The Flash Vol. 2 #53

This volume is The Flash Vol. 2 #53, titled "Fast Friends," with an August 1991 cover date. It was written by William Messner-Loebs, with interior art by Greg LaRocque, inks by José Marzán Jr., and a cover by Dan Jurgens. The issue uses a dual narrative. It opens with a quieter sequence: Wally West talks in Central City with his former adversary and now friend, the Pied Piper, Hartley Rathaway. The Piper confides in Wally that he is gay. Wally is unsure how to respond and, in his awkwardness, turns and runs off, only to come back afterward. This slightly clumsy conversation becomes an important turning point in their relationship and one of the earlier instances in mainstream 1991 American comics of an openly and positively portrayed coming-out scene. The other thread is closer to traditional superhero action: Superman finds Wally and asks him to use his super-speed to help find the kidnapped Jimmy Olsen. The kidnapper, the Silver Squid, holds Jimmy hostage and demands the handover of a deposed South American dictator. The two trace the trail to the fictional small Caribbean nation of San Felipe, where, in a brief but well-coordinated joint operation, they rescue Jimmy and put an end to the political extortion. The two heroes—one speedster, one powerhouse—do not race each other as readers might expect, but rather each contributes his own strengths. The issue runs 22 pages, structured as one conversation scene and one rescue scene running in parallel, offering both an intimate sense of the characters' inner lives and the series' brisk, lively adventure rhythm.