This book really surprised me. It wasn't at all what I expected. When I saw that we were going to have a retrospect, or sorts, for Flash Thompson . . . I just thought it was going to be a rehashing of a lot of old memories. But, this issue, Flash is in an Army hospital, being interviewed by some General for the Medal of Honor. He wants to know what Flash did, and why he did it. As we scroll through the memories, we see that a lot of Flash's heroic decisions are based upon what he's seen and been witness to with Spider-man. While others see Spider-man as a vigilante of sorts, Flash sees him as a man who, no matter what the odds, will never give up on trying to help, or come to the rescue of, someone. The General doesn't see what we see in Flash's memories, but most of his decisions are based on living up to Spidey's heroic example. I'm sure this was a story that was set up as a tribute of sorts for Veteran's day, but . . I thought it was really touching. Marc Guggenheim and Barry Kitson did a fantastic job of capturing this story. We find out at the end, because of his heroic actions, that Flash lost both of his legs. Also, on the letters page, there's a story about a soldier that came to Marvel to visit, whom was the inspiration for this story . . an Army medic named Jeff Guerin. Stephen Wacker sums it all up in his last paragraph, "To put it plainly . . we couldn't have done this issue without Jeff's help and we dedicate it to him, the two men who lost their lives in the same explosion: Cpl Kyle Fernandez and SSG Brian Hobbs and the thousands of other soldier like them who make us proud everyday by serving in the military. Thanks is too small a word." It really was an inspirational story. If you get a chance, you should read it. You won't regret it.
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