Just disregard the first eight issues

The Flash has been one of those characters that you either love or hate. When Barry Allen bit the bullet during Crisis on Infinite Earths, I’m sure readers had some trepidation when Wally West donned the scarlet jumpsuit and took on the identity of The Flash. Wally had a really good run for nearly 20 years before DC decided it was time for Wally to retire with his wife and kids and join the speed force - that is if you believe the hype, which I don’t. I would bet Wally and family are happily living out their days on one of the multiple Earths that have reappeared.
With Wally out of the picture, someone else had to step up to fill those running shoes. Since most of the rest of the speedsters have been killed off, had their powers stripped, or are just too old (Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, Jessie Quick, Jay Garrick, John Fox, Red Trinity, and so on to name a few), the only one left is Bart Allen.
Now I love Bart Allen since he first burst on the scene in Flash #95 and continued in his own Impulse series. Mark Waid was the perfect writer for both Flash and Impulse, but somewhere new writers came in and solid story telling started to drift. When DC relaunched The Flash as The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, starring Bart, I was pretty excited at first. Notice I said, “at first”, because it was clear from the very issue #1, this title suffered, and suffered big time. By the time the third issue arrived I was nearly ready to stop reading one of my favorite titles of all time (I have a complete run from Flash #300 (first series) all the way to the current incarnation, and keep looking for back issues to complete the set). I decided to stay on, and when I read Flash #9, complete with a new writer, I knew it was worth the wait.
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