The second volume of The Flash opens on an interesting note. Barry Allen is no longer the man in the crimson suit. It’s Wally west who dons the duds now. That means Kid Flash has been upgraded to the Flash, a result of Barry’s unfortunate passing.

The issue sees West asked to transfer a heart from one side of the map to the other. Eugenie Hegstrom, a popular sci-fi writer that West is quite familiar with is the intended recipient of the heart. West, in turn, makes no delays in getting out on the road to help the woman.

The trip is anything but smooth sailing.

West flies past a tussle between two men, and registers danger. He backtracks only to find one of the men badly beaten. When asked who caused the physical damage, he lets West know that Vandal Savage is responsible. And then Savage attacks the Flash.

Just as the battle begins, Savage disappears. West resumes his mission, but he’s struggling with harsh elements and the thought of Savage.

West successfully delivers the heart, and while he’s there he talks with Eugenie, who happens to know a little about this mysterious Vandal Savage. She happily shares the knowledge she has with the Flash, who makes plenty of mental notes before heading back to New York. Savage remains on his mind, clouding his thoughts constantly.

There’s an interesting moment in the book that probably wouldn’t make it past editors these days, and that’s a sequence that details an attempted hijacking of a plane. Of course our hero is able to bring the ugly situation to a prompt halt, but it’s interesting to see this plot detail materialize. People aren’t working any flight terrorism into their material these days. It was a different story in 1987.

The story takes an awesome but grim, horror-like twist as the first issue comes to a close. The Flash, now back at home, has received a strange gift. When he opens this gift, however, what he finds doesn’t do much to please him. It’s a heart, and Vandal Savage has delivered it himself. He’s prepared to battle, and he lets The Flash know it.

We slam on the breaks here, as the first issue comes to a close, seconds before The Flash and Vandal Savage go to war.

This was a blast of a read, and it’s loaded with craziness. The Flash is delivering hearts, saving sci-fi authors, beating down terrorists and encountering a rumored immortal in Vandal Savage. Mike Baron’s story is straight forward but mighty endearing and Jackson Guice’s artwork is solid. It’s a fine duo in control of the reigns, and this issue is busy enough to really warrant a return to the series. Fortunately, I’ve got the full run handy!

Rating: 4.5/5