Like Chris Claremont on X-Men or Frank Miller on Daredevil, Mark Waid’s work on The Flash was so additive and transformative that later creators can’t help but draw from it. Writing or co-writing the book from 1992 to 2000 (minus a one-year hiatus), Waid did around a hundred issues, including annuals and other tie-ins…and we’re going to read every single one! Our eight-part look at Waid’s run begins with a brief history of the Wally West Flash series that launched in 1987 and focuses on the Year One storyline “Born to Run,” which redefined Wally from an unlikable jerk to the ultimate Flash fan struggling to live up to high expectations.

Discussed in this episode: Flash #62-68, plus The Flash Special (1990), Flash Annual #4 (1992), and Flash Annual #5 (1993)