The Flash #22 [Newsstand]

(Early July 2017)

The Button Part Four (Table of Contents: 1)

The Flash / comic story / 21 pages (report information)

Script

Joshua Williamson (credited)

Pencils

Howard Porter (credited)

Inks

Howard Porter (credited)

Colors

Hi-Fi (credited)

Letters

Steve Wands (credited)

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Flash [Barry Allen]; Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Professor Zoom [Eobard Thawne] (death, originally shown in Batman #21); The Flash [Jay Garrick]; Alfred Pennyworth; Doctor Manhattan (hand only)

Synopsis

Returning from the Flashpoint universe after the events in Batman #22, Barry and Bruce arrive in the time stream in time to witness Professor Zoom's death by a unknown god-like entity. A mystery voice calls out to Barry, and identifies himself as Jay Garrick, who has been lost in time as was the original Wally West. Barry tries to rescue Jay, but is unable to as he is pulled away by a mysterious force. Barry and Bruce find themselves trying to understand the events they have witnessed. Meanwhile a mysterious blue hand retrieves the button that was lost by Professor Zoom when he was killed.

Reprints

• in Batman / The Flash: The Button - Deluxe Edition (DC, 2017 series) ([December] 2017)
• in Batman (Panini Deutschland, 2017 series) #11 (März 2018)
• in Justice League Rebirth (Urban Comics, 2017 series) #11 (avril 2018)
• in Batman / Flash: O Bóton (Panini Brasil, 2018 series) [Capa Batman] (maio 2018)
• in The Flash Rebirth Deluxe Edition (DC, 2017 series) #2 ([June] 2018)
• in Batman / Flash: The Button (DC, 2019 series) ([August] 2019)

Keywords

smiley face button

Indexer Notes

Story continued from Batman (DC, 2016 series) #22.

Story credits include special thanks to Geoff Johns and Tom King.

Professor Zoom was shown to have died in Batman #21 after encountering a unknown entity. Here Bruce and Barry arrive in the time stream prior to Zoom's death to witness it, although they do not know who has killed Zoom.

Jay Garrick tells Barry that he has been lost in time as was the original Wally West. Barry was able to rescue Wally and bring him back to the real world in DC Universe: Rebirth (DC, 2016 series) #1. However, when Barry tries to pull Jay back to reality, Jay is pulled away by an outside force.

At the end of the story, we see the Button, which Professor Zoom was carrying when he was struck down, being retrieved by a blue hand, presumably Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen (DC, 1986 series). Doctor Manhattan presumably was one of the unidentified speakers at the end of DC Universe: Rebirth (DC, 2016 series) #1.

In this story's epilogue, we see the Button apparently morph into the "S" shield on a Superman costume. This storyline continues in Doomsday Clock (DC, 2018 series).

Doomsday Clock (Table of Contents: 2) (Expand) /

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