Written by Mark Waid
Art by Salvador Larrocca; Sergio Borjas; Carlos Pacheco; Oscar Jimenez; José Marzan, Jr.; Tom McCraw; & Gaspar Saladino
Cover Art by Mike Wieringo
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics for April 1995, this 40-page centennial issue is entitled “Terminal Velocity: Overdrive – The Quick and the Dead.” With Wally West missing in action and presumed dead, Linda Park, Iris West, and the ex-Pied Piper must defend Keystone City from Kobra’s overwhelming forces. Impulse (Bart Allen), Jesse Quick, and Jay Garrick are all weakened, injured, and/or hospitalized, with only a slim chance of Max Mercury making the save in time.
With the city surrounded by an impenetrable force-field, Kobra’s high-tech weaponry starts crushing Keystone with a devastating earthquake. Max Mercury may prove the last speedster to challenge Kobra. Determined to go down fighting, amateur commando Linda makes a defiant last stand against Kobra. At the outset, Linda states she doesn’t believe in miracles, but, without the Flash, the world desperately needs one now.
Pitted against Kobra’s sleeper squads, Batman & Robin, Superman, John Henry Irons’ Steel, Hawkman, & Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern make cameo appearances.
Note: There’s a variant cover by José Marzan, Jr. featuring Linda Park, Impulse, Max Mercury, and Jay Garrick surrounding a broken Flash Museum statue of Wally West.
REVIEW:
For Wally West fans, it’s an iconic moment, as writer Mark Waid (like Geoff Johns would later do) makes Barry Allen’s energetic successor shine bright … literally. Aside from broadly hinting at the franchise’s introduction of the Speed Force, Waid is on his game building up this Keystone catastrophe to its rightful climax.
Despite overplaying Linda’s Sarah Conner impersonation (a la The Terminator franchise), Waid’s depiction of the plot through her point-of-view makes ideal creative sense. He also does fine playing with the Justice League guest stars, but it doesn’t make sense why none of them are rushing to save Keystone under the circumstances. Presumably, they are thinking that Wally is busily working his own turf.
In terms of the visuals, the artwork ranges from excellent to above-average – it’s a welcome touch, considering DC’s propensity for artistic laziness in the mid-90’s. If anything, Flash # 100 is a satisfying milestone for Wally West’s Flash, even as his supporting cast covers virtually all of the ‘screen time.’
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Series editor Brian Augustyn handles a two-page “Speed Reading” letters-and-answers column. A blurb re: Issue # 101 indicates that the its title will be “Going the Distance.”
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
