And in a flash (natch!), Barry is in Metropolis and diverts Superman’s attention, using his inertia to shove the Last Son of Krypton into a nearby construction yard. For all the good it does it, as an unfazed Superman renews his attack. Hal tries to cover his ass again “He attacked me!” while Flash dodges Superman’s attempts to grab him… at least at first. Showing he’s no slouch in the brains and speed department, Superman anticipates Flash’s movements and gives the speedster his version of “the finger”. A flick of Superman’s index finger sends Flash hurtling back and crashing into a hotdog stand, shocking the Fastest Man Alive who had never encountered a foe who could hit him until this point.

Batman takes the opportunity to wave the white flag. Where brute force couldn’t halt Superman, reason wins out. As Batman relays their reason for seeking him out, Superman calms down and responds with his own encounter with a similar creature Batman and GL fought in the previous issue, as well as “The Box” that was left behind. Flash recovers and asks if the fight is still on, to which GL answers in the negative. Just as Flash is about to clean up the mess from their battle, military-issue helicopters arrive. Superman notes that Lex Luthor will likely be in tow. Batman retorts “Not a fan of Lex Luthor either?”, a likely hint that Wayne has encountered Lex as well. As a result, Batman convinces the rag-tag group to make themselves scarce, voicing out his concern that there may be more of “The Boxes” in the world.

We then shift to Victor Stone, or more accurately, to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Stone’s father works in researching the superhuman phenomena that has begun to prevail in their world. Victor relates how he could become a scholar through athletics, but his father retorts “you don’t need a scholarship. I’m paying for your school.” As much as Victor tries to point out his athletic achievements, his father considers them meaningless in a world where superhumans exist. This is a nice way of presenting how real world scientists might respond to the emergence of “the superman”.  And, as is with every scientist in history, the passion to accomplish a breakthrough in their research outweighs familial concerns, as is the case with watching Victor’s football games. While the message is clear, the execution is a tad rushed and lacks impact. One can see at this point how Johns is trying very hard to make Victor a relatable character but there’s something missing. The drama isn’t solid enough. Perhaps it is the execution, or perhaps it is simply because there is not enough gravitas in the situation between Vic and his dad.