Written by Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn
Art by Paul Pelletier; Jose Marzan, Jr.; Gaspar Saladino; Ken Lopez; & Tom McCraw
Cover Art by Steve Lightle
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics for December 1999, this standard-length issue is entitled “Payback Unlimited.” In Keystone City, Jesse Quick and Impulse ponder a ten-years older Walter West lifted from a future alternate reality, as he is now a red-and-silver Flash. Linda Park evidently has been erased from the world’s memories. Including Angle Man and Trickster, the formidable Replicant is amassing the Rogues’ powers.
Impulse interrupts Walter’s marriage proposal to a new girlfriend, as Walter erupts at the mention of the name: ‘Linda.’ Walter’s Flash & Pied Piper battle Replicant. Now trapped in another alternate reality where its own ‘Linda’ tragically died, Linda Park witnesses two Wally Wests violently clash over her. A cliffhanger reveals the nefarious villain, with his own obsession re: a captive Linda.
REVIEW:
Visually, the art squad does an excellent job, despite the difficulty of depicting three separate Wally Wests. There’s the problem: up front, the Keystone City segments with Walter West make storytelling sense and prove well-played. The Replicant makes for an intriguing villain while Jesse Quick and Impulse’s scene is plausible, considering the wonky reality-warping. Yet, it’s the bewildering Wally vs. Wally scenes that later come off in a dubious Back to the Future, Part II-sort of way that bog this plot down.
If the creative team had just inserted an eye-catching distinction (i.e. maybe the alternate Wally has a slightly different costume? Or the real Wally’s costume is shredded?), then the issue’s back half wouldn’t been nearly as confusing.
The first half of Flash # 155 make for a pretty good read. However, as this storyline dates back to Issue # 150, fans probably should consume the convoluted plot in graphic novel form to make the best sense out of it.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The last page is a “Speed Reading” letters-and-answers column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
Note: The red-and-silver Walter West Flash storyline extends through Flash # 159.
