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After the death of Barry Allen, The Flash was in a bit of a holding pattern. The Mike Baron/Butch Guice run established a rooted in reality take on the character that was just terribly depressing at times (Wally is such a self-centered prick in these issues and his mother is the worst.). Following that was a better run by Mesnner-Loebs that helped to establish a supporting cast for Wally. But there was still something missing.

Enter Mark Waid. Starting with issue 62 he infused wit and warmth to the series. He is also responsible for creating quite a few essential elements to Wally’s run(Hehe!) as The Flash. Whilst not the definitive run on the series(Johns makes better use of Wally’s Rogues.), there is a case to be made for Waid’s run being the second best.

Why the reading guide?

I watch a lot of television and often times I will use watch guides to cut out the filler episodes. Waid’s run is really good, but it’s also almost 100 issues long and it was bound to have some filler. Whether it’s the crossovers or the terribly lame villains(Chillblaine?), an argument can be made for skipping some issues and that’s what I intend to do here. We’ll see how well this goes, but if it goes well I have some other runs I would like to take on(Claremont’s X-Men?)

Flash 62-65:

The perfect starting point for this run. A year one take that quickly gets you up to speed on who Wally is, who Barry was, and what the series will look like going forward. You’d have to be crazy to skip this.

Flash 66:

Wally and Linda go on a cruise, Aquaman shows up, and they go on an adventure. I had to read a synopsis to remember what this issue was about. That should tell you something.

Flash 67-68

A really fun Abracadabra story. It’s not amazing, but worth a read if you have the time.

Flash 69-70

A Gorilla Grodd crossover story co-written by a pervert. It’s not on DC Universe, so I didn’t read it.

Flash 71-72

With all the speed in the world, Wally still doesn’t have enough time. A sweet story about Wally and Linda. Honestly, Wally and Linda are my favorite superhero couple and Waid gives them a lot of time during his run. Read it!

Flash 73:

A heartwarming Christmas issue. It’s pretty low stakes, but I loved it and it leads right into……

Flash 74-79

Barry’s back,but something feels off. Can Wally live up to Barry’s legacy or will he be a disappointment? There’s a reason that this was the only Waid story that got reprinted for quite a while there.

Flash 80-83

The A plot is no great shakes, but the stuff with Linda and Wally’s ex is fun. Not essential, but still worth reading and Wieringo’s art is pretty dang great here. He draws what I imagine a Flash animated series would look like. Look at that Jawline!

Flash 84-85

Wally gets a haircut he doesn’t like. Now you don’t have to read it. 85 has some Ringo art, so at least it has that going for it.

Flash 86:

The Return Of Argus. Who’s Argus you ask? I don’t even remember. I remember this being a fun issue, but not much else. Maybe skip it?

Flash 87

Two for two with these Christmas issues. They are quite enjoyable.

Flash 89-90

The Flash goes to court? What is a hero actually responsible for? What happens when people get in harms way? Wally learns a lot here and that character growth is important.

Flash 91:

A filler issue in my opinion. Also, did the colorist even try here? I’m not sure if it’s the DC universe scan or not ,but everything seems a little too white here. Kinda ruins Mikey W’s art.

Flash 92-94:

The introduction of Impulse. I feel bad about recommending that you skip this, but… you can skip this. The Supervillian A plot is not terribly interesting, and it leads into a Zero Hour crossover(Which you can also skip.)

Flash 95-100

The introduction of the speed force. The Flash family have a real prominent role here and it is a lot of fun to see them interact. Maybe the best story line in Waid’s run? I can only think of one other that hits all the beats like this one does.

Flash 101

A nice break from all the action and a focus on the Flash family’s relationship dynamics.

Flash 102

Mongul shows up. If you are a fan of Mongul, go nuts. I didn’t get much out of this issue

Flash 103-104

A horor tale that features more Linda and Wally drama. I feel like there is a real lack of horror stories featuring The Flash and the novelty alone is worth reading these two issues for.

Flash 105:

The rogues don’t get a lot of play in Waid’s run, so it’s always nice to see a story about one of them. This is a pretty enjoyable Mirror Master issue and it has some fun Impulse stuff as well.

Flash 106:

Another issue about Wally’s super-powered ex. I feel like 80-83 tread this ground better already. It’s not bad, just superfluous.

Flash 107:

Underworld tie in. Skip it!

Flash 108,Flash 109, Impulse 10,Flash 110,Impulse 11,Flash 111:

A six parter that fleshes out more speed force stuff and introduces Savitar. This is the first villian that Waid has created that is as interesting as Wally’s supporting cast. It crosses over into Impulse, but those issues seem like Flash issues anyway and you should read then

Flash 112-118

Flash travels through time. Chillblaine is the main villian of the B plot. I don’t really love time travel stories and this one is pretty convoluted. You can skip this and not feel like you have missed anything.

Flash 119:

A Final Night tie in. Usually a tie in is an immediate skip. This one has an interesting conversation about honesty in journalism though. Not essential, but interesting nonetheless.

Flash 120-121:

The Flash goes political. I enjoyed it, but I don’t feel as though it was as pointed as it could have been. Skip it if you are pressed for time.

Flash 122:

Flash is hated in Keystone and California wants him to be their hero. Has some fun visual gags, but it moves kinda slow and the intro recap in the next issue tells you everything you need to know anyway.

Flash 123-126:

Wally starts working Hollywood. These are very fun issues and a breeze to read.

Flash 127-129:

Kinda a lame villian,but there is some important Wally-Linda stuff and it is nice to see the rogues again. The ending feels like a proto One More Day though. You kinda need to read this to understand the rest of the run.

Flash 142:

Waid takes a year off to refresh and comes back with an essential wedding issue

Flash 143-144

Not terribly engaging stuff here and the important stuff is recapped in the next issue

Flash 145-150

Another big Flash family event. Not as good as the other two, but there is still some great character development here. The last truly great storyline for the run unfortunately

Flash 152-154

There’s a new Flash on the streets. Interesting plot stuff, but the lead villain is once again uninspiring.

Flash 155-159

The finale of Waid’s run. A decent little story to go out on, but it wasn’t incredible. I’d still read it as a capper to the run.

I really liked this run. Waid did a lot to really make me care about Wally and his supporting cast. The villains weren’t always engaging, but the focus on Wally’s interpersonal relationships made up for that. Mark Waid, a good writer. Who wouldda guessed?

Stats:

Run Length:83

Must Read:57

Skipable:22

Maybe Read:4