FLASH, MAX MERCURY & JOHNNY QUICK versus REVERSE-FLASH
Suicide Run (DC)
Where: Flash #77 When: June 1993
Why: Mark Waid How: Greg LaRocque
The Story So Far...
When the multiverse was in crisis, The Flash laid it all on the line to defend infinite Earths from The Anti-Monitor's plans for cosmic annihilation. The only evidence of his heroic sacrifice was an empty costume collected by his protégée Kid Flash.
Adopting the mantle in honor of the missing hero; Wally West never imagined he would see his mentor again - but the sudden return of Barry Allen challenges everything he thought he knew about his uncle!
Joy turns to anguish when The Flash lashes out at those who carried on his legacy in Central City. Having left Wally West for dead, the scarlet speedster sets out on a warpath to punish those who embraced the new Flash -- forcing veteran speedsters Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury to step in!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Professor Zoom 5 (Professor)
Speed: Professor Zoom 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Max Mercury 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Max Mercury 3 (Explosives)
Total: Max Mercury 30 (Super)
It's three speedsters against one, but don't think for a minute that means an advantage! The Flash, Max Mercury, and Johnny Quick are acting under the misapprehension that the opponent they're facing is their friend: Barry Allen!
In truth, the trio are pulling their punches against a chronologically confused super-villain of the highest order: Professor Zoom, better known as the yellow clad Reverse-Flash!
Eobard Thawne came from the 25th century to assume the mantle of the Silver Age Flash, who we know sacrificed his life to save the multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. The makeover is so convincing, he successfully fooled Barry's best friend Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #40 -- and even himself!
The miraculous return of the fallen Flash may seem too good to be true, but the heroes aren't foolish for believing their lost friend could return. Their knowledge of his demise is uncertain, and as we now know, he will return in Final Crisis and Flash: Rebirth, revealing he'd actually spent years lost in the Speed Force.
Rebirth was where we saw Professor Zoom demonstrate the destructive power of his polarized Speed Force against the living Barry Allen, and Max Mercury, earning a vicious victory in Flash: Rebirth #4!
In today's battle Max is fighting beside the original Flash from the Golden Age: Jay Garrick! We've seen him grapple with the nightmares of Sand in JSA #64, and the horror of Morgauth in JSA Strange Adventures #1. He's a hero of true grit and great experience, but it's Max Mercury who has the distinction of being known as the "Zen Master of Speed" -- a mentor to Garrick and Johnny Quick!
In some ways Max Mercury is Professor Zoom's opposite, with origins dating back to the 1800s. His speed was supplied through Native American mysticism, and although he isn't as fast as Zoom or Jay Garrick, his study of speed, and disciplined approach allows him to be a powerful force for justice!
Professor Zoom has the benefit of hindsight, with the full exploits of Barry Allen and his knowledge made public knowledge in the 25th Century. He's suffering from traumatic amnesia and genuinely believes he's The Flash, but will that in any way diminish his ability to cause mayhem and destruction? Let's find out...
The Tape: Flash, Max Mercury & Johnny Quick Ranking: Reverse-Flash (#149)
What Went Down...
Construction scaffold begins to tremble violently as The Flash sends super-fast vibrations up its supports. It looks like certain death for the construction workers above -- until a blur of red & blue dashes upward to make the save!
Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury defy gravity - running so fast along the edge of the structure they can catch the tumbling men, and race back down to safety without falling. A heroic act before they confront the cause!
The original Flash leads the charge as they confront the scarlet speedster they believe to be their wayward comrade. Garrick makes it clear they won't let Barry Allen run the city ragged any longer. He doesn't take it to heart.
Johnny Quick is the first to make a run for battle -- darting at the disguised Reverse-Flash when he's singled out. He isn't quick enough, taking a vicious elbow to the back of the head as the target easily side-steps him!
Though rattled, Quick keeps up chase with his much faster opponent, providing a target for derisive mockery and distraction. Reverse-Flash notices the brick wall he's running toward, and arrogantly laughs it off, relying on the super-fast vibration of his molecules to easily pass through it...
The presumption allows Flash and Max Mercury to spring the real trap, catching their opponent unawares on the other side of the wall with a devastating right cross and double-fisted uppercut!
The blow sends Zoom hurtling across the construction site into a mound of gravel. He recovers and scoops fistfuls of the stones at super-speed, sending a hail of projectiles streaking across the battlefield and into Johnny Quick!
The gravel rips through Quick like buckshot, but his dramatic fall is dampened when the classic Flash zips ahead to make the save. Max Mercury volunteers to take up the fight while Jay tends to their injured ally.
The phony Flash lunges for Max, but quickly finds the old timer is much faster than Johnny Quick! Mercury slips under the villain's grip and leaps straight at him to deliver a stinging knee to the face!
Zoom resumes chase with confidence he can outpace Max Mercury now that the element of surprise is gone, but he still under estimates the Zen Master of Speed. Max makes a beeline for the towering steel structure where Zoom finds it difficult to maintain top speed along narrow girders. An even playing field!
Mercury proves a far more agile speedster, springing nimbly across the girders to deliver a flying kick, before restoring distance on the other side of a void.
The false Flash looks to mitigate range by snatching a rivet gun and opening fire, but the streaming projectiles are easily avoided by a leaping Mercury!
Where: Flash #77 When: June 1993
Why: Mark Waid How: Greg LaRocque
The Story So Far...
When the multiverse was in crisis, The Flash laid it all on the line to defend infinite Earths from The Anti-Monitor's plans for cosmic annihilation. The only evidence of his heroic sacrifice was an empty costume collected by his protégée Kid Flash.
Adopting the mantle in honor of the missing hero; Wally West never imagined he would see his mentor again - but the sudden return of Barry Allen challenges everything he thought he knew about his uncle!
Joy turns to anguish when The Flash lashes out at those who carried on his legacy in Central City. Having left Wally West for dead, the scarlet speedster sets out on a warpath to punish those who embraced the new Flash -- forcing veteran speedsters Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury to step in!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)Intelligence: Professor Zoom 5 (Professor)
Speed: Professor Zoom 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Max Mercury 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Max Mercury 3 (Explosives)
Total: Max Mercury 30 (Super)
It's three speedsters against one, but don't think for a minute that means an advantage! The Flash, Max Mercury, and Johnny Quick are acting under the misapprehension that the opponent they're facing is their friend: Barry Allen!
In truth, the trio are pulling their punches against a chronologically confused super-villain of the highest order: Professor Zoom, better known as the yellow clad Reverse-Flash!
Eobard Thawne came from the 25th century to assume the mantle of the Silver Age Flash, who we know sacrificed his life to save the multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. The makeover is so convincing, he successfully fooled Barry's best friend Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #40 -- and even himself!
The miraculous return of the fallen Flash may seem too good to be true, but the heroes aren't foolish for believing their lost friend could return. Their knowledge of his demise is uncertain, and as we now know, he will return in Final Crisis and Flash: Rebirth, revealing he'd actually spent years lost in the Speed Force.
Rebirth was where we saw Professor Zoom demonstrate the destructive power of his polarized Speed Force against the living Barry Allen, and Max Mercury, earning a vicious victory in Flash: Rebirth #4!
In today's battle Max is fighting beside the original Flash from the Golden Age: Jay Garrick! We've seen him grapple with the nightmares of Sand in JSA #64, and the horror of Morgauth in JSA Strange Adventures #1. He's a hero of true grit and great experience, but it's Max Mercury who has the distinction of being known as the "Zen Master of Speed" -- a mentor to Garrick and Johnny Quick!
In some ways Max Mercury is Professor Zoom's opposite, with origins dating back to the 1800s. His speed was supplied through Native American mysticism, and although he isn't as fast as Zoom or Jay Garrick, his study of speed, and disciplined approach allows him to be a powerful force for justice!
Professor Zoom has the benefit of hindsight, with the full exploits of Barry Allen and his knowledge made public knowledge in the 25th Century. He's suffering from traumatic amnesia and genuinely believes he's The Flash, but will that in any way diminish his ability to cause mayhem and destruction? Let's find out...
The Tape: Flash, Max Mercury & Johnny Quick Ranking: Reverse-Flash (#149)
What Went Down...
Construction scaffold begins to tremble violently as The Flash sends super-fast vibrations up its supports. It looks like certain death for the construction workers above -- until a blur of red & blue dashes upward to make the save!
Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury defy gravity - running so fast along the edge of the structure they can catch the tumbling men, and race back down to safety without falling. A heroic act before they confront the cause!
The original Flash leads the charge as they confront the scarlet speedster they believe to be their wayward comrade. Garrick makes it clear they won't let Barry Allen run the city ragged any longer. He doesn't take it to heart.
Johnny Quick is the first to make a run for battle -- darting at the disguised Reverse-Flash when he's singled out. He isn't quick enough, taking a vicious elbow to the back of the head as the target easily side-steps him!
Though rattled, Quick keeps up chase with his much faster opponent, providing a target for derisive mockery and distraction. Reverse-Flash notices the brick wall he's running toward, and arrogantly laughs it off, relying on the super-fast vibration of his molecules to easily pass through it...
The presumption allows Flash and Max Mercury to spring the real trap, catching their opponent unawares on the other side of the wall with a devastating right cross and double-fisted uppercut!
The blow sends Zoom hurtling across the construction site into a mound of gravel. He recovers and scoops fistfuls of the stones at super-speed, sending a hail of projectiles streaking across the battlefield and into Johnny Quick!
The gravel rips through Quick like buckshot, but his dramatic fall is dampened when the classic Flash zips ahead to make the save. Max Mercury volunteers to take up the fight while Jay tends to their injured ally.
The phony Flash lunges for Max, but quickly finds the old timer is much faster than Johnny Quick! Mercury slips under the villain's grip and leaps straight at him to deliver a stinging knee to the face!
Zoom resumes chase with confidence he can outpace Max Mercury now that the element of surprise is gone, but he still under estimates the Zen Master of Speed. Max makes a beeline for the towering steel structure where Zoom finds it difficult to maintain top speed along narrow girders. An even playing field!
Mercury proves a far more agile speedster, springing nimbly across the girders to deliver a flying kick, before restoring distance on the other side of a void.
The false Flash looks to mitigate range by snatching a rivet gun and opening fire, but the streaming projectiles are easily avoided by a leaping Mercury!
Max dives into the open air, catching a sagging cable that swings him up and over one of the higher girders -- and back down to once again tag Reverse-Flash with an acrobatic kick!
The blow sends the phony scarlet speedster plummeting to the ground below. He lands near startled construction workers, which inspires a fiendish idea. He races back up the framework, carrying a few innocent bystanders to be hurled from up on the rig! Max Mercury has no choice but to leap to save them!
He succeeds, but the act of heroism gives Zoom the distraction he needs to reclaim the advantage. He barges through the preoccupied hero like a freight train -- but fails to notice Jay Garrick atop the build with a girder in hand!
The blow sends the phony scarlet speedster plummeting to the ground below. He lands near startled construction workers, which inspires a fiendish idea. He races back up the framework, carrying a few innocent bystanders to be hurled from up on the rig! Max Mercury has no choice but to leap to save them!
He succeeds, but the act of heroism gives Zoom the distraction he needs to reclaim the advantage. He barges through the preoccupied hero like a freight train -- but fails to notice Jay Garrick atop the build with a girder in hand!
Reverse-Flash runs straight into the barrier, taking a full impact directly to the body! He drops to his knees for a moment, but quickly recovers to stomp the girder and send a compassionate Garrick launching into the air!
The Golden Ager spins his hands to create enough down thrust to slow his descent, but also allows the evil Flash to run to meet him on the ground!
The phony Flash meets him with brutal, super-fast ground and pound! He spews disdain for Barry Allen's replacement, and forgotten legacy in Central City, while the furious flurry of punches pummels the senior Flash deep into the dirt.
Searching for new headlines for the forgotten Flash; Zoom sets his sights on news helicopters closing in to film. He starts running in a continuous circle, kicking up sand from the construction site and sucking it skyward via vortex.
The false Flash then challenges his bloodied precursor to chase him, knowing full well the legendary hero will put rescuing reporters ahead of stopping his escape.
The elder Flash scrambles to reach them, desperately trying to outrun the threat of their seizing helicopter steering straight toward the construction site. The hero is engulfed in the ensuing explosion as he races the reporters to safety, with only his metal helmet emerging from the smoke.
The Hammer...
A rejuvenated Wally West arrives just in time to dramatically collect the helmet of the Golden Age Flash as it hits the ground smoldering. Professor Zoom wins the battle, but we'll find out in the next issue that everybody made it out okay!
Flash #77 is part of the larger arc that's since been collected as The Return of Barry Allen. The story's reputation has continued to grow in esteem, recently appearing as #1 on Newsarama's 10 Greatest Flash Stories of All Time. Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort also featured its concluding chapter on his blog, calling it the best single issue of The Flash's entire eighty year run. High praise!
I'm not sure I hold the story in quite the same high regard, but it is a highlight from the Wally West years, and there's certainly a lot to like.
On the surface, it's a cruel tale that challenges Wally's post-Crisis tenure as the main Flash. As it unfolds, it becomes a celebration of the legacy of Barry Allen, and a confirmation of Wally West as the scarlet speedster for the modern era.
While the trio of classic heroes challenges the returning Reverse-Flash; Wally is out doing some soul searching after seemingly being betrayed by his beloved uncle, and mentor. The revelation of Eobard Thawne's post-Crisis return to canon is itself a pleasure, as is Wally's redoubling of self-belief and honor.
The arc is effectively a distillation of modern Flash, replete with a shining example of the multi-generational status quo I'd like to take for granted.
I have a real fondness for Golden Age characters, and love seeing Jay Garrick as a supporting player and statesman in the world of The Flash. I don't necessarily need to see the helmeted hero in every issue, but his availability to stories like this really enriches the world of The Flash, and the DC Universe in general. Max Mercury was a nice addition for world building, too.
Now that the Justice Society are being reinstated in the modern DCU, and there's talk of their big screen potential, I'd like to think we can all agree it was a terrible mistake to erase them from DC history in the first place.
The New 52 was generally an unnecessary attack on DC Comics' own brand and strengths, overreaching in its marketing goals, and flawed in concept & construction. Of course, by actually bringing Barry Allen back in 2009 - DC really created its problem before rebooting. If Barry is back, where does Wally fit?
Departing DC Publisher Dan Didio had a well documented belief that the third-generation heroes aged their iconic seniors beyond function. He isn't really wrong. As long as third-generation heroes like Wally West reach adulthood, they require a choice to commit to moving the universe forward -- or halting it.
With stories like the one featured today, DC created an exceptionally compelling case for moving forward. Wally West was very easy to accept as the Flash: one of the greatest legacy heroes on record. They even did a serviceable job with a new Green Lantern, and Green Arrow. That was when they made comic books, though. Now they make movies - and nobody wants to skip the true icons.
Going from black & white reprints of Barry Allen stories to early post-Crisis Wally West adventures was never very difficult. As a young reader, I found Wally very easy to accept. But I also don't think DC should be burning its icons for the sake of advancing to a new generation. Even if that would be interesting.
I like the balance of three active generations co-existing. Grandfather, father, and son, for want of a better analogy. Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West. I think perceiving them relative to one another, without placing them in time, is the best way to tell comic book stories. It's the same suspension of disbelief that allows us all to continue enjoying Bruce Wayne stories after eight years.
Sliding timescales and other complex rationalizations aren't really all that helpful. Stories just need to live in the present and adapt their backstory to fit, where necessary. That's what Mark Waid and company did in 1993, and that's probably a big part of why it's held up as such a modern classic.
If you want to get the full story, there are two collected editions you can investigate: Flash: The Return of Barry Allen and The Flash by Mark Waid Volume 2. By shopping using the Amazon links provided, you'll get yourself a good deal delivered to your door -- and support the site at no extra cost! That's a Flash Fact!
You can also discover more of the DCU and beyond by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive. That's where you'll find every featured fight indexed by publisher, series, and issue number!
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Winner: The Flash (Professor Zoom)
#87 (+62) Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne)
#391 (-49) Flash (Jay Garrick)
#907 (new) Johnny Quick
#921 (-54) Max Mercury
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
