Flashback for Wally West
Whereas most readers enjoy origins stories for superheroes, it is rare for a teenager to have superhero adventures. Turning back the clock--or taking a ‘flash’ back--to when Wally West was fifteen years old is what makes this story so special. Teenager Wally is having many of the same problems which most teenagers encounter. He has not yet reached the age where he can obtain his driver's license, and he feels overly dependent upon his parents and friends for travel. Through Wally’s discussions with Gorilla Montague as they travel together to Africa, however, Wally learns some things about himself. He realizes that every teen desires some independence from their friends and parents and can achieve limited independence in various ways.
A second storyline is about mentors and sharing our knowledge about different people and cultures. Kif Flah discovers that just because he can’t distinguish the differences in ways gorillas look different, Gorilla City’s gorillas don’t want to be stereotyped as evil people (unlike the well known Gorilla Grodd) and don’t want to be bullied because of ignorance about their different outward appearance, lifestyle, or culture. Montague also causes Wally to learn that each person has special knowledge and abilities--character traits--which make them distinguishable in addition to their outward appearance. To a great degree, Montague is a mentor, perhaps like a Big Brother or Big Sister. Hopefully, those of us with different cultural backgrounds will be more willing to share their culture as a Big Brotherr or Big Sister mentor.