Well, it’s been a good run…again…
I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention when the flood of solicitation information for the various companies came rolling in because I totally missed that this was the last issue of Wally West as the Flash. It’s like deja vu all over again. Is DC setting itself up for another round of fan backlash, or the beginning of the greatest era of comics since the 1980s?
Last issue, Wally’s beloved wife Linda was in dire straits as she lay on death’s door after being stung by a swarm of Queen Bee’s bees. To make matters worse, the mighty Queen absconded with Wally’s kids in an attempt to use their connection to the speed force to attack her enemies. With his powers not up to speed, Wally did the only thing he could think of doing – he went to the Spectre for help.
The only problem is, old green cape isn’t the same spirit Wally went to when he did that whole mind wipe thing (something that predates Spider-Man’s OMD), and that cranky bastard Crispus Allen isn’t willing to go to bat for the scarlet speedster.
One of the really nice items I’ve liked about Wally and Linda’s romance is how for year’s we’ve seen Linda act as Wally’s anchor when he’s been hopelessly lost. This time, after Linda’s passing, it’s Wally that serves as Linda’s anchor, which brings her back to her body (cue the awwww). Of course this OBE wouldn’t have been made possible without the help of Zatanna and Raven serving as messengers to the other side.
With Linda in the clear, Wally can turn his attention to his children, and with the help of his magical friends, he is able to open a speed force portal to the Queen Bee’s lair, where we discover Iris has been hypnotized into thinking the Queen Bee is her real mother. Queen Linda has been testing Iris’s control of the speed force to capture and prematurely age (to death) those trapped in the speed force bubble.
Wally and the rest of his Titans friends jump through the warp and are able to rescue Jai before realizing the Queen Bee and Iris have set out to do harm to others. Slowly, through the last couple of issues, Alan Burnett has brought the original Teen Titans together for one more grand adventure. I like this touch, as it once again emphasizes Titans Together, Titans Forever! But while it is a nice moment, there isn’t enough time for the members to show their battle skills as Wally must zoom off to find his daughter.
And as luck would have it, the speed force trail leads Wally to Justice League headquarters, where he is able to rescue everyone, and turn Iris’s phasing ability onto Queen Bee, who begins to vibrate to the center of the Earth. Seems kind of drastic for a hero, but I guess this is the kind of justice that is served when a baddie messes with family members.
With everyone out of harms way, what is Wally going to do next? He’s retiring. Yup, he’s walking away from being a hero, so he and his family can spend time together.
The End.
Wait. What?
Yup, this appears to be the final Wally West adventure, unless of course you count Wally’s appearance in Final Crisis, the Titans series, and other titles. I can’t say I blame Wally for deciding to take time off for family matters, It seems like the right thing to do, but this forced exit just so Barry Allen can return seems a little off. Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that Bart Allen took over the speedster job, only to be offed so Wally could return when fan outcry got a little heated.
I feel like going off on a whole “The world doesn’t need Barry Allen†rant, but that is probably better served in a stand alone feature instead of this review. So let’s just stick with the issue at hand. I liked how the dilemma was resolved, and even though the pace moved at a break neck speed, it all made sense by the last page. Even with three artists on board, the art jumps weren’t that drastic. If this really is the last Wally West adventure, which I doubt, I would say the series ended on a high note. Flash #247 deserves 4 out of 5 Stars, with the big negative being this is the second end of the Wally West era in two years. Anyone willing to bet he’ll be back in a year?
81/81