The Flash #774 – Jeremy Adams, Writer; Christian Duce, Artist; Alex Sinclair, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This run has been on a speedrun of restoring all of Wally West’s old status quo and getting rid of the last few (read, ten) years. But there’s one thorny part of that—Wally is once again a father of two, and his kids weren’t exactly fan favorites when they were first introduced in their aged-up forms a decade-plus ago. So Jeremy Adams has to essentially reintroduce them and win over the crowd, and if this first issue is any indication, he’s off to a good start. Jai is still firmly in the background, but Irey takes the lead this issue as she and Wally prepare for their first daddy-daughter dance. The art style this issue makes her look a bit younger than she did when first reintroduced, but it’s great to see a superhero dad who acts like, well, a dad. Superman and Batman’s relationships with their sons are so atypical, but Wally’s an overprotective dork who still has the same instincts any suburban dad would.
Of course, they’re not a normal suburban family, and as the two of them head to their dance, they’re interrupted by the arrival of Doctor Nightmare—a sub-par new villain who seems like a bargain-basement Scarecrow. That’s not really an insult—I think he’s supposed to be kind of hard to take seriously. His gas puts people to sleep and then brings their nightmares to life, and his grudge against Michael Holt has led him to put Keystone City under assault. Watching Wally and Irey fight evil is fun, and she’s turning into a pretty capable young hero. Some of the dialogue is a little overly corny as Adams tries hard to sell just how much Wally loves his daughter, but it’s sort of refreshing. Like the rest of this run, it feels like it could have come out of a pre-Infinite Crisis time capsule. Whether that’s something that’ll actually work for you will depend on just how much you love Wally West.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
