Superman had Man of Steel, Batman had Year One, Wonder Woman has George Perez’s opening arc of her title, Green Lantern had Emerald Dawn. This was was previously collected as two separate volumes (Emergency Stop and The Human Race), but they omitted the Green Lantern and Green Arrow crossover issues, which will be included in this new edition. In 2000, Waid co-wrote a series named Empire with Barry Kitson, whose protagonist was a Doctor Doom-like supervillain named Golgoth who had defeated all superheroes and conquered the world. In 2003 Waid wrote the origin of the "modern" Superman with Superman: Birthright, a twelve-part limited series which was meant to be the new official origin story of the Man of Steel. The thing is, I think Mark Waid understood something important about superhero origin stories, which is that they have two parts.

The first story has a far future Flash traveling back in time to gather past Flashes (Jay Garrick the Golden Age Flash, Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, and Wally West) to help against a world-ending disaster in the far future. While mostly solid, there was one issue with an artist trying their best to imitate Rob Liefield (barf! I'd absolutely recommend it- Wally West is a fantastic Flash, and it strikes an excellent balance between quick paced action and West's personal drama, itself almost telenovela-level. Once the universe settles itself post-Zero Hour, the Flash must face down Kobra’s infiltration of Keystone City.

Waid also launched with artist Javier Garrón a Ant-Man and the Wasp miniseries to tie into the release of the 2019 film of the same name. It's a great look at how Wally found great joy in becoming a hero, and a great antidote to the much more toxic characterization found in Giffen's JLE and to a much lesser extent Baron's Flash. This collection is a bit padded out with the Flash Special and two annuals that make little sense outside of the larger events they were part of. Waid’s run on The Flash represents some of his earlier work, and you can still see him working through the transition from lifelong fanboy and professional editor to spinner of tales, but the knack for imbuing his superheroes with relatable problems (struggling with family issues, confidence, etc.

Waid is perfect at capturing the ernest and realistic narration that doesn't feel cumbersome and carries the plot forward. Once Waid got immersed in the Kid Flash origins, his deep thoughts and rampant narration took over, hard. The issue will also feature a lead-in to the September relaunch from incoming creative team Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr. It took me awhile because I'll be honest, It is/was hard for me to go further back in time because things are a product of their age. In his introduction to this book, Waid says he initially struggled to find a voice for Wally West when taking over The Flash, his first comics gig.So not only he is put in a position where he questions whether there is a need for him anymore, but also questioning his perspective of how much he idolised his mentor, perhaps even foregoing his humanity (arguably what makes Barry Allen himself) I will not spoil the ending, but it is a run which absolutely blew me away. It resonates with you, and somehow makes you identify with it on a level that not even people you thought were close to you would understand.

We see him deal with his powers potentially killing him and then overcoming all obstacles to stabilize his powers when he saves his father from a tornado. It's a fun collection of issues to read (I just finished Book Four,) but should be read with the awareness that the writing and art are both problematic in a way that's not okay now and wasn't really then (this was only 20/30 years ago). struggle desperately with fiction, demanding constantly that it conform to the rules of everyday life. Still despite the issues with the presentation, the comic book issues are great and a sign of what was to come for Mark Waid who would prove to be far more than. Beginning with volume 2, Waid wraps up Wally in the Flash legacy with each volume you can see Wally mature as a hero now only in his abilities but also his confidence in himself and Barry's legacy.Waid would never equal Geoff Johns' later work on the Flash's rogues gallery, but this initial take on Abra Kadabra is the exception. It was a fun little team-up that helps strengthen the relationship between Wally and Kyle, which ends up becoming a friendship that carried over into the Justice League book by Grant Morrison. DC is marking the occasion with oversized issues that celebrate Wally West and Diana of Themyscira, respectively, and offer lead-ins to the newly-announced relaunched ongoing series for each character.