COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Welcome back to our Anniversary edition of the most important covers in the history of The Flash.  This week, we jump ahead to 1987, and we debut a brand new FLASH series.  But before we do, we have to make sure we take a moment to remember the life of Barry Allen, whom at this time, had sacrificed his life to save the universe during Crisis on Infinite Earths #8.  In Crisis #12, in the wake of the new singular universe being created, and the new DC Universe now streamlined, Kid Flash...who had been out of action since New Teen Titans #39 when he gave up the hero gig, was wrangled into Crisis, decided to take over the mantle of his Uncle, and became the third man to call himself The Flash.  After dealing with Darkseid looking to destroy the heroes in the Legends mini-series, Wally West was given his own series.  We take a look at the debut issue of that series.  

FLASH #1

COVER ART: Jackson Guice & Larry Mahlstedt

WRITER: Mike Baron

ARTIST: Jackson Guice

LETTERS:  Steve Haynie

INKS: Larry Mahlstedt

COLORS: Carl Gafford

EDITOR: Mike Gold

COVER DATE: June 1987

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

TAGLINE:  PRESENTING....THE NEW FLASH!

STORY TITLE: "Happy Birthday, Wally"

Flash #1 debuted in 1987 just after the min-series Legends.  This series was all about Wally West, and his quest to live up to the legend of his mentor and uncle, Barry Allen, who had died saving the universe.  Wally had quit the hero biz with the Titans, after the HIVE affair, and finding out that continuing to use his super speed was killing him.  After being called back into action during Crisis, Wally, searching for Barry, was blasted by the Anti-Monitor, and was cured of his disease.  However, it seriously dampened his powers, and he now could only go just above the speed of sound.  

This series focuses on a now 20 year old Wally, who feels the burden of not only the hero gig, but mostly living up to everything Barry taught him.  But he's also NOT Barry.  He doesn't lead a double life, and everyone knows he's the Flash.  Mike Baron broke new ground as a writer, showing a very capable, if not still somewhat immature, Wally trying to navigate early adulthood, and having to keep the legacy of a man who's heroic deeds gained him legendary status.  The entire 247 issues during it's run (including a brief halt from issue #230-231, and issues #0 for Zero Hour, and #1,000,000).  The series ended in 2007, and made way for Barry's eventual return after Flash: Rebirth.

THE STORY:  It's Wally West's 20th birthday, and as he celebrates with his friends, he gets a call from a hospital, asking if he could deliver a new heart to sci-fi writer Eugenie Hedstrom.  He needs to travel from New York to Seattle, and he asks them for health insurance along the way.  He gets through to Wyoming before he crosses paths briefly with the immortal villain, Vandal Savage.  He successfully delivers the heart, and stops a hijacking on a plane ride back home to New York.  He also finds out that he has won the New York State Lottery.  

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This was a great way for everyone who had not known who Wally West was to get introduced.  Not that there was too much backstory, but they give you enough details, including why he jumped back into the hero game, and why he took up the mantle of The Flash.  We see that he isn't anywhere near as fast as he used to be, and we see the pure human struggle of a young man who just turned 20, still trying to step into the real world.  We also see the return of an old Flash villain in Vandal Savage, and Baron sets up the next few issues of his first arc nicely.  Jackson Guice was the book's artist, giving us a new interpretation of our hero.  His art was different, and seemed to have an okay style, though I didn't care much for how he drew Flash in action with his superspeed, but when you've grown up on Carmine Infantino, you have high standards.  But it worked for the time in 1987, though he didn't last with the book too long...only about a year before he left.  Baron would also leave eventually for William Messner-Loebs, who took Wally into a completely different direction.  But for fans who wanted a new Flash comic...we certainly got one, and I was eager for it, and happy when I got it.  The series as a whole is worth a look-see...just to witness the maturation of Wally West.

One thing of note:  It became common practice for comic books to list the writer, artist, and inker's names on the front of the books.

NEXT WEEK:  We are introduced to a new member of the Flash Family...