Monday, March 1st, 2010
By Alex Segura
The Flash is back.
Can’t really say how cool it was to just type those words. And it’s really happening, with writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul uniting to launch Barry Allen into his own monthly series. But coming back may have been the easy part. When one of the Flash’s deadliest foes turns up dead, can the newly-returned Scarlet Speedster scour Central City to solve the crime before the elusive killer strikes again?
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost here, and the only thing that can possibly tide us over is a peek at the first issue, courtesy of Johns and Manapul.
Johns, no stranger to the adventures of those who ride the lightning brings his knack for well-crafted drama and human dialogue to Manapul’s skillfully designed page, which bursts with an infectious energy. It’s simple: You do not want to miss this book.
But before you scroll down and check out these lovely pages, make sure to keep your eyes locked on THE SOURCE this week, as we’ll be talking more Flash in the coming days.
THE FLASH #1, the first part of “The Dastardly Death of the Rogues,” hits 4/14.
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Tags: francis manapul, Geoff Johns, the flash
59 Responses to “Kick off the week with a look at THE FLASH #1”
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Looks impressive–this ain’t your grandfather’s Flash!
Oh, wait…yes it is. Well, good for the over-forty crowd that have missed Barry the whole time he was gone.
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I love the “Case One:” part before the main title, more police scientist like.
Geoff has to surpass himself to make up for Rebirth letdown. Good thing is Rogues are here, so maybe he can do it.
No Wally, no thanks.
couldn’t have said it better that Russelburlingame….
and isn’t it only kids who use that awful text speak. most adults have a decent grasp of the English language and/or have phones with predictive text. Isn’t Iris Allen supposed to be a reporter?
Noo.. lots of adults do it too, i know my mother does, its annoying as HELL!
Hmmm. Art is looking great.
But you know, the legacy part is the most important part of “The Flash” for me.
Barry “the old guy” Allen just doesn`t cut it; I`d buy a Wally book for sure, I`d buy a Bart book, I`d even buy a complete new character as “The new Flash” title, but there`s no way I`ll buy a Barry one, specially with the “Barry Allen is the Speed Force, Barry Allen is a Blue Lantern, Barry Allen incented the world” vibe it`s going on now….
Also, there`s a lot of workarounds in this article to make sure they call Barry “the Flash” a bunch of times, and Wally just a “guy who rides the lightining”.
First time and 28+ years that I won`t be buying the monthly…
[...] DC Universe blog: #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; [...]
My major problem is how Geoff seemed to place Wally completely outside the loop: even Kid Flash seems to be more important now. Wally has become an irrelevant character for DCU out of nothing. I hope Giffen can add him to Generation Lost and save him from Geoff’s decision.
I for one love the idea of Barry coming back I was against it at first Barry died a heroic death and should be left alone but after Geoff and Ethan’s awesome story in Rebirth and Francis Manapul’s art has me on for this “run”. @gorbunov how was Rebirth a letdown? why cause the last minute decsion to add a 6th book was late? thats all i can see they rewrote the flash mythology and connected everyone to the myth of the Speed Force more then ever.
I don’t have too much a problem with less Wally. It kind of makes sense - family responsibility, as opposed to constant crime-fighting, especially with Barry and Bart back, would logically become more of a focus. Remember, he was retiring at one point to raise his kids. Now he’s more on-call. And let’s face it - as a Flash, he can be there before you hang up the phone with an emergency call. No worries.
The only thing I’m annoyed about in this preview, however, is the “coming April” blurb. That means this will be ANOTHER 5-7 page preview taking up space in every DC Comic in a given month, as opposed to real story space. Enough is enough with these filler previews taking priority over story.
Can’t wait!!! I have been waiting for Barry to return as the flash since he died! With Barry, Hal, and Ollie back life is good! Long live the true Flash!!!
I was a year old when “Crisis on Infinite Earths” came out, so I never “knew” Barry Allen in his prime.
Growing up, Wally was “my” Flash. The stories were great, with Mark Waid making Wally more than just a guy in a Flash suit, but THE Flash.
For those reasons, I see Barry as a great plot device, but not a great character. His absence made Wally a great character and THE Flash. Plus, I don’t understand why Johns and Didio feel the need to make Barry Allen the patron saint of herodom in the DCU. I’ve read several issues of Barry’s series, and I see nothing in them to suggest Barry was the super awesome character that DC thinks he is.
“Green Lantern: Rebirth” brought back a character that was “old hat” in a meaningful way, but showed his successors and colleagues still had a place in the DCU. “The Flash: Rebirth” wasn’t a rebirth for Barry, but a death rattle for Wally’s place in the DCU, as Barry is apparently THE Flash and Wally isn’t needed.
I seem to see that everyone else has written my comments before me.
I’m 20 years old; Wally has been my Flash for my entire life, along with Jay and Bart. Nothing about Rebirth or Blackest Night ignited my interest in Barry, as Johns poured on the hokey, “out of his element” factor as much as he played up the messiah factor.
I am going to check this out for Manapul (although how odd of a choice is he to follow up from Van Sciver?), but I don’t know if I’ll stick around. I’m not mad that Wally isn’t the star; I’m more flexible than that. I’m just upset that DC is taking pains to actively push Wally away to force fans to accept Barry. I get it, from a publishing standpoint, but I don’t care for it from a fan standpoint. I hope to be floored by this series and proved completely wrong.
Barry Allen taght me about the Multiverse. One of the first issues of Flash I owned was one of the 100-page Super-Spectaculars that featured a team-up with Jay Garrick on Earth-2, where they fought Ragdoll and The Thinker. They explained the concept of multiple-earths in ONE PANEL. I was FIVE, and it made perfect sense.
@thecoyotegospel
“I’m just upset that DC is taking pains to actively push Wally away to force fans to accept Barry.”
Exactly how I feel. And the worst part is that Dc is going borderline disrespectfull both in AND out the story; be it the rogues suddenly behaving like there was NO Flash while Barry allen was dead, be it Ethan Van Sciver, one of the creators, sayingf stuff like “Barry Allen is back and he is imediatelly GrandMaster Flash”.
IF this return was actually necessary (and I REALLY don`t think it was), DC should at least try not to alienate people who bought their product for 20+ years. Well…
I love Manapul and Johns - what a terrific team. I saw the cover pre-shading/ink & color, and it looked good as just a sketch. Now, it’s awesome. I do agree with @thecoyotegopel that Van Scriver is an entirely different artist. But, something about Manapul’s art is just FUN! Loved his work in ADVENTURE COMICS and his Conner.
O.K. - so, now onto the Barry vs. Wally issue. My first comic was a FLASH comic (that I purchased on my own) - with Barry Allen. He’s always been my favorite. To me he completes the DC Universe and there was a huge hole; it felt like something missing all these years. After he sacraficed himself to save the universe, I was so proud of “my Flash” and came to love Wally just as much. But, with Barry’s return, I can’t tell you how happy and excitied he’s back. 20-years is a long time - too long. Although I understand many younger reader’s comments, I challenge you to pick up an old issue of the original Flash series in your comic book stores. Barry is a very endearing character and its impossible not to fall in love with him. Please give this book a chance, because I feel John’s and Manapul are going to breathe new-life into the character of Barry Allen that, as many have said, they are out-of-touch with or feel is “old-hat”. John’s amazing working of uniting the Flash Family is nothing short of brilliant. I feel Wally will be in the series not in the shadows. I’m usually the one jumping to conclusions on this Blog, but today it seems like a lot of other are! LOL
I agree with most of the comments on here.
• too young to know Barry - Check.
• unsure how Barry fits into my expectations of “the Flash” – Check
• the DCU-wide Barry Love-in starting to rub the wrong way – Check
• on the fence between being open to good storytelling but uncomfortable about the uncertainty of Wally’s future – Check
My main concern is that this has all been done so that if/when a Flash movie gets made (and lets face it, Johns being Creative Director is more than likely putting those wheels in motion right now), Barry will be _THE_ Flash in the public consciousness. DC is making it really hard for Wally fans to like what’s going on. I had always though it was odd they cast Ryan Reynolds as Hal when he would have been the perfect Wally, but it’s looking like it was because they were looking to re-inforce Barry all along.
[...] has released a 5-page preview of The Flash #1. The Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul series launches on April 14 (after a Flash Secret [...]
This series was plugged originally with Wally having a backup story. I was fine with that. It made perfect sense: cash in on Barry’s return while giving the Wally fans stories featuring their Flash.
Then Didio turned around and said it was Barry only for 2010. The Kid Flash series (which would have been awesome) was also killed.
Bart will at least be in Teen Titans. No plans for Wally have been announced. Titans is going to become a B-list villains book, and who knows what’s going on with JLA.
With Barry’s return in “Final Crisis” and Aquaman and Bruce Wayne set to return, I think DC is planning to reunite the original Big 7. The only flaw in that theory is Martian Manhunter, so who knows.
Regardless, there has no been mention of Wally in any other books and we need to know what Wally’s place in the DCU will be.
@WebSnap - I think Kellan Lutz would be the perfect FLASH as far as movie stars go - either Barry or Wally, I think he could pull both off. If Marvel doesn’t snatch him up first for the Captain America role, but I hear they are looking for someone older, who can compliment Robert Downey Jr. and the older guy playing Nick Fury - so they can’t exactly have a young-buck in the Capt. role, otherwise it’ll make the other look really older.
Kellan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellan_Lutz
@meisterlegion-”Please give this book a chance, because I feel John’s and Manapul are going to breathe new-life into the character of Barry Allen that, as many have said, they are out-of-touch with or feel is “old-hat”.”
Sorry, but I won`T. And don`t get me wrong, I know Barry from when I was kid. I used to love him. I used to like him a lot more after his death actually; which I feel enriched both the DCU and the Speedsters in it. And although I understand people who are maily Barry fans and missed him, I have to say: Barry Allen was never disrespected as Wally is beeing right now. Barry`s life and legacy were celebrated troughout the years. and now that he`s back, it seems like there`s been an AWFULL lot of work to demote Wally West, a lot of charaters suddenly dissing him, and a lot of talk about he was never more than number 2.
and I`m sorry, but to me that`s bull. I spent more than 20 years reading about every hardship Wally West has faced in order to become THE Flash. If he`s not the only one right now, fine; that`s not the way I would have it, but I can deal with it.
However, for the time that “Barry Allen is the Speed Force”, that Wally West gets his ass kicked by C-Villains just so Barry can save him, that a creator (who admitedly says he doesn`t know squat about DC continuity) says that “Barry Allen is King Flash” and that “Wally`s costume should reflect the fact that he is number 2″ and that every time both characters are together running, Waly is for some reason drawn one step behind… Well, I won`t buy another Flash book.
It`s not about Barry beeing OLD per se (he is not really “old” in personality, but I refer to him as “the old guy” as in “the guy who came before”), it`s about the retcons and little disrespectfull moments all the characters around him have to endure to make him shine.
I`m actually really fighting with what “Rebirth” has done to my perceptions. There wasn`t a speedster I dindn`t love until this point. But now, I`m finding REALLY hard to like Barry, as much as I try….
[...] any case, here’s a look at the first issue, thanks to DC Universe: The Source. The only thing I am at all bummed to see is that Barry seems to have lost a certain piece of blue [...]
I don’t think I have room on my list for this with Birds Of Prey coming back. I don’t give a frack really about Barry as I was the biggest Wally fan even from JLA/JLU and every iteration of the JLA I’ve known. My Flash is still Wally and I did give him a chance, oh how I gave Barry a chance but lets face it McDuffie went for Wally in Crisis on Two Earths…Wally is more accessible as a character to the everyday man on the street. I’m certainly not a police scientist who works on cold cases. Wally has a family and two great kids and that story needs to be continued. Give us All Flash and then everyone will be happy. At least Jay is getting some great writing in the JSA as Willingham is really running with the book and doing great storytelling on his new arc. I’m 30. I’m pre-crisis but my Flash is post crisis. I am just hoping that Wally joins Robinson’s league soon.
[...] The Source surge el primer vistazo a The Flash #1, la nueva serie regular que trae de regreso a Barry Allen al [...]
Whoa! O_O that is awesome!! The Art is impressive and Barry looks excellent! I’m looking forward to this issue even more! Keep up the great work DCU
An issue of THE FLASH was the very first comic book I ever bought. (And to give you an idea of how long ago that was, it had not been too long since Barry had told Iris that he was The Flash.) So yes, I am interested in at least looking at the new series.
It occurred to me a few years ago that, with the popularity of the CSI franchise, it was a shame that Barry wasn’t around. Think about it — Barry is a CSI. Probably more like Gil Grissom than Horatio Caine, but he is a CSI. It would be interesting to see one story done as “CSI: Central City.”
And while the red suit is a classic, I would like to see Barry keep the Blue Lantern version of his costume, if for no other reason than to make him visually distinct from Wally.
I would actually like to see a title called “Speed Force” and have it like the GL Corp book. I can see it being mostly around the West fam as well as appearances/arcs/crossover opportunities with Bart, Jay , Jesse Quick and Max Mercury and of course, Barry.
That would get my money monthly.
hmmmm…a blue costume instead of red? I don’t know @purpleranger - instead of the scarlet speedster, we’d have to call him the blue blur
“A new monthly series starring the fastest man alive” hmmm I guess no one told the cover blurb guy Wally isn’t in this comic
I think that there is good reason this book will do well. If not for anything Francis’ art is a driving force for me to read the book and give it a shot
[...] DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Kick off the week with a … [...]
I don’t think this change is so much a matter of “OMFG, everyone is going to love that Barry is back and we only have stories to tell about Barry Allen!”.
I think it’s more a matter of “We’ve been telling stories about Wally West for a long time now, and we’re kind of out of deep character work to do with him. We’ve already grown up with him, we’ve seen him develop, we’ve seen him fall in love, we’ve seen him achieve happiness, and short of taking away that happiness there aren’t a lot of directions to go with him.”
I’ve heard a number of creators, Johns included, allude to that — that Waid had kind of, for better or worse, grown the character up. Like Jack Knight Starman, it was an intensely personal run, and I think all runs thereafter sort of faltered with Wally as a result. Including Johns’ run, which was really high quality stuff but not BECAUSE of Wally, but rather because of the villains and the supporting cast and the city and all that.
And from that perspective, I can understand why they brought Barry back. Just as Hal having been gone allows him to have a semi-fresh start but still have tons of connections to the DCU, so to does this bringing back Barry. You can still do the ‘fish out of water, guy getting used to the world’ stuff, but it doesn’t have to be the typical rookie stuff, and he’s already got a lot of relationships ready to go.
And, being honest, one thing that Wally never had was a decent secret identity. You can’t do a lot of “Wally out of the costume” stories, the way you can with Superman or Hal or even Batman. You can’t even have his secret identity really intersect with his heroic identity (ie he gets turned onto a case as a result of his secret id, then solves it as the Flash) because he’s just a mechanic. Barry’s Forensic detective angle works in that regard.
For myself, I’m ambivalent about the Flash. When the stories are good, I’m onboard. When they aren’t, I’m gone. I don’t care who is under the cowl, so long as the stories are well told. I think this run will probably be fun, popcorn action stuff - typical Geoff Johns fare - with great art, so I’m on board. I don’t think Johns is the perfect writer for the book, but I’ll take him.
First off, huge lifelong Flash fan. I’m 28 years old, so I grew up reading Wally West stories. He’s my favorite Flash, and he always will be.
That said, I just don’t understand why there are so many people upset with the current Flash direction. Wally isn’t going anywhere… and I have a feeling he is going to play just as big a role in the upcoming Flash universe and stories as Barry. The whole argument that Wally is being pushed aside/demoted/devalued just doesn’t hold weight for me. Read Rebirth again. Wally and Barry are equals. If anything, Wally is more in tune with his abilities.
Geoff Johns loves the Flash. He loves Barry Allen. He loves Wally West. He loves Bart, Max, Jay, and Jesse. He is back on the monthly series. He is, arguably, the best writer in the biz today. I trust in Geoff’s abilities to incorporate the entire Flash family (as set up fairly clearly in Rebirth) into future stories. We should all be jumping for joy! I know I am. Can’t wait…
[...] which, hopefully, does not mean the death of some of my favorite characters in comics! DC’s Source Blog released a preview of the series and, if these pages are any indication of the whole, we’re [...]
I know that convincing the avid Wally fans that everything’s gonna be ok won’t be easy, but I’ll try.
First, even though Barry is the only Flash right now (for 2010), he won’t be forever. I have a feeling that the Kid Flash book (which, in my mind, hasn’t been canceled so much as it has been pushed back, probably a year) will be more likely to be the flash family book everyone is wanting, and it might even have the Wally back-up stories. My basis for compairison is like what happened with Hal’s return and a Lantern Core series. DC wanted to solidify Hal as the primary Green Lantern, but before long, the other Lanterns returned with GLC. Again, this is all speculation.
Second, I think good points have been made about Wally’s life being in a good groove right now, and he should be allowed to enjoy that (even if it’s between issues). I think Wally would function better as a static character, because of his family, and should be used as a secondary character, rather than as a lead.
Third, try to remember 25 years ago when Barry was replaced. The shoe is basically on the other foot now, as a new generation (and the patient Barry fans) get to enjoy the return of Barry as the Flash, and Wally fans are foaming at the mouth for his return to the Flash mantle. Try to be patient, because Wally will return, and just enjoy the Flash series that is available for now. I’m sure if this title does well enough in the coming year, we’ll see the Kid Flash series again, and probably the Wally back-up as well.
Man, you Wally-only fans are all kinds of sad today! Here’s the deal:
Wally is a GREAT character, and the runs by Waid and Johns are (for my money) the best Flash stories to read. (The Silver Age stuff may be its inspiration, but the dialogue is clunky given it was the 1950s-60s). But what Wally also is…is a continuation of Barry Allen. Beginning with Messner-Loebs and gaining traction with Waid, Morrison and Johns, over time they made Wally more and more like Barry Allen.
So if you love the Wally West of the mid-1990s or early 2000s…you should LOVE Barry. Because all the stuff that makes Wally so great STEMS from Barry: The costume, the powers, the reporter wife, the twins, the rogues, Zoom, teaming up wtih Green Lantern and Jay Garrick, joining the JLA, racing Superman, on and on.
All that stems from Barry Allen. For 20 years, DC went the “legacy taking up the mantle” route, but have decided they’ve gotten all the gas they’re gonna get out of that idea. So now we’re back to the main version of the character; not the sidekick that took over for him.
If we’re all adults here…certainly we can understand that over time the comics from 10-20 years ago no longer take precedence over what they want to do TODAY. If they want to create a new Flash, keep Wally, bring back Barry, make Jay the main star…whatever. It’s about creating an exciting direction for the Flash and making it BIGGER. Today; not keeping what was done in 1995 inviolate forever.
They have elected to go back to the “center”, if you will. And you know, it might just be good, DESPITE it not being 100% about your personal favorite character. Food for thought.
I grew up with Wally too and I remember when it was announced that Barry was coming back I was a touch hesitant. But with Final Crisis, Flash: Rebirth and then Flash: Blackest Night its proved to me the place that Barry has in the DCU.
The last volume of the Flash tanked because of the introduction of Wally’s kids, even Mark Waid (who wrote some of the best Flash stories ever) struggled to make the kids relevant to the story. Unfortunately the kids are going to be hard to ret-con so what’s the best thing to do? Bring Barry back. The Flash works best as a singular character with a well supported cast (Kid Flash, Wally, The Rogues etc) and I think that’s what they are trying to bring it back too.
I think Rebirth was interesting, even though it was a little convoluted, but it has put the Flash family in a position to go onwards and upwards and, I for one, am thoroughly looking forward to it.
Wow this is the total opposite reaction Aquaman is getting for his revival. Seems whenever you bring characters back you are going to divide fandom I hope we can all come together as comic fans and support a wonderful young artist in Francis Manapul and atleast give the book a chance
My comicbook dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to and Rebirth really wasn’t to my taste. I’ll pass on this, but probably end up buying it used in trade. Best of luck.
I think a difference between when Barry left the book and today is that all Barry fans inevitably grew with Wally, as well. Wally was ever-present in the Flash line, serving as Kid Flash; him taking over the book was a natural continuation, and Barry went out on top.
Nowadays, there is several generations of fans who have had little to no exposure to Barry, and Wally is being ushered off in a rather unglamorous manner. I don’t accept the proposition that Wally should serve as a static character because I think that inventive writers would easily find ways around him. In terms of basic set up, Superman has changed little in decades, but writers find new ways of presenting the exact same character without wiping away the old. As for Wally coming directly out of Barry, I see the similarities, but their personalities are starkly different. Wally, to me, is fun; Barry is not.
I doubt that Kid Flash would be paired with the Wally back-up because I think that it could challenge Flash in sales, if the creative team was right. I hope to see Wally appearing in the back of Flash after some time, which I imagine would boost sales even with an increased price point. If I remember correctly, GLC launched almost simultaneously with the Green Lantern ongoing.
I’m not critiquing the choices as a Wally fan, I’m merely coming at them as a reader for the past 15 or so years, whose exposure to Barry has been limited to reprints, Elseworlds, New Frontier, Blackest Night, and Rebirth, the last of which I didn’t care for.
I will absolutely check this out for Manapul, but I won’t stick around if Johns can’t make me connect with the character. I’m a huge JSA fan, I’m used to meeting new or returning iterations of characters. The difference here is that I haven’t found reasons to care for Barry.
@polmanning - Not all people that aren`t enjoying the current direction are Wall-only fans. I used to consider myself a fan of All Things Flash before the current status quo, Barry Allen included.
As I said some posts above, I`d buy a Bart-Flash book. Hell, I`d buy a “Jesse Quick is the new Flash” book with a smile on my face. The idea of “returning to the guy who came before”, however, has NO appeal over me.
Add to that, DC`s aparent response to most fans criticism was the childish route of adding in-story content (or meta-comentary, if you will) in the lines of “yeah? You think your Flash is great? Well, MY flash created the speed force, charges the speedforce, is the speedforce, and YOUR Flash gets his power from MINE. Also, he is the only one that will appear ANYwhere. HAH!”
And I actually don`t see how “bigger” the Flash universe can get if every single character in the mithology is forced to look SMALLER for the sake of ONE of them.
Will it be good? It might. For a lot of people. For me, a lot of catchphrases designed to make a bowtie wearing cop looking good doesn`t classify as good, however. And the demotion of all the others chars are suffering (not solely, but specially Wally), also doesn`t.
May other books come from this one success? Maybe. However, personally, I don`t wanna read a book where, in the next event, Max Mercury is busy dying for some reason off planet and Wally being forced to run around Daxam´s Sun, so no one steals BA`s spotlight.
By the end of the day, if it sells, my opinion doesn`t matter. DC doesn`t (and shouldn`t) care that I`m hating Blackest Night, right?
However, I personally feel that there were a lot (and I mean A LOT) of ways DC could have handled this transition/situation better. They instead took the courase of saying: “Hey, you`re one of the guys who got into Flash in the last 24 years? Well, we don`t want you anymore”.
So, as one of these guys, I`m off. I don`t care how good are the dogs from down the corner, if the guy who`s selling them treats me like crap, you know?
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/03/01/kick-off-the-week-with-a-look-at-the-flash-1/
After developing a serious man-crush on Geoff Johns for his damn-near singlehanded revitalization of the DCU, I am eagerly anticipating Flash #1.
Barry and I go back to at least March of 1968. I’m sure I read many of his earlier exploits every time Grampa took me to the barbershop (though the LSH in Adventure was my favorite), or I was home with a cold, but I remember distinctly the first Flash comic I ever purchased with my own 12 cents. Flash #177. When you see the cover, you’ll understand why I can remember it so clearly:
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/thumb/f/fd/Flash_v.1_177.jpg/300px-Flash_v.1_177.jpg
I gasped (out loud) when Barry sacrificed himself in 1985’s Crisis, and have missed him ever since. His supporting cast was second only to Batman’s, and I look forward to seeing them all again, especially if Mr. Manapul plans to stick around for a while. His style here is light enough for the type of stories Barry fans will be expecting.
Good luck to all involved, and best wishes for a nice, long run.
I for one am very pleased to have Barry back. I’ve been buying and reading every issue since Rebirth and Blackest Night began. Before this, I hadn’t purchased a comic since the eighties when the killed him. I’m not 40. I’m 35. But its been gruelling watching West as the Flash with all his limitations. Barry is the man! Glad he’s back! May the bitter and disefranchised Wally lovers give him a chance.
thecoyotegospel says on March 1st, 2010 at 7:10 pm :
I think a difference between when Barry left the book and today is that all Barry fans inevitably grew with Wally, as well. Wally was ever-present in the Flash line, serving as Kid Flash; him taking over the book was a natural continuation, and Barry went out on top.
Nowadays, there is several generations of fans who have had little to no exposure to Barry
Just wanted to say that I strongly, STRONGLY disagree with this idea. Barry has been an integral part of Wally’s existence from day 1. As someone who isn’t really a Flash fan, but read the full Waid/Johns years from start to finish, it struck me the way that Barry was a constant presence in the book THROUGHOUT those runs. Wally was, in large part, defined by his need to move past his fear of surpassing or usurping Barry. From “Return of Barry Allen” (around the start of the Waid run) to “Rogue War” (the end of the Johns run), one got constant references to Barry Allen, to the point that it was impossible NOT to know who he was, how important he was, etc. We had supplemental material like JLA Year One and Brave and the Bold, not to mention “Life and Times of Barry Allen” during that period. Even in his side appearances, a lot of hsi most memorable moments had to do with Barry — I recall vividly the opening arc to Morrison’s JLA, as Wally performs the Infinite Mass Punch on a white Martian, and he goes into detail about Barry’s “Flash Facts”.
I’m not saying anyone is WRONG to not want Barry back. As a big Hal fan, I can understand their frustration. But any Wally fans, by definition, should have some knowledge of Barry (and, in my mind, some respect and affection for the character, but that is neither here nor there).
And I actually don`t see how “bigger” the Flash universe can get if every single character in the mithology is forced to look SMALLER for the sake of ONE of them.
When you say that, can I assume you really mean “unless that one is Wally”? Because all the other Flash family members have bigger roles than they have in years — Jesse Quick is a member of the JSA, as is Jay, Impulse is back and soon to be a member of the Teen Titans, Max Mercury is back, Irey has a new identity, and Wally remains the Flash.
There are more Flashes in play at the moment, now that Barry is back, than there have been for a while.
I’m really torn on this title. I’ve read both Barry and Wally Flash comics and always enjoyed them but not so much with Rebirth. Yes, every comic has bad spots and I’m really hoping that was it for awhile.
Barry wasn’t a great character, he was so much more. His actions in Crisis on Infinite Earths defined what a hero is. If it hadn’t been for that i don’t think Wally, or a good number of other heroes would have gone as far as they did. That being said, i still don’t understand why he came back. His death meant more than any other heroes ever has or will. Now that he is back I’m just curious of one thing, How can they build on a character who achieved such greatness by saving the entire multiverse in one final heroic act?
I understand the argument that Wally’s character isn’t easy to build on anymore, especially after 20 years as the flash, but i don’t see how to really do it with Barry either. Unless they introduce multiple Speed Forces that lead to a Speed Force war and he has to fight the very people he’s known all his life there isn’t too much there. Yes, he is new to this day & age but he’s done it all a million times.
I am a Wally fan and wish he hadn’t been shoved aside so disrespectfully. “myname” is right about the Wally getting treated poorly, Rebirth 6 is a great example. He saved Barry because he had traveled through time without the treadmill while Barry hadn’t and the moment its mentioned Barry is even better and quicker… hard to believe.
Barry is and always will be THE GREATEST FLASH but he is no longer THE FLASH. The mantle was passed on and accepted by a more than worthy recipient. I just hope that this book after 2010 can alternate between Barry and Wally and until then i am off the Flash.
I also would have been intrigued if they had kept him a Blue Lantern for a while. Especially since the action figure looks SO cool. (Speaking of which, if I can’t eventually buy a Yellow Scarecrow and an Orange Lex, I’m gonna be quite upset.)
You know, Astro, there is a difference between having someone’s influence hang over a character and having the character present. I’ve read about Barry’s legacy for years, yes, but I was introduced to his personality and character with Rebirth. At the end of the day, nothing about his personality or characterization made me want to read a book with him at its center.
As for the rest of the Flash family? Bart was back from Legion of 3 World, Jesse and Jay were active for a while in the JSA, and I’m going to really be shocked if we see much of Max Mercury or the new Impulse right away now that the Kid Flash and Wally books/ back-ups have been sidelined.
“When you say that, can I assume you really mean “unless that one is Wally”? Because all the other Flash family members have bigger roles than they have in years — Jesse Quick is a member of the JSA, as is Jay, Impulse is back and soon to be a member of the Teen Titans, Max Mercury is back, Irey has a new identity, and Wally remains the Flash.
There are more Flashes in play at the moment, now that Barry is back, than there have been for a while.”
No, not really. Waid`s run, for instance, has at least two arcs os stories with very little panel time to Wally (The John fox one and the Dark Flash one), and they`re both great 9and hey, I really considereed thge Dark Flash to be Barry i that time period).
Now, being in Jesse´s diffrence of powers from the other Speedsters, to the spolight on Jay Garrick made by Morrison, to The Impulse comic book, EVRY charcater in the franchise had his/her chance to grow, to be unique and to stand in his/her own merits.
Hell, in the “Savitar” arc we actually see how bad an idea it was for the Speed Force to be mainlined by only ONE GUY.
If there ARE more Flashes at play now than there were five years ago, is only because five years they were all taken off the table BECAUSE of the plans Didido had to bring back Barry Allen. (I guess evryone who followed Didido`s interviews by the time of Inifnite Crisis remeber the statement that “after the Crisis there will be only one Flash”, and, also, the somewhatrecent DC Nation colum that says that his plans were to bring to back Barry by tyhe time of Inifnite Crisis).
What we have now is not “more Flashes at play”. It`s a Jay Garrick that says that Barry Allen made him the Flash, a Max Mercury that says that he was always running towards Barry Allen. a Kid Flash with some SERIOUS charcaterization issues (GJ never really get Bart), a suddenly insecure, mean to his kids Wally West who gets his ass kicked all the time, and two inexplicably de-aged, one of them de-powered,another who doesn`t have the right to keep her NAME, kids, whose whole point of being “the sons of the Flash” is also taken away.
A lot of people “leaching in Barry Allen`s power” is not equal to “a lot more Flashes at play”. It´s equal to “a lot more plot devices to make Barry Allen look like the inventor of the world”, and, again, as a reader (and a consumer), I don`t see why I should be gratefull for a half-fix in a msitake this same management made before.
I take Green Lantern for an example; ONLY wayI`m capable of enjoying it s if I ignore the main title and only read GLC, so I don`t have to read one million tiomes about how Hla Jordan is the ceter of the universe. And I DON`T have that option with Flash - which, by the way, contrary t what`s been satted by DC is a VERY different sitation than GL - because, as stated by Didio, “my Flash fix will be Barry Allen for 2010, pure and simple”.
Until 2011, when they will figure out a way to send all others flashes off planet so a monthly can be released…
Thanks, but no thanks.
I don’t know whether Geoff Johns gets Bart or not, but you certainly don’t get grammar or spelling….
Sorry about that; I´m on a laptop (not used to them) and have hit the “submit” button by acident before I had time to review the post.
I have to admit I’m not looking forward to them killing any of the Rogues, and I hope this won’t end as some cheap story to get rid of the Rogues we know and love, just to bring in Rogues people might deem more ‘dangerous’ now that Barry is back. If that’s the case, I’ll be dropping this title like a bad habit. I would rather stick to the old comics with Pied Piper, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard and Heatwave, than read anything new with them possibly dead. It’s bad enough they killed Trickster in a completely lame way during Countdown.
lol, Barry “Jay Leno’ed” Wally… Think Wally will get a show on Fox?
“Barry “Jay Leno’ed” Wally… Think Wally will get a show on Fox?”
Bwahahaha! LOL
As only Barry could! Long live Barry Allen!
legionoflinks wrote: “I am a Wally fan and wish he hadn’t been shoved aside so disrespectfully.”
But it’s not disprespectful, really. Whoever stars in the comic represents the primary narrative. The reader’s window into the journey. For the last 20 years, it was Wally leading the way, figuring out how to use the Speed Force, and every other Flash characters was a supporting piece SERVING that narrative. Jay, Max, etc. Barry too.
That model hasn’t changed; the difference is Wally is now one of the supporting pieces. And you know, you guys keep going on about how for 20 years it was so balanced and fair.
No it wasn’t.
If that were true, wouldn’t that include a major role for the character that MADE the Flash one of DC’s biggest-selling titles for 25 years? All the stuff that makes the Flash a DC brand stem from those old 60s and 70s Barry Allen stories.
But was he starring in comics alongside Wally in 1995? Saving the world and discovering the Speed Force? The word “deserve” is being thrown about here; in what way didn’t Barry “deserve” that level of recognition and panel time, considering that everything powerful about the Flash concept stems from his old comics? Instead they simply transferred everything unique to Barry to his nephew and focused on the fact the nephew was taking over the store. But what about the owner?
How “fair” was that, exactly?
I’m not going to continue this conversation on a days old blog post, but you’re not being accurate either. If you think “everything powerful about the Flash concept stems from [Barry's] old comics” then you haven’t read comics in the past 20 years. The Speed Force concept has changed radically, and it has changed with Wally in the red. Wally’s character is vastly different than Barry’s, which is what it came down to to me. Wally has a sense of fun, humor, and excitement and Barry’s modern day iteration has held none of that. It’s great that you know you’ll love this series and that your favorite Flash is back in the limelight, but not everyone feels that way. If you’ve paid attention, much of that comes from Wally’s inglorious exit from attention; Barry went out with one of the most powerful comics deaths ever and Wally is just going to be shuffled off-panel.
At the end of the day, this will probably sell well because it has “Johns” on the front. If it doesn’t, it will be because DC fans are vocal about secondary characters but tend to only purchase books staring Batman and Superman. Then it will limp around for a while, get cancelled, and cause DC to stave off launching new books featuring similar characters. For some, this seems like a lose-lose, but it’s a combination of business-savvy and the preference of those in power.
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