THE FLASH #236

The Wild Wests, Conclusion:  Separation

March 2008

Written by Mark Waid

Pencils by Freddie E. Williams II

Inks by Freddie E. Williams II

Cover by Manuel Garcia

Synopsis

Wally West (aka The Flash) and his son Jai are fighting alien invaders in Keystone City.  Wally manages to disarm one of the aliens.  When he recognizes the weapon, Wally shows it to his wife Linda, who realizes that it also acts as beacon to allow the aliens to travel through dimensions, using a talisman given to Wally from the inhabitants of the Planet Savoth.  Wally tracks down the alien leader and takes him to Savoth, where they learn the aliens were descendants from aliens who once attacked Savoth.  Wally also discovers the alien has a talisman similar to Wally’s that provides the link to Earth and Savoth.  Wally destroys that link, protecting both planets, but also cutting off any chance for the Flash to return to Savoth.  Later, Wally realizes that with their kids helping to defeat the aliens, they are no longer just a family.  They are a family of superheroes.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

It should not be too surprising how this first storyline ended with Wally and Linda openly acknowledging that their kids Jai and Iris are part of DC’s first superhero family.  DC would not bring in the kids and artificially age them just to shuttle them off to the side.  Despite the fact the ending is a foregone conclusion (ha!) Waid manages to infuse the story with enough heart and action that it remains an enjoyable read.  As I have said in previous reviews, enjoyment of this book may depend on your feeling about the kids.  I happen to like Jai and Iris, so I have really like this book since Waid took over, and I look forward to reading more about their adventures after Waid is gone. 

As much as I like he villains and the story of their revenge, I think Waid introduces these concepts much too late for it to be effective.  Early on in the story, I think Waid was more concerned with Wally and the kids and I can’t blame him for wanting to focus on the main characters of the book.  But we really don’t learn about the villains until this issue, the final part of the story.  Even when we learn the what and the whys, Wally defeats them almost immediately after that.  I like the fact that there is a past history among the aliens and the Flash, but it seems incidental to everything else going on that it lacks any sort of oomph to the conflict. 

At the end, Flash rails against the alien and states, “You invaded Horvath.”  Earlier in the issue, Linda refers to the planet as Savoth.  I wonder if Waid, at some point, changed the name of the planet and somehow the editors missed the name change at the end.  I’d be curious to see if this is fixed in the trade paperback.

THE FAST LIFE,  Conclusion:  Linda

Written by Mark Waid and John Rogers

Art by Doug Braithwaite

Synopsis

On Planet Savoth, Wally West returns, this time with his wife Linda and their newborn twins, Jai and Iris.  They soon learn that the genetic make-up of the twins, aletered by Wally’s connection to the speed force, causes them to grow quicker than normal.  Linda asks the scientists from Savoth for help and they reluctantly agree.

Review

Essentially, this short back-up provides the background for Wally’s missing year, when Bart took over the mantle of the Flash.  It is vague enough that writers could always go back and write more, but it does address a few specific plot points from early on in Waid’s story, such as Linda’s newfound scientific acumen. 

Interesting to note that Wally refers to Superboy, something I did not think DC could get away with due to the legal battle with the creators of the Superboy.  Usually this would be changed to either Connor or Prime, depending on which Superboy they are referring to.  I’d be curious to see if that is changed in the trade paperback, as well.    

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