Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2020

[Waterfall]

Is there anything new for Wally? I’ve been away for the last couple of months.

[sifighter]

Is there anything new for Wally? I’ve been away for the last couple of months.

He’s going to be in Death Metal, the big Scott Snyder event coming out of Justice League.

[married guy]

He’s going to be in Death Metal, the big Scott Snyder event coming out of Justice League.

To what extent is anyone's guess though.
I've managed to avoid DC 'events' pretty much altogether the last few years. Depending on the role Wally has in *ugh* Death Metal, I may have to abandon my boycott.

[married guy]

I disagree with the premise. I don't think it is the only way. I think Wally could be treated as "The Flash" as much as Jay Garrick is and look as different from Barry as Jay Garrick does. I think having near-identical characters co-existing is hostile to the uninitiated and looks bad on the page. I think Wally is in a stronger position if he has a costume that's a fresher and more exciting version of The Flash, like Batman Beyond and Spider-Gwen. I think if Batman Beyond had a cape and a black/grey/yellow colour scheme, because that's how Batman has to look, he'd have made less of an impact. I think if Spider-Gwen had a red/blue colour scheme, no hood and more webs, because that's what a "Spider-Man" has to look like, then she'd have made less of an impact.

Wading into this a little late, I would rather see Wally in a different suit from Barry, but still recognisable as the Flash. The darker suit which debuted in Flash Rebirth or the crimson and silver suit & cowl both work for me. Easily distinguished as the Flash - but also easy to tell it wasn't Barry behind the mask either.

[WallyWestFlash]

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10char.

[Kyer]

I'm also opting for a different costume. It shouldn't look exactly like Barry's just as Jay's is different. And not just a color difference like that pinkish red to Barry's tomato red they had going for awhile.
More than anything, Wally needs good stories. Great duds won't mean a thing if the plots are forgettable.



(Speaking of good stories, my copy of The Flash by Mark Waid volume 7 finally arrived! Looks great. Going to have to pace myself so I don't fall asleep during work tomorrow.)

[Will Evans]

What should Wally’s permanent occupation be?

I think he was a mechanic for awhile. Geoff has him identify with Unions.

But I don’t know what he should do for work.

[married guy]

What should Wally’s permanent occupation be?

I think he was a mechanic for awhile. Geoff has him identify with Unions.

But I don’t know what he should do for work.

I actually LIKED Wally as a mechanic for the Keystone PD.
Geoff kinda introduced it out of nowhere, but it worked for me. It was taking the whole 'Wally the average guy' thing and extrapolating upon it .

[Dred]

Is there anything new for Wally? I’ve been away for the last couple of months.

The virus has halted everything for the last couple of months, so no.



I wasn't a big fan of the mechanic stuff. Trying too hard to inject Wally into the police force when Johns kind of threw away the best of it he already created (Wally's time as public with Hunter, Morillo and Chyre was great!). I never saw the value of the job when it didn't really let him interact with good characters. All the best stuff post blitz had little to nothing to do with the mechanic job.

Not like he needs a job. He can just be Linda's trophy husband and superhero.

[Will Evans]

The virus has halted everything for the last couple of months, so no.



I wasn't a big fan of the mechanic stuff. Trying too hard to inject Wally into the police force when Johns kind of threw away the best of it he already created (Wally's time as public with Hunter, Morillo and Chyre was great!). I never saw the value of the job when it didn't really let him interact with good characters. All the best stuff post blitz had little to nothing to do with the mechanic job.

Not like he needs a job. He can just be Linda's trophy husband and superhero.

That makes Wally look like a bum. And just an unemployed Barry clone.

[Dred]

What? Barry's employment is incredibly important to him. Forcing Wally into undercover work in the police station is what made him closer to a Barry clone. Taking him away from that stuff is what made him different in the first place. Could you explain to me, in what way, not working for the police makes him a Barry clone?

And how on Earth is dedicating your life to helping and saving people make you a bum just because you don't get paid to do it? That's the most hyper capitalist nonsense I've ever heard. Your wife making enough money to support the family while you pursue your dream of literally saving the universe seems like a pretty decent damn compromise.

[BohemiaDrinker]

I'll have to break this in pieces, so here we go.

I disagree with the premise. I don't think it is the only way.

You seem to have missed the "if", but ok.

I think Wally could be treated as "The Flash" as much as Jay Garrick is and look as different from Barry as Jay Garrick does.

He doesn't need to be treated as The Flash as much as Jay. He needs to be treated as the Flash as much as Barry. More on that later.

I think having near-identical characters co-existing is hostile to the uninitiated and looks bad on the page.

1) Comics-wise, the uninitiated matters very little, right now. Trying to sell comics to people who wouldn't be caught dead reading comics was what thrown continuity in it's current mess. 2) If you figure out the basic Flash Family, you're already initiated. People are not stupid. (Well, they are, but people who read aren't. Or at least shouldn't be treated as such).

I think Wally is in a stronger position if he has a costume that's a fresher and more exciting version of The Flash, like Batman Beyond and Spider-Gwen.

No, you're wrong here. The best position for Wally is one where his accomplishments, career and that he's a big deal, and why, is represented but in story and visually. No radical departure from Flash's iconography can accomplish that, specially now. And no Nightwing treatment can, either.

I think if Batman Beyond had a cape and a black/grey/yellow colour scheme, because that's how Batman has to look, he'd have made less of an impact. I think if Spider-Gwen had a red/blue colour scheme, no hood and more webs, because that's what a "Spider-Man" has to look like, then she'd have made less of an impact.

Yeah, all of yours "has to look" up there either shows that you're being disingenuous or really missed the point.

Terry is a terrible example for a Wally treatment. His costume is awesome as representative of the role he plays, but that role is of a rookie sci-fi Bats who doesn't have to stand beside Bruce, and can be read as "not really Batman" with no detrimental effect on the character. The character who needed to stand besides Bruce as an equal was DickBats.

No one said, ever, that "Spider-Man" has to look exactly like classic Peter. Peter doesn't have to look like classic Peter (Just look at all the costumes in the PS4 games, all "Spider-Man). The design elements that define a spider-person costume are the silhouette and those big eyes. Have those 2, you're good to go. Spider-Gwen in particular only exits on the strength of her design, but the Spider-Man costume is the most versatile in comics.

But sure, we ca play this game. Besides the examples you mentioned, there are many other that keep the necessary elements and make a character specific spin: Khamala Khan, Jaime Reyes, Jane-Thor, Carol Danvers Cap. Marvel (particularly great), Wolvie-Laura, 90% of Spider-People, etc. The elements that needed to be kept, could be discarded, or are representative of each of those identities and archetypes are particular to each one.

And then there's a matter of status, of the role those characters has to play.

Wally needs to exist besides Barry right now. So he can't look like "Flash-Lite" or that's what he is. So, color scheme, big yellow boots, centered insignia and cowl are a must. There's still plenty of room for tweaks, but those need to be there, as all of them serve a very specific function in the design.

All in all, though, even if not my preference, 90's shiny duds would serve Wally way better than "radical change", specially at the moment.

[Lee]

You seem to have missed the "if", but ok.

I didn't. That's why I said I disagreed with the premise. "If the sky is green, then X, Y and Z" is irrelevant, because the sky is not green.

He doesn't need to be treated as The Flash as much as Jay. He needs to be treated as the Flash as much as Barry.

That's a different matter entirely. I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think that's feasible. Barry Allen is currently the star of the Flash franchise, the default Flash across all media. At this point, Wally is a supporting cast member/spin-off character. Realistically, I don't think he's going to move from that position.

1) Comics-wise, the uninitiated matters very little, right now.

I fundamentally disagree with this. I think the uninitiated should always matter.

Terry is a terrible example for a Wally treatment. His costume is awesome as representative of the role he plays, but that role is of a rookie sci-fi Bats who doesn't have to stand beside Bruce, and can be read as "not really Batman" with no detrimental effect on the character. The character who needed to stand besides Bruce as an equal was DickBats.

Nothing about Batman Beyond's costume makes him look like a rookie. Sci-fi Batman, sure. Ultimately, Batman Beyond has a larger presence in the Batman franchise than Dick Grayson as Batman.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson both being Batman simultaneously, both wearing ordinary Batman costumes, lasted about a year or so. It wasn't built to last, and it didn't.

No one said, ever, that "Spider-Man" has to look exactly like classic Peter. Peter doesn't have to look like classic Peter (Just look at all the costumes in the PS4 games, all "Spider-Man). The design elements that define a spider-person costume are the silhouette and those big eyes. Have those 2, you're good to go.

People know what the regular Spider-Man looks like. They know what the standard is. It's understood that the Miles Morales Spider-Man costume isn't the ordinary Spider-Man costume.

But sure, we ca play this game.

I think you're approaching this differently than I am. I just want to talk about comic character I like on a comic book forum. I'm not playing games or trying to trick you.

Wally needs to exist besides Barry right now. So he can't look like "Flash-Lite" or that's what he is. So, color scheme, big yellow boots, centered insignia and cowl are a must. There's still plenty of room for tweaks, but those need to be there, as all of them serve a very specific function in the design.

All in all, though, even if not my preference, 90's shiny duds would serve Wally way better than "radical change", specially at the moment.

I don't think it's a binary choice of Flash-Lite or adhering closely to the standard Flash costume. I don't think either do the character any favours.

I don't think Jay Garrick looks like Flash-Lite. Or Walter West, or Impulse, or Godspeed. I don't think Batman Beyond looks like Batman-Lite. I don't think Spider-Gwen/Ghost-Spider looks like Spider-Man-Lite. As long as you can tell what franchise the character belongs to, the more bold and striking the better.

[Kyer]

What? Barry's employment is incredibly important to him. Forcing Wally into undercover work in the police station is what made him closer to a Barry clone. Taking him away from that stuff is what made him different in the first place. Could you explain to me, in what way, not working for the police makes him a Barry clone?

And how on Earth is dedicating your life to helping and saving people make you a bum just because you don't get paid to do it? That's the most hyper capitalist nonsense I've ever heard. Your wife making enough money to support the family while you pursue your dream of literally saving the universe seems like a pretty decent damn compromise.

These days Wally could just start a The (Ginger) Flash: Go Fund Me. Financially, he'd probably be fine. No joke.
For this I note that a popular fanfic site annually asks for donations with a stated goal amount. Save for one very bad economic year, they regularly receive many times what they ask for. He doesn't even have to start it himself. Just have a friend do it and then start saving people. This would do away with the need for a 'job' even if Linda lost hers.

[Dred]

It's not like making money is something that should be an issue to Wally. There's thousands of jobs he could get paid upon completion and be a millionaire and put half the city out of work if he NEEDED to make money. (Which is why I always thought that job hunt part of his comeback was one of the weakest stories since Baron for Wally).