Wally West: Flash Appreciation 2018

[Kyer]

Convergence still didn't have Linda...just the kids. For me Convergence was a bit disappointing....but no where near as disappointing as Rebirth's not having Linda remember Wally. -That- more than anything else hinted to me that All-Might-Not-Be-Well even though was still feeling the glow of the Rebirth intro book.

Actually, I now recall that I loathed parts of Convergence because they killed off The Justice Riders Wally! Argh!

[married guy]

Convergence still didn't have Linda...just the kids. For me Convergence was a bit disappointing....but no where near as disappointing as Rebirth's not having Linda remember Wally. -That- more than anything else hinted to me that All-Might-Not-Be-Well even though was still feeling the glow of the Rebirth intro book.

Actually, I now recall that I loathed parts of Convergence because they killed off The Justice Riders Wally! Argh!

Yeah that bugged me too.
YEARS of firmly establishing that Linda was, is, always will be Wally's lightning rod and then DC pulled that crap.
I should have seen the oncoming shitstorm coming....

[Jekyll]

Come to think of it, I think Convergence was the last time we saw the JSA in action too.

[byrd156]

Come to think of it, I think Convergence was the last time we saw the JSA in action too.

Convergence was a last time for a lot of things that made DC great.

[Sam]

Favorite Wally West Arcs? Sounds fun, though I'll be leaving out a lot of great one-shots too. A lot of great one-shots.

1. Terminal Velocity (1994-1995)
This is the best case for why Wally and Linda are on of the best couples in comics. That ending...wow...

2. The Return of Barry Allen (1993)
Emotional, heart-breaking, yet uplifting as Wally ups his game. Also, one of those amazing one-shots leads into this arc: One Perfect Gift.

3. Ignition (2003-2004)
I think this story is highly underrated. I love the way Wally rediscovers his powers.

4. Blitz (2003)
Hunter Zolomon is a truly fantastic and terrifying villain.

5. Flash War (2018)
Bring it.

And another five:

6. Blood Will Run (2001)
7. Dead Heat (1995-1996)
8. Rogue War (2005)
9. Born to Run (1992)
10. Crossfire (2002)

[married guy]

I wasn't a big fan of Rogue War. I think it's Geoff Johns' equivalent to Mark Waid's Chain Lightning.
I'd replace it with the Vandal Savage story #42-50.
Vandal was a player in Wally's title from #1 with Velocity 9, Lady Savage etc. but it all culminated in #50.
Messner-Loebs did a helluva job running with what Baron had set-up.

[WallyWestFlash]

I wasn't a big fan of Rogue War. I think it's Geoff Johns' equivalent to Mark Waid's Chain Lightning.
I'd replace it with the Vandal Savage story #42-50.
Vandal was a player in Wally's title from #1 with Velocity 9, Lady Savage etc. but it all culminated in #50.
Messner-Loebs did a helluva job running with what Baron had set-up.

Vandal Savage was a great choice from Messner-Loebs for a big villain for Wally.

Although not a Flash villain exclusively, when he did show up in the Flash in the silver age it usually required a fun team up with Jay and Wally and sometimes even Hal.

And the comic was extra sized too.

678981.jpg

This was also one of my earlier comics I had so I look upon it fondly.

[Kyer]

Favorite Wally West Arcs? Sounds fun, though I'll be leaving out a lot of great one-shots too. A lot of great one-shots.

1. Terminal Velocity (1994-1995)
This is the best case for why Wally and Linda are on of the best couples in comics. That ending...wow...

2. The Return of Barry Allen (1993)
Emotional, heart-breaking, yet uplifting as Wally ups his game. Also, one of those amazing one-shots leads into this arc: One Perfect Gift.

3. Ignition (2003-2004)
I think this story is highly underrated. I love the way Wally rediscovers his powers.

4. Blitz (2003)
Hunter Zolomon is a truly fantastic and terrifying villain.

5. Flash War (2018)
Bring it.

And another five:

6. Blood Will Run (2001)
7. Dead Heat (1995-1996)
8. Rogue War (2005)
9. Born to Run (1992)
10. Crossfire (2002)

Oh man. How did I forget Blitz and Ignition? Granted, I hate the artwork in Ignition, but loved the JL's reaction to Wally when they forced an interview. hehe. That alone was worth it for me. Also loved the scene with Cold. Did he know about Wally or not?

Crossfire was just awesome. I remember reading it and wondering HTH is Wally going to get out of this one?!

Blitz cemented for me that Hunter Zolomon was a good villain for Wally. I like that he wasn't just some run-of-the-mill "I want to rule the world/get revenge on society, Bwahahaha! villain.)

[Fuzzy Barbarian]

If we're doing favourite Wally stories, mine are:

1. The Flash #0 (the Zero Hour tie-in), which stands well enough on its own that I don't really count it as part of Terminal Velocity.
This issue I think perfectly sums up Wally's character. Batman is Bruce Wayne's vengeance given form, Superman is Clark Kent's humanity, but the Flash, for Wally, is about escape -- it's what let him become the best of himself. Plus, seeing him come to terms with his parents was great. Seeing him reassure his younger self that, despite what he thinks, everything will work out, was just... touching. It's the kind of heartfelt stories that I think Wally's time as the Flash excelled at. The fastest, the loudest, whatever -- Wally West's Flash at his core always felt the most human to me.

2. Terminal Velocity
Well... duh. Cementing Wally and Linda as one of the great comic couples, and breathing new life into the Flash mythos.

3. The Return of Barry Allen
THE Wally story in a lot of ways. I love that Wally overcame his doubts and insecurities and came into his own, all while honouring Barry's memory and making him proud.

4. Chain Lightning
I love the sheer scope of this story. A race across time with the Flash Family against an evil legacy, all ending with a poignant moment as Wally sacrifices himself to protect the universe and his uncle. Little big bugged that Wally beat the Anti-Monitor and kept going (I mean... really?). The only thing missing is Linda, but that's a given with what came before this story. I still love that last little piece of narration by Wally. "It's over. Thawne's no longer a threat. Barry's safe. Time's at last been righted... and all it cost the universe... was a dreamer from Blue Valley, Nebraska... who grew up to find his every dream made real... and more wonderful than he could ever have imagined. I can't believe my time is done. So much glory... so much pain. If I had to do it all over again... I wouldn't hesitate for a second. It was a hell of a run. My name was Wally West. I was the Fastest Man Alive."

Crap, with a little re-working -- and the main story letting Linda go with Wally, Wally and Linda going off into the sunset with their kids -- I can see this being a definitive end for Wally as he fixes Doctor Manhattan's hijinks or defeats the Anti-Monitor/Superboy-Prime.

5. The Dark Flash Saga
Loads of twists and turns with a beautiful ending. Walter was a great character and I love Wally and Linda's wedding, which summed up their relationship really well.

6. Blitz
Gave us the perfect villain for Wally, a character had a personal connection to him, was a thematic opposite to him and had the exact right power set to be a threat but still beatable. I'm still astounded by how well thought out Hunter as a character was. The ending was kinda lame, especially Wally getting his secret identity back, but the rest of this arc was top-notch.

7. Rogue War
The culmination of, well, everything. Seeing Barry show up to fight alongside Wally was great, and the situation definitely called for it. When Barry and Eobard are used sparingly, I think they work infinitely better. That the story also gave us a good resolution to Wally and Hunter's conflict is great; despite how much I love Hunter, I think this was definitely the natural endpoint for his character. Also, after all the crap Wally went through, he finally gets a happy ending.

8. The Black Flash
Just... the creativity of it. The heartbreak of Linda dying, the menace of the Black Flash, how Wally beat the Black Flash, it's the stuff of legend. These cosmic, larger than life stories grounded in human emotions are what the Flash does best.

9. DC Universe: Rebirth #1
Okay, let's just ignore how nothing from here has really paid off for Wally. At all. And the Linda thing which was dumb. But Wally being stuck outside time, coming back (ignoring that I hate friendship bringing people back from the Speed Force) and warning the DCU about the danger to come... awesome. Also, his talk with Barry still holds up, and I get watery just thinking about it.

10. Dead Heat
The first big story exploring the Speed Force after its introduction, and it did it so well. The Quicks got great arcs out of this and Savitar and his cult were good villains and a badass conclusion with Wally and Savitar's race.

[Denirac]

If we're doing favourite Wally stories, mine are:
Crap, with a little re-working -- and the main story letting Linda go with Wally, Wally and Linda going off into the sunset with their kids -- I can see this being a definitive end for Wally as he fixes Doctor Manhattan's hijinks or defeats the Anti-Monitor/Superboy-Prime.

Damn, You’re absolutely right about how well that could work, something like:

“Its over, Manhattan is no Longer a Threat, The Universe is safe, Time has been Righted, and all it cost us was a Dreamer from Blue Valley, Nebraska, who grew up to find his dreams made real and more wonderful than he could ever have imagined... I can’t believe my time is done... So Much Glory... but So Much Pain.... If I had to do it again... I wouldnt hesitate for a second... It was a Hell of a Run.

My Name was Wally West and for a long time, I was the Fastest Man Alive, but now... my Race is Run, For Years I struggled to live up to Uncle Barry’s Legacy but Every Second of it was a Gift.”

That would be one way to end Wally’s story in a Satisfying Ending

[WallyWestFlash]

Vandal Savage was a great choice from Messner-Loebs for a big villain for Wally.

Although not a Flash villain exclusively, when he did show up in the Flash in the silver age it usually required a fun team up with Jay and Wally and sometimes even Hal.

And the comic was extra sized too.

678981.jpg

This was also one of my earlier comics I had so I look upon it fondly.

Actually, come to think of it there a couple of really fun issues where Vandal Savage was in it and Barry had a cool team up.

678837.jpg



679017.jpg



800555.jpg

[Spider-Ham]

Indeed, Wally's story is, unfortunately, far from over :

https://www.cbr.com/dc-comics-solici...-january-2019/

[WallyWestFlash]

Indeed, Wally's story is, unfortunately, far from over :

https://www.cbr.com/dc-comics-solici...-january-2019/

Nice. i thought this was going to come out next week because of the five week month. But it's a cool surprise.

I'm afraid to think what you mean by that comment.

[BohemiaDrinker]

"Hey, did you know that we KILLED Wally West?

You didn't?

Oh, yeah, we KILLED HIM, and if you didn't know that you're gonna know it now, because we're gonna drag his corpse around on humiliating covers until you realize we KILLED HIM! IN A HUMILIATING MANNER!

And it's all YOUR FAULT! You could have been happy in reading about Barry Allen "plain and simple". You could have given the new 52 a chance. You could have accepted the olive branch we at DC offered you with a character that managed to offend black people and Wally West fans at the same time. But you didn't. SO WE KILLED WALLY WEST!

LOOK AT HIS CADAVER BENEATH THE FEET OF OUR QUEEN HARLEY!"

Oh, DC's editorial, if only I knew curse words enough to describe you...

[Jekyll]

Probably my favorite Vandal Savage Flash story and covers! I think it was a three or four issue arc.
BCE9C342-5473-43AC-A131-4C75EE9A582C.jpg