Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2020

[Robanker]

I know I'm usually the optimist when it comes to Wally's future, but I've got a nagging feeling that the end result of whatever this is will leave fans of both Wally and Barry unsatisfied.

Hope I'm wrong.

You're probably right, truth be told, but we are in the wild west (pardon the pun) right now given the sweeping changes to editorial and the industry as a whole.

So, even if by accident, we have the best chance to see an uncharacteristic change for The Flash possibly ever.

[WallyWestFlash]

Side note.

My main concern is Wally in the Flash book. However that aside I hope Max, Bart, Jesse and Jay are around and present in there as well.

Hopefully their epic return in Finish line isnt just a bunch of empty fan service.

[Darkcrusade25]

Side note.

My main concern is Wally in the Flash book. However that aside I hope Max, Bart, Jesse and Jay are around and present in there as well.

Hopefully their epic return in Finish line isnt just a bunch of empty fan service.

Well Bart and Jay are on the cover so I’m REALLY hoping that’s not fake hope.

[Frontier]

Side note.

My main concern is Wally in the Flash book. However that aside I hope Max, Bart, Jesse and Jay are around and present in there as well.

Hopefully their epic return in Finish line isnt just a bunch of empty fan service.

On another side-note, I think Brandon Peterson is a bad choice to draw The Flash.

[BohemiaDrinker]

I know I'm usually the optimist when it comes to Wally's future, but I've got a nagging feeling that the end result of whatever this is will leave fans of both Wally and Barry unsatisfied.

Hope I'm wrong.

So, you're saying I have been right all along?

Jokes aside, I don't like the look of this. The writer seems to have no idea where he's getting into or what he is writing. Some of these statements almost seem as troll-bait. If I was into conspiracy theories, I'd say that DC said "ok, now say some shiot to distract from Geofrey Thorne hating Jordan" or something.

[PennyDreadful]

I am not sure what the problem is. I haven't read any quotes from the new Flash writer. What are these statements?

I'm just glad Future State Flash doesn't seem to have any carryover from February. And guys...remember what Waid said.

[BohemiaDrinker]

I am not sure what the problem is. I haven't read any quotes from the new Flash writer. What are these statements?

I'm just glad Future State Flash doesn't seem to have any carryover from February. And guys...remember what Waid said.

We have:

"Beginning with The Flash #768, after the events spanning from DC Universe: Rebirth to Heroes in Crisis to Dark Nights: Death Metal, the former Kid Flash decides to call it quits," DC continues. "Family is more important to Wally West than a connection to the Speed Force.

(Implying that Wally would just stop being Flash cause family, just like '09)

And also:

"There's some dispute about who would win in a race against Wally and Barry," says new writer Adams about his plans,

I mean, c'mon.

[The_Sneezing_Stormtrooper]

I'm pretty sure for all the grief that's been thrown Wally's way over the past few years it's at least been firmly established that Wally is not only faster than Barry but is also the fastest speedster in the multiverse. Does anyone actually think Barry is more powerful than Wally?

Also, I'm going to assume that Wally's retirement is just bait and even then I'd rather Wally get a proper retirement and send off with his family if he's not going to be used over the variety of ways DC has tried to brush him aside over the last decade.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Also, I'm going to assume that Wally's retirement is just bait

Yeah. Should we be baited at this point, though?

[Ilan Preskovsky]

At this point, a Flash family anthology series featuring a Barry story, a Wally story, and a revolving showcase story for the other speedsters, would probably be the way to go but I don't know if that's feasible financially for DC.

[PennyDreadful]

I mean, c'mon.

Eh...I think people are reading too much into this.

Either the Kamen Rider approach or a new Flash altogether (Avery, perhaps?) would be preferable to just Barry or Wally.

[The_Sneezing_Stormtrooper]

Yeah. Should we be baited at this point, though?

Probably not but I think these kinds of statements are made to try and hook more casual readers and not nessisarily directed at us. I get why the writer would want to keep some tension in his story and not just come out and say that by the end of six issues Barry and Wally will both be active or whatever happens.

Eh...I think people are reading too much into this.

Either the Kamen Rider approach or a new Flash altogether (Avery, perhaps?) would be preferable to just Barry or Wally.

I agree. I would love to see a team dynamic come out of this.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Probably not but I think these kinds of statements are made to try and hook more casual readers and not necessarily directed at us. I get why the writer would want to keep some tension in his story and not just come out and say that by the end of six issues Barry and Wally will both be active or whatever happens.

Yeah, well, for Wally fans, it's been 12 years at the lowest. For Barry fans, they're gonna pissed if Barry is not Flash at the end of this. So, you create hype (on the backs of apprehension) for what, an arc, and then everyone is pissed again? Or everything is going to be fine for everyone, and that "tension" is just unnecessary. At this point in time, Flash fandom is not the one to pull this shit on. They should, by now, have a plan, and announce what that plan is, and hit the ground running with it. NOT go "uuuuuuhhhh, what will happen at the end of yet another arc?". And they sure as hell should not have their main writer saying anything that may even imply he doesn't understand the depth of the hole he's stepping in.

That said, I looked the writer up, and he does seem well intentioned. But the interview he gave was just really bad marketing.

[Ascended]

Yeah we can't take interview comments *too* seriously; everything they say is about marketing and drumming up hype more than it's about the actual product, and it's not uncommon for them to omit things or straight up lie either. For all we know right now, Wally will walk out of the story in a better position than he's been in since Barry's return.

However, it's still in poor taste given what the Wally fandom has put up with in recent years.

I gotta admit though, the new regime at DC does not fill me with a ton of confidence when it comes to Wally. Other characters like Superman and Nightwing, who have been abused by DC for years? They have larger media presence that the new administration wants to capitalize on. Wally? Not so much. Outside of comics his most recognizable version is from the Young Justice cartoon, which has little resemblance to the Wally we know from comics (being both a teenager as well as dead). I fear we're in much the same boat with the new administration as we were with the old one, except the new guys likely don't have a personal axe to grind with Wally the way Didio often seemed to. We likely won't see DC gleefully abuse Wally any more (no more than the typical "torture the hero for dramaz!" stuff) but I don't see him being a major point of investment either.

[PennyDreadful]

Mark Waid seems to have faith in the new management. He would know, yes?