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The Flash (1987) (Old Editions) #6
The Flash: Emergency Stop
DC Comics collects a fast-paced tale by Grant Morrison (BATMAN, FINAL CRISIS) and Mark Millar (CIVIL WAR, FANTASTIC FOUR, THE ULTIMATES), two of comics' greatest storytellers.
The Fastest Man Alive meets a new and deadly challenge in the form of the villain known only as The Suit . . . a challenge that leaves him with two broken legs! Confined to a wheelchair, The Flash's hometown of Keystone City begins to attract villains from across the nation. Can the combined strength and speed of heroes including Max Mercury, Jesse Quick, Impulse and others stop the criminals from taking over?
The Fastest Man Alive meets a new and deadly challenge in the form of the villain known only as The Suit . . . a challenge that leaves him with two broken legs! Confined to a wheelchair, The Flash's hometown of Keystone City begins to attract villains from across the nation. Can the combined strength and speed of heroes including Max Mercury, Jesse Quick, Impulse and others stop the criminals from taking over?
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2009
7 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,791 books4,568 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 16, 2022
This was an awesome read!
Wally must face off against the villain "The suit" who seem to be some sort of symbiotic thing and well we find how he uses hosts and all and injures wally in their first face-off and well his strange origins and everything and time-dilation and travel which has a fun use here but anyways in the present Jay, max and Bart are facing off against this enemy but when it targets one of them as host, can wally save them and the stop the plans of "The suit" and also strange origins of it is revealed here, it was a fun story and really takes silver age weirdness to a next level but does it like really well. Weird concepts and all but fun writing with amazing art there.
Then the next few stories are standalone like Wally facing off against Mirror master to Save Linda which was an okayish story and the other one about Jay and how he comes back out of retirement to assist Wally whose recovering and protect his enemy turned friend Thinker and I love that story and really made me love Jay here, just showing the wisdom of this old man and the lengths he will go to save people and its awesome.
Plus GA, GL and Flash team up to take down villains they fought off.. in a court and it was a fun trial and felt like one of those episodes from some legal show but overall its a good read showing Wally and Flash family at their best as they trp to protect Gem cities and I love that for it, great stuff with typical 90s art which was rad!
Wally must face off against the villain "The suit" who seem to be some sort of symbiotic thing and well we find how he uses hosts and all and injures wally in their first face-off and well his strange origins and everything and time-dilation and travel which has a fun use here but anyways in the present Jay, max and Bart are facing off against this enemy but when it targets one of them as host, can wally save them and the stop the plans of "The suit" and also strange origins of it is revealed here, it was a fun story and really takes silver age weirdness to a next level but does it like really well. Weird concepts and all but fun writing with amazing art there.
Then the next few stories are standalone like Wally facing off against Mirror master to Save Linda which was an okayish story and the other one about Jay and how he comes back out of retirement to assist Wally whose recovering and protect his enemy turned friend Thinker and I love that story and really made me love Jay here, just showing the wisdom of this old man and the lengths he will go to save people and its awesome.
Plus GA, GL and Flash team up to take down villains they fought off.. in a court and it was a fun trial and felt like one of those episodes from some legal show but overall its a good read showing Wally and Flash family at their best as they trp to protect Gem cities and I love that for it, great stuff with typical 90s art which was rad!
April 24, 2015
I don't exactly love The Flash, but I like the character's supporting cast (Jay Garrick the Golden Age Flash, Max Mercury, Impulse), and I like Grant Morrison (less so Mark Millar), so I decided to give this collection a shot. And overall, it's not bad: a little dated superhero work but generally full of enough great ideas and fun to pull you along.
Most of the cool moments in here, mostly in the first two high-concept stories (a villainous suit who swears revenge on The Flash, The Mirror Master's mind-bending setup), which were both both very cool, and definitely great fun to read. I particularly liked the one stand-alone story that gave Jay Garrick a chance to shine; seeing what he does with his "retirement" makes me appreciate him even more. There was one issue that was the last chapter in a three-part story with Green Arrow & Green Lantern, set in a courtroom, that fell really flat for me. I could have done without that issue (or maybe it would have read better if they had collected the Green Lantern and Green Arrow stories that preceded it), but that's a minor nitpick. Overall this collection didn't finally make me fall in love with The Flash, but it's certainly full of some good superhero stories, and I will probably re-read this volume - or at least most of it - in the future.
First Read: July 8 2010.
Most of the cool moments in here, mostly in the first two high-concept stories (a villainous suit who swears revenge on The Flash, The Mirror Master's mind-bending setup), which were both both very cool, and definitely great fun to read. I particularly liked the one stand-alone story that gave Jay Garrick a chance to shine; seeing what he does with his "retirement" makes me appreciate him even more. There was one issue that was the last chapter in a three-part story with Green Arrow & Green Lantern, set in a courtroom, that fell really flat for me. I could have done without that issue (or maybe it would have read better if they had collected the Green Lantern and Green Arrow stories that preceded it), but that's a minor nitpick. Overall this collection didn't finally make me fall in love with The Flash, but it's certainly full of some good superhero stories, and I will probably re-read this volume - or at least most of it - in the future.
First Read: July 8 2010.
December 1, 2015
I'm a huge Grant Morrison fan and, while I'm iffy on a lot of Mark Millar's stuff, I recognize him as an elite writer within the greater comic book world. That being said, when I found out they had collaborated on a few issues of the Flash, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy.
While Emergency Stop is not as epic or as revolutionary as the majority of Grant Morrison's work, fans of Grant Morrison will recognize certain Morrisonesque elements within these very fun, very silver-agey Flash stories. From the use of old nemeses and under-utilized B-listers to canon-redefining story elements, and meta/philosophical discussions about comic books, Emergency Stop is very Grant Morrison. It's also a great story for depicting how the scarlet speedsters of yesterday, today, and tomorrow work together to help each other; illustrating what it means to be part of the Flash family. While this book is not necessarily a must-read as a stand-alone, it contains a fun and dynamic set of stories that preface important changes to come in the life of the Flash. The best issue of the collection, by far, is issue 134.
While Emergency Stop is not as epic or as revolutionary as the majority of Grant Morrison's work, fans of Grant Morrison will recognize certain Morrisonesque elements within these very fun, very silver-agey Flash stories. From the use of old nemeses and under-utilized B-listers to canon-redefining story elements, and meta/philosophical discussions about comic books, Emergency Stop is very Grant Morrison. It's also a great story for depicting how the scarlet speedsters of yesterday, today, and tomorrow work together to help each other; illustrating what it means to be part of the Flash family. While this book is not necessarily a must-read as a stand-alone, it contains a fun and dynamic set of stories that preface important changes to come in the life of the Flash. The best issue of the collection, by far, is issue 134.
April 21, 2020
Absolutely the best collaboration between Grant Morrison and Mark Millar I've yet to read (and I've read almost all of them), and one of the most accessible, straightforward, and yet still fun superhero stories I've read from either of them. There are just so many great ideas in here, grounded by the solid, positive character work they do with Wally West, Jay Garrick, and the supporting cast. It's really just a blast to read!
In particular I loved the Jay Garrick one-off story in here. Jay (the Golden Age Flash) visits with one of his old foes (whose name I'm blanking on), who's dying of brain cancer. In an effort to save his enemy's life, and due to an obsessive need to "always win," Jay pulls out all the stops trying to find a way to save the man, including digging up the guy's old high-tech mind-expanding helmet, which he used to use to combat The Flash. It's a very human, emotional, and still thrilling story that celebrates heroism while also allowing Jay to learn that he can't, hard as he may try, win 'em all. It feels very thematically close to Morrison's All-Star Superman, and this issue alone made me love this book.
The only real problem with this collection is the final issue, which is the 3rd issue in a 3-part series involving a team-up between Flash, Green Lantern and Green Arrow. The first two issues are missing, which makes reading this feel like watching only the last 20 minutes of a movie. It's not impossible to follow, but it's unsettling and strange. I know Morrison & Millar didn't write the other two entries in the crossover, but I still think they should've been included for the plot's sake.
Anyway, this feels like a Morrison run people don't talk about very often, so I'm happy to give it a big ole recommend here. There's still one more TPB for me to read, so I'm not sure if they nail it beginning to end, but this one's good enough on its own to pick up.
In particular I loved the Jay Garrick one-off story in here. Jay (the Golden Age Flash) visits with one of his old foes (whose name I'm blanking on), who's dying of brain cancer. In an effort to save his enemy's life, and due to an obsessive need to "always win," Jay pulls out all the stops trying to find a way to save the man, including digging up the guy's old high-tech mind-expanding helmet, which he used to use to combat The Flash. It's a very human, emotional, and still thrilling story that celebrates heroism while also allowing Jay to learn that he can't, hard as he may try, win 'em all. It feels very thematically close to Morrison's All-Star Superman, and this issue alone made me love this book.
The only real problem with this collection is the final issue, which is the 3rd issue in a 3-part series involving a team-up between Flash, Green Lantern and Green Arrow. The first two issues are missing, which makes reading this feel like watching only the last 20 minutes of a movie. It's not impossible to follow, but it's unsettling and strange. I know Morrison & Millar didn't write the other two entries in the crossover, but I still think they should've been included for the plot's sake.
Anyway, this feels like a Morrison run people don't talk about very often, so I'm happy to give it a big ole recommend here. There's still one more TPB for me to read, so I'm not sure if they nail it beginning to end, but this one's good enough on its own to pick up.
May 31, 2023
Definitely non-essential in Morrison‘s oeuvre, as is the case with all the Millar collaborations, but a far cry from bad.
Most of the stories here are perfectly serviceable, the highlight being „Still life in the fast lane“, a single issue story about the original Flash trying to save an original rogue from dying by finding a long lost gadget. It’s fun and touching and I wish the rest here was on the same level (though a three way crossover with comic runs by Ron Marz and Chuck Dixon serves as a stark reminder just how far ahead even sub-par Morrison of that era was).
Most of the stories here are perfectly serviceable, the highlight being „Still life in the fast lane“, a single issue story about the original Flash trying to save an original rogue from dying by finding a long lost gadget. It’s fun and touching and I wish the rest here was on the same level (though a three way crossover with comic runs by Ron Marz and Chuck Dixon serves as a stark reminder just how far ahead even sub-par Morrison of that era was).
August 1, 2019
Really enjoyed Morrison (& Millar) taking the reins on this one. The Jay Garrick issue is the obvious highlite. So awesome.
Really enjoyed the courtroom issue at the end. Even though we don’t get the first two chapters in the story, hearing the JLA guys explain to the court their versions of what happened and how they pulled it off played like some Ocean’s 11 shit and I really liked that. And who doesn’t love rooting against a crooked lawyer? If a tv show ever adapted this episode I would watch it ad nauseam. Like if it was an episode of the Good Wife?! Omigod.
Really enjoyed the courtroom issue at the end. Even though we don’t get the first two chapters in the story, hearing the JLA guys explain to the court their versions of what happened and how they pulled it off played like some Ocean’s 11 shit and I really liked that. And who doesn’t love rooting against a crooked lawyer? If a tv show ever adapted this episode I would watch it ad nauseam. Like if it was an episode of the Good Wife?! Omigod.
May 26, 2018
It's not among my fave Morrison runs on popular heroes, but there are plenty of bonkers ideas in here like how Wally makes armor out of the Speed Force, and has plenty enough villains and other speedster heroes to keep your brain racing, in particular 'The Suit' is an interesting baddie.
February 22, 2017
Love this story! So amazing.
April 22, 2020
3.5 rounded down.
I mean, c'mon a gold speed force suit Wally can use while his legs are broken? LAME.
I did enjoy the 3 issue crossover with Rayner GL and Hawke GA.
I mean, c'mon a gold speed force suit Wally can use while his legs are broken? LAME.
I did enjoy the 3 issue crossover with Rayner GL and Hawke GA.
January 6, 2023
Fresh superhero comic undercut by somewhat conservative (if capable) artwork
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September 26, 2025It was a very cool and action-packed book, and I loved every word of it.
November 14, 2025
In Chapter 1, Wally took his wife to see the sunset in India. But meanwhile, in the prison, a suit had escaped and is causing problems in the city.
Still in Chapter 1, The Flash had pretended to die and devised a plan, but in the process of executing it, he may have inadvertently killed himself, thereby giving the suit free territory to the city.
In chapter 2, after the suit injured Wally West, Max was being controlled by the suit while trying to destroy it. It left Jay and Impulse to get rid of the suit and fix what went wrong. While they were fighting the suit, Wally came out of nowhere with his injured legs and defeated the suit. With a little bit of help from the SpeedForce
In the last half of Chapter 2 the flash had somewhat recovered and was able to defeat Mcullah.
In the end of chapter 2 Jay the older flash he had tried to save the thinker and find his thinking cap or else he was going to die from a tumor in his head.
In chapter 3 wally west had tried going on a vacation to Alaska but 3 super-villains(Sonar, Heat-wave, and hatchet) were also on the same plane. A fight broke out and made a huge problem over the water.
In the final part of the book Wally west, Green lantern, and Green Arrow all had to go to court because 3 bad guys name Heat-wave, Sonar, and Hatchet had caused destruction to a boat all the way in the arctic. The Superheros are getting caused because 43 people have died on the mission and the superheros could have saved them but couldn't in time.
Still in Chapter 1, The Flash had pretended to die and devised a plan, but in the process of executing it, he may have inadvertently killed himself, thereby giving the suit free territory to the city.
In chapter 2, after the suit injured Wally West, Max was being controlled by the suit while trying to destroy it. It left Jay and Impulse to get rid of the suit and fix what went wrong. While they were fighting the suit, Wally came out of nowhere with his injured legs and defeated the suit. With a little bit of help from the SpeedForce
In the last half of Chapter 2 the flash had somewhat recovered and was able to defeat Mcullah.
In the end of chapter 2 Jay the older flash he had tried to save the thinker and find his thinking cap or else he was going to die from a tumor in his head.
In chapter 3 wally west had tried going on a vacation to Alaska but 3 super-villains(Sonar, Heat-wave, and hatchet) were also on the same plane. A fight broke out and made a huge problem over the water.
In the final part of the book Wally west, Green lantern, and Green Arrow all had to go to court because 3 bad guys name Heat-wave, Sonar, and Hatchet had caused destruction to a boat all the way in the arctic. The Superheros are getting caused because 43 people have died on the mission and the superheros could have saved them but couldn't in time.
June 24, 2016
Emergency Stop (130-132). Morrison and Millar show us right off that they're going to offer a different take on Wally. So we get a haunted costume, a speed-force costume, and timey-wimeyness. All of the weirdness is quite a bit of fun, but unfortunately the core of the comic rotates around big, long fights [6+/10].
Shorts (133-134). Morrison & Millar's two shorts are nice. The GA Flash (134) story is the stronger of the two, because the authors have such a great grasp of his really unblemished character, but the Mirror Master (133) story is fun for its over-the-top style [7+/10].
Three of a Kind (135). The idea of the legacy Flash, Green Arrow, and Green Lanterns teaming up is terrific, but unfortunately that means crossing over with those other books, which weren't that great in the late '90s. This early trade thus almost looks smart by only including the Flash issue, which actually stands alone pretty well with a courtroom frame that moves it quite a distance from its predecessors [7/10].
Overall, Milar and Morrison look like they're beginning a strong new Flash run with Emergency Stop, but all of the one-offs drag that to a quick halt. The comic won't really get its momentum back until the latter two arcs, which ran issues 136-141.
Shorts (133-134). Morrison & Millar's two shorts are nice. The GA Flash (134) story is the stronger of the two, because the authors have such a great grasp of his really unblemished character, but the Mirror Master (133) story is fun for its over-the-top style [7+/10].
Three of a Kind (135). The idea of the legacy Flash, Green Arrow, and Green Lanterns teaming up is terrific, but unfortunately that means crossing over with those other books, which weren't that great in the late '90s. This early trade thus almost looks smart by only including the Flash issue, which actually stands alone pretty well with a courtroom frame that moves it quite a distance from its predecessors [7/10].
Overall, Milar and Morrison look like they're beginning a strong new Flash run with Emergency Stop, but all of the one-offs drag that to a quick halt. The comic won't really get its momentum back until the latter two arcs, which ran issues 136-141.
June 26, 2016
Besides there being a lot of references to scientific concepts, this book really does not feel like it was written by Grant Morrison. Also, there was not a lot of sensational violence either, so it didn't seem like Mark Millar was co-writing as well. This book marks a very interesting time in the history of the Flash, it is in between Mark Waid's stellar run and Geoff John's game changing run.
I have read thousands of comics at this point, but I have not really read any Stand alone Wally West Flash stories. For most comic readers of my generation, Wally is their Flash, and not Barry. I actually enjoyed Morrison's use of Wally in the stories I have read, in Morrison's JLA work. this was very generic a story to be written by such an incredible talent.
I have read thousands of comics at this point, but I have not really read any Stand alone Wally West Flash stories. For most comic readers of my generation, Wally is their Flash, and not Barry. I actually enjoyed Morrison's use of Wally in the stories I have read, in Morrison's JLA work. this was very generic a story to be written by such an incredible talent.
July 13, 2009
Not a bad read, collecting half of Grant Morrison's and Mark Millar's run on FLASH (during Morrison's JLA run). Morrison's crazy ass ideas are in full effect here with Wally's taping of the Speed Force to create "speed armor" (?) that enables him to walk again after he is crippled.
Always have enjoyed Wally West as Flash and this is no different. There are some very good character touchstones in here, particularly between Wally and Jay Garrick. Very understated work from Paul Ryan on art chores as well. Was this where Wally got his sideburns???
Always have enjoyed Wally West as Flash and this is no different. There are some very good character touchstones in here, particularly between Wally and Jay Garrick. Very understated work from Paul Ryan on art chores as well. Was this where Wally got his sideburns???
October 14, 2013
Decent collection of Flash stories. I always like Max Mercury and Jay Garrick, so it was nice to see them back in action. Wally is my least favorite Flash, so I particularly enjoyed the issues where Jay takes over while Wally recovers from his broken legs.
September 24, 2009
I don't read a lot of Flash, so I don't have much to compare this to, but I really enjoyed it. I love that the main villain is a costume. Only Grant Morrison, right? 3 1/2 stars.
February 10, 2010
Just never been a fan of the Flash in his solo series... works with the JLA but not at all impressive here.
October 19, 2014
*-Put this on my "Scorpio Artist" shelf because of cover artist Steve Lightle.
February 23, 2009
"What I learned from this book" is that Jay Garrick listens to primal scream.
April 13, 2017
Sorry Grant Morrison, not a fan.
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