The Flash #21: A Flash of War

The Flash #21 revolves around the growing hatred and war mongering personality within the prime Wally West as Barry Allen arrives to attempt to provide some logical advice. While most of this goes over prime Wally’s head, Barry does reach through to a multiple (who will henceforth be referred to as multiple Wally), who has a whole different perspective on this Eclipso war than our lead protagonist. Ultimately, The Flash #21 showcases some brutally honest commentary on the state of war and how it impacts the lives and personalities of the soldiers on the ground and the generals up above differently.

This Flash run has got to be the most unpredictable Flash run of all time. What started as a very high concept, science fiction heavy drama slowly turned into a slightly less high concept, family, other worlds drama. Now, this arc promises a high concept war drama that seems to comment on the state and minds of those in a war. Having a Flash run that keeps you on your toes at every turn seems just absolutely fitting for a character who can never just stay in one place for too long. Because of this, these changes in the story with each new arc make for a great shifting experience that promises something new, while  also building off of the larger story thus far.

Wally West is one of those characters that seems like he will always serve as a stand in for fans trying to envision a real world superhero. He started off as a boy who really wanted to be a hero who was suddenly forced into the job when his mentor perished. This lead to years of growth where an immature and flagrantly disrespectful Flash grew into a family man. Fans of the Flash know that you can look to Wally for a perfect example of how a character can grow and mature. With this new arc, Spurrier seems to be capitalizing on that, making Wally into a new version of himself that is purposefully going to alienate fans. This seems to all be in service of displaying how war can change those around us, making people act in ways you would never have thought to be possible.

That is where Barry comes in, as a guiding light, but also as a reminder for that humanity that Wally has somewhat lost in the heat of battle. The issue continues to explore how this war works, showcasing a “Flash Refinery” where all of Wally’s multiples purge themselves so that fresh multiples have all the memories of those who have survived. From an outside lens, this is horrific, a crime against humanity, and outright disturbing. But for this story, it really becomes obvious that all of this is done in service to Wally knowing his boundaries as a hero, father, and successor. This use of Barry is great and allows for that mentor-mentee relationship that sometimes can get lost in the shuffle.