Image by DC Comics

You can read our review of the issue #1 here.

The resurrection of Wally West from the depths of Heroes in Crisis continues in Flash Forward issue #2! After a very promising first issue where writer Scott Lobdell kick started Wally’s adventure through the Dark Multiverse, now we get the adventure itself, with artist Brett Booth delivering in spades once again with this project.

DC Comics is currently in a situation of hit and miss, with some titles and projects working really well and others that are truly missing the mark by a long shot. But I have to say that this miniseries is quickly becoming one of my favorites of 2019.

What is Flash Forward #2?

Image by DC Comics

Wally West finds himself on Earth 23, holding a Wounded President Superman. He is quickly attacked by dark creatures that are feeding off that world and the Flash quickly uses the weapon that Tempus gave him, which spares the darkness away. Afterwards, Wally runs away after being confused as a threat by that Earth’s version of the Justice League of America.

Thinking about his recent actions in Heroes in Crisis and the events of issue #1, Wally finds himself surrounded by the Retaliators from Earth 8, who are lost on this universe, resulting in yet another conflict. But Wally uses the weapon and manages to find the problem that is corrupting this universe, fixing it due to his super speed.

Wally leaves for another universe and we switch to Tempus, who is looking at his deeds and thinking that he is still not ready for his destiny. The last two pages show a part of the Dark Multiverse where two teenage versions of Wally’s kids, Jai and Iris West, who have been lost for many years.

How was it?

Image by DC Comics

This was a fun issue where Lobdell focused more on introducing Wally’s actual mission in the Multiverse, cleansing the darkness that is hurting many Earths. He does it swiftly, without wasting a lot of time on exposition, but rather through action–we can see that already in the first page with Wally holding a wounded President Superman, because it means that we are ready for some drama from the get-go and that in superhero comics is always great.

It is very enjoyable as part of a miniseries, but I can see a new reader enjoying it as a standalone story, which is something most modern writers struggle with–Lobdell gives you enough information to understand the context without derailing the story and that’s very good. It’s also fun to see Wally acting like a hero once again, enjoying himself and doing good, which is the essence of his character and what makes him so beloved by a lot of fans.

The cliffhanger with Wally’s kids is certainly one of the biggest surprises in DC this year and I’m sure that is going to generate a lot of interest for the upcoming issue. My only concern is how are they going to handle these two characters; Jai and Iris have been severely mistreated by DC's editorial staff throughout the years and aging them up is a somewhat risky take, especially considering that Brian Michael Bendis did that with Superman’s son, Jon, it left a pretty bad taste in the mouths of fans. We can see that Iris has the Impulse outfit, so it would be interesting to see her interacting with Wally while using her Speedster powers.

Other than that, I think this was a very solid issue and one that has a very classic superhero vibe to it, with a lot of action, optimism and entertainment.

What about the art?

Image by DC Comics

I have already talked up Brett Booth many times in this blog, so I think how I feel about his work: it’s really good, it really shows a lot of energy. I think the first issue was perhaps a little bit better, but this combination of splash pages, dynamic movements and whatnot is simply very appealing to a reader like me.

One complaint that I've found on the internet regarding Booth’s art style is that many find him “too 90s” and while I understand that everybody has their own personal preferences, I don’t think you can say anything negative about Booth’s work from a technical point of view. Comic book artwork in the 90's was not as bad as some people are trying to make it seem and there is excellent artwork from that period (Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Greg Capullo, Andy Kubert, Whilce Portacio, Jim Lee, Tony Daniel, Ron Lim, among others) and Booth was a bright spot of that time.

What it represents?

Image by DC Comics

Overall, it is a very solid issue that keeps developing the story and moves Wally another step towards being the best version of the character. To be honest, if the story grows as it has been doing so far, then I would like to see this team working on a regular Wally West title–they truly understand the character and they are creating something special. As a huge Green Lantern fan, Lobdell and Booth with Wally remind me a bit to Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, but maybe that’s just me.

Anyway, Flash Forward #2 is a very good issue and I invite you to get it and read it because it’s definitely worth your time.