The Flash #9

In "Grips of Strength Part 1," Barry Allen reaches out across the Multiverse, gathering speedsters from countless realities to uncover the source of the fractured Speed Force—yet none have felt the same unsettling shift. As detectives Burns and Morrow shield the Trickster from a sudden assault by the Para-Angels, Barry and Commander Cold intervene, only to watch the Trickster vanish into an unknown force before their eyes.

In "Grips of Strength Part 2," Barry Allen and Commander Cold are forced into an uneasy alliance as the transformed Trickster—now a towering force of raw power—threatens to overwhelm Central City. Flashbacks reveal Cold’s past as a 25th Century Science Police Officer, where rigid adherence to rules clashed with his desire for justice, echoing the moral tensions he faces now.

In "Grips of Strength Conclusion," Barry Allen and Trickster [Axel Walker] struggle to regain control after being altered by the Strength Force, their powers now twisted and unpredictable. With Commander Cold and Warden Wolfe determined to end the threat, Barry must find a way to reverse the transformation—before the only solution becomes irreversible.

In "Faster Than Thought Part 1," Barry Allen races to aid Justice League Dark in containing Solomon Grundy before joining Iris, Kristen Kramer, Detective Burns, and Detective Morrow for a quiet dinner. But when Heat Wave suddenly erupts in flames and falls into a coma, Barry and the team are drawn into a fiery mystery at Iron Heights—where flame beings emerge from the shadows, and the prison’s defenses begin to collapse.

In "Faster Than Thought Part 2: Burn, Baby, Burn!", The Flash and Detective Burns are pulled into the blazing mind of Heat Wave, where the line between reality and memory dissolves. As Mick Rory's psyche ignites with the Sage Force, Barry and Burns must navigate a surreal landscape of fire and forgotten pasts—facing visions of Mick’s family and the ghost of Commander Cold—before the inferno consumes them all.

In "Faster Than Thought Conclusion: The Last Embers," Barry Allen faces a mind-bending trial within Heat Wave’s fiery consciousness, where the line between hero and monster blurs. With Commander Cold’s unexpected arrival and the echoes of Flashes from across the Multiverse offering fragmented wisdom, Barry must navigate the storm of power and identity—before choosing his next step on a Force Quest that could redefine what it means to be a speedster.