The Flash 243 review

At the end of last issue one of Wally's twins, Iris, was dead at the hands of Gorilla Grodd. Turns out it was Grodd using his Force of Mind power to mess with everyone's head and Iris is alive. Mind, she's still decades older than she should be, older than her twin, Jai, and far older than her parents. Once Grodd is defeated - in novel style - the rest of this issue concentrates on resolving the issue of the ageing spurts resolved.

This is done in fine style, with Wally and family showing they're a bright bunch, problem solving under difficult circumstances. Tom Peyer really gets Wally, though he's not had a chance to show us much of wife Linda on top form - since Mark Waid relaunched this book she's spent all her time, understandably, fretting about her kids. Now the ageing problem is resolved I want to see the return of spunky Linda, she's been gone for far too long. Let Freddie E Williams II (why not Jr?), whose Wally gets better every issue - check out this month's opening spread, which boasts great super-speed noodling - draw her smiling for more than one panel a month. Williams also deserves points for managing to draw bloated blimp boy Jai in non-creepy manner.

The book ends on a wonderfully optimistic note, with the type of scene creative teams bow out on.

Oh, hang on . . .

It's taken six months, and I hated the first couple of issues with Spin, but the Fast Money arc soon sucked me in. I'm convinced that Peyer and Williams make for a great Flash team. So yeah, they're off, and teevee writer Alan Burnett is coming on board. He must be good, he's from teevee, that's the DC thinking these days. Maybe he'll be great - heck, all he has to do is bring back Wally's Mom from Hell, Mary West, and I'm his bitch - but I'm sick of the creative team changes on this book. If Burnett doesn't work out, I've a suggestion for a new writer who has shown he can commit to a book, who wrote a brilliant run of Captain Atom, who has recently returned to comics and who is not unfamiliar with the Flash family. Step forward, Cary Bates . ..