Among the comics I never thought I’d have the opportunity to review would be…well, this one! Still, The Flash / Speed Buggy Special was a very pleasant surprise. It was lots of fun, giving Wally fans a number of Easter Eggs – and a new twist on the origin of the Hanna-Barbera favorite! Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Wally is in a battle with Kilg%re, saying one of my favorite lines (“A percentage sign? How do you even pronounce that?”). The battle is a tough one, until some key help arrives in the person of Dr. M. Blanc (a nice nod to famed voice actor Mel Blanc).
Dr. Blanc is one of the top quantum physicists in the world, and he figured out how to connect his Speed Buggy to the Speed Force itself! He asks Wally to help him test the capabilities of the Speed Buggy – and after speaking with Linda, he agrees.
As for Dr. Blanc? He spends one last night (almost) talking to his daughter and her friends…but that relationship has been strained for a very long time. It is a big regret for him. Still, on the next day…
They go into and through the Speed Force – but as they go through something happens to Dr. Blanc – his consciousness has been transferred into the buggy itself! So what happened?
Savitar happened. He took advantage of all the research to create doppelgangers of the buggy, with Speed Demon Buggy and Reverse Speed Buggy!
Yes, the good guys win – Wally is back with Linda and the Speed Buggy gets his own new home…with his daughter and her friends! No, they have no idea who Speed Buggy actually is (or was)…but he finally is able to establish a positive relationship and gets the opportunity to make up for lost time. We now have the DCU version of the origin story for Speed Buggy.
NOTES: It’s almost a shame that this story sits outside normal DCU canon. There are a LOT of great Easter Eggs for Wally fans (and Bart fans, and more). And, I actually like the twist they put on Speed Buggy’s origin story. This was light fun…and still a great tale. Scott Lobdell gave us a great script, and I remain a big fan of Brett Booth’s art. There are a lot of inkers and colorists – pretty much an all star list, making this a great addition to any Flash fan’s collection. I’ll give this a 9/10 – and if you haven’t grabbed this one yet, go back to your favorite comic shop and get this one now!
I agree. This was a great special.I liked the origin of Speed and his team. I also liked this being a Wally West story that seems take place sometime in the future.I know it’s wishful thinking but I’m hoping it becomes canon either after Flash War or Doomsday Clock. Which ever one streamlines the continuity first.
I balked at spending an extra $5 that week and had it not featured Wally West I wouldn’t have picked it up. I’m so glad I did! It was great seeing Wally and Linda together and the story was a lot of fun! I thought Savitar had remained dead since the original Flash Rebirth mini, but I loved his and Killg%re’s inclusion here! If you love Wally you’ll love this book!