here's hoping that wally west won't die

[hitokiri_]

since he was kid flash, and libra clearly stated that the rogues need to kill another kid flash, hopefully west and his family will get out alive after that is about to happen in FC.

im still doubting that inertia will be offed.

[Adamantium_Avatar]

For the benefit of us who are Wally West fans but don't have the financial means to buy every issue of every comic DC produce, what was the explanation?

[Shellhead]

It's Wally's turn to die. All the other Flashes have died at least once.

[Mat001]

It's Wally's turn to die. All the other Flashes have died at least once.

Johns has indicated that Wally isn't dying.

[Walter West]

Wally technically did "die" once. During Terminal Velocity he crossed over to the Speed Force by racing faster than light to save Linda from the laser beam aimed at her. This was the same type of death which Barry Allen experienced when he stopped the Anti-Monitor's plan in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The only diff is that Wally was able to come back whereas it has taken Barry much longer to come back.

[rwe1138]

It's Wally's turn to die. All the other Flashes have died at least once.

When did Jay die?

[Shellhead]

When did Jay die?

Although Jay and the rest of JSA were technically trapped in Valhalla, endlessly fighting in Ragnorak, they all received a full-fledged funeral from their successors in Infinity Inc. #30.

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/42468370792.30.gif

DC wanted most the JSA (virtually everybody except for Black Canary and Doctor Fate) completely out of the picture without technically killing them. At the time, fans received the news as those the heroes were being killed outright.

[rwe1138]

Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

[RaulTheCat]

Wally technically did "die" once. During Terminal Velocity he crossed over to the Speed Force by racing faster than light to save Linda from the laser beam aimed at her. This was the same type of death which Barry Allen experienced when he stopped the Anti-Monitor's plan in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The only diff is that Wally was able to come back whereas it has taken Barry much longer to come back.

Wouldn't that be the second time? Didn't he kind of die in Zero Hour?

[Will.S]

Ethan Van Sciver talked about Wally in Rebirth in John Siuntres's wordballoon podcast but he's going to be giving Wally a new costume because Barry is wearing the "main one".

I'm very curious as to how it will look, hopefully it won't be forgettable but I did like Wally's Dark Flash outfit:

http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/bigimages/darkflash.jpg

[marshal99]

Although Jay and the rest of JSA were technically trapped in Valhalla, endlessly fighting in Ragnorak, they all received a full-fledged funeral from their successors in Infinity Inc. #30.

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/42468370792.30.gif

DC wanted most the JSA (virtually everybody except for Black Canary and Doctor Fate) completely out of the picture without technically killing them. At the time, fans received the news as those the heroes were being killed outright.

Not Black canary , Power girl & Dr. Fate. Power girl was expelled by dr. fate and Dr, fate himself was expelled by the spectre when he wanted to join the JSA in limbo.
Nobody knew what happened to the JSA. Only PG , Fate , Spectre & infinity inc members knew what happened . Those left behind like Joan Garrick & Molly Scott never knew what happened to their husband. Wally never knew what happened to Jay until flash annual 3 when he went looking for Jay and found out that he just dissapeared one day , leaving his wife Joan behind. Then he went on a quest to find out what happened to Jay.

Ethan Van Sciver talked about Wally in Rebirth in John Siuntres's wordballoon podcast but he's going to be giving Wally a new costume because Barry is wearing the "main one".

I'm very curious as to how it will look, hopefully it won't be forgettable but I did like Wally's Dark Flash outfit:

http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/bigimages/darkflash.jpg

Dark Flash is Walter West , an alternate version of Wally. When you think about it , Wally did "die" quite a few times already , when Wally supposely died , Walter West took over for a while as the flash.

[Tequilamokinbrd]

Wally died, in the Obsidian Age, his legs were ripped off by the Ancient League and he was mounted on a stick. It's funny how quickly these stories are forgotten sometimes when the publishers swear they'll change everything, lol.



The rogues saying that it's Wally's turn to die is silly, even if they didn't know about The Obsidian Age, how do they know for a fact that he didn't die during Final Crisis only to come back later? There was a worldwide crisis, he went into the unknown with one of the people causing the trouble only not to return when Jay and Bart managed to, those two had no idea where he was then Bart replaced him! sounds pretty dead to me, which means it should skip Wally this time and go back around to Bart.


The rogues should dig up Bart and kill his corpse dead, that'll show 'em.

[Mat001]

Maybe this is what Wally's costume will look like.

http://images.wizarduniverse.com/WizardUniverse/Previews/mkdc820/mkdc8.jpg

[MasterChiefofComics]

Well Wally will stay alive and we'll have three flashes running around post-FC

[Grico]

Well if they kill Wally at least he will get to do it in a Crisis, probably in heroic fashion. Bart certainly didn't get anything of the sort. It looks like they want Wally for rebirth though, although it will be interesting to see what role they have for him with new and shiny Barry Allen around.

[hitokiri_]

Maybe this is what Wally's costume will look like.

http://images.wizarduniverse.com/WizardUniverse/Previews/mkdc820/mkdc8.jpg

im not too ecstatic about it. but it looks "neat."

[OzBat!]

Sorry to say, but I hated Walter Wests' "Dark Flash" costume. blech! What they should do is go back to the shiny costume he received in issue #50. They had no problems telling Wally and "Barry" (Eobard Thawn in disguise) apart during the "Return of Barry Allen" storyline when they were standing side by side in costume. Heck, there was one cover where old and new Flash were standing in a room with dozens of mirror versions of themselves, and you could still tell which was which easily.

The chief complaint with the shiny costume, was that nobody but the regular Flash artist Greg LaRoque could draw it properly, thanks to the charcoal treatment he gave it. Bring the guy back to give a short refresher course to DC artists, and we're set!

Another option... during the "Return of Barry Allen" storyline, one issue Wally's costume got a bit busted up so that his hair poked out the top. It really looked good, a harkening back to his classic Kid Flash days. So I'd propose that he wears essentially what he's got now, only with the open-top cowl. Combined with the angled lightning bolts at the waist (as opposed to Barry's straight continuous beltline), and you'd have no problems telling 'em apart.

[Kelson]

Wouldn't that be the second time? Didn't he kind of die in Zero Hour?

No, he just time-jumped.

[Buried Alien]

I think Wally is almost certain to live for these reasons:

1. Killing a Flash during a Crisis is so "been there, done that."

2. DC did not just finally satisfy Barry fans longing for his comeback only to foist the same problem on the Wally fans. That'd be like finally healing a broken right leg and then immediately going to break the left one.

3. He's still popular. Why kill him?


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[marshal99]

No, he just time-jumped.

To the rest of the DCU , he died. Same thing when Kobra "killed" him or the many times , he allegedly "died".

[Buried Alien]

Sorry to say, but I hated Walter Wests' "Dark Flash" costume. blech! What they should do is go back to the shiny costume he received in issue #50. They had no problems telling Wally and "Barry" (Eobard Thawn in disguise) apart during the "Return of Barry Allen" storyline when they were standing side by side in costume. Heck, there was one cover where old and new Flash were standing in a room with dozens of mirror versions of themselves, and you could still tell which was which easily.

The chief complaint with the shiny costume, was that nobody but the regular Flash artist Greg LaRoque could draw it properly, thanks to the charcoal treatment he gave it. Bring the guy back to give a short refresher course to DC artists, and we're set!


And that's the difficult part there. Only LaRoque has entirely succeeded in making the "shiny suit" look distinctively shiny.

I agree it's a good design; DC never should have abandoned it. It was distinctively Wally's, while still paying tribute to Barry. This would be a good time to bring it back IF future FLASH illustrators can render it correctly.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Kelson]

2. DC did not just finally satisfy Barry fans longing for his comeback only to foist the same problem on the Wally fans. That'd be like finally healing a broken right leg and then immediately going to break the left one.

You obviously have more faith in DC editorial to make a logical decision than I do!

My fear at this point isn't that they'll kill him, but that they'll relegate him to only appearing in Titans, a book squarely aimed at fans of the 1980s Wolfman/Perez run that no one in its target audience seems to like. And DC won't be able to figure out why Wally's fans are so upset. It's not like they killed him, right?

[Mat001]

You obviously have more faith in DC editorial to make a logical decision than I do!

My fear at this point isn't that they'll kill him, but that they'll relegate him to only appearing in Titans, a book squarely aimed at fans of the 1980s Wolfman/Perez run that no one in its target audience seems to like. And DC won't be able to figure out why Wally's fans are so upset. It's not like they killed him, right?

There's another option. There's going to be two JLA books. Barry can join one and Wally can join the other, much like Hal and John are going to be on two different teams after spending time sharing a role on one team. Meanwhile, both can share the main solo book. Just as John and Hal have done.

[celticguy]

Not to mention the JSA no rule another flash can't join up there. They have two wildcats.

[OzBat!]

Meanwhile, both can share the main solo book. Just as John and Hal have done.You mean, the Hal Jordan book that John Stewart appears in a couple of pages every story arc, if he's lucky? Or if it's a crossover with the GLCorps book, so they've got to show everybody, so maybe occasionally when that happens??

That's my fear for the main Flash book. Wally is definitely going to get a distant second billing, so that Geoff can indulge his Barry fascination.

[hitokiri_]

3. He's still popular. Why kill him?


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

a lot of heroes died while they are still popular.

[Buried Alien]

That's my fear for the main Flash book. Wally is definitely going to get a distant second billing, so that Geoff can indulge his Barry fascination.

After twenty years of putting the spotlight on Wally, I think it's okay for Wally to take a break for a while...especially as he's kind of been (no pun intended) run into the ground a bit during the past few years. The spotlight has been off Barry for a long, long time. If the idea is rotating Flashes, well, Barry's more than overdue back in the rotation.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[OzBat!]

That's implying that Hal Jordan and John Stewart are "on rotation" as the staring characters in the GL book, which is clearly not the case. Jordan was brought back and he's the star, while Stewart shows up only intermittently. For a few pages, as a backup or a plot point.

Again, I don't want that for Wally. His career as a speedster is actually longer than Barry, and he doesn't deserve to get shuffled offstage indefinitely. Or worse yet, given over completely to the Titans title where he'll be character assassinated along with the rest of them.

[Buried Alien]

\ he doesn't deserve to get shuffled offstage indefinitely.

Neither did Barry in 1985, or Hal in 1993, or Kyle in 2005, etc., etc.

After Wally has basked in the solo glory for the past twenty years while Barry has been in limbo/legend/deadland all that time (as you say, Wally's been around a long, long time), would it be that bad to let Barry have the spotlight back again for a while? The man's been away for twenty-two years...give him a break.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[RaulTheCat]

You mean, the Hal Jordan book that John Stewart appears in a couple of pages every story arc, if he's lucky? Or if it's a crossover with the GLCorps book, so they've got to show everybody, so maybe occasionally when that happens??

That's my fear for the main Flash book. Wally is definitely going to get a distant second billing, so that Geoff can indulge his Barry fascination.

Yeah, that's why I'd rather they just have Wally retire. I really don't think that Wally is going to be anything more than a supporting character in any book, if that.

[burtle]

Wally West bites off Libra's finger and falls into the Multiverse Bleed.

[jdwrocks]

After twenty years of putting the spotlight on Wally, I think it's okay for Wally to take a break for a while...especially as he's kind of been (no pun intended) run into the ground a bit during the past few years. The spotlight has been off Barry for a long, long time. If the idea is rotating Flashes, well, Barry's more than overdue back in the rotation.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Although I agree mostly what you say, I fear if Wally is relegated to just JLA or Titans status then the stories w/ his family will dissapear. I enjoy the West family dynamic & the stories of late ( I'm probably in the minority here) I really enjoyed the Wild Wests storyline.

[Shellhead]

Why can't the Flash comic become an ensemble title. Instead of choosing Barry or Wally or Bart to be the star, why can't different issues or even story arcs focus on whichever Flash or Flashes are good for the story? And they can all be Flash, just like Hal and John and Alan are all Green Lantern.

[rick]

I hope Wally makes it too.

His book as been a bit worse for wear over the last few years, but I still always enjoyed it more then the old Barry run.

Personally I think it is a mistake to bring Barry back from the dead anyway, I really do.

But resurection is the theme of the decade so at this point it's only a matter of time until Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man are dating again, Thomas and Martha Wayne step out from behind a hidden panel at Wayne Manor and surprise Batman, and Wally's either Kid Flash again or gets a stupid new id as "Zonic" or "the Whiz".

[hitokiri_]

Wally's either Kid Flash again or gets a stupid new id as "Zonic" or "the Whiz".

this reminds me alot of that scene with linda in the storyline of the return of barry allen.

[EZMOHR]

The spotlight has been off Barry for a long, long time. If the idea is rotating Flashes, well, Barry's more than overdue back in the rotation.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I think you are 100% WRONG on this statement. Barry Allen has been talked about more since his death than he ever was when he was in an ongoing. Barry Allen's death is one of the top 3 or 5 greatest moments EVER in comic lore. If anything, the characters defining moment is his death. And it has been said hundreds of times a year in DC comic books for the last 20+ years. In the end, Barry's death made him more popular and more recognizable and more in the spotlight, than he ever was in his ongoing.

I know the stories about to be written about Barry are going to be good. At the same time, I know Wally is going to be sacraficed(not in a death sense..more of a in JLElite sense, were he borders at #100 on the most bought comics list) by DC to get Barry over, and that is a shame.

[jdwrocks]

I think you are 100% WRONG on this statement. Barry Allen has been talked about more since his death than he ever was when he was in an ongoing. Barry Allen's death is one of the top 3 or 5 greatest moments EVER in comic lore. If anything, the characters defining moment is his death. And it has been said hundreds of times a year in DC comic books for the last 20+ years. In the end, Barry's death made him more popular and more recognizable and more in the spotlight, than he ever was in his ongoing.

I know the stories about to be written about Barry are going to be good. At the same time, I know Wally is going to be sacraficed(not in a death sense..more of a in JLElite sense, were he borders at #100 on the most bought comics list) by DC to get Barry over, and that is a shame.
I second that emotion!! Well said!!

[Buried Alien]

I think you are 100% WRONG on this statement. Barry Allen has been talked about more since his death than he ever was when he was in an ongoing.

But just about everything interesting has already done with Barry Allen, Dead Icon On a Pedestal.

It'd be refreshing to see Barry Allen, Living Hero of Today.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Shellhead]

DC wants Barry back because of the huge success of the CSI franchise. Add in speedforce and whammo! Of course, not many comic book writers are capable of writing the CSI angle, and it will be an even greater challenge to mix CSI realism with speedforce shenanigans.

[RaulTheCat]

DC wants Barry back because of the huge success of the CSI franchise. Add in speedforce and whammo! Of course, not many comic book writers are capable of writing the CSI angle, and it will be an even greater challenge to mix CSI realism with speedforce shenanigans.

I think the CSI gimmick will last for a few issues and then dropped when the writers realize how much work it is to research that. It's a lot easier to drop in some made-up pseudo-science.

[marshal99]

But just about everything interesting has already done with Barry Allen, Dead Icon On a Pedestal.

It'd be refreshing to see Barry Allen, Living Hero of Today.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I prefer the dead icon on a pedestal.

Barry Allen , living hero of today - been there , done that , had a series that lasted over 10 years.

[Buried Alien]

I prefer the dead icon on a pedestal.

Barry Allen , living hero of today - been there , done that , had a series that lasted over 10 years.

We all have our preferences, marshal. Neither of ours is better than the other's.

BUT considering that your side has just dominated the most recent twenty-two years, simple fairness perhaps asks that the other side get some time? You can't have hogged the last quarter century and say in all fairness, "No, screw you guys. We want more!"

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[fly on the wall]

DC wants Barry back because of the huge success of the CSI franchise. Add in speedforce and whammo! Of course, not many comic book writers are capable of writing the CSI angle, and it will be an even greater challenge to mix CSI realism with speedforce shenanigans.


You mean Barry will be a forensic scientist for the Police like on CSI. You know it was supposed to be something like that anyway back in the day but they never emphasized it. CSI Flash sounds like a great idea to me.

[Buried Alien]

You mean Barry will be a forensic scientist for the Police like on CSI. You know it was supposed to be something like that anyway back in the day but they never emphasized it.

Yeah...in those simpler, less initialism-obssessed days, they just called them "police scientists." :smile:

I kind of wish for once, the guys on the CSI television series would be called "police scientists" too.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[KJ_81]

Why can't the Flash comic become an ensemble title. Instead of choosing Barry or Wally or Bart to be the star, why can't different issues or even story arcs focus on whichever Flash or Flashes are good for the story? And they can all be Flash, just like Hal and John and Alan are all Green Lantern.

I can see DC trying that. However I can't really see Wally getting much airtime.

It'll be BARRY ALLEN THE FLASH featuring one panel per story starring Wally West....

[Grico]

Well, in all likelihood Wally be pushed to the back, at least initially. It would be hard to establish Barry as THE Flash with Wally being around. Ultimately Wally should get a good spot on a team book (JLA? Titans?) where he can get some time to shine again, as the main Flash book is not going to be the place for it. What a Flash book ala Green Lantern Corps where the other Flashes can get some story time? If Rebirth goes well and they add spin-offs Wally could benefit from those. If rebirth fails, I'm not really sure what will happen. Less interest in Flash probably would result in one of them dying or becoming very marginal. Just look at the brutal treatment of Bart when they wanted to restore Wally.

[tjarvis]

I think Wally would be more comparable to Kyle Raynor than John Stewart.

Just as Kyle got replaced by the silver age hero, Wally will be too. Just as Kyle gets a little page time in a secondary title (GLC) and the occasional mini, I'm guessing that same will happen to Wally (Titans instead of GLC).

I know Johns has promised that Wally will be fine, and he does seem to have true affection for the character, Wally is going to be the secondary character for a while. Hell, Kyle ended getting infected by Parallax and then turned into Hal's sidekick, so hopefully Wally can end up getting a little more respect.

Actually, they should do a Wally and Kyle team up book ala Iron Fist and Power Man. Morrison gave the two of them a great dynamic back in JLA. They could be a fun combo.

[tjarvis]

I think Wally would be more comparable to Kyle Raynor than John Stewart.

Just as Kyle got replaced by the silver age hero, Wally will be too. Just as Kyle gets a little page time in a secondary title (GLC) and the occasional mini, I'm guessing that same will happen to Wally (Titans instead of GLC).

I know Johns has promised that Wally will be fine, and he does seem to have true affection for the character, Wally is going to be the secondary character for a while. Hell, Kyle ended getting infected by Parallax and then turned into Hal's sidekick, so hopefully Wally can end up getting a little more respect.

Actually, they should do a Wally and Kyle team up book ala Iron Fist and Power Man. Morrison gave the two of them a great dynamic back in JLA. They could be a fun combo.

[fly on the wall]

I hope Wally makes it too.

His book as been a bit worse for wear over the last few years, but I still always enjoyed it more then the old Barry run.

Personally I think it is a mistake to bring Barry back from the dead anyway, I really do.

But resurection is the theme of the decade so at this point it's only a matter of time until Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man are dating again, Thomas and Martha Wayne step out from behind a hidden panel at Wayne Manor and surprise Batman, and Wally's either Kid Flash again or gets a stupid new id as "Zonic" or "the Whiz".

Cool story ideas, rick.

They said that Bucky would never come back but now he has in two incarnations! So the only people to come back that have never come back are Batman's parents. So Batman's parents come back and that nullifies Batman's existence and then Bruce Wayne stops being such an asshole as he has been of late.

Then it turns out Krypton didn't blow up, it was just a big planet-wide earthquake that subsided. When the dust clears Superman's and Supergirl's parents realize they've made big mistakes.

[Lemurion]

Personally I want to see one Flash in the main book (Barry because it's his turn) and then have a second book -- say All-Flash -- which focuses on Wally and Jay.

Nice and simple, keeps everyone in the public eye. Then once the 90's fans take over the industry they can pull Barry back to All-Flash and put Wally in the main book again.

[Adamantium_Avatar]

I think Wally would be more comparable to Kyle Raynor than John Stewart.

Just as Kyle got replaced by the silver age hero, Wally will be too. Just as Kyle gets a little page time in a secondary title (GLC) and the occasional mini, I'm guessing that same will happen to Wally (Titans instead of GLC).

I know Johns has promised that Wally will be fine, and he does seem to have true affection for the character, Wally is going to be the secondary character for a while. Hell, Kyle ended getting infected by Parallax and then turned into Hal's sidekick, so hopefully Wally can end up getting a little more respect.

Actually, they should do a Wally and Kyle team up book ala Iron Fist and Power Man. Morrison gave the two of them a great dynamic back in JLA. They could be a fun combo.


I would actually fork out some of my hard earned cash to buy a title that was about Wally and Kyle, and traditionally I am as tight as a duck's ass when it comes to paying for comics!

Love both characters and for me they ARE Flash and Green Lantern and always will be.

But if wishes were horses... Erm.. We'd be knee deep in horse crap :confused: