Thoughts on "Flash: Rebirth" (warning: nerd alert)

You'd almost think DC Comics had totally given up on the idea of moving their stories and characters forward with the announcement that they're giving recently resurrected Flash, Barry Allen, his own "Rebirth" title by the same creative team that relaunched similarly deceased and boring silver age character Hal Jordan as "the greatest Green Lantern of them all" (notwithstanding the fact that the other four major Green Lanterns have more character in their worst stories that Hal Jordan's had in any of his his, excluding the time he went nuts and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, a wealth of material for character development of stories down the line that got wiped away because DC decided they didn't like it).

I didn't have a problem with DC bringing Barry Allen back in their Final Crisis series (and preferably only for the duration of the Final Crisis series, I add), but I take issue with making him their star of the Flash comic. 'Current' Flash, Wally West, is a great character and very undeserving of the expected shuffle aside that then-current GL Kyle Rayner got when Jordan returned, and even if the book with Allen is great and exceeds all expectations, it all begs the question that if DC was capable of doing this great relaunch, why didn't they do it in the first place with Wally West?

Despite what DC might say, this is likely the end of the line for Wally West as the main Flash, and as someone who grew up with the character and has really come to like him over the years, it's a real kick in the head. And I assure you, I'm not adverse to change -- I followed the Flash title when it looked like Wally was out of the picture and replaced by his former sidekick, Kid Flash. But this isn't change, not really. It's turning the clock back twenty-three years to bring back a character aging writers and editors liked way back when instead of actually moving the stories and characters forward along with the audiences. You think a new reader knows who Hal Jordan is? Not when they've been exposed to Green Lantern John Stewart in the Justice League tv show and video games (not to mention his inclusion in the on-again, off-again Justice League movie). Similarly, Wally West is the Flash of this generation and my generation before it. That's two generations going on three who know this character as THE Flash, and as recognition for our love of the character we're seeing him shunted aside so a character who's been better handled after he died nearly a quarter of a century ago can appear in some books for reasons I can only think of as being short-sighted.

Again, don't have a problem with DC doing something with Barry Allen. I liked him in JLA: Year One (coincidentally the only place I've ever liked Hal Jordan), I like the stuff they did with him in the Flash title from a few years ago. But I think it's an awful idea to have him come back as DC's main Flash.

I think Graeme Burke commented on this very nicely, over at the Comics Should Be Good blog:

"I loved the Barry Allen Flash. One of my favourite superheroes. And I am against this series for every reason you just said and more. I’m tired of comics being written to an agenda of bringing things back they loved when they were kids. It’s not 1971 anymore. Stop it."

Well said.