CONVERGENCE is finally here, with all the timelines ever published by DC appearing once again – and the tie-ins bring us some of our favorites from the years prior to the New 52. For a generation of comics fans, The Flash was Wally West…and in SPEED FORCE #1, Wally West is once again The Fastest Man Alive! Wally, Jai and Iris are trapped under the dome in Pre-FLASHPOINT Gotham City – and that’s where we pick up in this tie-in to CONVERGENCE!
MILDÂ SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP
Only one city was saved from each “reality” in the DC Multiverse, and for the Pre-FLASHPOINT DCU, Gotham City was trapped under the dome. So, how do you get all the heroes of a universe in one city? Why, an event that triggers the JLA communicator, of course! Wally and kids were trapped in Gotham when that event turned into a dome over the city, and worse still lost their powers along with every other superhuman in the city. Wally has spent the ensuing year desperately looking for a way to break free and return with Jai and Iris to Linda, but without success. That is, until the dome suddenly drops!
In CONVERGENCE #1, we meet Telos, the living embodiment of the planet on which all the domes exist. His speech, setting the terms of the battles, is repeated in every tie-in this week. As the domes drop, Wally’s powers return, and the rest of this issue gives us both the scope of the worlds trapped here, and the desperate circumstances are made crystal clear. All of this is to set up the battle Wally will face in issue #2 of SPEED FORCE.
COMMENTS: Prior to FLASHPOINT there was a rumored second Flash series that would have taken the title used here. It may be almost four years later, but it is fitting that this series would be called SPEED FORCE, and it is very good to see the Wally known and loved by a generation (and more) of DC fans. It was also good to see the kids, although a part of me really wishes Linda had also ended up in Gotham somehow for the purposes of this book. I’m slightly torn by the pages where Wally and kids rush from city to city (or is it “world” to “world”?) in the hopes of finding “their” Gotham once again. The sequence does give an idea of the scope of this event, and for that it serves it’s purpose well – but parts of that sequence pushed Wally almost into the background, using him more as a framing device than a character. Still, the overall book was good. SPEED FORCE, written by Tony Bedard, balances introducing newer fans to Wally West with a story that long-time Wally fans can enjoy. The artwork was well-done throughout by Tom Grummett with inks by Sean Parsons and colors by Rain Beredo. The cover by regular FLASH series art team Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse was excellent. This is a definite buy for any Wally fans – and one of the better tie-ins of the week in CONVERGENCE as well.
Haven’t read it yet, but I like how they used the same Speed Force logo from the original Speed Force #1 almost 20 years ago. https://bartallenimpulse.blogspot.com/2015/03/speed-force-1.html
I’m just having a real hard time with the fact that all of the characters people have been wanting to return just happen to have been in Gotham when the dome went down… Far too contrived for my taste.
I thought it was solid. Its hard to satisfy fan-hunger(word?) with a two part series, but it was good for sure.
Speed Force to continue afterwards please!!!!!!!
Is it me, or DC plagiarized your logo, Kelson?
Nope! As Dallin points out, they brought back the logo from a 1997 one-shot that featured a bunch of stories about various speedsters including Barry & Wally, Jay, Max, Jesse Quick, and a future Flash. As far as I know, this is only the second time it’s ever been used.
This site’s logo is made from an Indiana Jones-inspired font called SF Fedora (the SF stands for “Shy Fonts,” not “Speed Force”) that I found on 1001 Free Fonts. Though I did choose it in part for its resemblance to that comic logo!
Ah, ok!
I have that, but the brazilian version has a different font/logo (or none, can’t recall, as it was in the middle of another issue)
It was good! Suffered a bit from tie-in disease, but for the most part it felt like the latest issue in a Wally West series before Rebirth, and i think that’s what people wanted. I will gladly take the twins over the Rebirth retcons any day of the week.
Ditto.
Wally/Linda/Jai/Irey>>>>>>>>> Rebirth
Thought I was done with new DC Comics, but some of these Convergence titles might get me back!
LOVED IT! Have to agree, the art is stellar and I totally miss Linda. Her absence brings a sense of sadness and longing to the title. I have a feeling of dread regarding everyone’s fates tho. And unless, I misunderstood, their entire reality is gone now, including Linda, meaning Wally is in jeopardy of merging into the Speed Force without her to tether.
Knew I was going to hate the premise: No Linda and apparently some motley Thanagarians wiped out The Justice Riders! My favorite Elseworld! :'(
How many pages of actual story is in book 1? The digital sales places are only giving MB counts and not page counts.
You knew you were going to hate it and did? Self-fulfilling prophecy…
Buuuuurrrn!
I adored this, it’s so wonderful to have Wally back, even for a couple of issues. But I want more. I’m pretty sure that somehow all the main DC worlds will be restored and left floating in the Multiverse for future use – I’m hoping next issue ends with a reunion with Linda, though that’s probably not possible until the entire event runs it course, NPI.