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Convergence: Speed Force #1 Review: A Quick Tour

By Nick Tylwalk

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For anyone who’s been waiting impatiently to see Wally West as the Flash again, you’ll want to pick up Convergence: Speed Force #1.

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It’s not nearly as essential for everyone else, especially because it focuses on a time in Wally’s life that’s not a favorite: after he had his twin children, Iris and Jai, but before Iris became Impulse. I don’t know many Flash fans who remember this period of Wally’s career fondly, as it mainly just made people wistful for the magic that Mark Waid conjured during his first run with the character.

Nevertheless, Tony Bedard and Tom Grummett team for a very by-the-numbers tale that focuses on the pre-Flashpoint Gotham City and how it gets drawn into Convergence. I do like the fact that you don’t need to have read Convergence #1, also on sale this week, to understand what’s going on here. Hopefully, all of the tie-in series are like that.

The problem is that the Flash speeding around Telos and getting the lay of the land is the most exciting part of this issue. If it wasn’t for the inside of the front cover, we wouldn’t even know who this Gotham City is supposed to compete against, and we’d be as lost as Wally is.

In addition, though Grummett’s clean style is as pleasing to the eye as ever — and well-suited for one of the other worlds that intrudes on Wally’s Gotham — it’s just not that dynamic, which is what a Flash artist has to bring to the table. In that sense, the art and story pair well, because they’re both well-constructed without ever getting you too anxious to turn that next page.

There is a nice set-up for issue #2 to be where all the action is, but when you only have two chapters to work with, both of them need to grab you by the collar and pull you along for the ride. Wally might do that for his twins thanks to the Speed Force, but this book definitely doesn’t for its readers.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!

One year ago, a mysterious chronal anomaly showed up in Gotham City. The Flash, Wally West, went to investigate, taking Iris and Jai with him despite wife Linda advising against it.

Fast-forward a year and Wally is regretting that decision. The chronal disturbance turned into an impenetrable energy dome that cut Gotham off from the rest of the world. It also left Wally and his kids powerless. Alas, it’s the day of Telos’ declaration about how the various cities must fight against each other, and when the dome comes down, their powers return.

Wally’s first thought is to lend a hand to the Wild West folks he sees under attack from Hawkmen, but Telos didn’t provide him with a map. He discovers the city of the Justice Riders too late, as they’ve already lost their battle off-panel, and Flash is helpless as the city and its inhabitants crumble to dust before his eyes.

In his panic, he accidentally draws his kids to him, and they end up wandering around and through a bunch of cities at super-speed. One of them features anthropomorphic animals, much to Jai’s amusement, and a denizen of that world ends up following them. It’s Fastback, the speedster turtle from the Zoo Crew, and he wants to know if Wally can help round up all speedsters to take the fight to Telos.

Unfortunately, that idea is going to have to wait, because the Flashpoint Wonder Woman shows up. And if you know her, you also know she’s got no qualms about fighting to the death, so next issue is bound to have one heck of a smackdown.

Did You Know? Fastback has been implied as a user of the Speed Force once before, back in Speed Force #1, published in 1997. Long live Earth-C!

Final Thought: Not fantastic by any means, but fine for what it is. I have a feeling this won’t be the only Convergence tie-in I say that about.

Next: Check out our review of Convergence #1

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