Retro Review

When Geoff Johns was writing it, The Flash was one of my favorite comics. It had a heroic yet human star, Wally West, a good supporting cast, a great set of villains, and an interesting and detailed setting. The stories were rich and dynamic: action-packed single-issue stories linked by arc plots that played themselves out quickly; high-stakes multi-issue stories that brought all the characters into play; and a few one-off spotlights on some of the major names in the Flash’s rogues gallery. The writing showed a great understanding not only of Wally West the character, but also of the Flash’s powers, which were always used effectively. From #164 to #200 and #207 to #225, Geoff Johns delivered the goods, leaving the book with a story-telling engine full of potential for many more great stories. Unfortunately, Infinite Crisis was on the way, and The Flash was to be one of the casualties.

During Infinite Crisis, one of DC’s big cross-over events, Wally West, his wife, Linda Park, and their two new-born children were written out of the DC Universe, and The Flash was relaunched with a new #1 and a new Flash, Bart Allen, formerly Kid Flash of the Teen Titans. The new title only lasted a year, as the relaunch failed on every level. The first arc was a ‘making of a hero’ story that dragged on past its welcome, particularly in light of what was to come, and introduced a lacklustre supporting cast. The second arc seemed to be retreading old ground, with the new Flash having to prove himself to the old Flash’s enemies, and then it all turned sour in a dreadful “shock” ending that betrayed fans of the new title completely.

The second relaunch brought Wally, Linda and their children back in the original title, as if it had just been on hiatus, an idea that doesn’t bear too much thinking about, because that would suggest that everyone involved in the Bart Allen-starring title had known that it was going to get cancelled. The title looked to be in good hands, as the writer, Mark Waid, had worked on The Flash before, and had a good understanding of Wally and Linda. The new direction owed a lot to The Incredibles: the kids, now unexpectedly older due to their powers rapidly aging them, have powers that they want to use, and their parents let them, to a point. The idea isn’t a bad one. However, the stories by Waid and the writers who followed him have been sub-standard. Keystone and Central Cities are so unrecognisable that they could be any other cities in the DC Universe, besides Linda and the kids, none of the supporting cast from Johns’ run are brought back.

Worse yet, the Flash’s great rogues gallery is absent. A hero is only as good as his villains, and the Rogues are one of the best collections of villains in comics, but, possibly because the characters are all tied up in Countdown and Final Crisis, they aren’t being used here. Instead we have an alien invasion that feels more like a plot from The Atom; a strange and confusing story with people turning against the Flash involving Gorilla Grodd and two new villains; a padded and misplaced story crossing over under the Dark Side Club umbrella; and the current storyline which seems to be retreading old ground as the Flash loses his speed.

Given the events in Final Crisis, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll be seeing the end of Wally West as the Flash, again, and that would be a great shame. Pick up almost any issue off Geoff Johns’ run, and you’ll see the potential in the character and his old supporting cast. The current run is just boring, and a terrible waste of a great character.

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