-
Been mulling it over, and I'm no longer on board with this story. Gonna keep reading to finish it, but...gawd. I agree with most of Dred's comments and, more importantly, with Wally ending up in King's crap event after this, it's almost guaranteed that neither the Flash Family or the West Family are coming back here and everything is going to continue to be miserable.
And this is leaving aside the relatively minor problems of (despite my optimism) the mischaracterization of Hunter and how this story is making me hate Barry more than ever before.
-
[QUOTE=Drako;3724774]We don't know what the fallout of Flash War is. Maybe the story has a good ending? Just like 99% of comic book arc ever.[/QUOTE]
Yeah he's definitely going to go to the crisis center about how great everything turned out and also there's definitely a book out there where he and his newly reunited family can live their lives.
-
[QUOTE=Dred;3724820]Yeah he's definitely going to go to the crisis center about how great everything turned out and also there's definitely a book out there where he and his newly reunited family can live their lives.[/QUOTE]
Look at the context of the cover. Do you think all the DC heroes are there to have a chat with a shrink? No. They are all around because a murder just happened.
-
[QUOTE=married guy;3723390]This is something that's irked me too.
I thought upon his return in the Rebirth special we would have Wally West showing up a lot more in regards to merchandise.
I would KILL for a new figurine with the new suit or a two pack with the shiny white eyes version & the new duds.
The ONLY thing I've managed to find was the recent Heroclix figure. This is a character who first appeared in 1959. I would've thought his return would be more of a big deal.[/QUOTE]
I'm saving up to finally get the Mattel LaRocque Wally from a few years back. I love that suit so much and what it represented for Wally at the time. I wish it would have made a full comeback in Flash Rebirth. As for Wally's return being a big deal, it damn well should be, but one of the co-editors of DC Comics hates Wally as much as (or maybe more) than he hates Nightwing, so until he goes, Wally and Dick will get crapped on.
[QUOTE=WallyWestFlash;3724080]You mean Wally won't find happiness and still be screwed around with even after Flash War? I'm shocked , shocked I say.
Also ironic that Wally is being included in sanctuary which is for trauma victims when , as the title of this very thread states, that is not what the character of Wally West is about.
And frankly this whole idea sounds way too dark and really depressing for super hero comics. Maybe this would be good for Vertigo or an indie book.
Super hero comics are supposed to be upbeat and fun. Yes there is some drama and even tragedy sometimes but the idea that being a superhero traumatizes you and you need therapy is way too dark and depressing imo.[/QUOTE]
Amen! I'm beyond sick and tired of this Watchmen approach to superheroes. It's been over 30 damn years and it's not novel or fresh anymore, nor is it at all interesting. Even Moore regretted that the industry took his work in Watchmen as "the only way" to do superhero comics. Miller has made similar comments about TDKR.
[QUOTE=FlashFreak;3724400]It’s the same tired trope of a superhero needing to be traumatized to be a great superhero. Why can’t Wally just win and have his life back? Why can’t he just have a happy ending ( maybe he will it’s just speculation at this point)? If you guys want to read it and are interested then great! But at this point it seems DC is just purposefully trying to crap on Wally to make it clear he will always be the “lesser flash”.[/QUOTE]
Not DC. Dan DiDio is the one doing the crapping on Wally West. He hates Wally, Tim, Connor, Bart, and most notoriously, Dick Grayson. DiDio hates legacy characters in general, and now that Bendis is on Superman and Lee is CCO, you can put good money on the goodwill and progress of Rebirth being swept away for N52 2.0.
-
[QUOTE=Dred;3724657]All of the Titans stuff has been thrown out the window and repeatedly spat upon. And ultimately he failed in his real goal of reconnecting with Linda.
And while crisis centers aren't solely "my life is ruined," Wally's life is ruined. And it's not being fixed. Because he's not Barry. That's what's changed since 2009 -- he's not Barry so this is what we're left with. A tale of constant, depressing, maddening tragedy over and over again about a character who was explicitly not built around tragedy. Read the thread title and realize how preposterous Wally's situation has been for years.[/QUOTE]
There was no [I]real[/I] goal. They were all goals. You're picking and choosing. And just because he hasn't reconnected with Linda yet, doesn't mean that isn't an option down the road.
Wally's always dealt with rough stuff. His childhood sucked until he became Kid Flash. His speed was killing him for a while. His mentor died. His father was part of a conspiracy to take over the universe. He forgot about the love of his life when she was erased from his universe. His wife miscarried after an encounter with a former friend turned enemy. And this isn't the first time he will have sought out profession help (classic Messner-Loebs run), assuming that is what he is doing in Heroes in Crisis. People don't seek out help only when all hope is lost. They seek out help when they need someone to listen or an opportunity for introspection.
-
Even though I have no hope that anything will actually be resolved after this story and Wally will continue to get crapped on I will admit that after reading this issue it itself was written well.
Williamson does know how to write dialogue and characters.
-
[QUOTE=WallyWestFlash;3725204]Even though I have no hope that anything will actually be resolved after this story and Wally will continue to get crapped on I will admit that after reading this issue it itself was written well.
Williamson does know how to write dialogue and characters.[/QUOTE]
He’s done a great job with the book it’s been my favorite rebirth book. I’m holding out small hope that Wally and the Flash family will get a happy ending but with the news from Tom King that seems unlikely. :(
-
[QUOTE=Sam;3725145]There was no [I]real[/I] goal. They were all goals. You're picking and choosing. And just because he hasn't reconnected with Linda yet, doesn't mean that isn't an option down the road.
Wally's always dealt with rough stuff. His childhood sucked until he became Kid Flash. His speed was killing him for a while. His mentor died. His father was part of a conspiracy to take over the universe. He forgot about the love of his life when she was erased from his universe. His wife miscarried after an encounter with a former friend turned enemy. And this isn't the first time he will have sought out profession help (classic Messner-Loebs run), assuming that is what he is doing in Heroes in Crisis. People don't seek out help only when all hope is lost. They seek out help when they need someone to listen or an opportunity for introspection.[/QUOTE]
Fine, they also horribly failed their goal of finding out who was altering the universal timeline. The only thing they succeeded at was stopping someone who was already stopped that they awakened -- Kadabra -- and stopping...Donna. They were an embarrassment, something DC is happy to remind us of constantly.
You're ignoring a lot of context. When bad things happened to Wally when he was the main character things got better. Wally's powers crippling him didn't get better...UNTIL he became the main character. But Wally's not the main character of jack ****. Hell he's not even the star character of a team comic anymore -- he's one of many pieces in Tom King's ambitious ensemble cast. So there's no ongoing plotline and narrative that's following Wally around, waiting for things to get better. That's why things haven't gotten better for him.
This isn't about me shitting on getting professional help. This is me being tired of every turn and corner in Wally's life since 2009 being absolutely awful.
But yeah, if you think Wally is going to seek out help the second he gets his family back then I'd be more than happy to bet against that.
-
In the past few months, I have read all Wally's The Flash series, from 1-247 + 0. It was amazing, of course, some stories are better than others, it was an ongoing series, but seeing how Wally developed as a character, his powers and a family-team was a very enjoyable experience, and it also thought me more about the DC Universe and how comics were on the 80's and 90's.
Now, about his kids. I found them to be funny characters during issues 231-247, they were relatable characters and it was nice to see their sibling-interaction, and Jai wanting to protect his sister from the fact they were going to die was heartful. But then came Johns with Flash:Rebirth, de-aged and made them some spoiled children, and made Jai a whining and rude kid. Today we have Damian and Jon, I don't see as a problem if Jai and Irey return and fought along Wally, or they could be aged just a little pair of years and join some team.
I just want Wally to be happy. Even if I didn't know who was him when I was a kid, he has been always one of my favorite characters thanks to Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, and Teen Titans. And most of Barry modern adaptions took elements from Wally. Maybe I read his stories on The Flash and JLA after many years since they were published, but Wally West has always been my Flash.
-
The only positive I see for Wally is the speed buggy issue that just came out.everyone was there,and happy,which is how it should be.
I get comic writers need to put heroes in stressful and dangerous situations that look like it will crush the hero,but at the end of the day the hero needs that heroic win and feeling of accomplishment,which now we don't get....ever.they just pile on and pile on,with no end in sight,is this the only way these writers know how to write now.my favorite character is kon-el,who dealt with "some" situations that were bad,but he always kept positive,and had more happy days than bad,and Wally and others don't,and that is sad.
-
I don't know why everyone is going batshit about the cover of Tom King's book featuring Wally.
We still have ZERO idea what the story involves and what characters it will focus on.
Chill out people!!
I'm still hopeful Wally will get his own title after all this is said & done.
-
[QUOTE=married guy;3726057]I don't know why everyone is going batshit about the cover of Tom King's book featuring Wally.
We still have ZERO idea what the story involves and what characters it will focus on.
Chill out people!!
I'm still hopeful Wally will get his own title after all this is said & done.[/QUOTE]
Amen to that!
Flash War has been very good so far. We don't know much about Hunter's motives yet but Wally's actions after the two years long rollercoaster makes a lot of sense. Both sides have valid arguments!
I'm happy the kids are not coming back as it's obvious they have no place in DC and they sucked so much out of Wally as a character when they first came around. Really happy that Williamson is sensible enough to address them but not bring them back.
Tom King is an incredibly talented writer, I trust Wally in his hands too! Wally is front on the cover (compared to Barry and Dick for example) so I'm guessing he will be one of the main supporting characters.
Enough with the negativity people! It's going to be good! :D
-
[QUOTE=Dred;3725621]Fine, they also horribly failed their goal of finding out who was altering the universal timeline. The only thing they succeeded at was stopping someone who was already stopped that they awakened -- Kadabra -- and stopping...Donna. They were an embarrassment, something DC is happy to remind us of constantly.
You're ignoring a lot of context. When bad things happened to Wally when he was the main character things got better. Wally's powers crippling him didn't get better...UNTIL he became the main character. But Wally's not the main character of jack ****. Hell he's not even the star character of a team comic anymore -- he's one of many pieces in Tom King's ambitious ensemble cast. So there's no ongoing plotline and narrative that's following Wally around, waiting for things to get better. That's why things haven't gotten better for him.
This isn't about me shitting on getting professional help. This is me being tired of every turn and corner in Wally's life since 2009 being absolutely awful.
But yeah, if you think Wally is going to seek out help the second he gets his family back then I'd be more than happy to bet against that.[/QUOTE]
But you're ignoring the fact that things have been getting better for him. He's been rebuilding his life, slowly, but surely. He's reconnected with many of the most important people in his life. You're picking and choosing to help your argument that his life has been all misery since he's returned when that's not what has come across on page. And there is a difference between failure and something being unresolved. Has he gotten back everything he has lost? No. Is his entire life tragedy, tragedy, tragedy? Also no. Sometimes life is hard, even for The Flash. But that doesn't mean everything is awful and everything is dark and dire. Whether he is a main character or not doesn't change this.
Either way, let's judge the outcome of this storyline when it occurs. Not based on the expectations of what might happen.
-
[QUOTE=Waterfall;3726108]
I'm happy the kids are not coming back as it's obvious they have no place in DC and they sucked so much out of Wally as a character when they first came around. Really happy that Williamson is sensible enough to address them but not bring them back.
[/QUOTE]
Agree with that. I found those kids to be the first nail in the coffin for Wally. It wasn't enough to just let him have kids and have a stable family life... they had to instantly age them up and throw them in costumes. It was bad enough that during that run, Flash seemed to take a backseat to the Rogues... but now he was sharing the spotlight with the twins. He was quickly getting crowded out of his own book.
I hate universe wide reboots and retcons... but if they have anyway possible to get Wally back in the spotlight and keep those kids gone, I'm all for it.
-
[QUOTE=married guy;3726057]I don't know why everyone is going batshit about the cover of Tom King's book featuring Wally.
We still have ZERO idea what the story involves and what characters it will focus on.
Chill out people!!
I'm still hopeful Wally will get his own title after all this is said & done.[/QUOTE]
I'm hoping King writes a better Wally then he writes Booster Gold.