REVIEW: Flash #84

Story: Mark Waid
Pencils: Barry Kitson, Ian Akin, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Ken Branch
Colorist: Gina Going
Review: Art Bee

During my school days (yes, I am showing my age here) there was a neat sensation called “Pogs”. This was not only a hobby but a game as well. You collected Pogs with various themes and characters on them, and then to play, you and someone else would stack Pogs in a single stack and use a “Slammer” to slam the stack. Any Pogs that land on the ground face up are yours to keep.

When I opened the pages of Flash #84, a scene featuring Wally West and a couple of kids playing greeted me and sent me back to my school days playing this game. The good ol’ days . . .

I’m back.

Believe it or not, this is the first Flash comic book I have read. Honestly I have had a hard time in my life getting onboard with a hero whose power is to run away. In spite of that, this comic was very enjoyable. The artwork was crisp, clean, and consistent despite having four artists working on it. It was not obvious there were this many working on it by reading the book. Today, how much variation is there when several artists collaborate on an issue? The recent ones I have seen are drastically different in style. The only reason I can think of for this is standards. Marvel and DC used to have standards for their comics and characters. Today, not so much. Marvel and DC treat their intellectual properties as whores and pimp them out to anyone to work with.


This story had a very nice flow that felt natural. What really stood out to me was how the writer and artists allow the reader to get to know the character naturally. Being the first Flash comic I have read, I knew very little about him other than lore that is commonplace in our society. From just this issue, I was shown that Wally is a clean and neat person (other than his hair) and a creative thinker.

The cover of this issue is the main reason I decided to buy this from the back issue bin from my LCBS. It lead me to believe there is action inside the covers, and it delivered on that promise.

Do you know what I love the most about this comic book? The smell. The smell of older comic books is transfixing for me. Current comic books have virtually no odor, and I feel the smell helps to draw you into the book.

If you are not reading older comic books, you are missing out. Many can be nostalgic for older readers and a time capsule for younger ones. Even the old advertisements are engaging. Thumb through back issues and give orphaned comics a home.