Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Brett Booth
Published by DC Comics
I’m just going to come right out and say it: I absolutely hated the ending of Heroes in Crisis. I felt like it was manipulative and forced. Like really forced.
I love Tom King as a writer (one of the best), but he basically ruined Wally West for the Rebirth timeline on. (Apparently, under the direction of DC Editorial)
So now we get this miniseries where Lobdell gets one of the hardest jobs in recent history. He gets to pick up the mess that King left us with and tries to make something of it.
The question is, is he even able to at this point?
Well, the issue starts off horribly. There is something in space called a Tempus Fuginaut talking. I hated it.
Why is this thing here?
It’s three pages of unholy exposition and I wanted to die at the end of it. Again, why is this here? I’m sure we will find out by the end of the six issues and I’m positive that I will hate it.
From there, Wally is having a flashback dream about his friend Roy Harper.
Lobdell redeems that painful beginning and gives us a nice moment as we get to see Wally in a prison. We get to see Wally’s loneliness. We get to see his pain and suffering. And Lobdell gives us a real good reason to care. Which is difficult to do. But believe me, he pulls it off.
We see that Wally is in the Blackgate Prison.
It’s wrenching to see him like this. It’s hard to see Wally go about the daily life in the prison. Seeing Linda Park visit Wally in prison is extremely hard to read but completely necessary. It’s fantastic in the way the story is told here.
Then, we are “treated” to a terrible sequence at the end of the multiverse.
Why? It’s completely awful and feels like it undercuts the beautiful quiet scenes of Wally in prison. It’s really hard to stomach them.
Once we are back at the prison, things are more easier to stomach. There is even an attempt on Wally’s life in the prison. But it isn’t long before Wally is off on a cosmic mission. And it gets boring quite quick, believe me.
I don’t know if it’s because nobody knows how to handle Wally anymore but come on. This issue is so schizophrenic it made my head spin a bit. But there are some good moments too. And the art is pretty spiffy as well.
It gets a C plus. It had such potential but maybe it’ll improve. Wally West is one is my favorite characters. I was hoping this series would set his story straight.
That doesn’t seem to be the case. Or at least not yet.
RATING: C+
