The Flash Vol. 16: Wally West Returns TPB
Kevin Shinick
Jeremy Adams
Andy Lanning
Ron Marz
Clayton Henry
(Illustrator)
Sami Basri
(Illustrator)
Will Conrad
(Illustrator)
Marco Santucci
(Illustrator)
Brandon Peterson
(Illustrator)
David Lafuente
(Illustrator)
Kevin Macguire
(Illustrator)
Jack Herbert
(Illustrator)
Howard Porter
(Illustrator)
Berat Pekmezci
(Illustrator)
Bryan Hitch
(Illustrator)
Max Raynor
(Illustrator)
Scott Kolins
(Illustrator)
Tom Derenick
(Illustrator)
Fernando Pasarín
(Illustrator)
Oclair Albert
(Illustrator)
Marcelo Maiolo
(Colorist)
Hi-Fi
(Colorist)
Arif Prianto
(Colorist)
Michael Atiyeh
(Colorist)
Luis Guerrero
(Colorist)
Steve Wands
(Letterer)
Troy Peteri
(Letterer)
AndWorld Design
(Letterer)
I must admit I was cynical entering this new era of the Flash written by Jeremy Adams; what Joshua Williamson had to offer – himself following up on threads left open by Geoff Johns and Brian Bucellato – was a tough act to follow. The opening salvo brings with it a confrontation with classic villain Doctor Alchemy who has “levelled up” his powers by integrating the Philosopher’s stone into himself, and although nothing groundbreaking in itself, offers a cute insight into the value of the Flash’s ring and the symbolism it brings with it and legacy, being a reminder of why he does what he does. This offers a nice contrast to Alchemy’s ego-fuelled endeavours (or is it egoes?), but is nothing next-level in terms of writing.
I bypassed the tie-ins to a forgettable event DC threw in between issues, and leapt immediately then into the return of Wally West in the shiny yellow boots proper.
Serving as a “Rebirth” of sorts to Wally, as he is convinced to take up retirement, the speed force catapults him through his legacy in order to excise a religious Speed Force zealot with a superiority complex – a familiar face to Flash fans – that seeks to co-opt whatever the speed force stands to expand his influence (make of that what you will) whose presence corrupted the Speed Force.
High concept pseudoscience, impulsive hopefulness and time travel shenanigans is exactly what you’d expect from Wally West, and this is exactly what this section of the book offers. Presented more or less like an anthology in moments as Wally leaps from speedster body to speedster body across space and time, this part of the book is a fun road trip with different art styles to symbolise different eras (including the classic superfriends, if you can believe it!) which is, in all honesty, a welcome divergence from Brandon Peterson’s art (who seems to be the series regular artist and about whom I have mixed feelings about). This however gives me great hope about the series moving forward, and believe that the Flash has been left in good hands.
Here’s to hoping Adams keeps up the momentum!
