Saying their goodbyes would be nice; but I'm less inclined to insist on it. Looking back at it, the main problem I've had with the previous removals of Wally hasn't been the removal itself so much as how it was always disrespectful of the character. A “good ending” for Wally, where he gets his family back and the implied promise of a happy life with them in an out of the way place (such as a distant corner of the Dark Multiverse) is fine by me, considering the alternatives; but I'm not going to get greedy and insist they dot every i and cross every t.
Still, I wouldn't mind a resolution in Flash where Wally lets someone (e.g., Barry and/or Iris) know what happened so that we don't have people going “but why aren't they looking for him after he disappeared from prison?”
And just like Earth 2 Superman and Lois eventually came back under new management at DC, a “happy ending” West family could eventually return after the likes of Didio are no longer in charge at DC — assuming they haven't run the rest of the DCU into the ground in the meantime.
Rogue wears rouge.
Angel knows all the angles.
Wally has been in active use for 3.5 years. Bart has been in active use for a year. Jay Garrick and the Justice Society have just returned in a big story, with more to come.
None of them are dead, none of them are de-powered, none of them are retired, none of them are going unpublished. They are all part of the current DC Universe.
There's no indication that any of them are going to be written out of the DC Universe. (Although depending on how "5G" pans out, Barry might take a back seat for a while.)
Last edited by Lee; 12-07-2019 at 12:46 PM.
Jay and Bart, no. Wally, yes. I think it's very likely that the guys in charge right now want Wally out of the way because they see him in direct competition with Barry (and, to a lesser extent, with Wallace) in a way that neither Jay nor Bart is. They've tried dropping him; they've tried ignoring him; they've tried character assassinating him.
What they haven't tried is featuring him; not since Barry returned. His only appearances (other than DCU Rebirth) have essentially been setups for takedowns.
I can definitely see Flash Forward being “we're writing him out of the DC Universe again”. And if they actually do it in a dignified way, it might actually stick this time.
Rogue wears rouge.
Angel knows all the angles.
Not to mention his return in Rebirth was strictly Johns' call according to the likes of Booth and Abnett. So Didio and company simply inherited Wally being part of the DC Universe if that's true.
I could see them trying to give him a Barry-style death in the next big event and believe Wally fans should be okay with it sticking like Barry's did.I can definitely see Flash Forward being “we're writing him out of the DC Universe again”. And if they actually do it in a dignified way, it might actually stick this time.
Of course, the big difference is they will have treated the character like crap for a decade and have made it clear they don't want him around. It would just be another way they try to get rid of the character, and fans will see right through it.
Yeah; killing him off, even with a heroic death, won't quell the backlash. At this point, the only shot they've got at removing Wally without a massive backlash is to retire him with honors: the aforementioned “Earth 2 Superman at the end of CoIE”. Even then, there will be grumbling and calls to bring him back; but it won't be the backlash that the alternative endings will trigger.
Rogue wears rouge.
Angel knows all the angles.
Flash #750 will be published one week after Flash Forward #6.
This story will continue into March ("three months from now").“THE FLASH AGE” BEGINS!
written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, GEOFF JOHNS, MICHAEL MORECI, MARV WOLFMAN, FRANCIS MANAPUL, and others
art by RAFA SANDOVAL, JORDI TARRAGONA, SCOTT KOLINS, STEPHEN SEGOVIA, DAVID MARQUEZ, BRYAN HITCH, FRANCIS MANAPUL, RILEY ROSSMO, and others
cover by HOWARD PORTER
1940s variant cover by NICOLA SCOTT
1950s variant cover by GARY FRANK
1960s variant cover by NICK DERINGTON
1970s variant cover by JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ
1980s variant cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
1990s variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
2000s variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
2010s variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
blank variant cover available
Beginning: “The Flash Age”! The story we’ve been building toward since issue #50 comes to a head! While a supercharged Speed Force wreaks havoc on Barry Allen’s life, a new threat appears on the horizon in the form of the deadly Paradox. Destined to destroy the Flash’s legacy, Paradox sends his herald, Godspeed, to trap the Flash family! Plus, in this special anniversary issue: tales from across the generations of super-speedsters by an all-star lineup of writers and artists!
And I'm sure that the 90s and maybe 00s variant covers will feature Wally. It's not like they can avoid it. Wally was the only Flash from 1985 to 2005, and again from 2006 to 2010.
But I'm not so sure that Wally will be in the comic itself, other than in a G3-era story celebrating him as the Flash of the 90s (and maybe 00s) — and maybe as Kid Flash in a G2-era story. Even there, I wouldn't be too surprised if a 00s story featured Bart's time as the Flash rather than another Wally story. For that matter, I won't be surprised if they tell four retrospective stories: a G1 story featuring Jay, a G2 story featuring Barry, a G3 story featuring Wally, and a G4 story featuring Barry.
But in the main story featuring “Paradox and his herald, Godspeed”, the Flash family may indeed be missing Wally.
Last edited by Dataweaver; 12-07-2019 at 01:40 PM.
Rogue wears rouge.
Angel knows all the angles.
Sounds like something Wally West fans would want to buy, and only one week after Flash Forward #6.
Retiring him with his honor is the best they can do now. Others are just leading for him to become Tim Drake and I don't wish that upon my enemies, lest my favorite character. Johns had a shot at making him the Kyle of Flashes when he was trying to do "time cops" but that train has long passed now.
And for the record; Flash Age is about Barry becoming the greatest Flash of all time as Williamson said several times, so it's not something Wally fans are looking forward to. Manage your expectations.
I would have thought that Wally West fans would be excited about the backup stories celebrating Flash history, if not the lead story with the Flash Family. But no, everything is going to be shit forever.
Not forever; just until Didio's regime is over and someone who appreciates Wally is in charge.
I'm sure Flash #750 will be good; celebratory issues tend to be. #751+, on the other hand, is another story.
Rogue wears rouge.
Angel knows all the angles.
Last edited by deadman322; 12-07-2019 at 06:17 PM.