Contest: “Where Was Wally West?” Week Eight!

With Flashpoint upon us, and major changes for DC Comics heroes on the horizon, Flash fans across the country have been asking the same question: “Where is Wally West?”

While we do not know where Wally is now, where he will be, or how long it will be until he is anywhere, we certainly know where he was!  With that knowledge, we present the latest installment in our ongoing contest feature, “Where Was Wally West?”

On Wednesdays, we will post a panel or sequence from a classic comic featuring Wally West visiting an alternate reality, the past or a “possible future”.  Every fan who can tell us the issue, writer, artist(s) and a reasonable description of the locale/era, by Friday, will be entered into a raffle for a cool Flash prize!

Just send your responses to this email address (whereswally at speedforce dot org), and we’ll announce the winner on Monday!

So check out the image below and ask yourself, “WWWW?”.

This week’s prize is a Barry Allen poster by Alex Ross! Winners must live in the continental US or Canada.

Kid Flash in New DC’s Teen Titans

Today, DC announced its teenage superhero titles, including the new Teen Titans series.

Tim Drake is forced to step out from behind his keyboard when an international organization seeks to capture or kill super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he must team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and a hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash in TEEN TITANS #1, by Scott Lobdell and artists Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.

Tim Drake’s actually named. That’s clearly Cassie and Connor. Not sure about the other two women, but Jim Lee mentions adding new characters. As for Kid Flash, they seem to be going out of their way not to name him. His personality sounds like Bart Allen, but the shoulder symbol is the one usually used for Wally West. Can Dan Didio shed some light on this?

All of these characters have history with the DC Universe that existed before the team is built, but it might be just slightly different. But I think in capturing the voice and the spirit of these characters, I think they’re exactly who people think they are.

Newsarama adds that it’s Bart Allen, which certainly fits with Didio’s “exactly who people think they are” statement.

I wonder if he’ll still be a time-traveler? If he’ll still be Barry’s grandson? He could be a distant descendant (the way the Tornado Twins originally were in the Silver Age), which would remove one of the problematic aspects of Barry Allen’s return (namely that he’s supposed to be ~30 and has a teenage grandson, and even though he’s capable of traveling through time, he doesn’t use the ability to actually raise his kids).

13 titles left. Barry and Bart Allen are confirmed. Is there a place in the new DCU for Jay Garrick or Wally West?

Update: Several people, including Craig MacDonald and Scott Mateo, pointed me to this second image, which appears to be the actual cover for Teen Titans #1.

Update 2: Live Pa pointed out that there’s some more info in the discussion on Brett Booth’s blog.

Heat Wave and the Legion of Doom (Flashpoint)

Comic Book Resources interviews Adam Glass, writer of the miniseries Flashpoint: Legion of Doom, about the miniseries and the key role of long-time Flash villain Heat Wave, who in the Flashpoint reality is “Cyborg’s greatest threat.”

I guess the best way to explain it is, this is basically Heat Wave’s story, and it’s a classic revenge story. Cyborg, who is the Superman of this world, is his target because he stopped Heat Wave from doing something he really wanted. In the process, Heat Wave received burns over 60 percent of his body and he loses his sense of smell and taste. So he can’t smell or feel fire, which sets him off even more.

The series starts out in a supermax prison, and follows Heat Wave and other villains as he plans his escape and revenge. Glass promises a “ton of action” balanced with psychological depth as he explores Heat Wave’s obsessions with fire and revenge.

Head over to CBR to read the full interview. Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1 arrives in stores next week.

This Week: Flashpoint: Citizen Cold & Impulse (UPDATED w/Preview)

Two Flash-related books are out this week: The first issue of Flashpoint tie-in Citizen Cold, featuring a heroic (or is he?) version of Captain Cold as Central City’s resident hero, and a collection of the Impulse comics that introduced Inertia, Bart Allen’s dark twin.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold

Covers: Scott Kolins
Writer: Scott Kolins
Art: Scott Kolins

FLASH FACT! He loves someone he should not!

1 of 3, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US – RATED T

UPDATE: Newsarama has a 5-page preview of the issue.

DC Comics Presents Impulse #1

Written by TODD DEZAGO
Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER, WALTER SIMONSON, ANGEL UNZUETA and others
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER and WAYNE FAUCHER

It’s Batman vs. The Joker — with Impulse caught in the middle! Plus, Impulse battles Kalibak, son of Darkseid — and meets Inertia, the Reverse-Impulse! Featuring art by Ethan Van Sciver, from IMPULSE #50-53!

96 pg, FC, $7.99 US

A Brief Timeline of Flash Launches

  • 1940: Flash Comics #1 introduces Jay Garrick. The series runs until 1949.
  • 1941: All-Flash #1 launches, a second title featuring the Flash, running until 1948.
  • 1956: Showcase #4 introduces Barry Allen, ushering in the Silver Age of comics.
  • 1959: The Flash vol.1 #105 launches, featuring Barry, and runs until 1985.
  • 1987: Flash vol.2 #1 launches featuring Wally West in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths universe. The series runs until 2006.
  • 2006: Flash: The Fastest Man Alive launches featuring Bart Allen. The series runs one year.
  • 2007: Flash vol.2 #231 picks up where the previous Wally West series left off, and lasts another year and a half.
  • 2009: Flash: Rebirth (miniseries) re-introduces Barry Allen.
  • 2010: Flash vol.3 #1 launches, featuring Barry Allen, and lasts one year.
  • 2011: Flash vol.4 #1 launches, reintroducing the post-Flashpoint version of Barry Allen.

Three major launches from 1940-2005 (four if you count Showcase #4 and Flash #105 separately, which I suppose I should if I’m counting Flash: Rebirth separately from Flash vol.3), with remarkably consistent creative teams. Five relaunches from 2006-2011.

Things have changed a bit…

WWWW: Contest Winner, Week Seven!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this week’s installation of our “Where Was Wally West?” contest here at Speed Force!

We posted a panel from a classic Flash comic, featuring Wally West in an alternate reality, the past or a “possible future”.  Correct answers were put into a raffle, and a winner was drawn at random.  To refresh your memory, here is the latest subject:


Tell it like it is, Box of Speed…

Congrats to Robert!  This week’s subject was Flash #136, (February 1998): “Radio Days,” writer – Grant Morrison, artist – Paul Ryan.  Flash is forced to race his childhood imaginary friend across the universe, to the death.  Robert wins his choice of Flash posters!

See you next time, when we’ll ask “Where Was Wally West?”!