Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2023

[Digifiend]

Solicit mentioned Jai, not Irey.

[Frontier]

Irey centric issue, it looks like.

Oh hey, Wally's kids interacting with Max .

[Drako]

Solicit mentioned Jai, not Irey.

Yes, you're correct.

[Waterfall]

Condolences to those with losses.

I will be frank, it's been ten years since I opened an account here, and I grew much older now. It's a shame that Wally's redemption came in so late, I just imagine what could have been had these adjustments were done a decade sooner. As a college student I was high on Flash, collecting everything. Back then superheroes were the trendiest thing too. But Didio ruined it all. Rebirth was a fantastic that made my more casual friends give comics a try but the pointless drag on with Titans and the cherry on top with HiC soured me too much.

Now I am a fully fledged adult with more focus on other aspects of my life. I read the book and move on, I'm not as invested enough to make reviews or long conversations. Usually same topics are going around anyways. I feel like fandom would have been more lively had they not dropped the ball with Rebirth, things just took too long.

[married guy]

I'm generally a fan of Spurrier's work. His Damn The All is bloody fantastic, but his take on the Flash just ain't clicking with me.
His voice for Wally doesn't sound right to me (I know, even as I type that I realise I sound like such an old whiny fanboy) and the story he's telling feels too dark for the character.
The Flash has a history of dimension hopping and weirdness, but it was always tinged with Silver Age silliness.
The story so far seems unrelentingly dark and I'm finding Wally is dimmed along with it.

We're only 3 issues in, and I'm not throwing the toys out of the cot just yet, but I really hope Si can pull a rabbit out of his hat here.

[Refrax5]

I'm generally a fan of Spurrier's work. His Damn The All is bloody fantastic, but his take on the Flash just ain't clicking with me.
His voice for Wally doesn't sound right to me (I know, even as I type that I realise I sound like such an old whiny fanboy) and the story he's telling feels too dark for the character.
The Flash has a history of dimension hopping and weirdness, but it was always tinged with Silver Age silliness.
The story so far seems unrelentingly dark and I'm finding Wally is dimmed along with it.

We're only 3 issues in, and I'm not throwing the toys out of the cot just yet, but I really hope Si can pull a rabbit out of his hat here.

I don't find the story that dark, honestly. It's got a spookiness and a menace to it, but I don't find it depressing or tragic or anything like that. It kind of reminds me of the Morrison runs of Flash or JLA, if anything.

Wally still seems like an upbeat goof, despite the troubles he's having.

The only part that's bumming me out is whatever is going on with Linda.

[Thor-Ul]

I'm generally a fan of Spurrier's work. His Damn The All is bloody fantastic, but his take on the Flash just ain't clicking with me.
His voice for Wally doesn't sound right to me (I know, even as I type that I realise I sound like such an old whiny fanboy) and the story he's telling feels too dark for the character.
The Flash has a history of dimension hopping and weirdness, but it was always tinged with Silver Age silliness.
The story so far seems unrelentingly dark and I'm finding Wally is dimmed along with it.

We're only 3 issues in, and I'm not throwing the toys out of the cot just yet, but I really hope Si can pull a rabbit out of his hat here.

I said is still on the pull list. With the Flash, the starting over is always slow. Ironically.

[Hol]

I don't find the story that dark, honestly. It's got a spookiness and a menace to it, but I don't find it depressing or tragic or anything like that. It kind of reminds me of the Morrison runs of Flash or JLA, if anything.

Wally still seems like an upbeat goof, despite the troubles he's having.

The only part that's bumming me out is whatever is going on with Linda.

I agree with this. Its dark in a spooky, weird monster way. But it is not a grim and gritty depressing dark. They are two different things. Wally and the cast still feel like themselves.

[Dred]

While he wasn't really present in the issue, this is my go to place to talk about Irey and the Flash fam in general and I'd like to say I could not recommend Beast World: Central City Tour more! It's largely a big supporting flash family showcase, mostly focused on Irey and Barry teaming up. It's a great stand alone story and I love seeing the kids interact with others. Irey comes off as sort of a hyperactive Barry -- smart, always has a plan. But Barry brings a level headedness and maturity that she obviously doesn't have yet to the dynamic. Just good stuff.

It's also very arresting for me because it's basically Spurrier writing a Jeremy Adams style story. If I didn't know who the writer was, I would've guessed this was written by Adams. Just goes to show that, despite the unusual tonal nature of the main comic being a very different meal to digest, Spurrier's chops as a writer can extend into the wholesome family superheroics just as well when the situation calls for it.

[Frontier]

They really seem to be trying to age the kids up recently.

[Dred]

Making up for lost time. Irey was the same age as Damian before the reboot and stuff so it's a bit weird how the twins are kind of knocked down in age relative to their peers. Adams was told they were around 8-9 years old but that's legitimately younger than they were when they debuted in Wild Wests.

It kind of reminds me of Wally West in the Silver Age. When he was side kicking for Barry he looked 10-11 years old. When he was in a solo backup story he was in highschool looking 16-17 and thinking and acting pretty mature. When he was with the Teen Titans he seemed 13-14 like the rest of them.

I dunno, Speed Force metabolism! I loved Adams' stuff and it was great to get the wholesome family adventures but I think I'd actually prefer the twins being establish as a bit older, closer to their real generation, again.

[Hol]

While he wasn't really present in the issue, this is my go to place to talk about Irey and the Flash fam in general and I'd like to say I could not recommend Beast World: Central City Tour more! It's largely a big supporting flash family showcase, mostly focused on Irey and Barry teaming up. It's a great stand alone story and I love seeing the kids interact with others. Irey comes off as sort of a hyperactive Barry -- smart, always has a plan. But Barry brings a level headedness and maturity that she obviously doesn't have yet to the dynamic. Just good stuff.

It's also very arresting for me because it's basically Spurrier writing a Jeremy Adams style story. If I didn't know who the writer was, I would've guessed this was written by Adams. Just goes to show that, despite the unusual tonal nature of the main comic being a very different meal to digest, Spurrier's chops as a writer can extend into the wholesome family superheroics just as well when the situation calls for it.

Yes this was a really fun issue! I enjoyed the dynamic between Irey and Barry. They fit well together. How interesting it would be if Irey was Barry’s sidekick sometimes and Ace Wally’s? Not something I would have seen coming.

The stuff with Piper was really good too. Not going to lie though, the pages written by the Speed Force comic writer were my least favorite.

My only complaint about the issue was Barry acting like he was bummed out because he isn’t as fast as Wally. Or the idea that he doesn’t consider himself a Flash anymore because of it. Seemed out of character. At least for the pre crisis Barry. I know Williamsons Barry was a mopey guy but even that version didn’t have that kind of ego.
Otherwise a really fun issue !

[Hol]

Oh and how great were the pages with Jai and Maxine?? I’m so glad Si is continuing this thread from Adam’s run.

And you’re right Dred. This felt like an Adam’s comic.

[Rac7d*]

That tie in made me really like Jai

Any recommendations for centric stories with him

[Dred]

Nothing much. The Twins only really get focus in a mixed review series of arcs at the end of Wally's tenure as The Flash, 231-247, before Barry comes back and the kids are erased for a long time. Then there's Adams' Flash which recently finished. Irey is usually the one given a bit more focus just because she's a girl and The Flash has been generally super male centric, but Jai gets his own focus issues in Adams' run.

They also appear as minor characters in Final Crisis, not that anyone remembers it because they're mostly just hostages to experience the horror of Green Arrow and others succumbing to Anti Life.