Flash Forward #5 – Scott Lobdell, Writer; Brett Booth, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Inker; Luis Guerrero,
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Ray: Last issue was probably the best issue Scott Lobdell has written in his time at DC, as it finally reunited Wally West with his time-lost children and then sent them off on a new race to survive. Flash Forward #5 continues that central plot and has a lot of good points, but it’s also much darker and pushes me more towards the idea that this is going to have a very unhappy ending.
It opens with Tempus Fuginaut musing about Wally’s past and regretting what’s to come for him, before launching into a fast-paced race to escape a collapsing planet. It was great to see Jai West get back into the speed game thanks to a boost from his sister, and a flashback to happier days with Wally and Linda tending to their infant children has some real emotional punch. Scott Lobdell clearly loves Wally and his history, which lends this issue some emotional gravitas. Unfortunately, he’s stuck with a Wally weighed down by unspeakable tragedy.
When Wally is separated from his children again and confronts Tempus, he responds with rage in a dramatic scene that pits him against the Dark Multiverse itself. Brett Booth’s art can be spotty on other books, but here he is at his best depicting the cosmic horrors Wally encounters.
The most dramatic scene of Flash Forward #5, with Wally finding a famous DC artifact that gives him a clearer view of what’s to come, is unfortunately spoiled on the cover – a poor decision that seems to happen regularly with DC books that give away their best moments.
With only one issue left, Wally is clearly overcome with grief at the sacrifice he’s supposedly going to be asked to make, but we’re still in the dark. This is well-done, but it all feels like it’s leading towards dragging Wally back into the dark. This mini has done a good job of reminding fans of the Wally they loved prior to Flashpoint, so it would be awful to get him back just to have him stripped away again.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
