CSBG Archive
A Year of Cool Comics – Day 351
Here is the latest in our year-long look at one cool comic (whether it be a self-contained work, an ongoing comic or a run on a long-running title that featured multiple creative teams on it over the years) a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here‘s the archive of the comics posted so far!
We continue the Cool Christmas Comic Countdown with a cute Flash Christmas story by Mark Waid, Greg LaRocque and Ray Richardson…
Enjoy!
In “The Perfect Gift,” Wally and his girlfriend, Linda Park (they had only gotten together a few issues ago, but they were already such a good couple that it felt longer – damn, Bill Loebs did such a great job setting Waid up for the Wally/Linda relationship) are celebrating Christmas with Joan and Jay Garrick (the Golden Age Flash).
Wally is being a bit of…well…a bit of a pest…
While on patrol, Jay asks Wally what he wants for Christmas. Wally seems to be not overly thrilled…
The dedication to Denny O’Neil is extremely apropos, as this story definitely evokes many Denny O’Neil Christmas stories in old issues of Batman.
Finally, after the story had a traditional (although very well told) resolution, Waid gives us a brilliant epilogue…
and the reveal of who is at the door takes the issue to a WHOLE other level.
Wow, this really was a great issue. LaRocque and Richardson did a fine job on the artwork and Waid just killed it from a plot and characterization stand-point. This was roughly a year into his Flash run (it was issue #73) and he already had put his stamp on the book as a whole, and there was a lot more good stuff to come in the future!!!
6 Comments
Travis Pelkie
December 18, 2010 at 1:52 am
Oh yeah, this ending is AWESOME. (which, the storyline that this leads into had a great DOUBLE twist)
Not sure, but I don’t think I ever actually read this book, just the ending…
The last 2 pages are coming up funky, like they’re too big for the screen.
Bill Reed
December 18, 2010 at 10:05 am
LaRocque kicked all sorts of butt on this series.
Basara549
December 18, 2010 at 3:47 pm
If I was Wally, my response would have been
“Uh, Jay, we’ve already had to saver her using superspeed from the car – worrying about how that affects the delivery is a moot point.”
Besides, the same speed force ability that gives them traction at those high speeds, even if applied while walking at a speed equivalent to a human run, would have got her safely to a hospital…
I think Jay just wanted to make Wally deliver a baby, for the experience of doing it on Christmas Eve…
Excronimuss
December 20, 2010 at 6:29 am
Last two pages are “page not found”
Brian Cronin
December 20, 2010 at 6:36 am
Thanks! It’s fixed now.
Excronimuss
December 24, 2010 at 3:40 am
That’s cool. I’m glad I revisited and saw the last pages!