As the Future Flash continues his run back to our time, Barry Allen is on two trails (or should I say, three). Who is the “Mashup Killer”, where is Wally, and why does Barry keep losing time every time he runs? That’s where we pick up with THE FLASH #33, out today!
LIGHT SPOILERS ONLY
The Central City Police are stretched to their limit and beyond, tracking down the killer or killers of the crew who stole all those super-weapons out of the evidence room during the reign of the Crime Syndicate (in FOREVER EVIL). One additional aggravation is that Iris West has been on that trail as well…and Singh is in no mood for people to be leaking news to the press. Still, Iris and Barry talk…about more trouble that Wally may be courting with a group of friends who are leading him the wrong way. Seven years from now, Future Barry has a confrontation with the future Trickster…with a notable difference from this blue Flash’s other meetings with Rogues in the future. All this…and the identity of the Mashup Killer…are in issue #33!
Let’s talk Wally just a bit more. No, Wally has NOT joined a gang – not in the sense of criminals bent on mayhem. The planned “criminal activity” is still in the realm of petty crimes, even though he could wind up in some real trouble here. Still, he is in the wrong group of friends, and if someone (Barry?) doesn’t turn him around, this new 52 Wally could become the very stereotype of troubled youth very quickly. Speaking of stereotypes, I still don’t believe that moving into unfortunate stereotypes is the intent of writers Robert Venditti and Van Jensen…but I am hopeful that we will move past this “troubled youth” phase of the story soon. I still believe good things are ahead for Wally, but I’m getting anxious while waiting for that day to come.
That being said, the overall story by Venditti and Jensen is very good. We are seeing that Future Flash hasn’t lost all heart, even though he is VERY different to the Barry we know. And, the hunt for the Mashup Killer has been excellent – and that story isn’t over yet. The artwork for this story continues to excel, with Brett Booth’s pencils, Norm Rapmunds inks and Andrew Dalhouse’s colors. The expressions are as amazing as the action sequences throughout this issue. While the Wally storyline is still a bit worrisome while we wait for the real Wally to step up, this is still an overall well-crafted tale – and I’m still looking forward to what comes next.
Wally started out very stereotypical, but if a white authority figure is the one to turn his life around and “save” him from gang life, the severity of his criminal behavior won’t matter; the racial implications are already pretty terrible. Intent on behalf of the writers doesn’t matter, in a lot of ways the damage has already been done.
I began reading this and realised I’d not gotten around to reading the previous issue, so I pulled double duty. And it did feel more like duty than pleasure, as I’ve quickly gotten tired of this storyline. The Wally business has to go to a predictable place. The future Flash reads like a mash-up of stuff we’ve seen previously, only grimmer. Patty is a needy mare. Iris is pushy and presumptuous. Singh is an idiot. And people drawn in less than midshot go super-skinny.
I’m seriously tempted to jump off the book until this storyline is over, and I’m pretty much a Flash lifer. The only surprise this time (the identity of the Mash-up Killer was awfully obvious) came with the Trickster business, but really, I want to be following one Barry, in the Now.