Superheroes fighting superheroes is a common trope in American comics. Indeed, it is almost cliché for the good guys to fight after a misunderstanding or conflict in personal ethics. Such a fight lies at the center of The Flash #10, by Simon Spurrier and Ramón Pérez. It is notable, however, in that Barry Allen is ignorant that he is facing a former friend in battle.
Tying into the Absolute Power event, The Flash #10 continues the story of Amanda Waller and her war on speedsters. A cosmic imbalance tied to the Speed Force inspired Waller to order all speedsters to stop using their powers, on pain of arrest. This leads to Barry Allen being hunted by a figure in the Justice Buster armor once worn by Batman.
While he was thrown for a moment, The Flash quickly figured out that whoever he was fighting was not Batman. One clue was that the armor had not been upgraded, as Bruce Wayne continually refined his tools. Another was that whoever was in the armor kept trying to convince Barry to surrender peacefully. Barry noted that the real Batman wouldn’t waste time talking to someone he wanted to stop, and he certainly wouldn’t say “please” if he did speak. Despite this, Barry had no idea who was piloting the Justice Buster.
The Flash fights Green Arrow disguised as Batman
Ultimately, the fake Batman was revealed to be Oliver Queen. The former Green Arrow had abandoned his heroic identity to sign on to Amanda Waller’s crusade for unknown reasons. While he had intended to limit his work to managing the former Justice League armory, Queen was pressed into service to try and tame his former teammates.
To Oliver Queen’s credit, he did an admirable job of holding his own against The Flash with unfamiliar weaponry. Indeed, he managed to tag the Fastest Man Alive once he stopped relying on Amanda Waller’s AI and trusted in his own aim and tactics. Ultimately, he lost to superior numbers, as most of the Flash Family turned out to save Barry Allen.
The Flash #10 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
