The Flash #208

The Red Carpet

Geoff Johns Writer
Howard Porter Penciller
Livesay Inker
Rob Leigh Letterer
James Sinclair Colorist & Separator
Joey Cavalieri Editor
Harvey Richards Asst. Editor

Our cover is by Michael Turner, who still draws Bart as Kid Flash better than anyone else. I really enjoy the closeups of Bart, Wally and Jay, although Jay does look a bit too angry. Like he is downright furious at Wally for something. But Bart is optimistic and hopeful, and overall looks great. I don't quite get the vast gray background, and I don't think we needed a smaller shot of the speedsters running. They all look a bit too chunky in that pose. I would have just made the closeups bigger to fill the whole cover.

When we last left The Flash, Wally had made a deal with the Spectre to have the world forget that he was the Flash. This spell also included himself, so Wally spent the past few issues remembering his secret identity. Now he's back as the Flash, but he hasn't told any of his colleagues yet. That all changes today when Wally is battling Abra Kadabra, Trickster and Tar Pit.

Bart and Jay show up in the nick of time, and Jay pulls Wally out of Tar Pit's sticky clutches, while Bart battles Trickster once again. Bart babbles on about Newton's first law of physics and Wally has a very revealing thought: "For a while I wasn't sure 'Impulse' would be a real part of the Flash legacy. I stand corrected."

Jay tells Wally it's good to see him on the streets again, but Wally worries about the damage he's causing with his fights. Bart jokes that Wally should see his room, and Wally surprises Bart by saying it's good to hear his voice. Abra Kadabra then summons a giant that begins destroying Keystone High School, which puts a smile on Bart's face. Jay vows to rebuild the school so Bart can continue attending his classes, but Bart points out that's unnecessary since he's already memorized an entire library. Jay says that cramming isn't the same as understanding. Trying to make small talk, Wally admits to Bart that he didn't like school that much, either.

The speedsters tie up the giants, then begin punching Abra Kadabra before he can cast another spell. The magician from the future hastily retreats, taking his giants with him. Wally then decides that now is a good time to reveal his secret identity to Jay and Bart, but they say they knew all along and were waiting for Wally to figure it out on his own.

Before they can elaborate on this, the three heroes are surrounded by an adoring crowd of people seeking autographs. One of them, Dexter Miles, pulls the speedster away to show them the rebuilt Flash Museum. We get to see tons of statues of old villains, including the Reverse-Flash, Savitar, Lady Savitar, Zoom and Rival. But the best part is room devoted to Bart Allen, centered around a large statue of Impulse batting Inertia. It also includes Michael Turner's alternate cover of Teen Titans #1, which has to be a painting, since Raven isn't anywhere close to joining the team yet.

As the speedsters tour the museum, Jay explains to Wally that the Spectre conveniently appeared to him, Bart and Iris to tell them what Wally had done and that he would eventually regain his memories. Wally sadly confesses to Jay that Linda has left him, being naturally upset at having her memories taken away against her will. Suddenly, Wally is teleported up to the JLA Watchtower, where the entire Justice League is angrily demanding that he explain himself. Bart and Jay wonder where Wally went, and Bart says they need to tell Wally about Grandma. Jay says they will in due time, and they take off.



As I said last time, I'm not going to complain about the continuity errors. Geoff Johns' timeline just doesn't line up, and I'll leave it at that. In any case, it was kind of nice to see Wally awkwardly try to start a fresh relationship with Bart. But I sincerely believe that Johns was speaking for himself when he had Wally say he thought Impulse shouldn't be a part of the Flash legacy. But now that Bart is Kid Flash, both Wally and Johns accept him. I find this incredibly frustrating, since I thought Impulse brought in a unique personality that fit in beautifully with the Flash family. And now that personality has been lost.

One thing Johns does like doing is pitting Kid Flash against the Trickster. I don't know how Trickster got back out on the streets so soon (see my continuity complaints), but I do like this matchup. This newer Trickster is about Bart's age, and his wild personality is a natural fit for Bart. Even Peter David chose to have Impulse battle Trickster in Young Justice. I wish Bart still had his own series, because Axel Walker would have been a wonderful recurring villain there.

Next time: Teen Titans #9.