Wally West has been freed from prison and sent on a mysterious mission by a cosmic being called Tempus Fuginaut. Whether Wally is ready or not, it seems the entire Multiverse depends on what he does next. The Fastest Man Alive is still reeling from the events of HEROES IN CRISIS, and FLASH FORWARD does not shy away from the repercussions of that mini-series. So, this series is meant to answer the question: Can Wally West “Flash Forward” and once again become the hero he was meant to be? What happens as Wally goes to…Earth 23? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Wally West arrives on Earth-23, home of a now-critically injured President Superman. The Dark Multiverse is attacking, and Wally finds himself up against creatures from that nightmarish version of reality. The staff given to him by Tempus Fuginaut turns out to be the perfect weapon here, though the battle is far from over.

The darkness is set to envelop all of Earth-23 within the hour, setting up two really bad outcomes. One, the Dark Multiverse wins. Or, two, an Anti-Life Bomb sent by the Congress will kill millions in an attempt to stop the Dark Multiverse.  Tempus Fuginaut tells Wally to give up and move on to another world…but that’s not our Wally West.

Wally decides to fight!

In trying to save Earth-23, Wally finds himself up against several heroes. First is this Earth’s version of the JLA. Soon after, we get a visit from the Marvel-ish characters of Earth-8…and the result is amazing! It’s wall-to-wall action with a HUGE amount of inside jokes (that any comics fan should get as you recognize the characters).

In the end, Wally does save the day. More important, he is beginning to become the Wally West we all know and love. He is finding joy in the fight, more than he has felt in years. There is still the guilt that he carries, but we see the burden slowly lifting from his shoulders.

At the end of this issue, there is a HUGE reveal that I won’t spoil here. We see the potential fate of the fallen heroes from HEROES IN CRISIS, but it’s the people discussing this tableau that will get Flash fans buzzing! All I’ll say is that this is one of the BEST reveals one could ask for!

This chapter of FLASH FORWARD is scripted exceptionally well by Scott Lobdell. It gives a ray of hope for a character who has been beaten down so badly of late. And, with this chapter I’m definitely in for the long haul. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

As for the artwork, I cannot think of anyone more suited to take on the pencils for a Wally West story than Brett Booth. He captures the emotions just as well as the action – and both are absolutely outstanding! The same goes for the rest of this amazing art team – Norm Rapmund on inks and Luis Guerrero on colors. Well done to all!

SUMMARY:

THIS story gives me hope for Wally West…AND for the future of the DCU in it’s battle against the Dark Multiverse. I truly enjoyed all the action, the emotion, and the fun of FLASH FORWARD. This is a 9/10 for me – but of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

Share