The Flash (Mark Waid)- In the wake of the Crisis, DC published a new series starring Wally West as the Flash, making him the first "teen sidekick" to fully inherit the mantle of his mentor. It was a moderately successful series, but kicked into high gear with the arrival of Mark Waid as writer in the early 90s. He combined a unique narrative style and intense action with a respect for the past and redemption of sorts for Wally, letting him fully embrace his role as Barry Allen's successor and became *the* Flash for a new generation.



The Question- This acclaimed series by Denny O'Neil and Denys Cowan took the classic Charlton hero created by Steve Ditko and gave him a different twist. He replaced the hero's Objectivist mindset with a more Zen-like philosophy. Also, the hero's main foe wasn't a super-villain or mob boss, but instead the ultra-corrupt government of his own city. An unusual mix of "true crime" style action with deep philosophical questions, the series ran for 36 issues and finished with a definite ending. In many ways, it blazed the trail for other books to follow.

The Question. I loved Waid's run on the Flash, but that run on the Question is what made me a fan of the character.

I hated the new personality that was grafted on to Wally West at the beginning of his series and it was Waid's rehabilitation of the character that made him a favorite of mine again. Some nice Wieringo art on that run as well.

I tried The Question a few times and it never really grabbed me - it took the JLU animated version for me to get interested. I keep reading that this series was ahead of it's time, so maybe I should take another look.

Flash gets my vote.

The Flash.

The Flash - I've never liked the Question.

Flash.

Mark Waids Run made me love speedsters. All incarnations. Max Mercury Impulse Johnny and Jesse Quick John Fox. The Flash under his run became bigger than a single character.

The Speedster wins.