Wally West: The Flash Appreciation 2022

[PennyDreadful]

When HiC wrapped up, Willianson said he had known about it for over a year. He also said that's why hew made a point of making Flash War Wally-centric.

So they planned to redo Identity Crisis that far in advance? Curious: were sales really so rotten that they figured another Identity Crisis would goose sales?

I am just glad that the current Flash book is good and a fun, heartwarming read. I've had enough of these grimdark shock and kill events.

[BohemiaDrinker]

So they planned to redo Identity Crisis that far in advance? Curious: were sales really so rotten that they figured another Identity Crisis would goose sales?

I don't know, really. I wasn't following sales numbers closely at the time. But we got to remember when it happened: Tom King was seen pretty much as one who could do no wrong back then. He had this idea and everyone probably believed that the story would work so well that any resistance from fans would be seen as inconsequential. Rumors were that Wally was supposed to go to Suicide Squad after that (and everything points to those rumors being true, there's some foreshadowing in other books). Editorial of the time was expecting, probably, that Wally would be removed from Barry's way, that Suicide Squad would get a sales boost from the Wally fandom hate-buying it, and that they'd have yet another critical success story in their hands.

Of course, exactly the opposite happened. I've read in a couple of places that Flash Forward was rushed just to pacify retailers, who were losing DC sales because of that book specifically. If it's true (and I have no idea if it is), I don't think anything of the sort happened since Emerald Twilight.

[PennyDreadful]

I don't know, really. I wasn't following sales numbers closely at the time. But we got to remember when it happened: Tom King was seen pretty much as one who could do no wrong back then. He had this idea and everyone probably believed that the story would work so well that any resistance from fans would be seen as inconsequential. Rumors were that Wally was supposed to go to Suicide Squad after that (and everything points to those rumors being true, there's some foreshadowing in other books). Editorial of the time was expecting, probably, that Wally would be removed from Barry's way, that Suicide Squad would get a sales boost from the Wally fandom hate-buying it, and that they'd have yet another critical success story in their hands.

Of course, exactly the opposite happened. I've read in a couple of places that Flash Forward was rushed just to pacify retailers, who were losing DC sales because of that book specifically. If it's true (and I have no idea if it is), I don't think anything of the sort happened since Emerald Twilight.

Wow. They didn't know how to read the room, and no editor was putting the brakes on King.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Wow. They didn't know how to read the room, and no editor was putting the brakes on King.

Well, the characters in HiC were actually secondary to the story, by most accounts. King had the story, and he said he was given Wally, Booster and Harley to tell it. I can't say by whom, but he mentioned once that, if he could go back, he'd "punch the person that suggested Wally in the face".

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Digifiend]

Looks like we now have FIVE Flashes. Jay, Barry, Wally, Avery... and now Kid Quick has taken his Future State identity as The Flash (well, they didn't call themself that, but I assume they will in the final issue of Multiversity: Teen Justice as they now have the costume). Now we wait to see if they end up on Earth-0 and team up with the Flash Family...

[BohemiaDrinker]

Looks like we now have FIVE Flashes. Jay, Barry, Wally, Avery... and now Kid Quick has taken his Future State identity as The Flash (well, they didn't call themself that, but I assume they will in the final issue of Multiversity: Teen Justice as they now have the costume). Now we wait to see if they end up on Earth-0 and team up with the Flash Family...

Jess remains on Earth 11 though, sho they still count as a Multiverse alternate.

[Mantis-Ray]

Jess remains on Earth 11 though, sho they still count as a Multiverse alternate.

I'm very curious when Jess will make the interdimensional jump. Especially since they have friends and family on their home-world so permanently moving to prime Earth would be weird, like how Spider-Gwen left her reality for the normal 616 reality.

Though I do recall in Future State Jess is supposed to be the harbinger of some great event, so presumably if thats maintained Jess will show up during some event story or something.

[BohemiaDrinker]

I'm very curious when Jess will make the interdimensional jump. Especially since they have friends and family on their home-world so permanently moving to prime Earth would be weird, like how Spider-Gwen left her reality for the normal 616 reality.

Though I do recall in Future State Jess is supposed to be the harbinger of some great event, so presumably if thats maintained Jess will show up during some event story or something.

Yeah. Not to mention Future State Flash family didn't exist anymore, so maybe Jess will have no reason to stay in Earth 0. The one reason they could have is Andy, but that requires some growing up.

[Mantis-Ray]

Yeah. Not to mention Future State Flash family didn't exist anymore, so maybe Jess will have no reason to stay in Earth 0. The one reason they could have is Andy, but that requires some growing up.

Well technically the Flash Family didn't exist in Future State........ cause they all got killed off. Edgy stuff there. Thats the funny thing about Jess, they became Flash because there was literally no one left.

Oh yeah the Andy relationship really does not work now. Andy's a toddler while Jess is a teenager so they have to drop the romance for the prime characters.

Really bizarre how it was brought back in the World Without Justice League Aquaman story. Imagine that, Aquaman's perfect world involving his daughter dating this speedster he's never met or heard of before.

[sifighter]

Well technically the Flash Family didn't exist in Future State........ cause they all got killed off. Edgy stuff there. Thats the funny thing about Jess, they became Flash because there was literally no one left.

Oh yeah the Andy relationship really does not work now. Andy's a toddler while Jess is a teenager so they have to drop the romance for the prime characters.

Really bizarre how it was brought back in the World Without Justice League Aquaman story. Imagine that, Aquaman's perfect world involving her daughter dating this speedster he's never met or heard of before.

Arthur: “hmmm..”
Barry: “What’s wrong Arthur?”
Arthur: “Well I was thinking about that Dream World Pariah stuck us on.”
Barry: “Yeah and?”
Arthur: “There was someone there who I didn’t know and they were dating an adult version of my daughter. They had white hair and said a math equation as they ran.”
Barry: “Oh you mean Jess Chambers.”
Arthur: “huh”
Barry: “Jess Chambers, they are a non-binary kid who became Flash recently on Earth-11. You know the earth where we are women instead of guys”
Arthur:”…how do you know this?”
Barry: “Do you know how many times I’ve run into the multiverse? I’ve met a lot of Flashes. Personally I’ve always liked the one where I’m a cowboy.”

[Digifiend]

Well technically the Flash Family didn't exist in Future State........ cause they all got killed off. Edgy stuff there. Thats the funny thing about Jess, they became Flash because there was literally no one left.

Oh yeah the Andy relationship really does not work now. Andy's a toddler while Jess is a teenager so they have to drop the romance for the prime characters.

Really bizarre how it was brought back in the World Without Justice League Aquaman story. Imagine that, Aquaman's perfect world involving his daughter dating this speedster he's never met or heard of before.

They'll need to time displace Aqualass/Aquawoman from around 15-18 years in the future if they want to do the romance, yeah. Similar to Rachel Summers and Lucas Bishop from the X-Men, who are both from negated futures (and thus can't go home).

[Frontier]

I think we're a bit at peak Speedsters on Earth-1.

[Mantis-Ray]

I think we're a bit at peak Speedsters on Earth-1.

Its the unfortunate thing about Jess.

Like a lot of the 5G characters they would have worked fine there, because in Jess' case the entire Flash Family would have been dead leaving them as the sole Flash.

But now that 5G didn't happen and instead all the Flashes came back, Jess is left in a precarious spot in an increasingly bigger family. Doesn't help that Jess is from an entirely different universe so they don't have a reason to be majorly involved in Earth-1 stuff. Its not like the Superfam regularly teams up with Calvin Ellies.

Granted Jess works fine as the Flash of their particular universe as the recent mini has shown. Its like a Terry McGinnis situation.

[Maxi]

Its not like the Superfam regularly teams up with Calvin Ellies.

Hell, the Superfam doesn't regularly teams up with themselves!

[married guy]

Put me down as another who'd love to see a Kyle/Wally reunion written by Adams.