Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2019

[WallyWestFlash]

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[Dred]

Ah yes, the panel that most heavily supports Wally's potential bisexuality.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Read Flash by GJ vol3 for the first time today. Felt like I was reading a current day Barry Allen story rather than Wally.

Is this post issue 200 because then, yeah, I agree. Johns never got Wally's voice down in the way that Waid did but it was only in the second and much inferior half of his run that he started to remove many of the traits that made Wally Wally.

But, of course, this also says a lot about current Barry Allen too. Rather than making the two characters distinct, they have made them more and more like one another to the point that Wally couldn't help but feel redundant - and that was before they actively started to negate Wally for the sake of nu-Barry.

[Frontier]

Is this post issue 200 because then, yeah, I agree. Johns never got Wally's voice down in the way that Waid did but it was only in the second and much inferior half of his run that he started to remove many of the traits that made Wally Wally.

But, of course, this also says a lot about current Barry Allen too. Rather than making the two characters distinct, they have made them more and more like one another to the point that Wally couldn't help but feel redundant - and that was before they actively started to negate Wally for the sake of nu-Barry.

I really think this lack of distinctness is more an issue in team settings where The Flash's personality gets so generalized then in the actual solo books, but that's just me.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I really think this lack of distinctness is more an issue in team settings where The Flash's personality gets so generalized then in the actual solo books, but that's just me.

It is worse on team books, sure. But Wally hasn't felt entirely "right" to me since Waid (but that's probably just because Waid apparently put so much of himself into the character that any other voice seems at least slightly off) and no one seems to know what to do with Barry Allen at all. I don't love that Wally was sidelined but I would have a lot less trouble with it if every creator since Geoff Johns wrote Rebirth didn't just write Barry as a less likeable, jerkier and blander version of Johns' Wally West.

To be sure, I avoided Vendetti's run like the plague but I've checked out every other run since Flash: Rebirth and I just don't understand why I'm supposed to care about this boring ass character - and I say that as someone who was a big Barry Allen fan from his appearances in New Frontier, JLA: Year One, Brave and the Bold and his appearances in Waid's own Wally West run on the Flash.

At this point, the only Flash family character that is working at all for me is Bart Allen over in Young Justice. Again, Waid gave Bart such a definitive personality that no other writer has quite captured it but I'll be damned if Bendis doesn't come particularly close. I don't think he would be a good fit for Barry but give the man a Wally/ Flash family book pronto!

[The_Sneezing_Stormtrooper]

Is this post issue 200 because then, yeah, I agree. Johns never got Wally's voice down in the way that Waid did but it was only in the second and much inferior half of his run that he started to remove many of the traits that made Wally Wally.

But, of course, this also says a lot about current Barry Allen too. Rather than making the two characters distinct, they have made them more and more like one another to the point that Wally couldn't help but feel redundant - and that was before they actively started to negate Wally for the sake of nu-Barry.

I never really understood why Johns' run post-200 gets so much flack. I thought both Ignition and Rogue War were great Flash stories. I can see how it hits a bit of a lull around Identity Crisis but even that is still better stuff than we get in most Flash runs and there's still a lot of overall good stuff for 25 issues.

[WallyWestFlash]

I never really understood why Johns' run post-200 gets so much flack. I thought both Ignition and Rogue War were great Flash stories. I can see how it hits a bit of a lull around Identity Crisis but even that is still better stuff than we get in most Flash runs and there's still a lot of overall good stuff for 25 issues.

It's not bad story wise but the issues up to 200 all felt like a plan leading somewhere. After 200 it felt more directionless and not as coherent.

I did like Ignition. Was as bit weird with the amnesia thing and didn't care for the art but I liked the fresh start and the feeling of something new. Also I liked that they finally gave Wally an actual profession. Even though I never actually saw Wally as a mechanic with his personality.

Always kind of bothered me that he never had a profession. Although I guess being a super hero always kind of was for him. Being the Flash was what he did personally and professionally.

[Frontier]

It is worse on team books, sure. But Wally hasn't felt entirely "right" to me since Waid (but that's probably just because Waid apparently put so much of himself into the character that any other voice seems at least slightly off) and no one seems to know what to do with Barry Allen at all. I don't love that Wally was sidelined but I would have a lot less trouble with it if every creator since Geoff Johns wrote Rebirth didn't just write Barry as a less likeable, jerkier and blander version of Johns' Wally West.

I mean, I can see that, but when Williamson or Johns writes them I can very easily distinguish between Barry and Wally.

"Jerkier?" I don't really see how Barry is "jerkier." It seems like everyone is more of a jerk to him, although he had his moments during "Perfect Storm," admittedly.

At this point, the only Flash family character that is working at all for me is Bart Allen over in Young Justice. Again, Waid gave Bart such a definitive personality that no other writer has quite captured it but I'll be damned if Bendis doesn't come particularly close. I don't think he would be a good fit for Barry but give the man a Wally/ Flash family book pronto!

Yeah, I don't see Bendis writing a good Barry. He already wrote him as Wally anyways.

It's not bad story wise but the issues up to 200 all felt like a plan leading somewhere. After 200 it felt more directionless and not as coherent.

I always thought the direction was Wally building his life back together after the fallout of the fight with Zoom and then building up to the Rogues War and his final fight with Hunter.

[Kyer]

It's not bad story wise but the issues up to 200 all felt like a plan leading somewhere. After 200 it felt more directionless and not as coherent.

I did like Ignition. Was as bit weird with the amnesia thing and didn't care for the art but I liked the fresh start and the feeling of something new. Also I liked that they finally gave Wally an actual profession. Even though I never actually saw Wally as a mechanic with his personality.

Always kind of bothered me that he never had a profession. Although I guess being a super hero always kind of was for him. Being the Flash was what he did personally and professionally.

This.

Ignition was the last story I really enjoyed with Wally (even though, yes, the art kind of sucked.) After that it seemed DC was intent on downgrading heroes to 'potential villains if...' scenarios that I downright loathe. Let heroes be heroes! We have enough villains in stories and real life. I want more heroes, dang it! That was a big appeal to me about Barry Allen when I was first introduced to him: he wanted to do good purely for the sake of doing good. Not that 'dead mom' business. That was totally unnecessary.

Liked Wally as a mechanic. Mechanics fix things. Heroes fix things. Seemed a good idea to me.

[Dred]

The mechanic thing reeked of wanting to trend Wally back towards Barry status without totally ripping him off. Get him working a job with a secret identity in CCPD so he's close to the action. It was also a way to make up for his new secret identity taking him away from some of his very good supporting cast -- Johns was already writing out Linda, Max(thanks to JSA) and Jesse. Zolomon was obviously no longer in the supporting cast. He couldn't afford to throw away his personally made cast at that point.

I stand by undoing Wally's public identity being Johns' biggest mistake of his run. That was something truly special about Wally and no amount of weird mechanic metaphors was going to make up for that personal connection. He did get to wring some drama out of it, I guess, with Secret of Barry Allen though.

[Kyer]

I liked Wally holding down a job --period. The whole Money arc that followed later was awful.

Yeah, I liked that Wally had a public identity as impractical as that was. Of course I also liked the Rogues as sort of frenemies.

[married guy]

As much as I loved the fact Wally West was out as a superhero, I could understand Johns' reasoning for giving Wally a daytime gig.
It opens up other story avenues, makes Wally less reliant on lottery wins or payments from old enemies and the like.
The downside was that it DID take away a great part of the character and made him just like every other superhero with a secret identity.

Still, I'd happily take that book over what's being offered to me right now.

[Dred]

Eh, he got to be Linda's trophy husband.

[Jekyll]

I didn’t mind it and the events made sense following the climax of the Zoloman story. My biggest problem was with the art, holy crap did Wally’s deal with Hal mean he got plastic surgery to make his face unrecognizable too?

[WallyWestFlash]

Wally having a job, or lack of, is interesting. It is a big part of his personality. The care free goof ball. But it always bothered me because practically he needs to pay for living expenses somehow and plot lines like just so happens that he won the lottery seems like bad writing. And even that can't be long term. Also I don't like that Wally is not independent and has to rely on others for basics.

So while I see that his unemployment does match well with his personality I would prefer him having a job.

Like I said before I wasn't thrilled with the mechanic idea. I don't see Wally ever having an interest in that field. They certainly never even hinted to it throughout the decades. It kind of came out of nowhere and doesn't seem to fit. Wally wouldn't have the patience for it. Lol.

I did like that he was working for police though. I like that he was following the Flash legacy in yet another aspect as Barry. But not as a scientist since that specific niche doesn't fit him.

I like that all Flashes would work for police in some shape or form. I was actually super excited in Barts Flash series when he joined LAPD as a cop. Too bad before it was completed he was killed of but that was my favorite part of the series.

Maybe Wally could be a gym instructer for the Police academy or something but I think the best fit for Wally would be working as a cop or for the police in some way that fits his personality like Barry as a forensic scientist.