Flash Forward #5 by Scott Lobdell - Comic Book Review

From the publisher: Wally West has gotten to the heart of his mission to save the Multiverse...and the heart he found was his own. When it's discovered that the dark multiversal world that's threatening all of existence is the world in which Wally's children are alive, our hero must overcome his greatest fears, regrets, and anger to do what's right. But what's right is the hardest thing anyone would ever imagine doing...letting go.

This is the one. Flash Forward #5 by Scott Lobdell finally brings Wally West back together with his children, Jai and Iris. As part as his mission to save the Multiverse, Wally lands on a planet made entirely of Dark Matter. However, it also contains his two children, who seem to be aware that they were erased from existence as part of DC's New 52 reboot.

During the course of this series, Wally has been trying to redeem himself from his actions in Heroes in Crisis and to recover his lost/missing life, including his kids. Now that he is reunited with them, he discovers that the planet is trying to rip them away from him again. Additionally, the only way for him to save the Multiverse is to destroy the planet, which would kill his kids. Caught in this dilemma, Wally approaches Tempus Fuginaut and is put in contact with the Morbius Chair. Upon touching the chair, Wally receives all the knowledge he needs, which is where Lobdell leaves us.

All along, I've been reading this series with the hope that Wally will somehow be restored to his former self and life. It seems to me that nearly all of the heroes who disappeared or were changed have now returned, and there isn't really a lot that has affected them (see Legion of Superheroes and the forthcoming Justice Society series). However, Wally can't seem to catch a break. Now that he finally has the chance to reclaim his life, Scott Lobdell has him in a nearly impossible situation, and with only one issue left, I'm very curious to find out how Lobdell plans to resolve this story. In fact, I'm at the point that if Wally doesn't receive some redemption and return to normalcy, I might have to quit reading his adventures, because they are almost too sad and depressing. After all, Wally West is a beacon of hope and positivity, not a dark and brooding hero such as Batman, where this lingering darkness would be more at home.

I recommend Flash Forward #5 by Scott Lobdell with one caveat - by the time this series ends, Wally needs to have hope, and his life, restored to him. If that happens, then reading this story was worth it; if not, then it has been a waste of time. I'm counting on you, Lobdell. Do the right thing!