The Flash #62 (May 1992)

The Flash has had a long and wild history ever since the original, Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick, debuted all the way back in 1940. And like many other superheroes, others have worn the lightning-bolt symbol over the decades of the character's existence. And one of the most prominent holders of the Flash mantle was a Mr. Wallace "Wally" West.

With the death of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it seemed to make sense that Wally would inherit the mantle. After all, Wally was Barry's nephew by marriage, and he had a long career as Kid Flash both in the real world and in-universe, even being the founding member of two incarnations of the Teen Titans: The original 1960s incarnation, and the more famous Wolfman/Perez 1980s team.

Thing was...that was not the original plan. Turns out the original plan was to introduce a new character as the new Flash. This new character would be named Mackenzie Ryan, a single father with a young daughter named Jamie. Also, unlike his predecessors Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, Mackenzie would not be a speedster. Instead, he would have the power to manipulate various forms of energy, light, sound, that kind of thing. Mac and Jamie would be on the receiving end (and unseen) of a phone call in New Teen Titans #19 (April 1986). Ultimately though, as history shows, this never happened and Wally took up the mantle.

With a new Flash also came a new comic for the Scarlet Speedster, launching in 1987. This new series was launched by writer Mark Baron and artist Jackson "Butch" Guice. This series would have Wally be public with his identity and reside in New York City. Issue #15 would see writer William Messner-Loebs and artist Greg LaRocque take over the book. This run would be notable not only for introducing Linda Park, Wally's girlfriend and eventual wife, but also reintroducing the Pied Piper. The Piper was an old foe of Barry Allen's but became an ally to Wally. It was also established here that he was one of DC's first confirmed gay characters. The title won the first GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book in 1992. Loebs' final issue on the book was issue #61 (April 1992). Taking over for him would be Mark Waid.

Waid had been involved with DC Comics for several years at this point. His first story was published in Action Comics #572 (October 1985), an eight-page Superman story called "The Puzzle of the Purloined Fortress". He mainly worked as an editor around this time, overseeing various titles. 1989 would see him step down to be a freelance writer, although he still continued to work for DC, mainly in their short-lived Impact Comics line. However, it will be his coming on board The Flash as the new writer that would make him a big name in the industry. His run not only introduced the Speed Force, but his run would also emphasize the Flash's history and legacy. Waid's actual first Flash tale was Flash Special #1 (1990), a one-shot tale that was put out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Flash's debut, the tale being an overarching story involving the Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West Flashes. This story also introduced a new far-future Flash: John Fox. 

The comic we're looking at here is Waid's first issue as the then-new writer of the Flash's own ongoing comic book. Is it a strong start, or is it an early stumble? Let's look at Flash #62!

The cover is a Greg LaRocque and Jose Marzan Jr piece. It's pretty good. It shows a very young Wally West seemingly being blasted by lightning, this event taking the young boy towards his destiny as one of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes.

"Flash: Year One - Born to Run!, Chapter 1: Thunder Struck"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Greg LaRocque
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Editor: Brian Augustyn
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Wally West, aka the third Flash, in the Central City Airport. He was waiting for someone when, in superhero comic tradition, he finds himself having to deal with something. Not a supervillain, just some mundane terrorists. They had committed some local bombings. The police managed to catch them, but there was still one bomb left. Turns out, the bomb was supposed to go off at midnight. And of the braintrust terrorists set it to go off at noon accidentally. The time now is 11:55 AM. 

Despite this, they refuse to tell where it is. Wally is fast, so he's able to quickly search the airport and can't seem to find the bomb, until he gets a brainwave.

It's an airport. Why work to hide something there? You could put it in a regular bag, "lose it", and then the airport staff unknowingly hides it for you. Wally looks through the lost-and-found area and finds his explosive quarry.

"This candy bar disguise is terrible!"

Wally realizes he has less than a second left before it blows. Zooming through the airport at Mach 3, he can see the bomb starting to go off. To Wally right now, a microsecond might as well be an hour. It gets him thinking about a game he used to play as a kid every Fourth of July. He would light a firecracker and hold on to it as long as he could before he threw it. He managed to get pretty good at it, and his dad gave him a whupping for it. Wally always thought his father Rudolph was overreacting, but this whole thing makes him think he may have had a point. Wally's lucky he still has all his fingers.

With the airport saved, Wally then meets up with the person he was waiting for: his grandfather Professor Ira West. A Nobel Prize-winning scientist, West has a brilliant mind, but can be rather addled by simple thing like where he put his glasses...while he's wearing them. Wally feels bad about him coming, as even though he's a super-speedster and Ira lives only twelve miles away, Wally never visits. But then again, family is a bit of an issue for Wally. 

Wally's face says it all about his family.

Ira had three children, two daughters and a son: Charlotte, Rudolph, and Iris. Charlotte is arguably the least famous of the West siblings, first appearing in DC Special Series #11 (May 1978). She was the eldest and always talked down to Wally. Rudy was next, and he and Ira were never close. But then, Rudolph never seemed close to anyone. And finally, there was Iris. She was adopted by the Wests, her biological parents coming from the future. Yeah, that was a whole thing.

Unlike Charlotte and his father, Wally has nothing but fond memories of Iris. She was like a second mother to him, but she passed away three years earlier. Yeah, she was seemingly murdered by Professor Zoom in Flash #275 (July 1979), but then her life-force was brought back to the future and she was resurrected. Yeah, that was whole thing. Presumably, Wally is unaware she actually is alive in the future.

Since then, Wally hasn't seen much of Ira. When he gets to Ira's home, he looks through some of old Iris's effects. Mainly, her scrapbooks. Iris kept many scrapbooks of Barry Allen's time as the Flash. Wally wonders if she did the same for him, but he shakes it off. He wasn't Barry Allen. Barry was King Arthur, he was the court jester. But then, he finds another scrapbook. This one yellow with a red lightning bolt on it.

Wally should not have been surprised she kept a scrapbook about him.

Yeah. She was just as proud of Wally during his time as Kid Flash. It gets Wally thinking back to one particular summer: the summer he was ten years old. It was during that summer that he got spend time at Central City with Iris. The young Wally thought that Central was the coolest place in the world. Cooler than Disneyland, cooler than the Moon. Why? Because it was the home of the Flash. In particular, the Barry Allen incarnation. He went there by bus. It was a long ride, but Wally endured it. When he arrives at Central, Iris offers to take him to the Flash Museum. However, as it is in superhero comics, we get some action. In particular, the Flash dealing with some armed jewel robbers.

"This is better than the movies!"

It seems to go well...until Barry falls thanks to some of the thieves' ill-gotten gains spilling on the ground.

Wally is left wondering what to do, until he sees a handyman with a large wrench. And he gets, well...a bolt of inspiration.

One of the robbers has the Flash dead to rights and is about to provide a bullet to the speedster's brain...until a geyser of water hits him in the face.

"Aw, man! Why couldn't it have been a beer wave?!"

Wally decided to take a cue from AC/DC and let the robber have a drink on him. You see, growing up in the hot summers of Midwestern America had taught Wally an important lesson: Fire hydrants are a great way to cool off and can pack a watery punch. It didn't KO the thieves, but it did buy the Flash several valuable seconds to recover. And when you're the Fastest Man Alive, a few seconds are plenty to work with. The Scarlet Speedster easily takes down the robbers, leaving them nice and KO'd for the cops.

Before he leaves, he thanks Wally and says the kid's his hero today. So yeah, Wally's day just got a lot cooler. Iris returns (having called the story in), and then introduces her to her fiance, forensic scientist Barry Allen. In comparison to the Flash, Wally finds Barry Allen a rather dull man. Barry and Wally heads to his apartment, as Iris has to work. It's here that the forensic expert reveals something to Wally: He and the Flash...

...are friends.

Actually, this makes a bit of sense. Barry just met Wally, and he likely feels he doesn't know the kid well enough that he can be trusted with the knowledge of his secret identity. Keep in mind, it also can be implied at this point, Iris is unaware Barry is the Flash, so...yeah. To prove to young Wally he's not making this up, Barry uses a little bit of his speed and a bit of trickery.

"Yes. I am awesome!"

Wally is in awe. Barry Allen, the rather dull CSI is friends with the Flash? Yup! Heck, Barry even has his own lab that he lets the Flash use if he needs to crack a case. He thanks Wally again for saving his life earlier and asks how he can return the favor. And Wally's basically like:

Well, more in the manner of utter amazement than confusion like Spidey here. The Flash doesn't tell Wally who he is under his mask, but he is happy to tell Wally how he got his speed powers. Basically, Barry was working in a lab during a thunderstorm. A bolt of lightning hit him and a wall full of chemicals. Now, normally, this would result in a man getting royally toasted. But instead, Barry got powers. Wally thinks that's the coolest thing ever and wishes something like that happened to him. And wouldn't you know it? There's a thunderstorm brewing over Central City...and Wally is standing next to a wall of chemicals and a window. Certainly something like that couldn't happen again? Barry doesn't think so. After all, lightning never strikes the same place twice, as the old adage says. As if the lightning bolt wanted to prove Barry wrong, said bolt strikes the shelf of chemicals, dumping their electrified contents all over Wally. And that's how the story ends. Be careful what you wish for, folks. You just may get it.

I thought this was an enjoyable issue. This issue is clearly meant to be a jumping-on point, familiarizing readers with the character of Wally West, who he is, and how he first gained his powers. We get the idea that even though Wally comes from a dysfunctional family, he still highly values it. They are important to him, even if it seems like he wasn't important to most of them. We see how much he especially valued Iris and Barry Allen. Not to mention there was a good chuckle had about Ira's absent-mindedness. I can't help but wonder that if this was written today, Ira would be seen as suffering some form of dementia. The beginning is also rather exciting, showing Wally's brains and experience.

Greg LaRocque's art is really good. It's very clean and detailed. The characters are expressive, and there's some strong storytelling. I also love how he, Marzan Jr, and Whitmore render Wally's suit. To me, it makes Wally's Flash suit look like it's meant to be shiny, helping differentiate his suit from his uncle Barry's. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback The Flash by Mark Waid, Book One. Thaks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Impulse #1 (April 1995)

Two of the big themes of the Flash mythos are legacy and family. Over the decades, numerous people have taken up the mantle of the Flash, from Jay Garrick, to Barry Allen, to Wally West, to the character that we're going to meet here: Bart Allen.

But before he was the fourth Flash (at least, before DC canon became the mess it is now), Bart Allen was once a teenage hero with a tendency to run without thinking, a kid who operated...on Impulse. Created by Mark Waid and the late Mike Weiringo, Bart's first full appearance was The Flash #92 (July 1994), making a cameo in the previous issue. He would go on to be a member of Young Justice and the Teen Titans.

But before all that, he had his own series as Impulse. This series lasted from 1995-2002. The first issue of it is the comic we will look at here. So, let's look at Impulse #1!

The cover is a Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher piece. It's pretty neat, depicting our hero outrunning a missile. It gives the vibe that Impulse is a bit devil-may-care, which fit his character at the time.

"The Single Synapse Theory"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
Colorist: Tom McCraw
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulous
Editors: Ruben Diaz, Brian Augustyn
Executive Editor: Jennette Khan

The story begins at what appears to be a military base. They're testing a brand-new missile. But someone ends up invading the test.

Say hello to Bart Allen, aka Impulse. Due to his...unique upbringing, Bart has a bit of trouble when it comes to discerning fantasy from reality. His speed attracts the missile, making it pursue him. Bart thinks that's awesome. He causes the missile to hit its intended target. The people administer the test are left confused by what had just happened. Bart briefly appears to them, then zips off. 

We next switch scenes to a high school in Manchester, Alabama. 

In a bit of contrast to the seemingly ultra-confident Impulse, Bart Allen is quiet and what appears to be somewhat shy. We also see that he's actually pretty observant.

The teacher gives the class a little assignment: write about your own personal history. I can imagine that this would be a nightmare for a superhero in the DCU, as its history constantly changes.

But it's here that we get a basic idea of Bart's history up to this point. He's the grandson of the second Flash, Barry Allen. A short time before his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry had moved to the 30th century with his wife Iris. They had two children, twins named Don and Dawn Allen, who became known as the Tornado Twins. Don would be the father of Bart. Bart was born with a hyper-fast metabolism...that was causing him to age at an accelerated rate. 

As an attempt to help keep Bart sane, he was plugged into a virtual reality world. However, it wasn't fixing his hyper-fast aging problem, so Iris sent him back to the "present day" to see if the then-current Flash, Wally West (who is Bart's first cousin once removed), could help him. Wally was able to fix that problem, but Bart's, well...impulsiveness proved a bit hard to handle.

As such, Wally sent him to live with an elder speedster called Max Mercury, the self-proclaimed Zen Master of Speed. Max is unimpressed with Bart's attempt to write about his life. After all, Bart has to maintain his secret identity, much to his chagrin. The young speedster is struggling with living in 1990s Alabama. It's too quiet, peaceful, and primitive for him. Impulse's new mentor then shows him a newspaper article about his's little misadventure.

The elder hero notes the oddness of this, as the plant that produced the tank that the missile was being tested on was produced at a plant east of town. Its test range was there, too. Meanwhile, the people at the plant are preparing defenses for Impulse. And being the type to just jump into things, Impulse races towards the plant. He gets ambushed, but the speedster is able to overcome his foes. Bart then eyes a room, and just...walks in. He ends up falling into a dark void, and the story ends with our hero finding himself at...a whole lot of gunpoint. Nice work, Bart. 

This issue was pretty good. It does what a good first issue should do, in my opinion. It introduces us to Bart Allen, and gives us a bit of an idea of who he is and what he is about, character-wise. I do like that Bart is shown to notice little details. It helps show off his potential, that he is smarter than people give him credit for. Humberto Ramos's art has a bit of a...cartoony vibe to it, for lack of better words. It certainly fits Bart and his personality. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback Flash/Impulse: Runs in the Family. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

The Flash #62 (Early May 1992)

Two of the big themes of the Flash are family and legacy, especially during the years Wally West wore the Flash suit. With the Crisis on Infinite Earths having passed, Barry Allen's mantle as the Flash had passed to West, who was Allen's nephew and former sidekick as Kid Flash.

In 1990, Mark Waid made his formal debut in the realm of comic scribing. He had sold a couple of Superman stories to DC in 1985, and it led to him getting a staff editor job at DC Comics a couple years later. His time in the position did not last long, but it did result in him forming a friendship with the editor of the Flash's book at the time: Brian Augustyn.

Waid was a fan of the Flash, and knew even then, the character was about legacy. It made perfect sense. Jay Garrick was the very first Flash, debuting in 1941. In 1955, Barry Allen took up the suit. And in 1986, Wally West became the third Flash.

Also at the time, CBS debuted a live-action TV series focusing on the Flash, with John Wesley Shipp playing the role of the Barry Allen Flash. Yeah, they used the Flash that had been dead for four years in the comics beforehand. Go figure. The series lasted one season, but it would be referenced in the 2014 Flash TV series. Shipp even reprised his role as Barry Allen in that series. The comic did get a sales bump from the TV show, but it was not to last. In fact, some editors felt the book should have been cancelled.

Waid's actual Flash debut was on Flash Special #1 (1990), a generational tale that linked the three Flashes (as well as a far-future Flash) in one story. Flash #62, the comic were going to look at here, was Waid's first debut on the regular Flash book. He would stay on the title for eight years. The first story he would tackle in his run? A retelling of the origins of Wally West. How he gained his powers and his adventures as Kid Flash. And with that out of the way, let's dig in!

The cover is a Greg LaRocque piece, depicting Wally West presumably being struck by lightning. The facial expression is amusing to me, as it looks like Wally just got mildly spooked instead of taking a lightning strike to the face. I do like the nod to AC/DC. "Thunderstruck is an awesome song."

"Flash: Year One - Born to Run!, Chapter 1: Thunder Struck"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Greg LaRocque
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Wally West racing into action as the Scarlet Speedster.

He runs into an airport. He's in a bit of a crisis. You see, two captured terrorists were in a jail cell after committing a series of local bombings. However, they had one last bomb ready to blow at midnight. But the terrorist in charge of setting the timer screwed up. He set the bomb to explode at noon. This happened at 11:42 AM. Whoops.

Wally himself didn't learn about it until 11:55 AM. The terrorists refused to reveal the bomb's location, so Wally West has less than five minutes to find and defuse the bomb. Wally may be the Fastest Man Alive, but even he needs time. He's able to find the bomb with seconds to spare...but he has no time to defuse it. He races to the airport's tarmac as the bomb starts to explode.

This leads Wally to reminisce about a game he used to play on the Fourth of July as a kid. He would light a firecracker and hold on to it as long as he dared to before throwing it. He was good at it. And yes, he does admit it was pretty stupid. His dad tanned his hide good for it. Wally pitches the bomb in the air.

With the crisis over, Wally can change back into his civilian clothes and rest a bit. He goes to a restaurant and orders a lot of food. Yeah, being super-fast comes with super-metabolism. As a result, Wally needs to eat a lot of food. Gotta consume those caolries! It's there he runs into his beloved grandfather, Ira West. A Nobel Prize-winning professor and lecturer, West is a bit of an absent-minded man. Wally is feeling a bit guilty. You see, the old man lives about twelve miles away from him...and he never comes to visit. It feels even worse because Wally could literally zip over there in seconds. To be fair, life can consume people...even if they're the Fastest People Alive. The two agree to have lunch together.

It's then that Wally starts thinking about his family.

Ira West had three children: Charlotte, Rudolph, and Iris. Charlotte was the oldest, and she always talked down to Wally. I don't think we've seen her much in the comics. She may not even exist anymore in the current comics. Current DC canon is a giant fustercluck. Rudolph was Wally's dad, and the middle kid. He never was close to anyone. Finally, there was Iris. Wally worshipped Iris. She was married to Barry Allen, the previous Flash before she passed away in The Flash #275 (July 1979). She was killed by Professor Zoom.

Wally is then at Ira's home, looking through Iris's old personal effects. Ira had forgotten he had them. You know, Wally, maybe you should consider the possibility that the old man has dementia or something. Wally finds Iris's scrapbooks detailing Barry's career as the Flash. It leads him to wonder if Iris knew he wanted her to be proud of him. He worshipped her, and he hopes that she knew how much he loved her.

Iris had kept a scrapbook of him during his Kid Flash days. Turns out was pretty darn proud of her little nephew after all. Aww. It leads the new Scarlet Speedster to reminisce about his childhood. When he was ten years old, he was living in Blue Valley, Nebraska. His parents constantly fought. Iris had called and offered to let Wally stay with her in Central City for the summer. Naturally, Wally was all too eager to go. Central City was home of the Flash, the coolest hero ever!

After a long bus ride, the young Wally arrives at Central, where Iris was waiting for him. The two get ready to check out the Flash Museum when he gets to see the Scarlet Speedster himself. The Flash was stopping a bank robbery. He managed to take down two of the robbers, but ended up tripping on some jewelry the third robber dropped. Wally comes up with a plan to save the Flash. He grabs a wrench from a worker, and goes to a nearby fire hydrant.

"HAVE A DRINK ON ME!"

In the hot Midwest, fire hydrants can be very useful. It buys the Fastest Man Alive a few extra seconds...which is all he needs. He's able to easily take down the robbers. The Flash then makes Wally's day by thanking him for the help and saying he's his hero.

It's then Wally gets introduced to Barry Allen, Iris's fiancé. He was also operating as the Flash at the time. The three have lunch, and Barry tries to explain to Wally his job as a forensic scientist, but the young boy finds it dull. He couldn't find Barry Allen more dull if he tired. It's like he intentionally tries to be boring.

Heh heh, a young boy would really not have a lot of patience. Barry then takes Wally to his home. He claims he's a friend of the Flash, and he's coming to visit. Wally's like, "Yeah, right. The Flash. Friends with you. Quit pulling my leg, Allen!" But Allen isn't pulling any legs.

Naturally, Wally is amazed. He's taking to the Flash in the flesh. But why is here? Well, Barry lets the Flash use his lab to crack cases. He lets Wally ask anything about him...except who he is under that mask. Got to protect that secret identity, after all. Wally then asks how he got his powers. Well, that one's alright. The Flash was standing in front of a cabinet of chemicals. A thunderstorm had erupted...and a bolt of lightning smashed through the window, causing the man who would become The Flash to be doused in electrified chemicals. And the Fastest Man Alive was born!

As if fate is having itself a bit of a laugh, there's a thunderstorm outside. And Wally is standing in front of a cabinet full of chemicals. You can guess what happens next.

Yup. They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, but that turns out to be bull.

This comic was really good. I really like that Waid gave much more depth and development to the early years of Wally West. It really does help explain why Wally became the man he is, and why he held Iris and Barry so highly in his life. I like the idea that he was a fanboy growing up. For Wally West, becoming a superhero was a dream come true, getting to fight crime and colorful villains alongside his favorite superhero. I also liked the scene with him using the fire hydrant to help save the Flash from the bank robbers. It showed that Wally already was a hero at heart, even before getting superspeed.

I love Greg Laroque's art here. It's very clean and has a bit of a cartoony vibe to it. There was good art in 90s comics, you just had to look beyond Image and the X-Books. If you want to read this yourself, I recommend picking up the 2016 trade paperback The Flash by Mark Waid Book One. It's a good trade, worth the money.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Join me next time as the Secret Wars rage on...

Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold #2 (November 1999)

The Brave and the Bold. To DC Comics fans, the name holds a great significance. The original Brave and the Bold was a long-running comic series that lasted 200 issues, from 1955 to 1983.

Originally, The Brave and the Bold started out as an anthology series that told tales of adventure set in the past. These stories would focus on characters like the Viking Prince and the Silent Knight (Hooooly niiiiiight...). With issue #25 (which introduced the Suicide Squad), the title would be retooled into what was essentially a "tryout" comic for new characters and ideas. It was during this time that the title would really become known for introducing some DC Comics institutions that still exist today:
- Issue #28: Justice League debut
- Issue #34: Silver Age Hawkman debuts
- Issue #54: Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash team-up, setting up the Teen Titans
- Issue #57: Metamorpho debuts
- Issue #60: Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) debuts
- Issue #79: Neal Adams' first work on Batman
- Issue #85: Neal Adams redesigns Green Arrow
- Issue #166: Nemesis (Tom Tresser) debuts

Indeed, the title was very important to the DC Universe. As such, even though the original series ended in 1983, the name never really went away. In 1991-1992, DC released a Brave and the Bold miniseries by Mike Grell and Mike Baron. It focused on Green Arrow and the Question. In 2007, another ongoing series of the same title was released. It lasted 35 issues. And then, there was the animated series Batman: Brave and the Bold, which had Batman team-up with various heroes around the DC Universe. It was a fun cartoon. It deserved more seasons. That cartoon also had a tie-in comic, which I looked at a couple issues of here and here.

The comic we're going to look at her is the second issue issue of the 1999-2000 miniseries, which focused on the Flash and Green Lantern. In particular, the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. Each issue was set at different points in DC continuity, and it explored the friendship between the two men. So, with that intro out of the way, let's take a look at Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold #2!

The cover is pretty awesome. It's a Barry Kitson piece. I love the reflective effect on Hal Jordan and Barry Allen in the mirror traps. I also like that the mirror motif is repeated with the villains in their pose as they blast the pyramid. It's really cool. Also, the text "Introducing: Kid Lantern" and the font of it helps give the cover the feel that this is a comic that you could find on a newsstand back in the swinging Silver Age sixties. I love this cover.

"Lightspeed"
Writers: Mark Waid, Tom Peyer
Penciler: Barry Kitson
Inker: Barry Kitson
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editors: Peter Tomasi, L.A. Williams
Executive Editor: Mike Carlin

The story begins with a dinner date. Former hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is at a restaurant with his latest galpal, Eve Doremus. The two dated between the events of Green Lantern #58 (January 1968) and #68 (April 1969). Iris West is there, and she brought along her young nephew Wally.

Hal is visiting Central City, so he thought he'd come play catch up with Barry and Iris...even though Barry isn't here yet. Late as usual, our Mr. Allen. Hal mentions that Barry can't stop talking about becoming an uncle, thanks to his marrying Iris in The Flash #165 (November 1966). Wally was looking forward to meeting Hal, as he's never met an actual test pilot before. However, Hal has given that up, and is now an insurance claims adjuster.

Hal tries to explain the job to Wally, but the redhead is bored by it. Barry finally arrives...in time to pay the check. He wants to pay, but Hal insists on doing so. However...he doesn't have the cash on him, so he asks Barry to loan him some money. Hal needing to borrow some money from Barry was a bit of a running gag throughout this miniseries. Barry explains that the reason he was late was because he ran into something that he, Hal...and Wally need to look into.

The three drive away into an alley and suit up.

"You're darn right I'm Green Lantern, son!"

Yeah, this is evidently where Hal and Wally first learn the other is a superhero. There was a bank robbery earlier this morning. The vault was cut open, and the responsible party used some kind of energy weapon to do it. It left behind energy residue...that matches Green Lantern's ring. What could duplicate that energy so perfectly. Flash and GL get zapped before they can make any theories, and the responsible parties make themselves known.

"I was thinking of calling our team Mirrorhand, but Mirror Master threatened to punch me."

Meet Sam Scudder, the Mirror Master! You may know him from my Crisis on Infinite Earths reviews, in which he died. Scottish mercenary Evan McCulloch would end up taking up the mantle. And who's his partner? Meet William Derek Hand, the Black Hand! Hand has an energy device that can absorb Green Lantern's ring power and use it for his own purposes. Hal thought the device was drained. So did Hand. But Mirror Master had discovered that there was still some residual ring-power left in the device, so he used his mirrors to...enhance it somehow. I dunno. Silver Age science. Hand admits he did not expect to see the Emerald Gladiator in town. Kid Flash charges in, but Mirror Master creates a bunch of images of himself and Black Hand to throw the teenage hero off. Black Hand fires his power-draining beam at Hal, but Wally takes the energy bullet.

"AW GAWD THIS HURTS! WHY DID I DO THIS?!"

The two villains take advantage of the confusion to flee. Hal and Barry pursue them...but Wally can't keep up. It seems the young speedster has lost his speed powers. Barry then realized something. Why did Black Hand come to Central City? Green Lantern mainly operated in Coast City. It turns out he wasn't there for Green Lantern's power...he was there for Flash's power. Wally is scared, as he fears that his powers are gone for good. Barry assures him that they'll find a way to get his speed back, but he has to sit this out for now. Wally eagerly wants to help, so Hal gives him a way.

"Finally, I get to have a sidekick!"

Meet Wallace West, Kid Lantern! Black Hand and Mirror Master are flying on a giant mirror. The heroes chase after him, Wally enjoying being able to fly thanks to his new ring. To get the heroes off his and Mirror Master's trail, Hand zaps a police car with Wally's speed, causing it to careen out of control. Hal and Barry make a plan to stop the car, but Wally grabs the car in a construct of a racetrack. However, that doesn't slow it down. Barry takes apart the car's wheels, and the vehicle is able to stop.

Mirror Master fires at Hal and Wally with a mirror beam. The beam bounces off a building's window, and hits a pair of helicopters. Wally tries to catch one with a net construct, but the helicopter is yellow...and Green Lantern rings at the time were useless against anything yellow. Wally is able to quickly recover from his goof by using a piece of gray concrete to catch it. Hal and Wally are celebrating while Barry is helping the cops out of the car. The forensic scientist has concerns about their working together, but a call on the police car's radio forces him to table them.

Hal and Wally fly off, eager to kick some butt and save the day. Barry...is not feeling this right now. Meanwhile, what's happening with the girls? Well, they're hanging out in Iris's apartment. Eve just finished telling one of her stories about her misadventures in the high life, when she remarks that she finds it funny Barry and Hal are good friends, considering how different they are. Iris wonders what Hal sees in Eve...while wondering what she sees in Barry.

Barry fears Hal is being a bad influence on him. You see, he thinks that Hal is a bit jealous of Barry's having a rather stable life, and he's using this whole thing with Wally to try and mess that up a bit. Hal thinks Barry is letting his ego talk for him. However, it's broken up by Wally, who points out something's going down at the Central City Stadium. And no, it's not your typical hockey fight.

"This is pucked up!"

Wally goes to find the villains, much to Hal and Barry's consternation. The hockey players have been affected by Wally's stolen speed powers, so making sure they don't end up killing each other or themselves is the priority. Barry's having trouble running on the ice, but Hal can't help him because of yellow boots. Thanks, Parallax. The tension between them starts to rise until...

"Huh. So that's what it's like to see other people get concussions."

Ouch. Normally Hal is the one who gets brained by things. Mirror Master sends out a mirrored pyramid-like device that traps the two heroes. Hal tries to blast his way out, but it's no good. Barry is still a bit dazed...and likely has a concussion. Mirror Master and Black Hand gloat over their victory...but Wally is still free. He tries to engage them, but his ring putters out. With Green Lantern trapped, Wally is cut off. Black Hand prepares to use his gun/wand/cigar-shaped weapon to speed up Wally's heart until it explodes...but the weapon is empty. Wally somehow drained its energy...restoring his powers.

"Room-a-zoom-zoom!"

Kid Flash is back! Black Hand tries to shoot him again, but can't get a bead on him. Mirror Master flees with a mirror, but GL stops him. He traps the two villains in a cage construct. Barry is wondering one thing...how did Wally beat these guys? Well, Wally explains it. He had caught up with the villains. But before they spotted him, he used his ring to get Black Hand's power-absorbing weapon, and them replace it with a fake. He then fired the weapon at himself...and Kid Flash was back!

As the cops take the two villains away, Hal notes that they did all this havoc for seemingly nothing. It's like they cared more about feeding their egos than getting rich. Barry's hoping it stays that way. Otherwise, Wally's going to have his hands full in the future when he retires. After all, who else is going to fill Barry's boots when he's in a nursing home HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Barry won't get to retire.

As Kid Flash signs some autographs, Barry and Hal apologize to each other. Barry should have given the benefit of the doubt, and Hal cut Barry off at the knees in front of Wally. Hal wonders why he didn't use his ring to stop the trap before it caught him and Barry. The Flash believes that he wanted to save them with his speed to show that at heart, he's a Flash.

That night, the three go to a diner for dinner, alongside Iris and Eve. Iris points out that they didn't take Wally home. The three try to make an excuse, but they're saved by Eve. She spits out her coffee and complains about the diner being a pigsty. The comic ends with Barry and Hal sharing a laugh, while Iris is just confused about the whole thing.

This comic was rather fun. I highly recommend it. The story had a real Silver Age feel to it, which is rather appropriate for this story. I loved that Waid and Peyer remembered that back in the Silver Age days, Black Hand was fond of spouting clichés. Nice attention to detail there. Also, I have to give props to Barry Kitson's art. I love his art here. It's very clean and expressive. I also liked seeing Mirror Master and Black Hand team-up. It's really cool seeing supervillains we don't often see joining forces doing so.

Another nice touch is the tension between Barry and Hal. Barry had just become a part of the West family at this point, so it makes sense he'd want to be a positive influence on his new nephew Wally. It is understandable why he would be concerned about Hal suddenly, and unintentionally, undercutting him by giving Wally Lantern powers for a while. I also have to give a shout-out to Barry Kitson's art. It's wonderful to look at. It does not outright imitate the art of Carmine Infantino or Gil Kane, it does have an appropriate feel for a more lighthearted Silver Age-style story like this.

I only have a couple of complaints about the story. One is how Kid Flash got his powers back. Black Hand's power-absorbing weapon is yellow. At the time this story was set in, Green Lanterns' power rings were ineffectual against anything that was yellow. Heck, the story showed that. So, how did Kid Flash lift the weapon with his ring? He should not have been able to do that. Also, Iris's wondering about her relationship with Barry goes nowhere.

There is also a bit of a timeline goof-up here. You see, Hal states in the story that he's been dating Eve for 2 months, one week, and 3 days. If we went by comic publishing dates, the story should also be set between The Flash #176 (February 1968) and #187 (May 1969). However, Barry and Iris are married, but she seems to be unaware of his being the Flash. So, that means it's also set between The Flash #165 (November 1966) and #174 (November 1967). Whoops. It's just something that I felt I had to point out. It doesn't hurt the story in any way, so it's not a big deal.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I got it from the 2006 trade paperback Green Lantern: The Greatest Stories Ever Told. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! Next time, we take a look at the formation of a unique new Justice League team...

Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! In the last issue, we said goodbye to the original Supergirl, Kara Zor-El. She had sacrificed her life to stop the Anti-Monitor from bringing about the destruction of the five remaining Earths in the original DC Multiverse. But she will not be the only hero to meet her end in this miniseries. Yes, this miniseries is also known for the death of Barry Allen, the Flash of the Silver Age. So, how did he go out? Let's find out by looking at Crisis on Infinite Earths #8!

 

The cover is awesome. We got Barry Allen standing defiantly against the Anti-Monitor, a knocked cold Psycho-Pirate in his hand. The angle really shows how big and imposing the universe-destroying madman...mad-machine? ...is. It also reminds me of the film poster of For Your Eyes Only, one of my favorite Bond movies.

Yeah, it's the UK poster, but still, see what I mean?

"A Flash of the Lightning!"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Editors: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger

The story begins on...or rather, inside the Anti-Monitor's ship. Inside, the Psycho-Pirate is terrified. He fears the Anti-Monitor will kill him because his powers burned out when the anti-matter tyrant needed them (last issue, the Anti-Monitor ordered the Psycho-Pirate to use his powers to make the heroes who were attacking his citadel his slaves. The Pirate wasn't able to do it because when his powers were amplified to induce panic in the people of the remaining Earths, they got burned out). In his fear, he's ranting and raving to an...unwitting audience.

The Pirate admits to Flash that he hopes that the explosion that killed Supergirl also took the Anti-Monitor out. He also noted the irony that he's feeling all this fear and anxiety...and he can't use it. But contrary to the villain's hope, the Anti-Monitor lives. And he's got himself a new look.

I have to admit, I get the new design here. It's much more sleek than the original appearance. I love the Anti-Monitor's original look, but let's be fair. It's complicated, and extremely intricate. It's something only George Perez can do regularly. This new design is sleeker, and presumably, easier to draw. Reminds me of something Erik Larsen said. He basically said that when you design a costume, you have to keep in mind people will be drawing it over and over again. I can see this design being easier on the artists than the original. Also, I like the design. Very sleek.

But enough ranting about art design, let's get back to the story! The Anti-Monitor plans to head back to Qward, where from there, he will destroy the Earths. The Pirate is grateful that the Anti-Monitor will let him live, but the Anti-Monitor reminds him the only reason the Pirate isn't dead is because he still could have a use for the emotion-manipulator, and he can't exactly get another one at the moment.

On the hellish world of Apokolips, Darkseid's resident scientist Desaad has spotted the Anti-Monitor's ship. He wonders what can be done to stop him, but Darkseid has already taken some precautions. He has had Apokolips cloaked from the anti-matter monster's notice. The tyrant is perfectly content to let the heroes and the Anti-Monitor duke it out. If the heroes win, then the status quo will be maintained. If they lose? Well, that means the Anti-Monitor will be weakened, so it will be easier for Darkseid to finish him off.

Whereas Apokolips is willing to chill out and wait to see what happens next, Oa is not so willing. The merging has stopped, which has somehow freed the Guardians of the Universe from the state they were in in the last issue. Katma Tui is wondering why the Green Lantern Corps weren't called in to fight. Arisia agrees, as the Guardians had to have known about this whole craziness with the Anti-Monitor. They admit they knew of something crazy going down, but they had no idea of the extent of it. The Guardians argue amongst themselves about what should have been done, hinting at a potential split down the line.

In the 30th century on Earth-1, Brainiac 5 is hard at work, trying to find a way to repair the damage to the five Earths. The other Legionnaires know Brainiac 5 is pushing himself so hard because of Supergirl's death. You see, the brainy Legionnaire had a long-going thing for the Maid of Might, and considering the character at this point already had a history of being a bit mentally unstable...yeah. The other Legionnaires have every right to be concerned.

In Earth-1's then-present, the heroine known as Firehawk is visiting Firestorm in Pittsburgh.

She wanted to know what was up between him and Killer Frost. However, Firestorm gets a call. It's Vixen, and she's found the scientist known as T.O. Morrow. The three heroes, alongside the Martian Manhunter, take the criminal inventor to the old Justice League Satellite, now abandoned and in disrepair. Despite this, there are still-functioning areas of the satellite. So, why is Morrow being taken there?

The Teen Titans' Cyborg and the Atom are examining the body of the Red Tornado. They're trying to repair him, but they find his android body way too advanced for them. Considering that T.O. Morrow was the android's original creator, they figured that he may be able to help. The Atom, using a special pair of camera-goggles, shows what he sees on his journey through the inside of the Red Tornado.

Morrow is shocked. The Anti-Monitor had altered the Tornado's insides, making him something completely different from the original android he built years ago. He has no idea what he even is looking at, much less how to approach fixing him. The John Stewart Green Lantern flies out to Los Angeles, and picks up the Blue Devil, taking him to the Satellite. The Devil wonders why they want him, as he's not a scientist. He's reminded he built the original bio-suit. Yeah, the Blue Devil was originally a man in a suit, but thanks to a demon, he got turned into an actual demon. Ain't comics great?

The Blue Devil observes Morrow take off the Red Tornado's head. The demon notes that the insides of the android are glowing. He then realizes something is going on. The Atom leaps out of the robot, screaming that the robot's insides are going crazy.

Yup, the Anti-Monitor booby-trapped the Red Tornado, causing the hero to explode in a firestorm. Speaking of Firestorm, he notes that Firehawk is missing. She's alright, but her costume is busted up. Luckily, she has molecular reconstruction powers, so she can make a new one.

Yeah, this bit was only an excuse to give a minor character a new suit. T.O. Morrow tries to flee for his life, with the Blue Devil after him. Morrow vanishes, leaving the Devil confused. The former stuntman spots a space warp, and it pulls him in. He finds himself on a spaceship operated by the Omega Men. After the events of Omega Men #31 (October 1985), the Vega system thinks the Omegas are dead...and this warp may ensure that reports of their deaths will not be greatly exaggerated. The warp is causing the ship to disintegrate, leaving the Blue Devil to wonder how he's going to get out of this mess. You'll have to read Blue Devil #18 (November 1985) to find out how. Back in the anti-matter universe, the Anti-Monitor is overseeing some construction.

What is it that he's building? Well, it's a cannon. A big ol' cannon. Yup, he's going to use this thing to literally blow the five remaining Earths away. Meanwhile, the Psycho-Pirate has come to visit the Flash. His powers are starting to return, and he wants to have some fun with the Scarlet Speedster, who is trapped in some Jello glue goop. He tries to use his powers on the Fastest Man Alive, but Barry Allen is having none of it. He breaks out of his...Jello glue goop, and gives the Pirate a Mighty Punch, and he has one for his Thunderer guard, too.

The Pirate tries to make Barry afraid of him again, but the forensics expert manages to resist it and give the Pirate another Mighty Punch. And another. And another. And another. And one more just for the heck of it. The emotion-manipulator pleads for his life, and Barry tells him that he's got a little scheme going, and the Pirate is going to help him. What's the plan?

Well, Barry plans to use the Psycho-Pirate's powers to make the Anti-Monitor's Qwardian Thunderers to turn on the cosmic cyborg and attack him.

With the Thunderers raining their bolts on the Anti-Monitor, Flash turns to the anti-matter cannon. The Psycho-Pirate pleads for Flash's help, but he only gets another Mighty Punch. As far as the Flash is concerned, Psycho-Pirate deserves it if the Anti-Monitor kills him. He was willing to join up with a being that killed uncountable amounts of people with no remorse, and the five Earths were next on his hit list. Barry vibrates inside the cannon.

Barry discovers that the cannon's power source is concentrated anti-matter. He can feel himself weakening somehow. I have no idea. He has to destroy the cannon, and there's only one way a Flash can do it.

Barry Allen begins to run.

He runs, faster and faster, despite his growing weaker. His legs are feeling like lead, but still, he runs. He thinks about his parents. He thinks about his wife Iris. He thinks about his friends and loved ones, like Fiona Webb, Wally West, Dexter Myles, Ralph and Sue Dibny, Hal Jordan...he knows he's dying, but still...he runs. He runs, despite the pain he is in.

The Anti-Monitor endures the assault of the Weaponers of Qward, getting his armor damaged in the process. He manages to fight them off. The cosmic cyborg witnesses the cannon over-loading, Flash's running is causing the cannon to overload, the anti-matter energy inside being forced inside the machine.

Faster and faster Barry Allen runs. He is in pain, and his body is slowly disintegrating. His speed is so great, he starts flashing through points in time, seeing Kid Flash, and the Joker and Batman (from issue 2), and he screams for help. Barry keeps running as his body wears away, leaving an empty costume. His running is not in vain, as to the horror of the Anti-Monitor, his cannon explodes into a useless pile of wrecked metal and rubble.

From a meta-perspective, Barry Allen dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths made a bit of poetic sense. It was a Barry Allen story, "Flash of Two Worlds", that introduced the DC Multiverse. And it is appropriate that his final adventure be in the story that ends the DC Multiverse. The Anti-Monitor takes the destruction of his cannon rather well. He takes the destruction of his cannon so well that he vows to make the humans suffer. He takes it so well that he absorbs the energy of the worlds of his universe, killing everyone on them. What does he plan to do with that energy? Well, do a bit of time-travelling.

The scene then shifts to Earth-1, particularly Challenger Mountain, home of the Challengers of the Unknown: Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis", Professor Walter Mark "Prof" Haley, and June Robbins. Evidently, they could not be bothered to come up with a nickname for her. The Challengers were essentially a group of four men who miraculously survived a plane crash. This event convinced them they were living on "borrowed time", so they banded together to have adventures. They first appeared in 1957. Yeah. June Robbins, who was an archaeologist and computer expert, would later join the group.

The five Challengers are monitoring some subspace readings Superman asked them to take a look at. They're a bit nervous about this new threat, as even thought they've managed to cheat death despite "living on borrowed time", they usually had some idea what they were facing. Evidently, none of the superheroes who were in the anti-matter universe bothered to tell these guys anything. "Prof" Haley picks up a noise on his equipment. It's a scream. But it's not a normal scream. It's a scream that seems to permeate the entire universe. It's a scream that gives the Challengers agony as lightning cracks in the sky. What could create a scream like this?

The Spectre, that's who. The embodiment of God's Wrath, screaming in frustration and protest. The Spectre is one of the most powerful beings in the entire DC Multiverse. Despite having near god-like power, even he is helpless against this crisis of multiversal proportions. The story has an epitaph to Barry Allen, the man who brought in the Silver Age of Comics in a streak of red and gold, including a quote from Scottish poet William Knox's 1824 poem "Mortality".

Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

Like a fast-flittering meteor, a fast flying cloud

A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave

He passes from life to his rest in the grave.

A rather appropriate stanza for a man known for being fast. In fact, the title of the issue is from the poem as well.

This comic is really good. The obvious highlight is Barry Allen's death. It's powerful, and he went out like the hero he was. This was why fans viewed Barry as the savior of the DC Universe, and one of the reasons why his return to life in Final Crisis was so controversial among the DC fanbase. As I said earlier, his death in this miniseries is appropriate, especially from a meta-perspective. Who better to give his life to save the remainder of the DC Multiverse, than the man who discovered it in the first place?

Fun fact, Marv Wolfman did include a hidden way to bring Barry back to life if another author wanted to do so.

Of course, George Perez turns in some fantastic art. I think Jerry Ordway's inks go very well with his pencils, like Terry Austin's inking complimented Byrne's pencils in X-Men. The usage of panels in Barry's death is very clever, the position and size helping sell the idea of Barry withering to dust. I do have one question, though. How did Barry know this would destroy the cannon? How did he know his running around the cannon's core would cause the energy storied in the cannon to make it explode? It's a minor nitpick, but it's just something I felt I had to point out.

Next time, gather around the Justice League satellite, kids! In a follow-up to my most popular blog entry ever, we shall finally hear Reena's Tale...