How are Barry Allen and Turtle connected in The Flash No. 73?
By Monita Mohan
Barry speaks to Turtle in The Flash No. 73 (Credit: DC Comics)
The Flash and Turtle are Connected
Turtle has been an unusual choice for a supervillain in this “Year One” arc, but his connection with The Flash has lent itself to making a compelling story so far. His power has practically made the speedster inert in the future, which is why young Barry is intent on stopping that future from coming to fruition.
When Barry meets the villain in prison in The Flash No. 73, he is surprised by Turtle’s candor. But there’s a reason why Turtle is revealing these details about himself – he knows who Barry really is, and that’s because the two characters are connected by an unknown force.
When Barry discovers that he’s been found out, he realizes that the experiment that changed Turtle was like the lightning that made him the Flash. All of this means only one thing, that Turtle is still able to conquer Central City and turn it into a dystopian nightmare.
What Barry doesn’t see is that while he and Turtle were in conversation, Turtle had surreptitiously made contact with the speedster, thereby absorbing some of his energy. But what does that mean for the city? The final panels suggest the Turtle has donned his shell once again, claiming to have won. Is this reptilian villain too much for the young hero to defeat?
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So far, The Flash: Year One arc has had some of the best cliffhangers to keep readers coming back. Barry, as a character, is also much more likable, though his lone gun routine is getting old. One major misstep in this arc has been Iris’ characterization – every time she is given her own subplot, the storytellers add Barry to the mix, thereby diminishing Iris’ character to little more than a love interest. She may have started out as such, but Iris has grown to become a meaningful character on her own. The Flash No. 73 ends with her and Barry witnessing the Turtle’s antics, so perhaps readers can look forward to Iris contributing directly to the main story.