One Minute War review

The Flash Family has just finished fighting in the One Minute War from The Flash 790 to 796 and one special detailing the origin of the bad guys and won as is natural. You don’t expect the goods to stay down forever and this isn’t the dark ages of comic book stories where the pain and angst of an endless battle would consume the hero. That was the 90’s. This was a very good story and a family story. The fight was difficult and deadly but it never once descended into a self pitying party with revenge and tragedy.

It also reversed one of the greatest Flash Tragedies from Heroes in Crisis where Wally seemingly killed many of his old friends. However, before the story was over I was wondering why they had left Jai out of it, he is a member of the family, but Gold Beetle explained that quite well and set up a few future stories to come.

What is the story? A group of aliens called The Fraction have come to earth to strip the resources of the planet. They are fast, artificially connected to the speed force, and can do all of the harvesting in the blink of an eye. However on this planet they have the Flash. When the Fraction arrive Wally was having family and friends over for a party. It was a far cry from his single selfish days after Barry had died in Crisis. Jay was reminiscing about the past, Max was thinking about the future, the younger ones were fighting crime and Iris was proposing to Barry. It was an idyllic time. So of course the Fraction have to land and freeze everyone who doesn’t have speed in place. In the process killing Iris. Now that is a no no in comic book land. So the seats of time travel to set things right were probably planted there.

The fight continued as fights do and new villains were introduced. Miss Murder is a good name but not for someone whose job it is to kidnap people. Impulse and Kid Flash decide to invade the Fraction’s headquarters because as you know Impulse doesn’t think and they find the source of the Fractions Powers, human batteries. In the process they rescue Superman and Grodd and a strange young man. He says things that sound like he’s commentating on how crazy the family is but I have a sneaky suspicion that he is the brother from the future that Jai was hunting When he ran into Gold Beetle during the One Minute War special. I have no proof, just a feeling.

In the course of the battle old Jay is caught, Miss Murder finds their hideout and Wally is killed in an attempt to take out the source of their powers.  And Irey uses her brother as a battering ram and comes up with her new name, Thunderheart. Jessie Quick changes her name to Liberty Belle. All this is leading up to the conclusion where Barry realizes the secret to defeating the Fraction is to send them back in time. Mulligan or not it is an effective solution and uses the Fraction’s own power against them. They are going to supercharge the source and sent the Fraction back in time. However speedsters live slightly outside of time so Wally will still be dead. Or is he?

We see Wally again in Timepoint along with all the heroes that were killed in the Heroes in Crisis miniseries. Gold  Beetle, who Wally had met while he was careering through time in other speedsters bodies, is there to take everyone back and give Flash the distraction he needs to to implement Barry’s plan. The Fraction’s general is revealed to be an organic speedster and is ready to disrupt the process but Wally forces him into a power chamber and he becomes a living battery for his people. 

Barry’s plan works, Iris is alive and Barry accepts her proposal. Gold Beetle takes everyone back to their right time. She doesn’t meet Jai yet because their first meeting was special and she doesn’t want to spoil it. We find out the strange boys name, Wade, which is the same as Wally’s uncle. And Wally gets back to his Barbecue party with all his family and friends. Afterwards Max and Bart race ahead to the future to see what is out there.

So where does this leave the Flash? Who knows but it opens up so many possible stories and gives the family a new villain to fight. Next time please no time travel fix.