Wally is enjoying a (very adventurous) vacation in Skartaris with his family. Meanwhile, Wally is…waitaminute…ALSO in the Watchtower? That’s where we left off last issue. Don’t worry, all will be explained, although it will more than slightly blow your mind. There are all sorts of dangers for both Wally and…Wally in this issue, and there are still plenty of mysteries to be explored. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
JUST A NOTE AS WE BEGIN:
- In the waning days of the Silver Age (and yes, I’m called SilverAged Ed for a reason), one of the complaints about Superman was that he was SO overpowered. Need a planet moved? No problem. Super-hypnosis needed? Got that covered, too. Super-ventriloquism? Yep, that also. There was a time in the Bronze Age when they purposely decreased Supe’s powers just to make him more relatable (see “Kryptonite No More”, beginning in SUPERMAN #233 in 1971). I know, I know…WHY am I bringing this up in a FLASH review?
- That seems to be where we are with Wally West right now. I get it – some people lost their powers (Barry), others gained powers, and others had their powers change. That seems to be happening throughout the FLASH family, but wow has Wally upgraded! He can now split into two – not a remnant, not an illusion by running back and forth quickly, but literally split into two different people! And that appears to be just the beginning.
- The new suit (cool suit, BTW), I’m a fan) is part of this, appears intended to help Wally contain all the possibilities of his new power set. And no, I’m not missing the fact that just about EVERYONE in the Flash family seems to have some new powers…
- All this is to say that, while the story IS interesting and I AM on board, I worry a bit. I’m hoping we don’t end up with a Wally who has absolutely no limits to his powers.
- Okay, enough of that, let’s get to the review:
REVIEW:
- The Watchtower-Wally (got to separate them somehow) is working with the Justice League on a worldwide phenomenon. Psychic signals circling the globe are creating intense rage, pitting people against each other in deadly fights. Watchtower-Wally is almost caught up in that before Irey shakes him out of the influence of that signal.
- Irey is NOT happy that Wally has split in two – and she goes back to Skartaris to tell off Skartaris-Wally…who had no idea what was going on as Watchtower-Wally and Inspector Pilgrim/Wade “tweaked his memory”. But no chance to explore that as…
- The Flash family is attacked! They fend off the attack, but not before a LOT of strange things happen (you’ll have to read that for yourself).
- Skartaris-Wally investigates more and finds a place where his powers…vanish! Is it “togetherness” of the Flash Family that makes a difference? Or is is that dog that Wally didn’t remember having that is hanging around now? That is something we’ll have to find out more about next issue.
NOTES:
- Great script by Si Spurrier. The plot may be wild, but it remains easy to follow – and I love the interactions between Wally and Irey (see below).
- Irey continues to shine in this story. It’s not just her speed or the hyper way she does things – she also sees the connections between things (better than Wally? possibly) and contributes well to the storyline.
- I continue to love the new uniform – well done, design team!
- The artwork overall is excellent once again – thanks to Vasco Georgiev, Matt Herms, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
- ONE MORE NOTE: Yes, the phenomena each Wally is facing are likely connected. We just don’t know how yet…
SUMMARY:
- Still hoping Wally won’t be too overpowered…but this issue is still a 9/10. At least, that’s my opinion – what do YOU think? Leave your comments below!