Warning: contains SPOILERS for Speed Force #5!There are few hero families stronger than that which surrounds the Flash. As wielders of the Speed Force, the Fastest Family Alive are specifically tied together through a cosmic connection, but it’s their relationships as a family that give them true power. Now, that family has finally accepted its official codename – and it perfectly represents the legacy of the Fastest Man Alive.
Speed Force #5 by Jarret Williams, Daniele Di Nicuolo, George Kambadais, Andrew Dalhouse, Pete Pantazis, and Simon Bowland sees Kid Flash, aka Wallace West, embrace the team’s name suggested by Avery Ho’s Flash. Thinking to himself about his friends’ effect on him, Wallace says, “What did Avery call us again, Speed Force? Without them, I would’ve majorly flopped. And I’m not about to be the Flash that failed.”
This moment solidifies the new identity of DC’s Speedsters, giving an official name to an alliance that is founded on family bonds and a literal shared power. DC has confirmed in the past that with every new speedster drawing from the Speed Force, they each collectively get a little slower. But despite this, having true allies has always proved better for the Flash than being more individually powerful.
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The Speed Force Are a Family
New Team Name Reflects the Connection of DC’s Speedster Heroes
More so than most other DC Comics superhero families, the history of the Flash has been about legacy. From Barry Allen and Jay Garrick’s first meeting across the Multiverse, to Wally West stepping up as the primary Flash after Barry’s death, the greatest strength of the Flash family has always been their willingness to back each other up no matter what. This is what makes the Flashes a family more than a team, and the name Speed Force is the perfect moniker to reflect the living lightning that binds them all.
In the case of Wallace West in particular, this acceptance is especially poignant. Initially presented as a rebooted version of Wally West during The New 52, the current Kid Flash, also called Ace by his friends and family, has had a hard time finding his place within the DCU after the death of his father, the Reverse Flash, and the return of his elder cousin during DC’s Rebirth period. As a member of the Speed Force, Ace has finally found his perfect running mates, all while honoring the Flash’s legacy of family and teamwork.
The Flashes Never Run Alone
Speed Force Just Gave DC’s Less Famous Speedsters a Home
An official team name means that the Speed Force team are more united than ever, taking the informal bonds of the Flash family and turning them into a formal alliance to do good. Indeed, considering all the powers to which DC speedsters have access, the Flash Family may have just created one of DC’s most powerful teams yet.
Speed Force #5 is on sale now from DC Comics.
