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The Flash by Mark Waid
The Flash by Mark Waid, Book Four
In 1990 Mark Waid's writing career began when he scripted his first issue of The Flash . Waid continued to work on Wally West for nearly a decade, building a world that would keep the character running for years after Waid's departure to other titles. Under Waid's keen pen, Wally West gained a new depth of character that changed The Flash for good.
In this next graphic novel, Wally West gets a glimpse of the future after traveling through the time stream and doesn't like what he sees. Fearing for the one he loves and unable to approach maximum velocity without transforming into pure energy, Wally seeks a successor to the Flash mantle. Wally, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick take it upon themselves to train Impulse. But will the help of his friends be enough to prevent his horrible vision of the future from coming to fruition? Or will Wally have to make the ultimate sacrifice to change his destiny?
This fourth volume of The Flash by Mark Waid collects The Flash #0, The Flash #95-105 and The Flash Annual #8.
In this next graphic novel, Wally West gets a glimpse of the future after traveling through the time stream and doesn't like what he sees. Fearing for the one he loves and unable to approach maximum velocity without transforming into pure energy, Wally seeks a successor to the Flash mantle. Wally, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick take it upon themselves to train Impulse. But will the help of his friends be enough to prevent his horrible vision of the future from coming to fruition? Or will Wally have to make the ultimate sacrifice to change his destiny?
This fourth volume of The Flash by Mark Waid collects The Flash #0, The Flash #95-105 and The Flash Annual #8.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
38 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Mark Waid
3,182 books1,273 followersMark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 8, 2022
Wow what a story arc Terminal velocity was! Wally first visiting his life in the zero hour tie in and then coming back and seeing a vision of the future where Linda dies at the hands of Kobra and how he saves her sort of and the mystery of the speed force, racing beyond light and what not.. Its the whole of flash family to save the city and Linda mainly and Wally vs Kobra and also the greatest race he will run to save the world and his romance! And I love the whole thing and the hints of him maybe visiting heaven and all that! Plus good shine on Kobra as a villain group and the threat they represent! Its one of my favorite flash stories easily!
Then another arc where he fights Mongul and I kinda like that one, its short and fast paced and shows his strength and some breather issues with Linda and showing their relationship and what happens when he ex-husband comes in the pic and a man named "Fontaine" who he was working summons a Demon named "Daemoniacus" and will Wally be able to stop this threat and save the city and what will it mean for his relationship with Linda?! This one was so good and just shows how awesome Waid it at writing relationships and he shows her side so well!
Then showing the dark side of romance as Mirror Master returns and wants Wally to help him find his ex Emelia but he has sinister motivations and its a twisted love story and does well to highlight Wally-Linda again and also sort of Impulse in a great way! And I love this story! And then a flashback to Wally year one as flash when Barry was gone and his battle with the original Dr Alchemy and how it went and I just love the way its told, its classic and all and just shows how far he has come as a character and showing Barry in such positive light was so awesome!
So yeah one of the finest volumes of the flash so far and shows why he is the best character at DC (maybe I am biased atm) and also the generational aspect and showing Wally's climb to greatness and some fun threats here and there! Plus the artists were all amazing and its a delight to read through them!
Then another arc where he fights Mongul and I kinda like that one, its short and fast paced and shows his strength and some breather issues with Linda and showing their relationship and what happens when he ex-husband comes in the pic and a man named "Fontaine" who he was working summons a Demon named "Daemoniacus" and will Wally be able to stop this threat and save the city and what will it mean for his relationship with Linda?! This one was so good and just shows how awesome Waid it at writing relationships and he shows her side so well!
Then showing the dark side of romance as Mirror Master returns and wants Wally to help him find his ex Emelia but he has sinister motivations and its a twisted love story and does well to highlight Wally-Linda again and also sort of Impulse in a great way! And I love this story! And then a flashback to Wally year one as flash when Barry was gone and his battle with the original Dr Alchemy and how it went and I just love the way its told, its classic and all and just shows how far he has come as a character and showing Barry in such positive light was so awesome!
So yeah one of the finest volumes of the flash so far and shows why he is the best character at DC (maybe I am biased atm) and also the generational aspect and showing Wally's climb to greatness and some fun threats here and there! Plus the artists were all amazing and its a delight to read through them!
July 17, 2018
The best volume so far. The first half of the book is Terminal Velocity with Salvador Larroca and Carlos Pacheco on art before they hit the big time at Marvel. Wally is altered during Zero Hour and turns into lightning every time he runs really fast. He's also seen the future where he dies while fighting Kobra. Waid introduces us to the Speed Force and gathers together all the DC speedsters for the first time to help train Impulse to take over for Wally. In the second half of the book, Flash gathers some new powers now that he's mainlining the Speed Force. Waid introduces two very neat powers that we we haven't seen in speedsters before. Waid is really starting to come into his own at this point, doing a much better job of introducing future story lines.
July 22, 2022
Another really solid storytelling tales from Mark Waid. This time we have the major fallout from Zero Hour. Wally is so in touch with the new Speed Force (Amazing how it took this long to create it!) and now is becoming actual energy he's moving so fast. Can Linda and co bring him back to normal, can he stop Kobra before he kills everyone? Find out on the next episode of dragon bal-- I mean you have to read this volume.
Also enjoyed the smaller one shots or two shots. Wally dealing with Linda, them being a bit dysfunctional but slowly falling for each other. The very last two issues were weak though.
A 3.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 4.
Also enjoyed the smaller one shots or two shots. Wally dealing with Linda, them being a bit dysfunctional but slowly falling for each other. The very last two issues were weak though.
A 3.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 4.
April 24, 2018
4.5 stars rounded to 5. This volume is a little slower than the others and gets bogged down in Wally and Linda squabbling about honesty, but the main storyline introduces (finally) the Speed Force and unites the Flash family against the forces of Kobra. Really smashing stuff!
August 21, 2020
Overall, a decently strong Waid volume, primarily because of the inclusion of Terminal Velocity, which brings together many Flashes and introduces some Flash mythology for the first time.
Zero Hour (#0). This review of Wally's life exists pretty much to reveal one event, the mystery stranger who visited him as a child. As a result, much of this issue is a boring rerun, but Waid nails the central meeting with the stranger, giving some emotion to this backstory [3+/5].
Terminal Velocity (#95-100). A classic Waid story that brings together lots of speedsters (Impulse, Max, Jesse, and Jay) and gives them a villain MacGuffin to fight (Kobra). The heroes are great, and Kobra is a good, classic villain. However, the strength of this arc comes through its focus on Wally's character, Linda's character, and their relationship, with a side of Impulse. The result is a joyful mixture of plot and character development. And hey, the "Speed Field" is introduced! [4/5].
Going the Distance (#101). A procedural issue that advances Wally's understanding of his powers and his various relationships. It's well done, especially the interactions with Linda [4/5].
Running Away (#102). The continued issues between Wally and Linda keep this interesting, which is good, because the fight with Mogul that takes up most of the issue isn't that great [3/5].
Demons (#103-104). As with this whole mini-arc, the strong heart of it is Linda and Wally, who here confront the past and things unsaid. Unfortunately that's married to a story about techno-demons that falls somewhere between being dull, not making sense, and being ridiculous [3/5].
Through a Glass Darkly (#105). This story of Mirror Master and his own lady love is obviously meant as a coda to the Wally and Linda arc (an arc that you might not have even noticed in the original issues, but is entirely obvious here). And, as promised, it's their relationship seen through a glass, darkly. This is a wonderful look at Mirror Master's mirror dimension and otherwise a pretty great finale to the story of Linda [5/5].
Year One (A#8). Waid takes the opportunity of Year One to tell the story of Wally right after he became the Flash. It's a good story, at times emotional, with some nice interactions with Hal and with Jay [4/5].
Zero Hour (#0). This review of Wally's life exists pretty much to reveal one event, the mystery stranger who visited him as a child. As a result, much of this issue is a boring rerun, but Waid nails the central meeting with the stranger, giving some emotion to this backstory [3+/5].
Terminal Velocity (#95-100). A classic Waid story that brings together lots of speedsters (Impulse, Max, Jesse, and Jay) and gives them a villain MacGuffin to fight (Kobra). The heroes are great, and Kobra is a good, classic villain. However, the strength of this arc comes through its focus on Wally's character, Linda's character, and their relationship, with a side of Impulse. The result is a joyful mixture of plot and character development. And hey, the "Speed Field" is introduced! [4/5].
Going the Distance (#101). A procedural issue that advances Wally's understanding of his powers and his various relationships. It's well done, especially the interactions with Linda [4/5].
Running Away (#102). The continued issues between Wally and Linda keep this interesting, which is good, because the fight with Mogul that takes up most of the issue isn't that great [3/5].
Demons (#103-104). As with this whole mini-arc, the strong heart of it is Linda and Wally, who here confront the past and things unsaid. Unfortunately that's married to a story about techno-demons that falls somewhere between being dull, not making sense, and being ridiculous [3/5].
Through a Glass Darkly (#105). This story of Mirror Master and his own lady love is obviously meant as a coda to the Wally and Linda arc (an arc that you might not have even noticed in the original issues, but is entirely obvious here). And, as promised, it's their relationship seen through a glass, darkly. This is a wonderful look at Mirror Master's mirror dimension and otherwise a pretty great finale to the story of Linda [5/5].
Year One (A#8). Waid takes the opportunity of Year One to tell the story of Wally right after he became the Flash. It's a good story, at times emotional, with some nice interactions with Hal and with Jay [4/5].
August 8, 2023
The Flash by Mark Waid Book 4 collects DC Comic’s The Flash issues 0, 95-105 and Flash Annual 8 written by Mark Waid, Michael Jan Friedman, and Tom Peyer with art by Salvador Larroca, Oscar Jimenez, Roger Robinson, Mike Wieringo, Carlos Pacheco, David Brewer, Ron Lim, and Humberto Ramos.
After seeing a glimpse dog the future, Wally West is haunted by a future event. He recruits Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick to train Impulse in the event he doesn’t make it out alive so that the world still has a Flash. In other arcs, Wally discovers the Speed Force which is the basis for all speedsters powers and unlocks even more abilities for the Fastest Man Alive.
Before reading these collections of the Flash, I had just assumed the premise of the Speed Force has been a part of the Flash mythos for a long time. I didn’t realize it was a relatively newer concept from the 90s. These issues are good, I found myself struggling to get into some of the stories. While there are a bunch of different artists in this collection, it doesn’t jump around with jarring styles.
After seeing a glimpse dog the future, Wally West is haunted by a future event. He recruits Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick to train Impulse in the event he doesn’t make it out alive so that the world still has a Flash. In other arcs, Wally discovers the Speed Force which is the basis for all speedsters powers and unlocks even more abilities for the Fastest Man Alive.
Before reading these collections of the Flash, I had just assumed the premise of the Speed Force has been a part of the Flash mythos for a long time. I didn’t realize it was a relatively newer concept from the 90s. These issues are good, I found myself struggling to get into some of the stories. While there are a bunch of different artists in this collection, it doesn’t jump around with jarring styles.
June 10, 2018
"My name is Wally West... and I am the fastest man alive!"
One of the reasons I read Book Four is because of the arc story 'Terminal Velocity'. Of all the stories I enjoyed (including Geoff Johns), this has always been closed to my heart. Its one of the most important stories ever in The Flash series for Wally West. I have always love Wally West compare to Barry Allen and written by Mark Waid, although he can be a little long-winded, this is one that's worth reading. While after the arc itself, it tends to slow down plus the annual, that really dulls it all. To me, this is still one of the best stories from The Flash ever written to this day.
May 12, 2018
The Speed Force is finally introduced and Mark Waid continues to prove why he's so good at getting to the heart of what makes the Flash tick. It's pure 90s comic goodness.
October 2, 2018
I was never a fan of the flash and never read any of the comics when I was growing up, but I decided to give it a shot and to start off at one of his most iconic runs, written by Mark waid himself. And I can say that now I am a fan of the flash after this book.
The first half of the book is really the core of the review as it deals with not only Wally's discovery of the speed force and the extent to what his powers could be - but also with his relationship with Linda, his girlfriend. And Waid manages to balance these two plot lines well enough where one is not taking away from the other. While obviously the relationship stuff is slower (no pun intended) than the speed force plot, its still integral to the character of Wally West and helps us understand not only his thinking, but the depth of his feelings of love, humanity, loyalty and guilt.
Add to this the cast of other speedsters and you have a really well rounded and entertaining book.
The art is fantastic, and goes really well with the tone of the book, I appreciated the care that the artists take when drawing Wally and his adventures. There was really a synchronicity reverberating throughout with Waid and the artists working like cogs in a machine.
Really good stuff. I'm really looking forward to continuing to read more of the flash.
The first half of the book is really the core of the review as it deals with not only Wally's discovery of the speed force and the extent to what his powers could be - but also with his relationship with Linda, his girlfriend. And Waid manages to balance these two plot lines well enough where one is not taking away from the other. While obviously the relationship stuff is slower (no pun intended) than the speed force plot, its still integral to the character of Wally West and helps us understand not only his thinking, but the depth of his feelings of love, humanity, loyalty and guilt.
Add to this the cast of other speedsters and you have a really well rounded and entertaining book.
The art is fantastic, and goes really well with the tone of the book, I appreciated the care that the artists take when drawing Wally and his adventures. There was really a synchronicity reverberating throughout with Waid and the artists working like cogs in a machine.
Really good stuff. I'm really looking forward to continuing to read more of the flash.
October 14, 2021
If you want a proof of how the formula of repeating the same thing over and over and over in Superhero comics is a Shtick that gets tiring on the longer run, don't look any further than the so much lauded and so much overrated Terminal Velocity arc written by Mark Waid in the 90's. Why, you ask? because this is based on the same cheap mumbo-jumbo present on The Return of Barry Allen repeated for the second time with some hamfisted and badly written elements about the cobra society, only this time masqueraded with the adding of speedsters taken from previous eras of the DC Universe. If in the Return of Barry Allen the mumbo-jumbo was "is this Barry Allen or he isn't? is this Barry Allen or he isn't?", the mumbo-jumbo in this case is "is Wally West gonna die or not? is Wally West gonna die or not?", with the obvious answer of "no, he is not gonna die because contrivedly written superhero logic with some pseudo-christian innuendos thrown in there", exactly like it happened with 99,99% of the big 90's events when the titular superhero died or retired and came back almost immediately for sales. After this, the "classic" flash run by Mark Waid took a spin for the worst and never truly recovered, with the sole Return of Barry Allen being its best point. If you can stomach 90's superhero tropes give it a try, otherwise re-read the return of Barry Allen if you must and don't go futher than that, it's not worth it.
August 16, 2019
This shit is so fun, but hampered because I didn't realize, until I got back into this, that I must've read these issues no less than 25 times as a kid. I knew exactly which balloons were where, which art pieces were awkward, every little thing about this book was locked away in my memory.
August 16, 2025
O this is where the heat is at
December 6, 2021
Además de ser un conocedor nato de la historia comiquera, Mark Waid suele escribir historias sólidas y entretenidas, virtud que resulta en lecturas como mínimo amenas.
Hay desarrollo de la familia de velocistas y de los villanos de la silver age. El punto bajo es el arte, todo lo contrario a lo disfrutable de la lectura, los dibujos son feos, deformes, los noventas detonados, figuras deformes, ausencia de fondos.
Entiendo que eran publicaciones mensuales y lo primordial era cumplir con esas veintidós páginas en veinte días, con resultados apresurados, hay poco desarrollo de viñeta.
El bicho que aparece en el issue 102 es posta de las peores invenciones que vi en mi vida. Una mezcla de cucaracha con pico de loro y barba de tentáculos. Y el que no me crea que lo guglee, digno de la imaginación de un infante.
Hay desarrollo de la familia de velocistas y de los villanos de la silver age. El punto bajo es el arte, todo lo contrario a lo disfrutable de la lectura, los dibujos son feos, deformes, los noventas detonados, figuras deformes, ausencia de fondos.
Entiendo que eran publicaciones mensuales y lo primordial era cumplir con esas veintidós páginas en veinte días, con resultados apresurados, hay poco desarrollo de viñeta.
El bicho que aparece en el issue 102 es posta de las peores invenciones que vi en mi vida. Una mezcla de cucaracha con pico de loro y barba de tentáculos. Y el que no me crea que lo guglee, digno de la imaginación de un infante.
November 9, 2024
Note: This review is for both The Flash by Mark Waid, Books 3 and 4.
Hey, you know the Speed Force that has become an integral part of the Flash that you can't do a Flash story without it? Well, it didn't exist before this! Let's see him discover it along with some time travel shenanigans.
But first, the filler (kinda) framing this story! Our first story involves Wally's crazy ex wrecking havoc, meanwhile he has to team up with Nightwing and Starfire to fight some high-tech gangsters. It was nice seeing Dick, albeit with his ridiculous 90s costume, and hilarious seeing Wally giving an equally muscly man a pig-back ride at superspeed with both keeping very straight and serious faces. If I knew how, I would attach a screenshot, but believe me, the view was worth it. Aside from the fun goofiness, Frankie (the crazy ex) actually had a really compelling arc and I loved how Linda (Wally's current girlfriend) was able to keep her grounded. Surprisingly deep subplot.
Secondly, we get a pretty significant story/prelude to Terminal Velocity where, amid a fight with a pretty interesting (and very 90s) villain, Wally fails to save a woman, who is then disabled. She proceeds to sue Wally for negligence. Now, obviously there is far more going on here. I loved seeing Wally's inner conflict and Linda helping him as the awesome gal she is. The action was fun and I particularly enjoyed seeing Wally struggle with being unable to save everyone. Max Mercury, who is quickly becoming a favorite, had a great scene showing Wally how it is impossible to save everyone, but you do what you can. Hits in the feels!
Lastly, after our main story, we get full-on filler. Flash beats the crap out of Mongul with the Speed Force, rescues Linda from a cult in a very 90s story (take that as either a positive or negative, depending on how you viewed the 90s), then we get Mirror Master's return as he recruits Flash into helping him find his ex-girlfriend. This last story was pretty good, being both a fun adventure and a very emotionally heavy story that explores (spoilers).
Now, for the Main Event: Terminal Velocity: We have three things happening all at the same time: The first (and main story), is a snake cult known as Kobra is trying to take over the world. Linda uncovers them and needs Wally's help to defeat them. Secondly, Iris Allen is back from the dead/future (weird time travel stuff) with her grandson Bart Allen, the new sidekick. Lastly, the Speed Force is discovered via the Zero Hour event. Dang! A lot going on, broken up between two volumes! Mark Waid actually did a great job balancing all of these stories into a cohesive narrative, which is very impressive considering the travesty that was Zero Hour interrupts his story halfway through. Despite that, we get to see less impressive and boring Speed Feats, which I partial wonder if the Speed Force is to blame for this, and some pretty cheesy character conflict. Namely between Wally and Linda and between Wally and Bart. Bart was kinda annoying, but since that seems to be the point of his character, I'll let it slide. Regardless, I enjoyed this story and seeing Wally grow quite a lot through a bunch of crazy stuff all happening at once. Good job balancing three subplots and seamlessly weaving a Crisis event into your ongoing story, Waid! Props to you!
In short, the filler was fun and we get a very convoluted, but somehow still balanced (dang time-travel) story that permanently changes the Flash mythos, for better or worse.
Hey, you know the Speed Force that has become an integral part of the Flash that you can't do a Flash story without it? Well, it didn't exist before this! Let's see him discover it along with some time travel shenanigans.
But first, the filler (kinda) framing this story! Our first story involves Wally's crazy ex wrecking havoc, meanwhile he has to team up with Nightwing and Starfire to fight some high-tech gangsters. It was nice seeing Dick, albeit with his ridiculous 90s costume, and hilarious seeing Wally giving an equally muscly man a pig-back ride at superspeed with both keeping very straight and serious faces. If I knew how, I would attach a screenshot, but believe me, the view was worth it. Aside from the fun goofiness, Frankie (the crazy ex) actually had a really compelling arc and I loved how Linda (Wally's current girlfriend) was able to keep her grounded. Surprisingly deep subplot.
Secondly, we get a pretty significant story/prelude to Terminal Velocity where, amid a fight with a pretty interesting (and very 90s) villain, Wally fails to save a woman, who is then disabled. She proceeds to sue Wally for negligence. Now, obviously there is far more going on here. I loved seeing Wally's inner conflict and Linda helping him as the awesome gal she is. The action was fun and I particularly enjoyed seeing Wally struggle with being unable to save everyone. Max Mercury, who is quickly becoming a favorite, had a great scene showing Wally how it is impossible to save everyone, but you do what you can. Hits in the feels!
Lastly, after our main story, we get full-on filler. Flash beats the crap out of Mongul with the Speed Force, rescues Linda from a cult in a very 90s story (take that as either a positive or negative, depending on how you viewed the 90s), then we get Mirror Master's return as he recruits Flash into helping him find his ex-girlfriend. This last story was pretty good, being both a fun adventure and a very emotionally heavy story that explores (spoilers).
Now, for the Main Event: Terminal Velocity: We have three things happening all at the same time: The first (and main story), is a snake cult known as Kobra is trying to take over the world. Linda uncovers them and needs Wally's help to defeat them. Secondly, Iris Allen is back from the dead/future (weird time travel stuff) with her grandson Bart Allen, the new sidekick. Lastly, the Speed Force is discovered via the Zero Hour event. Dang! A lot going on, broken up between two volumes! Mark Waid actually did a great job balancing all of these stories into a cohesive narrative, which is very impressive considering the travesty that was Zero Hour interrupts his story halfway through. Despite that, we get to see less impressive and boring Speed Feats, which I partial wonder if the Speed Force is to blame for this, and some pretty cheesy character conflict. Namely between Wally and Linda and between Wally and Bart. Bart was kinda annoying, but since that seems to be the point of his character, I'll let it slide. Regardless, I enjoyed this story and seeing Wally grow quite a lot through a bunch of crazy stuff all happening at once. Good job balancing three subplots and seamlessly weaving a Crisis event into your ongoing story, Waid! Props to you!
In short, the filler was fun and we get a very convoluted, but somehow still balanced (dang time-travel) story that permanently changes the Flash mythos, for better or worse.
October 7, 2023
The Speed Force is one of those quintessentially post-Crisis bits of DC Comics, a piece of storytelling architecture to help transition the company from a world of wondrous make-believe to a shared universe with coherent systems, where everyone with superspeed had something secretly in common. I don't love these attempts to systematise the silly, and at the time the Speed Force - introduced here - felt like pointless pedantry, an attempt to push different characters into the same metaphysical uniform for no very good reason.
But it's stuck around, and good stories have been told with it, and I have to admit "Terminal Velocity" - the story that introduces it - is one of them. Not really because of the Speed Force itself - in this story, without hindsight, it's close to a MacGuffin. It's an arbitrary thing that cause something Very Bad to happen if Wally uses his power too much, which he of course has to do, and then Mark Waid simply takes the sole thing we know about the Speed Force and tears it up. And it's fine, because the story all along hasn't been about the metaphysics of running fast, but about Wally and Linda's relationship, and that story has earned a Russell T Davies style ending which has everyone cheering.
The Speed Force then mutates again, to become part of a broader metaphor for work and success in a professional couple and the stress that can put on a relationship - and then that gets mixed up in a broader story about secrets and miscommunication, which leads to a final issue starring the Scottish version of the Mirror Master, in which Grant Morrison's characterisation of him as a salt-of-the-earth good bloke who happens to do crimes is effectively used to mislead you as to what he's really up to. It's a rare 90s 'issue' story which feels more powerful now than it did then, though the ending's a bit glib (as often happens with Waid).
For the most part these later issues don't work as well - the action and the character work don't mesh as well, and while Waid has a better handle than most of his contemporaries on relationships there's a limit to how deep you can go in a 22-page monthly, so resolutions to interpersonal problems feel hurried. Also, and more seriously, the art quality drops significantly from the smoothly enjoyable Sal Larocca work on "Terminal Velocity" - there are a lot of stiff poses and weird impressions of movement, which is a bad look for a comic centered on motion.
Still, there's enough here to make me feel - again - I was too harsh on this in its day. The volume ends with an Annual - one of DC's line-wide story mandates, in this case "Year One": it's an opportunity to take stock of Wally's character growth over 8 years of his solo title, and the comic feels justifiably proud of the fact that, almost uniquely among long-running characters, he's actually had some.
But it's stuck around, and good stories have been told with it, and I have to admit "Terminal Velocity" - the story that introduces it - is one of them. Not really because of the Speed Force itself - in this story, without hindsight, it's close to a MacGuffin. It's an arbitrary thing that cause something Very Bad to happen if Wally uses his power too much, which he of course has to do, and then Mark Waid simply takes the sole thing we know about the Speed Force and tears it up. And it's fine, because the story all along hasn't been about the metaphysics of running fast, but about Wally and Linda's relationship, and that story has earned a Russell T Davies style ending which has everyone cheering.
The Speed Force then mutates again, to become part of a broader metaphor for work and success in a professional couple and the stress that can put on a relationship - and then that gets mixed up in a broader story about secrets and miscommunication, which leads to a final issue starring the Scottish version of the Mirror Master, in which Grant Morrison's characterisation of him as a salt-of-the-earth good bloke who happens to do crimes is effectively used to mislead you as to what he's really up to. It's a rare 90s 'issue' story which feels more powerful now than it did then, though the ending's a bit glib (as often happens with Waid).
For the most part these later issues don't work as well - the action and the character work don't mesh as well, and while Waid has a better handle than most of his contemporaries on relationships there's a limit to how deep you can go in a 22-page monthly, so resolutions to interpersonal problems feel hurried. Also, and more seriously, the art quality drops significantly from the smoothly enjoyable Sal Larocca work on "Terminal Velocity" - there are a lot of stiff poses and weird impressions of movement, which is a bad look for a comic centered on motion.
Still, there's enough here to make me feel - again - I was too harsh on this in its day. The volume ends with an Annual - one of DC's line-wide story mandates, in this case "Year One": it's an opportunity to take stock of Wally's character growth over 8 years of his solo title, and the comic feels justifiably proud of the fact that, almost uniquely among long-running characters, he's actually had some.
May 25, 2019
Another excellent installment in Mark Waid's saga with the Flash. This graphic novel tied up the Kobra story arc--with an explosive finale that actually took place across the DC universe. It was exciting seeing other heroes dealing with the crisis in their own cities while Flash was at ground zero, trying to stop the catastrophe at its source. Add into that our first real introduction to the speed force, Wally trying to avoid his own death, training (and therein getting to better know) Impulse, and some relationship drama between Wally and Linda, and... well, you've got a heck of a story with more layers than a lasagna. It's beyond frustrating, though, when a hero withholds information for their loved one's "protection"--and there was A LOT of that in this graphic, too. I found myself wanting to reach inside and whack Wally upside the head, but by the end of it... after he essentially died, but then chose to come back from, basically, heaven to be with Linda, it definitely seemed like he'd learned his lesson about honesty. At least I hope so, because that trope in comics is downright annoying. The next story arc, about Linda and him working to stop a business tycoon from raising a demon, was pretty solid, too. There was nice balance between the action and the relationship issues the two had been facing. It was also a nice way (with Linda's ex-husband being a victim) to finally let the two of them get all of their emotions in the open and, by the end, come to an understanding. They're a sweet couple, and I like watching them grow together; but I was getting kind of tired of Linda always being like, "I don't know your world, Wally." After a while, it's just like: "You did realize, from the beginning, that you were dating a SUPERHERO, right?!?!?!" I mean, Lois Lane never complains like that. (Or, at least, I haven't read it.) The last story arc, with Mirror Master, was pretty good, too. MM tricked Wally into finding a girl he'd basically been stalking after they broke up. Not a big climactic story, but after the Kobra stuff, we needed some run-of-the-mill superhero action. I just scanned through the "Who's Who" at the end--mostly because I already have a good understanding of all that. Though, there was one thing that bothered me. At the end of Wally's bio, it said he was a "womanizer." WHAT?!?!?! All I've seen throughout this graphic and the previous three volumes is his devotion to Linda. Whoever wrote that... um... I have questions. But, basically, if you're looking for some great Wally West action that delivers just as heartily with emotion, then this is a perfect read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 2, 2019From my perspective, there are two overriding elements in this volume: the Speed Force and Wally’s relationship with Linda. In the hands of another writer, introducing the Speed Force could be either cheesy or convoluted. Waid miraculously avoids both. It’s a cool idea, how there’s this energy/dimension that speedsters channel. Waid runs with that idea (pun intended), bringing it to a level where there’s this god-like entity embodying the Speed Force whom Wally encounters. Having all the other speedsters in this arc only makes it better. Surely, Waid does an admirable job balancing plotlines: Wally training Impulse, going after Kobra, meeting Jesse Quick, and dealing with the aftermath of Zero Hour. I like how Waid gradually expands Wally’s world and supporting cast while still staying focused on his journey.
As for Wally and Linda, Waid writes them well for the most part, but the constant ups and downs in their relationship get repetitive. Linda’s mad at Wally for not opening up, then they’re fine... then Linda shuts Wally out again, etc. Reading this monthly may have smoothed over such problems, but binging the series makes the repetition apparent. I do like them as couple, though. I just wish they could stay happy for at least a few issues at a time.
The book contains a few standalone issues, namely a Mirror Master story and an annual. The first story in the annual is a nice look at Wally after Barry’s death, struggling to get over it and win Hal Jordan’s approval. It shows Waid’s skill in creating pathos and key character moments. Of course Hal would be wary about Wally now calling himself the Flash and patrolling Central City. And of course Wally would be desperately looking for his hero and mentor, even after he’s been confirmed dead.
As for Wally and Linda, Waid writes them well for the most part, but the constant ups and downs in their relationship get repetitive. Linda’s mad at Wally for not opening up, then they’re fine... then Linda shuts Wally out again, etc. Reading this monthly may have smoothed over such problems, but binging the series makes the repetition apparent. I do like them as couple, though. I just wish they could stay happy for at least a few issues at a time.
The book contains a few standalone issues, namely a Mirror Master story and an annual. The first story in the annual is a nice look at Wally after Barry’s death, struggling to get over it and win Hal Jordan’s approval. It shows Waid’s skill in creating pathos and key character moments. Of course Hal would be wary about Wally now calling himself the Flash and patrolling Central City. And of course Wally would be desperately looking for his hero and mentor, even after he’s been confirmed dead.
April 28, 2020
Todo mundo sabe que o Flash que vale é o Wally West do Mark Waid, o resto é clubismo.
E aqui é o momento que o Flash muda de vez; até então ele era o cara que corria rápido, rápido, porém. com a Terminal Velocity, ele deixa de ser só isso e passa a ser mais; as primeiras menções à Força da Aceleração, o guru zen da velocidade, o sobrinho do futuro, a ideia de legado, tudo isso tem nesse volume. E, claro, a Linda Park, um personagem que a DC, literalmente, jogou fora nos últimos anos.
Então, temos o Kobra - Terminal Veocity -, Mestre dos Espelhos, Demônios, Lobisomens, Dr Alquimia, piadas infames, tem um pouco de tudo por aqui.
Um dos grandes trunfos da fase do Waid, além de todas mutações e novas mitologias, é o crescimento orgânico dos personagens, tudo aquilo que acontece com o Flash, altera as percepções e os relacionamentos que ele mantém, especialmente com a Linda. Quando se fala em realismo nos quadrinhos, geralmente, se fala em violência, tragédia, morte e essa parte mais anos 80 do "grim'n'gritty", no entando o realismo também acontece quando ao mudarmos algum aspecto do personagem, nós também mudamos a relação dele com o mundo e com quem está a sua volta, ainda que ficcionalmente é a vida de algúem.
Todas as nossas escolhas e decisões causam mudanças não apenas na nossa vida, mas também na de quem nos cerca, e o Waid traz isso com o Wallynda de maneira ímpar.
Sobre a arte, a maior parte da arte é a cargo do Salvador Larocca e funciona, com aquela cara de anos 90, mas funciona.
E aqui é o momento que o Flash muda de vez; até então ele era o cara que corria rápido, rápido, porém. com a Terminal Velocity, ele deixa de ser só isso e passa a ser mais; as primeiras menções à Força da Aceleração, o guru zen da velocidade, o sobrinho do futuro, a ideia de legado, tudo isso tem nesse volume. E, claro, a Linda Park, um personagem que a DC, literalmente, jogou fora nos últimos anos.
Então, temos o Kobra - Terminal Veocity -, Mestre dos Espelhos, Demônios, Lobisomens, Dr Alquimia, piadas infames, tem um pouco de tudo por aqui.
Um dos grandes trunfos da fase do Waid, além de todas mutações e novas mitologias, é o crescimento orgânico dos personagens, tudo aquilo que acontece com o Flash, altera as percepções e os relacionamentos que ele mantém, especialmente com a Linda. Quando se fala em realismo nos quadrinhos, geralmente, se fala em violência, tragédia, morte e essa parte mais anos 80 do "grim'n'gritty", no entando o realismo também acontece quando ao mudarmos algum aspecto do personagem, nós também mudamos a relação dele com o mundo e com quem está a sua volta, ainda que ficcionalmente é a vida de algúem.
Todas as nossas escolhas e decisões causam mudanças não apenas na nossa vida, mas também na de quem nos cerca, e o Waid traz isso com o Wallynda de maneira ímpar.
Sobre a arte, a maior parte da arte é a cargo do Salvador Larocca e funciona, com aquela cara de anos 90, mas funciona.
March 1, 2021
This volume, while solid, suffers from three major points
1) it's starting to get TOO caught up in the Lore of the Flashes. I love me some Max Mercury, but the books internal philosophy and continuity start to get too wrapped up in themselves here, especially with Impulse and his grandmother showing up.
2) The "lets not tell people what my precognitive flash showed me which will of course guarantee that the horrible events happen" trope has run its course and shouldn't have been played her for time delaying complications.
3) the Flash/Impulse/Jesse Quick interactions are just irritating. Impulse is clearly Waid's baby but he sooo needs to get into his own book with the aforementioned Max Mercury. Everything he does here is feels forces.
That being said, it's not a bad run. The change in artists between Weiringo to Laroccoa is smooth enough to be unnoticeable (and I haven't commented on how solid both of those artists have been on the book while advancing an manga-influences style)
1) it's starting to get TOO caught up in the Lore of the Flashes. I love me some Max Mercury, but the books internal philosophy and continuity start to get too wrapped up in themselves here, especially with Impulse and his grandmother showing up.
2) The "lets not tell people what my precognitive flash showed me which will of course guarantee that the horrible events happen" trope has run its course and shouldn't have been played her for time delaying complications.
3) the Flash/Impulse/Jesse Quick interactions are just irritating. Impulse is clearly Waid's baby but he sooo needs to get into his own book with the aforementioned Max Mercury. Everything he does here is feels forces.
That being said, it's not a bad run. The change in artists between Weiringo to Laroccoa is smooth enough to be unnoticeable (and I haven't commented on how solid both of those artists have been on the book while advancing an manga-influences style)
October 3, 2024
The biggest and greatest Flash story ever told
Waid's run up to this point has been great, biggest highlights have been, of course, Born to Run, The Return of Barry Allen and the introduction of Impulse as well as the Speed Force, but this feels like the culmination to all of that in one single epic story.
The big main attraction of this book is the storyline Terminal Velocity, taking place from Issues #95-100 (plus the 0th issue that ties into Zero Hour) it’s a high stakes, epic tale that is the perfect mix between classic superhero antics and action with some rather excellent character moments that help further develop Wally into an admirable hero (even better than Barry I would argue)
The other issues collected here are mostly about dealing with the fallout of such a massive story and they’re good too, especially the Annual, as it expands on aspects from Born to Run, but the big reason you’d want this book is Terminal Velocity and you will not be disappointed.
Waid's run up to this point has been great, biggest highlights have been, of course, Born to Run, The Return of Barry Allen and the introduction of Impulse as well as the Speed Force, but this feels like the culmination to all of that in one single epic story.
The big main attraction of this book is the storyline Terminal Velocity, taking place from Issues #95-100 (plus the 0th issue that ties into Zero Hour) it’s a high stakes, epic tale that is the perfect mix between classic superhero antics and action with some rather excellent character moments that help further develop Wally into an admirable hero (even better than Barry I would argue)
The other issues collected here are mostly about dealing with the fallout of such a massive story and they’re good too, especially the Annual, as it expands on aspects from Born to Run, but the big reason you’d want this book is Terminal Velocity and you will not be disappointed.
September 20, 2024
Terminal Velocity and Then Some
The high point of Waid's run with Wally West. Here, confronting what made Barry Allen a hero and what Wally still had to lose. Some of this stuff gets pretty existential. It almost defeats the purpose of what came before, how Wally shouldn't think he has the power to be a god. But he had to get it for a big dramatic clash against a terror cult. All while acknowledging there are some things he still can't do. Like, have the patience to take Impulse under his wing. His biggest challenge has to be his relationship with Linda, where everything feels like walking on eggshells. But it starts and ends on being your own hero. Good stuff to end on in my opinion, despite there being more.
The high point of Waid's run with Wally West. Here, confronting what made Barry Allen a hero and what Wally still had to lose. Some of this stuff gets pretty existential. It almost defeats the purpose of what came before, how Wally shouldn't think he has the power to be a god. But he had to get it for a big dramatic clash against a terror cult. All while acknowledging there are some things he still can't do. Like, have the patience to take Impulse under his wing. His biggest challenge has to be his relationship with Linda, where everything feels like walking on eggshells. But it starts and ends on being your own hero. Good stuff to end on in my opinion, despite there being more.
April 14, 2020
(Reading Order Note for those also wanting to read Mark Waid's Impulse. Explicit references to THe Flash in Impulse indicates everything up to issue 101 takes palce prior to start of the series. For this volume, however, there are no references to the spun-off series so you could read all of this before starting Impulse)
I really really enjoyed this volume.
First, we get an arc teasing our first taste of the speed force and major character death, and Wally setting up Bart Allen (Impulse) as a potential future Flash. Then, we get a follow-up on Wally's early Flash adventures.
I really really enjoyed this volume.
First, we get an arc teasing our first taste of the speed force and major character death, and Wally setting up Bart Allen (Impulse) as a potential future Flash. Then, we get a follow-up on Wally's early Flash adventures.
January 5, 2024
Waid is on fire. Larroca is not.
Terminal Velocity is among the best Flash stories of all time, but Larroca on art is rough. This is before he started to straight-up rip-off movie stills, but even his generic 90s art is just mediocre at best.
After Terminal Velocity we have a rotating ensemble of artists. Most of them are fine, although Ramos in the back-up to Annual #8 really lowers the bar. Still, Waid's writing only keeps getting better, and that compensates for less-than-stellar art style.
Terminal Velocity is among the best Flash stories of all time, but Larroca on art is rough. This is before he started to straight-up rip-off movie stills, but even his generic 90s art is just mediocre at best.
After Terminal Velocity we have a rotating ensemble of artists. Most of them are fine, although Ramos in the back-up to Annual #8 really lowers the bar. Still, Waid's writing only keeps getting better, and that compensates for less-than-stellar art style.
April 26, 2021
I would agree that this rivals Volume 2 of Waid’s run for best collection
Terminal Velocity is when Wally goes from being an awesome Flash to finally coming into that crazy Flash power that I love so much, and it was super cool seeing him come to terms with it prior to him knowing what would happen
And then getting to see him work the kinks out against aliens and demons, all rooted alongside Linda and their relationship was really great stuff
Terminal Velocity is when Wally goes from being an awesome Flash to finally coming into that crazy Flash power that I love so much, and it was super cool seeing him come to terms with it prior to him knowing what would happen
And then getting to see him work the kinks out against aliens and demons, all rooted alongside Linda and their relationship was really great stuff
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December 26, 2022Great story, but art needs consistency
The story is great and continues Wally's evolution as a character as he steps out of Barry's shadow finally, but the art switches almost every issue. I wish Carlos Pacheco could have been on the title full time, as he was the best of the bunch and The Flash at this point deserved a great artist. Regardless you get to see the beginnings of Carlos, Salvador Larocca and other artists in this volume. It just could have been so much better.
The story is great and continues Wally's evolution as a character as he steps out of Barry's shadow finally, but the art switches almost every issue. I wish Carlos Pacheco could have been on the title full time, as he was the best of the bunch and The Flash at this point deserved a great artist. Regardless you get to see the beginnings of Carlos, Salvador Larocca and other artists in this volume. It just could have been so much better.
August 6, 2019
The "Terminal Velocity" story takes place in this volume, which is a solid 4/5. However, Cobra as a villain was pretty generic. Linda is annoying for no good reason.
The rest of the volume is mediocre except the last annual where we see a Wally who can accept the fact that Barry is dead.
The rest of the volume is mediocre except the last annual where we see a Wally who can accept the fact that Barry is dead.
December 26, 2018
La etapa de Waid con Flash se pone cada vez mejor. Terminal Velocity es de las mejores sagas, y los dibujos de Larroca suman mucho.
December 16, 2020
Mmmm, Mark Waid's Flash. What a fun trip down memory lane - this volume includes the Terminal Velocity arc that spun out of Zero Hour, and a few more issues besides.
February 5, 2021
Another excellent collection of Mark Waid’s 90’s Flash - this one contains the ‘Terminal Velocity’ storyline as well as an excellent Annual. Great Larroca and Weiringo art. Would recommend.
October 16, 2022
WALLY AND LINDA😭😭🫶🫶
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