Ch, ch, ch, changes, turn and face the strange! Turn and face the strange indeed as that seems to be the theme of this issue of The Flash. First, we find out that Len Wein has moved over from Marvel to take over the editorship reins from the departing Ross Andru. Wein grew up a DC Comics fan so, at the very least he’ll be bringing some institutional memory to the post. And, Wein is a writer as well, so it will be interesting watching him work with Flash scribe Cary Bates.
Second, we face the strange as the Flash, who was adrift in the time stream, falls into a vortex and into the realm of the Lord of Limbo. He finds that he’s not the only prisoner of the LOL (ha!) but that other time travelers have been stranded there as well. They work together to help the Flash escape back into the time stream. As he returns to his present, writer Bates uses the opportunity to have the Flash pass by various stages of his life such as his birth, the accident with the chemicals that turned him into the Flash, and his marriage to Iris. Once back to his present in 1980, Barry visits Iris’s grave. All of this smacks of the unfortunate speed force and its endless permutations to come in the Dark Age of comics. But for now, the slate has been wiped clean and the Flash/Barry looks forward to a new beginning.
