Flash #34

The cover of this January 1990 DC issue says it all: Wally West, suited up as the Flash, recoils in alarm as a massive red-gloved hand jabs toward him, accompanied by the pointed challenge — "Take off that uniform, West — you don't deserve to be the Flash!" It's a striking composition from cover artists Greg LaRocque and Larry Mahlstedt that puts Wally's worthiness front and center, promising a story with real personal stakes for the Scarlet Speedster. Writer William Messner-Loebs and the LaRocque/Mahlstedt art team were consistently delivering compelling character-driven work at this point in the series, and this issue — titling its story "White Out" — looks like no exception.