# Overview

**The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 1**

Omnibus collects - *The Flash* \#62-91; *The Flash Annual* \#4-6; *Green Lantern*\#30-31, #40; *The Flash Special*\#1; and *Justice League Quarterly* \#10.

**The Creative Team**

Writers - Mark Waid and Gerard Jones

Artist - Greg LaRocque, Mike Wieringo, Phil Hester and Mark Bright

**The Pitch**

When a freak accident gives Wally West the same super-speed powers as his uncle Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, Wally's journey toward becoming a true hero began. Watch him take on terrorists, gunmen, and villains while trying to cement his own legacy!

**Recommended Pre Reading**

The William Messner-Loebs run will provide some back ground context to the characters but Waid does a really good job of making the book new reader friendly. You can jump right in and not feel lost.

# Review of the Story and Art

**The Story**

What’s your favorite era of comics? Who’s your favorite character? What happens when those two things intersect in perfect unity creating one of the best comic runs of all time. For me, that’s The Flash by Mark Waid. WML set the groundwork for who Wally would become, Waid takes that groundwork and sculpts a masterpiece. This is where we see the true legacy of Wally’s time as the Flash be built. Recently I’ve been revisiting Waid’s Flash and I thought about doing a review of all three volumes at once but that felt kinda felt like a disservice to the review format since I wouldn’t be able to talk in depth about each volume that way they deserve. I really want to have a fleshed out conversation about the books instead of grouping them together and rushing through them. So keep an eye out for more Flash reviews to come in the future.

**The Good**

As soon as we jump into the main series Waid does a really get job of establishing the tone that the series will carry throughout its run. It can be very lighthearted and silly with really great moments of humor, but it’s also incredibly introspective and emotionally resonate story with deep meanings. It walks the line of being a fun book but also one filled with impactful messages. Waid doesn’t shy away from talking about and delivering messages about legacy, faith, inner turmoil, love, and reason. Waid’s willingness to dig deep into these things is the reason that Wally goes through such massive character development. The tone and messaging not only has impact on the reader, but the characters experiencing it.

The first real arc of the book is Born to Run. We see Wally run into his grandfather and have to confront his feelings and trauma from his own past. This arc is used to retell the origins of Wally and his becoming of Kid Flash. I think this is a perfect example of how to pay homage to the classic stories while revamping things for a more modern audience. Not only do we get the re telling of Wally’s origins here, we also get a really great story about the intricacies of familial love and the expectations that you put on people. Wally goes through a monumental change in life with his Aunt Iris and his new mentor Barry Allen. He gets swept up in this new life but what happens when that honey moon phase ends? Wally and Barry’s relationship is displayed as this really pure and genuine bond that informs the dynamic between the two from that point forward. The final two issue of this arc are very impactful. Seeing Wally and his father’s relationship where the expectations supersede the love that is actually expressed is something that hits close to home for a lot of people. It all wraps up around this beautiful moment of a kid having to grow up and realize that things aren’t always gonna be how you want them to. People aren’t always gonna act how you want them to. You have to grow despite those things. How does someone deal with those things while adding powers on top of that? It also has a meaningful ending about reconnection. Wally gets to reconnect with his Grandfather that he’s become distant from. It’s a really great story that has a lot of emotional depth.

After that we get one of the best holiday issues of all time with issue #73. Wally and Jay find themselves helping a pregnant woman trying to find her husband Joey who is about to do something he shouldn’t because of the weight of needing to provide for his new family. One of my favorite aspects of this issue is that while Wally is trying to do the right thing by trying to stop Joey from making a mistake, he actually has nothing to do with Joey’s internal decision. He comes to that on his own after helping a child and some self reflection over his own faith and decisions for his and his family’s future. He realizes the effects he would have on himself and the people around him. Wally shows up after that decision has already been made to save Joey and the child. It’s a really great issue about struggle and faith. In a world of superhero’s, it still matters if you do the right thing even as a normal person. You have to put your best foot forward and have faith for the future. No matter who you are you can make a difference no matter how small. It also brings Wally down to earth and sheds light on the basic human struggle. All of this being set in the backdrop of Christmas and the holiday spirit was just fantastic. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Then at the end we get the big reveal. The return of Barry Allen.

After the massive reveal of issue #73 we get the story of Barry returning from the dead. Waid did such a great job of manipulating your feelings as a reader through the writing of the internal monologue of Wally. The initial reveal of Barry is filled with excitement and shock. How is Barry back? Who’s gonna be the Flash? But through Wally internal thoughts you’re made to feel the same doubts that he has. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Is it too good to be true? Add all of that on top of Wally’s creeping insecurity over his place in a world with Barry in it, and it makes for really compelling writing. All of this is built throughout the story, dividing you between excitement and doubt. All this leads to Barry’s visit with Iris’ grave. Not only does this resonate with the reader, but Wally as well. Wally lets go of his suspicions and lets his guard down. He finally accepts that his friend and mentor is back. As a reader we get to see a grown Wally and Barry take on the legacy together for the first time… only for that to be ripped away the next issue, and it is done MASTERFULLY.

In a conflict, it seems like Wally is killed. The goon exclaims “I killed the Flash!” Which sets Barry off. He starts beating him ruthlessly. Wally, who survived, goes to stop Barry but overhears what he’s saying. He’s not angry over Wally, he’s angry because Wally was called Flash. Barry is the only Flash in his own eyes. He’s not concerned about his friend, but his own title. This is a jaw dropping moment of the story. It’s written in such an impactful way that it’ll have you on the edge of your seat waiting to know what happens next. Skipping some moments, it all leads to the reveal that Barry has actually been Eobard Thawne all along, marking the return of the Reverse Flash. It’s revealed that this is a young Eobard who’s traveled back to the past before his death. Eobard’s first conflict wasn’t with Barry, it was with Wally over Barry’s legacy. This could have been really easily screwed up and written off as a writer not leaving well enough alone. Instead it’s written with such nuance that it results in not only IMO the best Flash story of all time, but one of the greatest stories ever. By the end you realize what the story was really about. It’s not about Barry. It about Wally finally stepping out of his mentors shadow. After all that time Wally finally steps forward and realizes that he is the Flash. He’s not only living to honor Barry’s legacy, he’s solidifying his own. It’s an amazing story about becoming your own person in a brutal world and trying to live up to the people you want to make proud while not letting that rule over your life. The Return of Barry Allen is a classic and an essential for any Flash fan.

The cast is also fantastic with very unique personalities. The core cast built around Wally is really great and the guest cast including Green Lantern, Nightwing, Starfire, and Max Merceury is also great. Every character is written with purpose and fulfills their own roles.

In this we also get to see the beginning to IMO the best relationship in comics, Wally and Linda. We haven’t reached the deep waters of the relationship yet in this volume, but the beginning of their romance is still a treat to read. Waid does a great job of contrasting Wally and Linda against each other that makes their relationship even more special. Both have their own stories being told and it feels incredibly natural. Linda is given her own urgency and nuance that really helps her stand out. She’s not just the damsel in distress that the hero has to save. She feels like a true building block for the series and given her own importance. The dialogue between Wally and Linda is really well written. Their chemistry has a lot of depth which is more than you can say for most of Wally’s previous relationships.

**The Neutral**

The crossovers can be fun at times but they do feel like breather issues in between the core story. The crossovers between Flash and Green Lantern has some great moments but you can tell a drop in quality, especially for Wally, whenever Gerard Jones is writing. The same love and care that Waid brings to the book is just not there. Those crossovers lean a little more on the whimsical side but lack the nuance that Waid uses during the solo Flash stories. I do appreciate some of the more goofy aspects taken from the wider DC universe though. The crossovers with Argus are fine, but once again just feels like filler. I don’t care about Argus, like at all. So there’s really no investment in the character and the story doesn’t compel me to suddenly care about the character. It kinda reminds me of Manhunter from the start of WML’s Flash run but less fun.

**The Bad**

I don’t think all the Annuals are bad per se.. but man do I hate to see them coming. They’re just too big with not a lot of material that has substance. Whenever I see an annual I know I’m about to sit through fifty pages of story that is going to have no influence or impact on anything else I’ve read or am about to read. They’re fine stories, but I think if they were twenty less pages I might appreciate them more. Reading a double, and sometimes triple issue just really affects the pacing of the book and the stories don’t do enough to make up for that pacing issue.

Finally, the #87 Christmas issue. The previous Christmas issue is so great that this one completely fails in comparison. I understand what Waid was going for, but completely subverting the expectations of a Christmas issue didn’t really work. Instead of making an issue that brings the holiday feel and is about the human spirit, it’s an issue about not feeling like that holidays and focuses in on Wally’s struggle as the Flash. I don’t think taking the story in a different direction this time was the right choice and I think a normal holiday issue with a twist on the end with Wally being sued would have subverted those expectations enough since you could’ve had a nice contrast between that reveal and the Barry reveal from the previous year.

**The Art**

The art is elite throughout this whole book. Greg LaRocque is on a different level here. This is my favorite work of his career. The line work is so great and it’s enhanced by great inks and coloring. And respectfully, I think LaRocque’s Linda might be the most attractive person ever drawn. We also get a good fill in issue from Phil Hester who I always enjoy. I like his style a lot and think he gets overlooked a lot of the time. In the back end with get the start of Mike Wieringo’s time on Flash. I think he also does some great work. Although I will say, once Wieringo takes over, some of the coloring can be wonky at times. Everything is not quite as precise.

# Overall Score and Final Thoughts

**The Pros**

\-Great art throughout

\-All time great stories like Born to Run and The Return of Barry Allen

\-Wally’s character gets much more fleshed out

\-Linda becomes a major player in the Flash mythos

\-Great supporting cast

\-Great mix of tones and messages

\-Issue #73 is one of the best holiday issue ever

**The Cons**

\-The annuals are too long and tie into meaningless events

\-Crossovers feel like filler most of the time

\-Issue #87 feels like a massive letdown after the previous years holiday issue

\-Argus feel very shoehorned into the story

**Final Score**

Overall - 9.6

This books does have some down stories, but the heights it reaches are undeniable. Born to Run, issue #73, and The Return of Barry Allen are all elite level stories. And the stuff around those stories still range from good to very good.

**Would I Recommend?**

Yes, absolutely. This volume specifically is a must read for anyone interested in The Flash.

**The Afterword**

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments and follows I get on these. I’m very happy I decided to review the volumes individually because clearly I had a lot to yap about. I’ll have reviews for volume 2, 3 and the Morrison and Millar stuff coming out in the future. So keep an eye out!

Check out my previous review of Flash by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque by [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/OmnibusCollectors/s/8M648LD4zq)

An Honest Review of: The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 1