Scott's Take: Jay Garrick: The Flash by Jeremy Adams, Illustrated by Diego Olortegui

Jay Garrick: The Flash by Jeremy Adams and illustrated by Diego Olortegui is a highly entertaining graphic novel. For those who do not know, Jay Garrick is the first Flash. Despite being less famous than his successors, he was the original. He fought Nazis in World War II alongside the Justice Society and though he is elderly now, continues to operate in the present day. He has slowed, as has his super speed, but is in incredible shape for his age. He is mostly a mentor to the next generation now and still frequently operate in the field.

 

Recently he learned that he had a daughter who was erased from time and held for decades. With his daughter returned to him and that triggered long forgotten memories of her and their time together. She did not age while she was gone, somehow, and that means he is trying to connect with a teen who was gone from some time in the 1950s to the present day. Judy knows and remembers what life was like then as well as what went on for her while she was gone and realizes how much everything has changed. That results in a huge culture shock for her and is traumatic.

 

As a side effect of the kidnapping back then, Jay Garrick’s knowledge of one of his foes was also erased from his mind. Dr. Elemental, his forgotten foe, has returned and this time he is targeting the Flash’s daughter. Daughter and Dad must uncover the past while trying to reconnect as a family. Throw in some mad science, a robotic bear, and a lot more, and spin quite the action-packed miniseries.

 

There are some titles listed through the read that one could read for backstory, but none of them are a major miss if one does not read those. Jay Garrick: The Flash is self-explanatory. The art has a nice cartoony style to it. This is a fun read that helps flesh out the revelations in other books. Some guest stars include Mister Terrific, who is dealing with the fact that he also has a child that was abducted that he did not know about, as well as Stargirl, who befriend Judy (the Flash’s daughter) during the rescue of Judy, and others.

 

Jeremy Adams is an acclaimed comic book writer known for his fun and light hearted read which he once again does here. I enjoyed this miniseries and would like another.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dTCSfm 

 

My reading copy came via Hoopla and the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024