Wally West’s spirit has been hurled across the timestream, reliving the adventures of speedster after speedster as the Speed Force attempts to dislodge something from itself using Wally’s help. There’s just one speedster Wally hasn’t inhabited yet – his own self. That’s just changed, as Wally is forced to relive his worst memory: his accidental killing of his fellow heroes at Sanctuary. But is everything that happened that day quite what it seemed? The Flash Annual 2021 is written by Jeremy Adams, drawn by Fernando Pasarin and Brandon Peterson, colored by Hi-Fi and Michael Atiyeh, and lettered by Steve Wands.
Nobody wanted Heroes In Crisis – at least, not the way it turned out, and certainly not the raw deal it gave Wally West. I feel it’s safe to say that most fans of Wally West would rather just pretend the whole thing never happened, and in comics, that can happen. There’s been a new Crisis, the universe has been reset again, and it won’t be the last time – there’s always been the hope that if you ignored Heroes In Crisis long enough, it would fade away like a bad memory, only appearing on listicles like 10 Times DC Comics Went Too Far or something.
The problem is, Dark Knights: Death Metal may have rebooted a few things, but Heroes In Crisis remains canon. Even if it hadn’t, comics writers can’t help themselves, they love nothing more than poking a sore spot to see if it still hurts. Sooner or later, someone was going to revisit this. I’m glad it happened sooner than later, if only because I’m (mostly) glad about how it turned out.
Don’t Leave Before the Miracle Happens
We open with the familiar nine-panel confessional grid – only this one is set in a time that’s simply called “Tomorrow”, featuring Wally in the more classic Flash suit. It’s warm, it’s reassuring, it’s even cheerfully lit and doing everything in its power to reassure readers that this all has a happy ending. I appreciate that, because turn the page, and you’re right back to what may be one of DC’s worst decisions ever: the moment Wally loses control and ends the lives of the heroes trying to help him.
It’s a terrible moment to come back to. It’s drawn fantastically. That rain of heroes, the flashes of lightning in the air, the red skies behind it as a defeated Wally kneels in the foreground. His back’s to the reader, we have almost the same point of view he does. This should never have happened, and it’s painful to watch.
What we have immediately after is a very important realization, and a very important retcon – the surge of energy that killed Wally’s allies wasn’t his fault after all. It was a surge of Speed Force energy, yes, but the source wasn’t Wally. It was Savitar, who nearly destroyed all of history trying to wrest control of the Speed Force.
Heroes In Crisis isn’t undone – and that’s something I wish could have happened. The event itself seemed to have little impact outside of its own pages on anyone but Wally West; what would change by bringing all those heroes back to life? But Wally himself is absolved of a responsibility that never should have been on his shoulders in the first place.
Retcons and Roy Haper
From that point on, this is fairly straightforward superhero fare. [Bad Guy] tries to take over [something important] as the Flash and his allies defeat him via [inventive solution based on questionable science]. I enjoyed the drama Fernando Pasarin brought to the page, every dramatic moment felt appropriately big. Hell, even Brandon Peterson’s generally over-expressive art felt like it finally matched the tone of this wild arc’s finale. This annual felt like a true season finale, and I enjoyed every minute.
One important factor that did separate this from your average beat-em-up-with-science comic is Roy Harper. Even though he’s been brought back to life, exploring his new Black Lantern abilities in Infinite Frontier, the emotional beats of Wally and Oliver Queen seeing their loved and lost friend one more time are powerful. After all, nobody knows Roy’s come back in the present, so as far they know this is the last time they’ll ever see him. The love that’s shared is heartbreaking and beautiful, and Roy’s sacrifice is no less important for the fact that it’s soon undone.
In the end, Wally’s tour of speedsters past and future has reinforced his desire to be a superhero again. What’s more, it’s given him just what he needs to be able to move on from the past that was holding him back. I’m also happy he’s suiting up in classic Flash colors, back in the uniform he wore the longest, right back where he ought to be as DC’s Fastest Man Alive.
This has been a shaky series so far, but it’s been a lot more enjoyable than otherwise. It’s opening arc took a pretty wild swing, and as far as I’m concerned, it landed. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad we revisited Heroes In Crisis one more, hopefully final, time.
