The Flash

"My name is Wally West, and I'm the Fastest Man Alive."  Those words were the first I read of the character named "The Flash".  Wally isn't the first person to own this moniker of The Flash, nor the last.
Wally was the sidekick for the 2nd Flash named Barry Allen.  He was infused with the Speed Force in a freakishly similar manner as Barry as well.  I think it was just the writer being lazy in finding a unique story for how Wally got his powers that were different from Barry Allen and Jay Garrick's (the original Flash).
One of my favorite artist for the Barry Allen era was Carmen Infantino.  I mean check out the simplicity of the costume.  The simple, yet descriptive, costume immediately shows a reader that this hero is a hero of speed.  Like the messenger God Hermes in the times of yor.

Here is a look at a typical Carmen Infantino cover for the Flash.  I mean, I loved the covers back in the old days.  They told you a bit of what's going on inside and left you wanting to know more.

At any rate, why is The Flash (Wally West version) one of my all time favorites?  Quite simply, when I first started reading the series, Mark Waid was writing him as the prodigy for Barry just after the first Crisis.  The idea that Wally had to step up from being the sidekick to the hero played out month to month.  I liked the idea of how Wally was constantly questioning his decision in taking up the mantle that he seemed to have slowed down.  He couldn't run as fast as he used to.  He couldn't ever run as fast as his mentor, Barry.  

It took quite a few comic book publishing years for Wally to find his place in the Flash lore and for him to take his rightful spot on the Justice League of America before his real adventure began.  What was the next evolution?

Geoff Johns' and Scott Kolins' run on the Flash was perhaps my second favorite run on this series.  Geoff didn't only focus on the hero, he focused on the hero's rogues, gave them personalities, gave them reasons as to why they do what they do and why they torment the Flash. Here's an example of the "new" rogues of the Flash.

Scott's art worked so well on this character.  Not shaded, no changes in pencil depth, just plain lines that looked like they were speeding along.

Great stories, a fantastic run; Geoff and Scott made me care about Wally West and the cadre of characters once again.  Thanks so much for those memories.

Then, Flashpoint happened after Barry Allen was re-introduced in The Flash: Rebirth.  After Flashpoint, Wally West seemed to have been forgotten.  No one seemed to remember the name, nor the fact that he was the Flash when Barry was presumably dead.  The age of DC 52 happened.  I wasn't too happy with that run, though Francis Manapul did do a decent Flash with what he was left with from the lore.

Now, Rebirth has happened in DC across the board and guess who's the reason for this new renaissance?  Yup, Wally West.  Readers have thought Wally was returning back to the Kid flash moniker but, let's face it, he's too old.  That name now goes to the Wally West that's been introduced in the New 52 and on the television show.  Nope, Wally is still a Flash.  Take a look at the killer costume he's sporting these days.

Can't wait for a figure of this costume in the years to come.  Check out my ever growing Flash wall below.

Transformers

As a young boy, I enjoyed the toys, TV show, and comic of the franchise called "The Transformers".  It is a franchise that I was a part of the debut and I still remember coming home from school and the show debuting right before my birthday back in '84.  I remember seeing characters like Trailblazer and Cliffjumper helping save the lives of humans from the evil doings of the Decepticons.
I tried collecting as many of the figures as I could, but I didn't THAT much of an allowance back then.  hahaha.  I remember having characters like Trailblazer, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Starscream, Powerglide, Skids, Warpath, (a lot of other mini bots that I can't remember) and 4 out of 5 of the Arielbots.  I also had the full versions of Devastator and Bruticus as part of the combiners.

Years had past.  I remember catching some of the newer shows and seeing some of the newer lines in the toy aisles of Wal Mart and Target.  Only every so often did I end up purchasing a couple of figures from various lines.  My collection was....eclectic, to say the least.

Then, Fall of Cybertron came out for the PS3.  I fell back in love with the line and started reading the comic from IDW.  Fresh takes on the classic G1 figures and more complicated transformations.  The games itself was fun to play.  I've never reached a 100% completion on either game, but I'll try one day.

Yes, I know there was a game before Fall of Cybertron called War for Cybertron, I liked that one, too.

Here's a look of how Optimus Prime looks like in the games.  I believe this is an actual figure from a third party company (not Hasbro).  Looks good, right?

Here is a look at a crossover series that IDW will be doing later this summer.  It'll crossover toy lines such as Transformers, G.I.Joe, M.A.S.K., and Rom (I think Micronauts as well).  

With what's going on with the series nowadays, I'm sure I'll stick around and see where some of my favorite characters end up heading.  

P.S. I don't regard the Transformer movies from Michael Bay any part of the Transformer universe.  They are just a mess of explosion and unrecognizable robots.  

Been awhile

Started a new job here in the states back on April 25th.  It was 5 weeks of classroom training and then 6 months of on the job training.  I'm in the midst of that training now.  It's definitely a harder job than I've ever been exposed to and it's making me learn new skills that I haven't thought I needed to develop in my older age.
Right now, I still am reeling by the fact that I have this job.  I'm nervous, I'm excited, it's just really strange.  Sorry for the lack of updates.  I'll time stamp some new ones to continue on this blog as much as possible.