- Played straight with Cyborg and the Birds of Prey, who are all Gotham-based yet aren't shown assisting Batman in apprehending the latest gang.
