Flash #247

Talk about going out with a whimper. Alan Burnett gets the assignment to turn off the lights of the Flash comic. With Barry Allen's return, it seems there is no need for a Wally West comic anymore. This last story has been about Queen Zazzla the Queen Bee trying to tap into the speed force to do evil things. She had a big bug-man working for her, and she had her bees sting Linda West almost to death. While on death's door, Flash went to the Spectre who refused to help. Fortunately, Zatanna can talk to people while they are dying and asked Linda to not go to the light, so she didn't. Flash teams up with the always incompetent-Arsenal (he lost Flash's kids in the previous issue) and the rest of the Titans to easily mop up the Hive's flunkies. The characters even comment on how easy it is, so... not a lot of drama there. The Flash gets over his struggles with the speed force as his daughter re-amps him up, and he easily beats the Queen. Then it looks like Wally has decided he's "had a good run" and he and the fam charge off, back to retirement or limbo. I figure it will last just as long as it takes for Geoff Johns to include Wally in Flash: Rebirth. It is pretty sad that this long-lasting comic has had as many misfires and cancellations as it has over the last few years. Wally used to be one of my favorites, and at this point I can barely muster up the interest to read his comic.

Carlo Barberi's art is adequate for the story being told. It would be hard to polish this up much though. Flash looks sad and embarrassed on that cover, and I agree with him.

Poor