Another scorned scientist uses his amoral inventions to begin a life of villainy, introducing Central City to the nefarious Doctor Nightmare! His evil schemes interrupt Wally and his daughter Iris’ father-daughter dance day, leaving them no choice but to do a father-daughter superhero team-up to save the day! The Flash #774 is written by Jeremy Adams, drawn by Christian Duce, colored by Hi-Fi and lettered by Steve Wands.
The Flash continues its run of comfort food comics, mixing silly sci-fi with charming family fun with a father-daughter team up. It’s kind of odd that the younger Flash is the family man, but then, on the other hand, Wally West has always been more open-hearted to the people in his life, and I’m just happy he gets to enjoy that again.
Halloween came early this month to DC, apparently – while Gotham is subjected to Scarecrow’s Fear State, Central City is under attack from a jilted scientist wielding the power of nightmares. The people of DC really ought to treat their scientists nicer; this sort of thing tends to happen a lot. While Doctor Nightmare might not be the most original villain, I do like his creations. Christian Duce manages to make something as simple as a four-eyed elephant look terrifying, and Hi-Fi’s use of purple here makes every swirl of nightmarish shadow a beautiful thing to behold. It’s a welcome break from DC’s other other villains who make fears manifest – yellow gets tiring after a bit, but I could watch purple horrors forever.
It’s not full-on horror, though. The Flash as a comfort-comic seems to be welcoming a younger audience too, though it doesn’t lean too hard into it. The comic doesn’t lean too hard into anything really, and while that might be boring for some, I’m charmed. Now that Wally has his family back, I’m glad we’re getting time for them all to bond. This issue’s spotlight is on Irey West, who’s growing fast and breaking her old man’s heart in the process in the way that growing children do.
Superman & Lois has made me realize how much I enjoy seeing superhero fathers who are absolute dorks, and Wally West definitely fits the mold. Embarrassing enthusiasm and dad jokes abound, but despite that, Wally and Irey have a closeness that is heartwarming and rare to see in a superhero comic. Duce’s human faces can be a little awkward in places, but they work more often than they don’t, and there are moments that absolutely shine. Wally’s sense of parental pride as he poses for a photo with Irey is definitely one of the issue’s stronger moments.
It doesn’t take too long before Doctor Nightmare’s attack comes to the Wests’ attention, ruining the school dance but giving them both the opportunity for some teachable superhero moments. Unfortunately, Nightmare’s sleep gas is slowing their metabolism just enough to rob them of their speed, forcing them to look for other ways to save the day.
Look, I don’t think bringing a child into a supervillain fight is the best idea, especially one with no access to superpowers, and the excuses the book offers to keep her involved are pretty flimsy. This is, however, a low-stakes comic, and light enough to hand-wave some stuff away in. I do think it’s worth it to have Irey put on a helmet of her own and fight manifested nightmares with her own manifested dreams – with her dad right in the mix ready to follow her lead.
I’m a sucker for good families in comics – chosen or otherwise – and I love the dynamic Wally has with his daughter. Playful, supportive, loving and proud, it’s a beautiful thing to see in a delightful issue. Of course, the mysterious object hurtling through the cosmos over the past few issues has finally landed, so we might just be seeing the stakes get just a little bigger – but I’m glad Wally is getting to have the fun he deserves in the meantime.
