Tag: wally west

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The Flash by Mark Waid, Book Two

This is a review of The Flash by Mark Waid, Book Two. You can read what I thought of the first volume, here. This review requires a bit of Flash-edification to makes sense. The original Flash is Jay Garrick (alive), Barry Allen (dead) is his successor, and Wally West (Barry’s nephew) is the current Flash (very alive). This graphic novel starts innocently enough with a team-up between Wally West and Green Lantern Hal Jordan, where they face off against villains Hector Hammond and Gorilla Grodd. Rex the Wonder Dog guest stars!

After an encounter with a new Doctor Alchemy and a schmaltzy Christmas story, we witness the return of Barry Allen, the original Flash. Barry died in the first Crisis, back in the 1980’s. His return would not be unprecedented as superheroes die, are replaced by newer models, and return from the dead all the time. And this CERTAINLY IS Barry Allen. It must be, because he knows everything about Barry’s life. It’s not like he traveled from the future – the 25th century, maybe? – and read the authorized biography of Barry Allen. Of course not.

Anyway, Uncle Barry starts acting strangely, and it’s not long before he ZOOMs off on a rampage. The crime: the city failed to honor his memory when he was dead. Jay Garrick, the original Flash, rallies the troops – oldsters Johnny Quick and Max Mercury. Except this Flash – whoever he may be – is faster than any of them.

This is one of my favorite Flash storylines, period. Mr. Waid’s writing is a fusion of Silver Age ideals (optimistic, fun to read, good vs. evil) and the emotional depth (some would say nihilism) of the Modern Age. Wally is rejected by his hero, which devastates him, and that’s only the start. When Barry goes on a rampage, Wally gets thrashed because he isn’t as fast. Let’s face it – in most cases, The Flash is the most powerful guy in the room, but here Wally is a distant #2. Can he overcome his own self-doubt and fear to finally fill his mentor’s shoes?

Highly recommended!

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Flash: Savage Velocity

Ah, the 1980’s. MTV, Ronald Reagan, Rocky Balboa, The Terminator, Freddy Krueger, buddy cop movies, Pee Wee Herman, Jason Voorhees, Ollie North, contras. Sting, singing Russians. I could go on but I won’t, because boy oh boy the 80’s sucked but the decade did produce some great comics. Thus, when Comixology held their annual end of the year sale, I picked up a copy of this book. I read some – not all – of the issues back in the day, and wanted a complete collection. The writer, Mike Baron, produced a bunch of comics in the 80’s – Nexus, Badger, The Punisher – and of course The Flash.

First things first: this is a very different Flash. Barry Allen, temporarily dead, is replaced by his youthful sidekick Wally West. Wally has been depowered– he can’t break the sound barrier, has to eat two or three times the amount of a normal person, and passes out after he uses his super speed.

Wally himself is written like a 20-year old. An immensely privileged, stupid lucky 20-year old. He buys a lottery ticket and becomes a multi-millionaire. His mom moves in with him and he can’t bring himself to throw her out. His girlfriend is a decade older than him. She’s also married, and when her husband finds out he injects himself with a steroid that gives him super strength and speed and tries to kill Wally. As happens in superhero comics.

Other standout villains in this volume include Vandal Savage, a caveman who dresses like a French lord and designs a highly addictive drug that grants its users super speed. The Chunk is a human event singularity who must consume 47x his weight or implode. The people Chunk consumes are transported to an apocalyptic hellhole. Despite this, Chunk isn’t exactly Doctor Doom, and is written more as a misguided soul than a villain.

This is a nice run by Mike Baron, who only stuck around for 14 issues plus an annual. The issues move fast, pun intended, and there’s an endearing weirdness to the stories, most of which are inspired by the 1980’s – Max Headroom, drug epidemics, the Cold War, ‘roid rage.

Wally himself isn’t portrayed in a very heroic light, whether he’s having an affair with a married woman, puttering around his Long Island mansion, or going to parties hosted by Mafia Dons. He’s written as a materialistic man incapable of saying no to any woman. Unsurprisingly, most of his relationships are shallow and dysfunctional. This was all part of DC’s grand experiment of giving their heroes personalities. It didn’t go on long, but it sure was interesting while it lasted.

I recommend this graphic novel. The first comic book I ever bought was an issue of The Flash, back in 1978 when Barry Allen wore the scarlet tights. I’ve read a lot of Flash since then, and I am here to say that Wally is a more interesting character than Barry Allen ever was. The powers that be might have brought Barry back, but Wally will always be my Flash.