Flash issues# 74 -79 : The Return of Barry Allen
Another series of books I'm constantly searching for is Mark Waid's early run on Flash. These books are where I first discovered Mr. Waid, as well as the fact that the Flash can actually be cool. This run is still early on in his Flash lore. No Speed Force yet, no Impulse... but you can see the seeds being planted and the direction Waid is pointing as we are re-introduced to Golden Age speedsters, Max Mercury and Johnny Quick. Waid would eventually pull all the speedsters under this umbrella and give them something to tie them all together.These specific issues are the "Return of Barry Allen"... well sort of. Is it really Wally's Uncle, returned from his heroic death in the Crisis? What has brought Barry back from beyond?
In issue 79, Waid tells a story of how fans were constantly asking, "Now that you are writing the Flash, when are you going to bring back Barry?" It turns out this story was meant to help fans appreciate Wally and pay homage to what Barry meant to Wally and the Flash legacy as a whole. Wally stops seeing Barry as a unrealistic icon and realizes that he can not only be his equal, but surpass his greatness as a hero and literally run faster than Barry ever did. In the process, The Flash's greatest enemy has returned... I don't want to spoil this any more than I already have, but Waid makes the hardcore Flash fan realize... Wally can fill those Flash boots.
I love Mark Waid. I love The Flash. I love Mark Waid on The Flash. And yet, I still don't have the early parts of his run. I came on LATE, during the Morrison/Millar Black Flash storyline and then kept buying it through Waid's return and the marriage of Wally and Linda. I picked up a few backissues when I could, but the earlier run is still spotty in my collection, though I tried to get what Wieringo issues that I could. Maybe when I get my collection all in one place, I can go about trying to complete the Waid Flash run.
ReplyDeleteOR I could just hold out on the off-chance that DC would ever get around to publishing an omnibus.