ALL FLASH #1

Justice, Like Lightning

September 2007

Written by March Guggenheim

Pencils by Karl Kerschl, Ian Churchill, Mauel Garcia, Joe Bennett, Daniel Acuña

Inks by Karl Kerschl, Norm Rapmund, Manuel Garcia, Ruy Jose, Daniel Acuña

Cover by Josh Middleton and Bill Sienkiewicz

Synopsis

In some manner, the speed force sought out Wally West and returned him back to Earth along with his wife and the twins, Iris and Jai.  Elsewhere, the rogues and Inertia have just killed Bart Allen.  When Wally learns what has happened, he tracks down Inertia and punishes him in the role of Bart’s death by trapping him in a frozen state, forever forced to look at a statue of Bart Allen.  Later, Iris Allen tries to tell Wally he needs to stop living inside his own head because he is not alone anymore.  He has his family.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I don’t think I ever read a single issue of Mark Waid’s run on the Flash, but I can tell from this single that he understands Wally.  No much really happens with this issue, but it still feels full.  I think a lot of that is the fact that Waid doesn’t dwell on Wally’s revenge.  He finds and deals with Inertia swiftly and quickly and in a decisive manner.  Then we learn what happens to the rest of the rogues.  Before Wally can wallow in angst, however, Waid makes sure to get Wally back to the person he should, thanks in part to Iris’ speech at the end.  DC doesn’t need another dark character looking for revenge or searching his soul for his place in the world.  After so long as a hero, Wally should know that and Waid makes the right decision:  get past Bart’s death as fast as possible and then write about the Wally that we all know and love. 

I hope DC was not expecting this issue to be a jumping-on point for the return of Wally West.  First, the issue picks up where both “The Lightning Saga” and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive ended while also picking up threads from Countdown (particularly the Suicide Squad trying to locate the rogues for their role in Bart’s death).  Plus, Wally’s absence began in Infinite Crisis when the twins were babies (as Superman mentions).  This is, for lack of a better phrase, continuity porn, which is rare when you get a book labeled #1. 

This issue is not about the past, but about the present and the future.  Thus, any references to where Wally had been and what he was doing were neatly sidestepped so that we get no answer.  In one regard, this will help anyone who is tabbed the writer when DC finally decides to write about the twins early years.  Unless, of course, whatever plans DC has includes a visit to wherever or whenever Wally had been living.

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