Story: "Blitz Conclusion: The Final Race" (38 Pages)

Credits:

Geoff Johns (plot, scripts)
Scott Kolins (pencils)
Doug Hazelwood (inks)
Alberto Dose (pencils, inks - pages 37-38)
Ken Lopez (letters)
James Sinclair (colors, separations) Joey Cavalieri (edits)

Feature Character:

Flash III

Guest Stars:

Flash II
Spectre II

Supporting Characters:

Linda Park-West
Jesse Quick (next in JSA #52)
Impulse (next in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #1)
Flash I
Fred Chyre
Jared Morillo
Gregory Wolfe
Iris Allen

Villain:

Zoom

Guest Appearance:

Superman (one-panel cameo)

Comment: There is a considerable space of time between pages 27 and 29. In that space of time, Impulse joins the Teen Titans and Jesse is offered her position with the JSA (as revealed on page 28). The only characters who appear on pages 29-36 are Wally West, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, of whom only Wally also appears in the first 28 pages. The two-page epilogue, 2 months later, includes appearances by Wally, Linda, Chyre and Morillo, all of whom also appear in the main story.

Synopsis:

Linda has miscarried, her unborn twins dead at the hands of Zoom, formerly the Flash's friend Hunter Zolomon. His family gather round him, including Jesse Quick, and help him to figure out exactly what's happened to Zolomon. He has become derailed from the time stream and can travel forwards at whatever speed he likes. The strain that this is causing on the time stream could eventually cause it to unravel. Wally is not fast enough to stop him, so Jesse Quick jumpstarts him with her speed mantra, pushing all of her speed into him. Flash and Zoom battle around the world, evenly matched, until Flash can force Zoom to interface with one of the windows in time which keep opening around him and he is locked in the present, forever viewing a moment from his past.

Later, Wally visits Barry Allen's memorial to tell him that he wants to give up being the Flash, because his public identity causes too much danger to those around him. He receives a visit from Barry, on his way back in time towards the great Crisis, and from the Spectre, who tells him that he can erase everyone's memories of the Flash's identity. Wally is initially reluctant, because knowledge of Barry's identity would be forgotten as well, but agrees in time.

Two months later, Wally has a successful job interview. Crime is running rampant in Keystone, with the Flash not having been seen for months. Both he and Linda wonder where the Flash has gone, even they do not remember that Wally was the Flash.