Review: The Flash Vol. 5- History Lessons

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening story is a great Flash/Green Lantern team-up. The following stories show off how great a hero the Flash can be. The closing story arc is a solid thriller with some satisfying mystery. The artwork throughout the volume is positive.

Cons: A reveal is handled in a way that takes away its emotional potential.

Overall: This is a collection of fun and mostly independent stories that properly showcase the Flash as a hero. They highlight his unique powers, strong moral convictions, and ability to maintain his various friendships. The stories here are also all exciting and the volume only really stumbles in one specific area. This collection will be highly appealing to fans of the Flash looking for several fun and independent stories.

Story

The Flash Vol. 5: History Lessons, by Brian Buccellato, is different from its predecessors. Instead of telling one large story arc that forms part of an even larger narrative structure, this volume focuses on telling shorter stories that show off the Flash’s capabilities as a hero. One highlights the unique dynamic between him and Hal Jordan, another shows his raw determination and ability to do whatever is necessary to catch the bad guy, and the final one centers around his abilities as a detective and even digs into his personal relationships. All of these stories are fun to read and allow this collection to work well as a standalone volume.

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History Lessons begins with an Annual issue centered around a team-up between the Flash and Hal Jordan. These two have one of the most memorable friendships in DC Comics, yet this friendship has been mostly absent from the New 52 era. Seeing it again is a real treat. It also helps that the story is entertaining and highlights both heroes’ strengths and weaknesses.

From here, History Lessons goes on to tell two short stories that feel like a real celebration of the Flash as a character. The first has him handling various situations across the city while still managing to maintain his regular relationships. The second has him performing death-defying stunts to capture a criminal, who finally realizes that there is simply no point in trying to outrun the Flash. Both stories have the Flash using his powers in cool ways and make him feel like the incredibly powerful hero he should be.

The rest of History Lessons focuses on the titular story arc, one that involves a malevolent spirit seeking justice for crimes committed hundreds of years ago. At its core, this arc is a mystery. Readers are unsure about who this ghost is and what it is looking for. Then, after learning this, readers are kept unsure about Barry’s connection to the ghost and what part this connection could end up playing in the future. The mystery helps further develop the tension already present in this story and help make it feel like an exciting horror story.

The only problem with “History Lessons” is that it fails to capture the meaning behind a significant reveal. In this arc, Barry learns that his adoptive father had a romantic relationship with his mother. Learning this should have immense consequences on the relationship between these two, especially considering it was kept a secret for so long. However, with everything else going on, the impact of this reveal feels secondary and is resolved rather quickly.

(spoilers end here)

Art

As a collection of several different stories, History Lessons also contains contributions from several different artists. Nearly all of these contributions bring something to the fold and are able to match the tone of the story they are telling. Neil Googe’s chapter is dynamic and complements the feats of action seen throughout the chapter. Meanwhile, Patrick Zircher’s darker and moodier artwork is able to further the mystery and tension of the volume’s “History Lessons” story arc. Sam Basri’s chapter is probably the least appealing but even it ends up looking alright and contains a few solid artistic moments. Though the artwork in this book is not quite as instantly appealing as the artwork in some previous volumes, it ends up being positive overall and suits the stories being told.

Continuity

The Flash Vol. 5: History Lessons continues the story from The Flash Vol. 4: Reverse (Review).

The story here continues in The Flash Vol. 6: Out of Time (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The Flash’s association with the Justice League (Reading Order) is mentioned many times. This association began back in Justice League Vol. 1: Origin (Review).
• Deadman began spending time in the House of Mystery after joining the Justice League Dark (Reading Order) back in Justice League Dark Vol. 1: In the Dark (Review).