The Flash: The Wild Wests

The Flash (1987) (Old Editions) #16

by Mark Waid, Daniel Acuña (Illustrator), Freddie E. Williams II (Illustrator)

Wally (the Flash) and Linda Park-West return home to Keystone where the Flash resumes the role of city protector and must balance his time between the Justice League and raising his two preteen children with their unwieldly powers.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good News: This one’s written by Mark Waid and not Geoff Johns.

The Bad News: It doesn’t make that much of a difference.

The Speed Force, that mind numbing made-up super science defying idea that makes the Flash so fast, is something I have a hard time getting my head around, like bidets or Jeff Goldblum fans or tofu or Cheez Whiz on a cheese steak. It just hurts my head to read about it. Wally West, Flash #3, has twins, who are linked to it, so now it’s double my pain. Add an invasion by a race of tentacle creatures brought on by some Speed Force mumbo jumbo and I’m reaching for some pain meds.

This volume isn’t an excruciating read all the time. Waid explores West’s family dynamic and shines a spotlight on his wife and two children, Jai and Iris. The twins are chronologically aged one, but because of their odd connection to the Speed Force (Ouch!) they’re physically around eight years old. Jai can bulk himself up and Iris can move through solid objects (she reaches through her brother to steal his breakfast bacon). By using the Speed Force (GAH!) Wally can pull his kids out along with him.

Waid’s humor and characterization and an appearance by the Justice League make this bearable.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was certainly fun I guess!

So we see Wally with kids and we get his return post crisis and the explanation with his kids is fun too and I like how Waid is able to explain their powers and also give a foreboding sense of danger when these alien beings come into out planet from water and well they attack Keystone city and so wally jumps in to stop them with his children and also JLA cameos in and we see how personal it is for wally!

And then we see the origin of the planet Savoth and the connections of the flashes to this and like how it began with Jay Garrick saving it and then Barry and Iris travelling here or Bart and later Linda and how they helped this planet and prevented an invasion from some "Swamp Invaders" and how in the present these are the only ones invading and how Flash has to sacrifice his connection to the planet Savoth and it sort of is an emotional moment I guess and the person narrating it aka "Gorflack" is okayish I guess!

And then in the present we see how wally saves the day and also a focus on Wally trying to get the job and how his kids meet Superman and go against Livewire, which was a fun, cute and short story and just showing how great this family is!

So overall not the greatest Flash story ever but I like the way we see Wally as a father and how protective he is and also Linda and her maternal instincts and well a new element added to Flash mythos which is great I guess.

So yeah a good one time read for sure! I definitely recommend it! ;)

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Waid returns to write Wally West. I was really excited about his return as he basically established the foundation of the "modern day Flash" mythos. There's something familiar in the story which of course comes directly from Waid 's involvement.

Obviously there is a major change that Waid has to deal with , and that's the two kids. He explains their powers and advanced age with more speed force antics, but it works. If you can suspend your disbelief for everything else in this book, accelerated aging isn't too far a jump. So we get the family dynamic and how each member of the family contributes in their own way to their adventures. Even Linda is now a speed force expert using advanced mechanics to harness and interact with her children.

I really enjoyed the backstory in each issue, both the over reaching plot, as it runs through the history of the flash, and the art, which is very similar to Alex Ross. The art gives it the feeling of historical record, which lends itself well to the purpose of the backstory.

I did feel the changing artists hurt the book. It made it feel uneven and sometimes less cohesive. Also, the family dynamic does feel heavy handed sometimes. On occasion, the book reads like a family sitcom because of the kids.

Being that this is the last Wally story for a while, I'm sad to see the mantle go back to Barry. I
know he is the most well known Flash, but Wally is my Flash. The way his character changed and evolved and LEARNED as his adventures went on was amazing. I hope newer volumes can capture what made the Wally adventures great, and I look forward to continuing reading the Flash.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to have Wally back although wish it was not at such a high cost...

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I miss about the new Flash, the family dynamic has gone it’s just all about Barry. Don’t get me wrong I like Barry but I prefer the legacy dynamic they set up before the new 52 happened.

So far I’ve only read this and Born to Run which is also written by Mark Waid. It’s weird because Born to Run is written as a old timey comic full of waffle where as this is streamline like a modern comic.

I think this one was much better, the flash family was awesome. I have never read them before but now I want more, I like the fact they're not just fast like Wally as that’d be pretty dull.

My only real negative with this is that the art is fantastic then sudden dips, I know another artist took over but still it was very different one is super realistic the other is like a cartoon. It happens about 4 times altogether, each with a different artist they could just have 2 going back and forth.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading this run, in single-issue format. I've really lost track of what's been done with the Flash over the last 20 years or so. There have been so many reboots and changes. This series starts yet another reboot, bringing Wally West back. The mechanics of how that happened are a bit beyond me, but if you ignore all that, and just enjoy this story on its own terms, it's not bad.

This run was written by Mark Waid, and illustrated (initially) by Daniel Acuña, and (later) by Freddie Williams II. And there was a backup feature, which eventually tied in with the main story, written by Waid with John Rogers, and illustrated by Doug Braithwaite.

The writing throughout was well-done, as I'd expect from Mark Waid. Some nice humor, good character development, and lots of action. On the art, I like all three of the artists who worked on this, but their styles are very different. It's OK to have that difference between the main feature and the backup, but the switch from Acuña to Williams in the middle of the main story was awkward.

Waid left the series after just this one story, and I don't think this run lasted much longer before yet another reboot. (I've really lost track.) But it you're looking for a fun Wally West Flash story, this is a good one.

[Riane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never actually read any Flash comics and this was a great read to start off with. The Flash/West family is too adorable for words. Needless to say I really like how this was put together. The twist away from your typical superhero comic is nice. Albeit it's not as action packed or exciting but the element of family thrown into the story is an endearing break from the usual superhero-kicks-antihero antics.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

¡Hola, Wally! Qué bueno verte de vuelta como Fla-...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>szhiummm>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

¡Chau, Wally! Fue un gusto, volvé pronto.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for Daniel Acuña's art (which is only in the first third of this collection)
This is all about Wally West and Linda being parents to Iris & Jai, their twin children, who were exposed to the Speed Force as babies and are aging in an accelerated fashion.
I am a big fan of Mark Waid's writing and this squeezes in a heck of a lot, including retconning into the history of the various Flashes, the existence of Savoth a world where their highest tech is based on Beyond the Speed of Light energies; this is all revealed in the penultimate 'issue' (#236) with art that appears to be uncredited (annoyingly).
It all feels a bit rushed, with too much squeezed in, with none of the characters really getting a chance to breathe or develop; I mean, for goodness sake, even the Justice League also feature here in fighting back against a watery, alien invasion. Disappointing.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simply put, this was not good. Mark Waid is obviously capable of much better especially with these characters. This entire story was lame. Terrible antagonists, abysmal plot, strange character choices, etc. It was a miss almost entirely. I honestly couldn't stand the twins and how they are introduced. Linda is also unrecognizable as a scientist?! Freddie Williams art was fun and pulled this up from a one star rating. Overall, a pretty terrible time.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catching up to the Mark Waid Flash runs [see what I did there...} Had not read these, this return from Waid with good art by Daniel Acuna and Freddie Williams. I prefer the maturing Wally West, here as a father, to the adrift Wally West we have seen in some recent years. This mostly works.\, just not enough of Wally's wife Linda.
Thanks to Fulton County Public Library for the loan.

[machado · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Beckiezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read Flash in a while so I wasn't aware of his family or anything but I was smiling all through the book. The family dynamic was just great (very the Incredibles), I generally liked the art though it's kind of a pain that the artist switches so often and in such different styles!

I don't suppose I should get attached to those kids as I understand Wally West has no part in the new 52...

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mark Waid, creator of the Flash Legacy, gets to write about Wally West's kids, and this is what we get? Overly cute kids, a muddled storyline full of guest stars, and a silly menace. "The Fast Life", which sets up the previous storyline, is quite good, but everything else here is mediocre. Stay to the original Waid run for your Waid collection.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was alright, maybe 3.5 stars
A bit choppy, but a fun story
So the whole freezing all the water in the city, even putting aside all the wonky science, what if somebody was in the shower? Not to mention if flash has to go so far underground to find liquid water shouldn't there be pipes burst all over the place, and all kinds of other damage related to flash-freezing the water?

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure I totally get the whole thing with the kids, they're one year old, with accelerated growth, have lived their entire lives on another planet yet are begging for cell phones? hmmm. Beyond that I think this suffers from the DC superhero curse: choppy & nonsensical plots.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really expected more from Mark Waid. There were some ok stories, but it was kind of choppy as a whole. The other planet/dimension stuff was interesting. But again, kind of disappointing. If you want a good Flash story check out Geoff Johns run on the character.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly bad stories, bad dialogue, and bad art. The other-planet section is compelling, and some of the sequences are fun, but after the incredible run that Johns had with Wally West, this one's a big disappointment as the end of a major era.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wally and Linda's speed-aging children who deserve to be heroes because they may die any day. I love the invading aliens and the Flash-worshipers, but not nearly as much as I love Jai and Iris.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to have Wally West back as The Flash, and then this stink bomb was dropped.

[Geoff Derks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it.