Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2020

[Godlike13]

I’m still surprised how much influence Lobdell has at DC. Unfortunately it seems to result in more bad then good, but I’ll take this one. Though are those his kids, or manifestations of his kids?

Honestly im not even sure what to make of bringing his kids back when it only serves to add additional torment to Wally’s current circumstance. It’s like their existence depends on which ever way they better serve to torture the character.

[Spider-Ham]

Scott Lobdell told us Wally will be in "good hands" after FCBD. So, in your opinion guys, who should write this brand new chapter ?

I don't know where is Jeff Parker ATM, but I'd love to see him on a Flash book. I'd be really curious to see Scott Snyder on The Flash as well. Jurgens maybe ?

Rucka and Fraction are still writing for DC, maybe they'll get the book ?

[Zaresh]

Scott Lobdell told us Wally will be in "good hands" after FCBD. So, in your opinion guys, who should write this brand new chapter ?

I don't know where is Jeff Parker ATM, but I'd love to see him on a Flash book. I'd be really curious to see Scott Snyder on The Flash as well. Jurgens maybe ?

Rucka and Fraction are still writing for DC, maybe they'll get the book ?

Fraction would be a nice fit, I think. Wally's a character for whom he could dial both his more serious and more comedic styles. I guess a new limited for Wally after the event this Summer? Maybe for November or so? Jimmy's book should be done by then, right?

[deadman322]

get morrison on it so he can have his proper flash run that he's always wanted.

[Digifiend]

Jimmy Olsen ends in June, yes.

[Dred]

get morrison on it so he can have his proper flash run that he's always wanted.

Morrison has already said he's pretty much done with regular monthlies after GL. He already did his piece on Wally and said the only Flash story he's kicking about is for Multiversity Too which would be about Barry.

[Stingo]

Scott Lobdell told us Wally will be in "good hands" after FCBD. So, in your opinion guys, who should write this brand new chapter ?

I don't know where is Jeff Parker ATM, but I'd love to see him on a Flash book. I'd be really curious to see Scott Snyder on The Flash as well. Jurgens maybe ?

Rucka and Fraction are still writing for DC, maybe they'll get the book ?

Alright, I've had a chance to read the actual issue and I gotta say, despite my stated misgivings on here yesterday, that Scott and Brett knocked this sucker outta the park with their emotional finale...Wow. Just WOW, guys. Thanks for doing right by the character of Wally West.

As for a writer that I would like to see carry Wally through his next chapter, Waid would be amazing (ain't going to happen, I know...sigh) as would Johns. I've always wondered how a writer such as Ed Brubaker might do with Wally. Whichever creative talent DC settles on for a character that I consider "my Flash", I do want to commend them on a story well told by a great creative team in Flash Forward.

My only complaint about Flash Forward? It was only six issues!

[BohemiaDrinker]

deadman332

You are quite stubborn. lol!

He does appear in 750... not a flashback.

And he appears in FCBD. Not only not a flashback, but a lynchpin at the heart of the Multiverse in a way only Wally West could. (This is not Parralax Redux as I've seen a lot of people speculating. That epic story was already told and told well.)

While I am not involved with the character after FCBD... I can assure you he is in excellent hands for his upcoming mind-boggling, heart-rending, hope-neverending adventures.

Just keep in mind: up until now, the Mobius Chair has subsumed the minds of many many people who have sat upon it.

But it has never squared off against a mind that can think faster than thought itself. Faster than the chair?

If I were a betting man... I would never bet against Wally West.

Took me a while to get here, but let me thank you, from the on-point series you delivered to the way you handled the whole situation with the fandom (I guess there are a lot of skills other than writing that come from being on X-Men for a while).

I'll admit that I initially did not trust you with this, but I stand corrected. It's been the funniest ride in a good while!

[andersonh1]

The ending of Heroes in Crisis made me angry. Flash Forward made me look forward to having a Wally series again. So much of it was really fun, and the ending is a major win for Wally, even if his status now is still separation from his family, and the ending has me both happy and intrigued. I guess we'll see where things go from here.

[red winter]

SPOILERS i hope the Generation series redeems Wally but I have to say I like the other costume(Blue& Silver) better minus the Dr.Manhattan symbol

[SanityOrMadness]

Thing is, Wally's essentially dead. He went out with a heroic sacrifice to save the world (and his kids),... but it's not implicit, it's text and on the page. In order to destroy his dark world, everything that made him "him" had to go away, and the blue-suited guy in the chair even says he isn't Wally in narration.

Now, it's superhero comics, resurrections happen, but they require the editorial will to make them happen.

[Denirac]

I’m still surprised how much influence Lobdell has at DC. Unfortunately it seems to result in more bad then good, but I’ll take this one. Though are those his kids, or manifestations of his kids?

Honestly im not even sure what to make of bringing his kids back when it only serves to add additional torment to Wally’s current circumstance. It’s like their existence depends on which ever way they better serve to torture the character.

Confirmed to be his kids by Scott himself here earlier in this thread

[Drako]

Thing is, Wally's essentially dead. He went out with a heroic sacrifice to save the world (and his kids),... but it's not implicit, it's text and on the page. In order to destroy his dark world, everything that made him "him" had to go away, and the blue-suited guy in the chair even says he isn't Wally in narration.

Now, it's superhero comics, resurrections happen, but they require the editorial will to make them happen.

Bruce sat on the chair and came out fine. They only need an excuse to take him out of the Mobius chair once this is over.

[Kyer]

But will they?
Didio and Lee are still in charge. Granted, this book miraculously got through...(and I'd really like to know how that was managed) but last I heard the DCEd still is Barry, Barry, Rahrahrah!

[BohemiaDrinker]

Setting aside the crap I recapped above, there should be one main Flash; whether that's Barry, Wally or some new thing? Well, that's not my call to make. But I think taking the current status quo as it is today, I think it's demonstrably a bad idea to have two (highly similar) principal Flashes:

If I would have dropped out of the sky in 2004, when Johns' run was stilling running strong (or in 1995 with Waid, whatever) and told you - "Let's bring back Barry, have him and Wally basically split the role of "The Flash", would you have seen that as a good thing?

For *any* reason you would have been hesitant, or against it - it'd just as bad an idea now to current readers.

(On the other hand - it's not a horrible idea. I mean, DC does currently have two Flash characters named Wally West running around, sharing one continuity. So on the sliding scale of bad, 2 lead Flashes edges closer to non-offensive than some of the moves I mentioned above.)

It's a worse idea to follow as they did, though.

The last time they were able to (kind of) holding back on a proven popular character was when they introduced Kyle (and even that was pushing it). If McDonalds decided tomorrow that they'd position their brand to only sell quarter pounders, they'd never hear the end of it, because quite a few people like Big Macs, and they can't get Big Macs anywhere else. They could stop selling cheeseburgers relatively unscathed tough, as you can get a cheeseburger anywhere.

That's roughly the case here (and it applies to lots of franchises other than Flash. Wally is the flag of it only on account of being te most successful of the characters DC tried to wipe out.

The thing is that even when a company feels the need to rebrand, it's a really bad idea to go "this is how I want to position" while ignoring what their consumer-base - being it the whole consumer base, a significant chunk or even the loudest chunk - expect.

The problem with this situation is not the mistakes DC made along the way; it's their failure at correcting them.