On his Force Quest, Barry isn’t exactly making new friends with the next Force wielder he meets! DC introducing the new Strength Force user, Powerhouse. She’s a late teen rebel using her powers to fight against the corrupt police state in Corto Maltese. Barry learns that she wants to use her super-strength to overthrow the police and ends up leading to a scuffle with the new hero instead.

DC COMICS PRESENTS : FLASH #60

Flash, Flash, hundred yard dash. What have you done now? While on his Force Quest, Barry has not exactly stopped doing exactly what he’d be doing in Central City: saving the world. Which is how we got our new story arc villains, Gemini. They make a brief appearance in this issue at the start. After hijacking a private jet, they discuss skipping the city where they know The Flash will be to lure him into their trap and drain him of his powers. They’ve had a taste, now they want more. They’re probably more interesting to me because I don’t know who they are. I don’t know if they’re ‘new villains’ or not but as a ‘non-DC-super fan’ I think they’re awesome! The Gemini are older, but they are young. They keep telling stories of ‘that time in …’ and it is always a generation ago. Keepin’ it interesting.

Back story of the previous issues, Barry Allen is going on a Force Quest to learn about his connection to the Speed Force and his Force connection with Sage, Strength, and Still Force. The Flash sees them as ‘new Forces’ but Iris has visions of her past life of another timeline where her and Barry already studied the Forces. Each force has an Avatar, a being that represents the Force in the galaxy. Speed, clearly Barry Allen. So far the Force imbued people that Barry has encountered have not been true Avatars of the Forces…until now.

Scene is Corto Maltese. Barry feels the Force connection with a new person using the Strength Force. He finds a battle between a costumed person and the police. In The Flash blinders, he doesn’t know who to confront. Flash’s life is costumed person vs. police, protect the police. He has a standoff with Powerhouse, the newest Strength Force user. Iris runs to the police to get them to back off and let the Flash take care of Powerhouse. Powerhouse lays an uppercut into The Flash’s stomach. He’s down.

The cop, who we find out is a guy named Cauldrun, orders them to fire on Powerhouse. Flash catches all the bullets. Cauldron takes Iris hostage, things are not what they seem. Powerhouse takes this as her time to leave, invites Flash to come with her because it seems NOW they are on the same team. Flash grabs Iris and they leave. Cauldron executes one of his men and makes a mysterious phone call.

Powerhouse doesn’t want The Flash’s help. He explains he’s just like everyone else and shows himself to be Barry Allen. She doesn’t care who he is, calls herself Fuerza (which is strength in Spanish), and tells him to go home. This is not his fight. He tells her about what he knows of the Forces and how she became who she is. She invites him back to her home. She carved out a village inside of a mountain with her bare hands and that is where the people live free of the Police State that is Corto Maltese.

After dinner, she shows Flash exactly how her powers work. She has learned how to control her powers and manipulate them how she needs them to be. She has become the Avatar. Two forces have found the right vessels. Fuerza and Barry go to help make sure a medical shipment is unloaded safely from the hands of Cauldron’s men. BOOM. 

The mountain top blows off. Flash grabs her and runs. They find Cauldron and his men have found the village. Cauldron pulls out a gauntlet with water tanks attached. Fuerza laughs when bubbles comes out. Flash is apprehensive. He gets a Force vibe. The bubbles are infused with the Sage Force. The weapon was given to Cauldron by a possible Sage Force user, the mysterious person on the other end of the phone call. The bubbles are laced with a chemical to make the person hallucinate. Powerhouse and Flash are in trouble!

Dang it man. Great issue. New villains, new stories. Great chapter in the history of The Flash. Now I wonder if they will end up with a comic line of the team of four Avatar’s when it’s all said and done. Hmmmmmm. The New Forces story is bad ass.

8/10