Flash: Crossover Crisis - the YA Novel Book 2 - Supergirl's Sacrifice

Barry Lyga returns with the second part of this latest Flash trilogy, and let me just say - these books are absolutely fantastic!  Just because they are marketed for young adults, it doesn't mean adults should not read them.  This story proves just what a fantastic writer Lyga really is, and the wealth of Easter eggs scattered throughout the book will many any fanboy (or girl) go crazy!  These books have the exact feel that the first couple of seasons of the television show had, and it definitely makes me long for those "innocent" days again!

 

Now, in this second part of the Crossover Crisis, Supergirl’s Sacrifice, the threat of the Anti-Matter Man expands from just Flash’s Earth over to Earth-38 (where Supergirl resides).  It should be noted this story takes place prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths – in fact, there are several references in this book to the newspaper article that Team Flash has seen dated 2024 – there is even a reference to the article’s authorship changing from Iris West-Allen to Vicki Vale (which happened in the TV show when it was predicted that Savatar would kill Iris). So, even though Lyga has firmly established that the stories taking place in the books are from a different timeline than that of the TV show (which, by the way, is referenced once again in this book as the “Transuniversal Version” universe), there are still aspects of this universe that mirror that of the TV universe.

With the expanded threat of the Anti-Matter Man (who comes across very similar to the Anti-Monitor in this story, having already destroyed the Crime Syndicate’s universe, and now bringing familiar red skies and black lightning to Earth-38 as he begins to destroy that universe), the cast in the story expands, and there seems to be a LOT more going on for our heroes to fight:

-          Ambush Bug is still going crazy in Star City, so Joe West, Black Canary, and Wild Dog are there to try and put a stop to his zany pranks

-          Iris West-Allen, Caitlin Snow, and Felicity Smoak are in Central City trying to find a way to locate and rescue Vibe and Mr. Terrific, who disappeared after Oliver’s perfect shot that stopped the Anti-Matter Man from destroying their universe in the last book

-          Cisco Ramon and Curtis Holt find themselves somewhere in the past, with no apparent way to determine when and where they are, let alone find their way back to the present

-          Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have jumped over to Earth-38 to help Supergirl, Superman, Brainiac 5, J’onn J’onzz, Alex Danvers, Jimmy Olsen, and Lena Luthor find a way to stop Anti-Matter Man’s destructive wave

-          Madame Xanadu is revcovering after having one of her dopplegangers killed in the last book

-       And last, but not least, Bruce Wayne a/k/a Owlman is making big plans to take over this new Earth on which he has found himself!

Whew!  As I said, that is a LOT going on in this book – and that doesn’t even address the prologue (featuring Ava Sharpe and my personal favorite Legend, Gary Green) and epilogue (featuring Heat Wave and a very surprising guest star – more on that later…).  Yet, despite all of the stories, characters, and crazy action of Ambush Bug, the story is very easy to follow, and reads so much like a well-written episode of the CW television shows that I wish Lyga would actually be the writer of those shows!  We might actually get better stories than what we have been getting on Supergirl and Flash for the past two seasons…

And speaking of Ambush Bug – Keith Giffen would be exceptionally proud of Lyga for the way he handles the character.  Ambush Bug is fun, zany, and totally breaks the fourth wall, talking about the way Giffen writes him, talking about how his name is trademarked by Warner Brothers, and talking about Berlanti giving him his own show!  I laughed out loud as I read Joe, Dinah, and Rene react to the craziness that A.B. spews out, as they have no understanding that they are just characters in a book that is based on characters in a television show – but A.B. knows!

Oh, and Barry’s reaction when Brainiac 5 lets him use his Legion flight ring to join Supergirl and J’onn J’onzz in their fight against the Anti-Matter Man – well, it is absolutely priceless!  It is dead-on for the character, and a scene that I could so clearly see in my mind’s eye when I read it, that I would absolutely LOVE to see it brought to life on the screen for real.

Like Empire Strikes Back, this book is the linking story between the opening of the last book and the conclusion of the next book – so there is no real beginning or ending, but lots of build up to what is to come.  Like the big revelation of who, at the end of time, has been pulling the strings? And how will Team Arrow, Team Flash, and Team Supergirl get to the far-flung future to stop him?  And will they get some help from the future (a BIG hint right there as to that special guest star who shows up to help Heat Wave) to save all of time and space?

Lyga needs to be made the permanent reader of all books based on the CW television shows – and I sure as heck hope that the next book (which will FINALLY see the Legends of Tomorrow get involved) is not the last!

RATING:  10 cell phones from the Wild West out of 10 for keeping the fun in the Flash and writing a far-better story than the CW has been capable of for some time!