Wally has been reunited with [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] while working to rid the Multiverse of Dark Matter. There is only one world left from the Dark Multiverse…and Wally has found it! He has been successful so far…but can he save the day and save his children? What has the mysterious Tempus Fuginaut been hiding from Wally? We get a LOT of answers in this issue. Wanna know more about FLASH FORWARD? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Wally has found Jai and Iris on this forsaken planet. It isn’t a safe place to be, as Dark Matter is attacking all around. Wally tries to save his kids, but the Dark Matter wins the battle, and Wally loses Jai and Iris once again.
Devastated, he turns his anger on Tempus Fuginaut. Wally learns that everything he has been through so far in this adventure was meant to bring him to this place, to this time. Wally needed to learn why this last Dark Matter world…had to die!
Wally can’t fathom killing the one world where he has found his children. After fighting with Tempus Fuginaut, he begins to circumnavigate this world endlessly. He is trying to get rid of Dark Matter from a planet that is made of Dark Matter. At some point he is thrown forward to see…
The Mobius Chair!
Wally dares to touch the chair, and is filled with the knowledge of what has happened to him in FLASHPOINT and beyond. He has truly become…unmoored. Realizing this, he returns to talk with Tempus Fuginaut. Wally learns one more difficult truth. The reason he must end this world, the reason only he could perform this task…
Is because he created it!
Yes! Remember that the Dark Multiverse is filled with worlds that come from bad choices and greatest fears. Wally’s greatest fear? Losing his kids, of course. This Dark Matter world is populated by his fears, by the children he was afraid of losing. Can Wally do this job and save the Multiverse? Even if it means losing his kids again? Right now, that’s just not going to happen. He can’t do this…”not now. Not ever!”
NOTES:
- There are at least two points in this issue that give you a fantastic perspective on Wally West’s life. Long time fans will be able to see a lot of Easter Eggs in the two-page splash page at the start of this issue. A later spread takes him through his disappearance in FLASHPOINT. Lots of fun going through these pages more than once!
- The art overall was once again outstanding, from page layouts to action to expression. I don’t think you can find a greater fan of Wally West among artists than Brett Booth, and it shows in his pencils. Norm Rapmund’s inks and Luis Guerrero’s colors are right on point as well. Great job!
- Scott Lobdell has managed to pull our emotions in every direction possible. We’ve been given Roy Harper back…then saw him die again. But, this one tugs even more at the heart strings. Seeing Jai and Iris, then finding the choice that Wally has to make, is truly heartbreaking. I can’t predict what will happen in the final issue…and that’s the point. Lobdell is putting Wally back together again, but he isn’t making it easy. It makes for a powerful narrative, and I’m enjoying this ride.
SUMMARY:
This was the most emotionally powerful issue of the series so far. We are getting “This Is Your Life, Wally West” in the most heart-breaking way possible…but that’s the point. This is a great story, with great art to match. I’ll give this issue a 9/10. But, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!