Is it time for a new Flash origin retelling/miniseries?

[bat39]

Something I've been thinking about recently.

Considering the high level of exposure Flash has received in the last few years thanks to the TV show and the DCEU, to say nothing of how the Flash and his mythos has been a major part of the last two DC revamps...I'm kinda surprised at the lack of a contemporary expanded retelling of Barry Allen's origin story.

Flash is a bit of an anomaly among DC's major characters, in this regard, in that there's never been an expanded origin story for him. Sure, there was the 'Born to Run' story-arc for Wally West back in the early 90's, and the odd 'zero issue' or 'Secret Origins' issue for Barry, but nothing much beyond that.

Whereas, pretty much every other DC big gun has had at least one retelling in the past decade or so, and certainly in the Post-COIE era as a whole.

Green Lantern had 'Secret Origin' in 2008 (which I'm assuming still stands given there was no real reboot for Hal). Batman's had 'Zero Year', which was preceded by 'Year One' (and let's not forget Earth One for out-of-continuity). Superman's had...too many to list. Wonder Woman had the George Perez retelling in the 80's and now there's Rucka's 'Year One'.

Even Supergirl is getting an out-of-continuity retelling now, no doubt inspired by the success of the show (to say nothing of the fact that she's had two reboots in the last 12-ish years, complete with new origin stories).

The Flash has been pretty dry on that front, again.

Considering that the TV show is dealing with a younger, relatively less experienced Barry, and the first season of the show (which is IMO the best so far) was an extended origin story - I think the time is ripe for a 'Flash Year One' kind of mini or story-arc right now.

What say?

[Tec15]

No. Completely unnecessary.

[Waterfall]

It requires passion and creativity. A comic book version of Barry's Year One would be heavily police science influenced I think and that requires a lot of hard brain work, something modern Flash writers completely lack unfortunately. Only Joshua Williamson so far managed to give Barry a voice that's distinct from Wally West and even he completely and utterly fails at a cohesive plotting & execution.

I could only trust Mark Waid or Grant Morrison for such book, they both understand Barry Allen's appeal without aping from Wally West and they are both passionate Flash fans enough to come up with something creative.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Guy got hits by lightning, became really, really fast.

There you go!

[Maxi]

It requires passion and creativity. A comic book version of Barry's Year One would be heavily police science influenced I think and that requires a lot of hard brain work, something modern Flash writers completely lack unfortunately. Only Joshua Williamson so far managed to give Barry a voice that's distinct from Wally West and even he completely and utterly fails at a cohesive plotting & execution.

I could only trust Mark Waid or Grant Morrison for such book, they both understand Barry Allen's appeal without aping from Wally West and they are both passionate Flash fans enough to come up with something creative.

At this point I could only trust Waid and Morrison with anything DC related, since they seem to be of the few ones aside from Johns that show a genuine passion for DC characters that aren't Batman.

And speaking of Johns, I'm pretty sure he would have done a Secret Origin for Barry had his run continued after Flashpoint.

[Lee]

During his last run on The Flash, Geoff Johns said that we'd see "Flash: Secret Origin" sooner rather than later. It never panned out of course, since he left the title for Aquaman and Justice League.

Flash #0 was one of the highlights of the New 52 run, but due to its length it focused on Barry/Flash himself and didn't get the chance to flesh out the rest of the early days of the mythos. It's odd that we don't even know the Rogues' origins in the current continuity.

I have faith that Joshua Williamson could write a good Flash: Year One story. He prepared for his Flash writing gig by re-reading every Flash comic from Showcase #4 onwards, so he certainly knows the mythology!

[Frontier]

I don't know if it's ever still going to happen at this point, but I would assume JMS' Flash: Earth One book would probably have been able to serve as a solid "Year One" retelling of The Flash's origin.

Aquaman is probably the only other major Leaguer who hasn't gotten a "Year One" or major origin retelling, outside the #0 issue and his and Mera's Secret Origin stories.

Flash #0 was one of the highlights of the New 52 run, but due to its length it focused on Barry/Flash himself and didn't get the chance to flesh out the rest of the early days of the mythos. It's odd that we don't even know the Rogues' origins in the current continuity.

Well, we knew the origin of their powers, but it's true that Manapul and Buccelato never really went in-depth with each of their origins or how they came together as a group before encountering The Flash.

[Waterfall]

During his last run on The Flash, Geoff Johns said that we'd see "Flash: Secret Origin" sooner rather than later. It never panned out of course, since he left the title for Aquaman and Justice League.

Flash #0 was one of the highlights of the New 52 run, but due to its length it focused on Barry/Flash himself and didn't get the chance to flesh out the rest of the early days of the mythos. It's odd that we don't even know the Rogues' origins in the current continuity.

I have faith that Joshua Williamson could write a good Flash: Year One story. He prepared for his Flash writing gig by re-reading every Flash comic from Showcase #4 onwards, so he certainly knows the mythology!

I'm sorry but Geoff Johns is absolutely terrible at writing Barry Allen. I don't want him involved in it at all and I'm glad it never panned out.

Flash #0 is just a short origin. It's not Zero Year or Year One OR Man of Steel. That's definitely something Barry needs. And no Williamson may be a fan but he is not a "good" writer enough to pull it off. First arc. was extremely mediocre with lazy ideas while current arc is drowned under expositions.

Jonathan Hickman may be another contender but really, if Batman has Frank Miller then Flash has Mark Waid. It has to be him.

[Maxi]

I liked issue #9 from Williamson's run, it was my favorite by far. I think captured the spirit of the 90s Flash flawlessly. I think the book would benefit greatly by having a Flash Family dynamic on it and making the stories shorter. But overall I'm not feeling this run. Manapul was nice and a fun read, but it was mostly for the art, I think Flash has not been really good in a decade or so and I'm starting to think it may never be again.

I think you guys are going to hate me for this, but I would really have liked to see the Reverse Flash Family storyline Johns was building up to. I wanted to see him doing what he did for GL with the Flash franchise and expanding it, giving it the capacity to sustain spin-offs. I agree that his brief stint at writing Barry Allen was not that good. He wrote Barry as too grim and joyless, but maybe that has changed since Flashpoint. He certainly got a different grip on Barry in his JL run.

[bat39]

During his last run on The Flash, Geoff Johns said that we'd see "Flash: Secret Origin" sooner rather than later. It never panned out of course, since he left the title for Aquaman and Justice League.

Flash #0 was one of the highlights of the New 52 run, but due to its length it focused on Barry/Flash himself and didn't get the chance to flesh out the rest of the early days of the mythos. It's odd that we don't even know the Rogues' origins in the current continuity.

I have faith that Joshua Williamson could write a good Flash: Year One story. He prepared for his Flash writing gig by re-reading every Flash comic from Showcase #4 onwards, so he certainly knows the mythology!

Definitely, its something which requires a lot of passion for the mythos. And an in-depth knowledge of not only the earliest Silver Age stories, but the current mythology as well.

This is kinda how I envision a 'Flash Year One' type series. The goal would be to tell a modern retelling of the origin, while still retaining some of the Silver Age tone and flair, and also come up with something that actually kinda-sorta works within established continuity (in the spirit of Rebirth, rather than New 52).

Issue 1: Its starts with these snippets of Barry's life. His childhood memories of his mother and father. The day he sees his mother murdered and his dad being hauled away by the cops. His adoption by Fred Chrye (with no Joe West, I think that's one aspect of the New 52 which has to be retained). His passion for justice in aid of exonerating his father. Studying to become a forensics scientist and landing a job as a CSI at CCPD. Meeting Iris West, a rookie Picture News reporter covering a crime scene has was investigating. And then the lightning striking him. It is then that we realize that everything in the issue up till now was Barry's life flashing before his eyes when the lightning stuck him. We then see Barry in some surreal dreams he has of other realities, past and future - he has visions which include Jay Garrick and the JSA, Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, the Central City Rogue's, Reverse Flash, Crisis on Infinite Earths and the Justice League. And he has this brief glimpse of a lightning-shaped emblem (the Flash symbol) before he wakes up from his coma suddenly, and learns that its been several weeks. He doesn't have memories of his dreams but a vague feeling that he was touched by some greater force. We see him returning to his job, reconnecting with Iris and going about his business. Until one day he's at a diner, he sees a plate fall and he sees it falling in slow motion until he rights it. Feeling disoriented, he staggers outside and tries to hail a cab and outruns it. Bewildered, he runs at super-speed a bit and crashes into a wall. Still dazed he returns home a bit only to discover that the injuries he sustained from hitting the wall and the lightning burns have healed...

Issue 2: This issue will basically deal with Barry coming to terms with the idea of his having super-speed. He does a fair bit of research into the science of it, and also investigates rumors of a costumed mystery-man from the 1940's who could apparently do something like that (this part depends on how the JSA are integrated into Rebirth) as well as other recorded historical instances of men with super-speed. (The articles, blurred photos and drawings he sees during his investigations will strongly imply that these speedster are either ones like Jay and Max from the past - or speedsters from the future who've time-traveled, like Eobard Thawne, Hunter Zolomon, Wally West etc. There will be at least one allusion to a red and yellow streak fighting in some era of the past - future versions of Barry and Eobard). Later, Barry's on a date with Iris when he she a call to cover a crime-scene - an armed robbery at a jewelry. Barry rushes behind Iris to make sure she stays safe but then intervenes, moving fast and saving the hostages. Iris writes an article about the mysterious man - calling him 'the Streak'. Barry seems exhilarated by the experience, feeling that he got into law enforcement to help people and this is a way to do it more directly, and have fun too! He puts together a makeshift outfit (involving a helmet, and a red shirt with a lightning bolt across it...kinda like a cross between Jay Garrick's suit and the classic Barry suit).

Issue 3: Barry's been fighting crime and helping people as the Streak for a few weeks, and is already acquiring a 'fast' reputation. Although stories of his exploits pale in comparision to those of Superman and Wonder Woman, and the rumors of a 'Bat-Man' in Gotham City, there's a craze for the 'Streak' in Central City and Iris in particular is fascinated by him. One of the people he saves is a researcher, Dr. Tina McGee, who was taken hostage by a member of the gang of armed robbers behind the ongoing crime spree. After running faster than he has before one day (to stop a car accident), Barry's makeshift costume burns off him due to friction. He decides he needs a frictionless suit and visits STAR Labs asking McGee for help. McGee provides him with the friction-less suit which he modifies into the iconic Flash costume. The rest of the issue deals with the Flash apprehending the crook who masterminded the various bank robberies, in his new costume. He gives an interview to Iris and a bunch of other reporters and the name 'Flash' is born (with the mastermind he captured being mockingly called 'the Turtle). Later, observing the coverage of the Flash, one of the members of the Turtle's gang decides that he needs to find some way to stop the Flash if he is to avoid the Turtle's fate. The man is revealed to be Leonard Snart...

Issue 4: Snart breaks into STAR Labs and steals an experimental device, the Cyclotron, which he believes will interfere with the Flash's speed by creating a localized sub-zero environment. He modifies his gun and thus the 'cold gun' is born. Donning the soon to be trademark parks, Snart embarks on his own crime-spree. When he encounters the Flash he uses the gun, freezing Barry, though Barry manages to escape. Snart is dubbed 'Captain Cold' and takes the Central City underworld by storm. The rest of the issue is about the Flash figuring out a way to defeat Captain Cold...

Issue 5: Flash has his first encounter with Gorilla Grodd, the renegade from Gorilla City, and teams up with Solovar. He is, at this point, a few months into his career as the Flash, and comments on how he's almost getting used to the weirdness of fighting super-villains (with brief snippets shown of his recent battles with the likes of Mirror Master, Pied Piper and the Trickster). The issue ends, a few days after his defeat of Grodd, with Barry getting reports of an alien invasion (be it Starro or Parademons - depending on which version Rebirth ultimately follows) directly leading into the formation of the Justice League.

Issue 6: Six months into his career as the Flash, he's now recognized as one of the world's greatest heroes, being a member of the newly formed Justice League. Barry privately starts wondering about the future, and his legacy as the Flash. He reflects on how he started as an ordinary joe with powers who wanted to help people and now he's fighting alongside Gods, and fears losing his perspective. While out on patrol, the Flash finds himself ambushed by another speedster, the Reverse-Flash. Reverse-Flash is surprised that Flash doesn't seem to recognize him, and he refers to Barry by his real name, which unnerves Barry. Reverse-Flash then realizes to mild surprise that his latest jump to the 21st century brought him earlier into the Flash's career than he'd intended. As they race across Central City, Barry's caught in the slipstream from Thawne's attempt to time-travel and is pulled into the Speed Force with him. As they battle, they are ejected into reality at some point in the battle and fight (this is the fight between two speedsters Barry read an article about during his research in issue 2). Reverse-Flash actually gets the upperhand on the relatively inexperienced Flash, and Barry is almost beaten to unconsciousness, when other speedsters knock RF off him. Barry has a blurry vision of the two speedsters checking up on him - namely, a slightly older Barry Allen, and a teenage Kid Flash, who were traveling through time while testing the Cosmic Treadmill when they 'observed' this out-of-sequence altercation between RF and the younger Flash. Older Barry tells Wally that he was always unsure of what exactly happened here but now he knows who rescued him. He does vaguely remember something else from this incident...and he whispers into his younger self's ear about how this is only the beginning and he's got a long race to run ahead and asks him to always remember and honor Iris, his 'lightning rod'. Wally asks Barry if they're just going to leave his younger self stuck in the past and Barry says its necessary because he needs to learn "what's most important". After the two future speedsters leave, Barry awakens to find himself stuck in the past. Determined to get back to Iris, he runs as fast as he can 'honing' in on her and ends up traveling forward to his own time. Barry then reflects on what the Reverse-Flash and the 'mysterious stranger' who rescued him said and the story ends with him finally fully embracing his legacy as the Flash.

[Waterfall]

I liked issue #9 from Williamson's run, it was my favorite by far. I think captured the spirit of the 90s Flash flawlessly. I think the book would benefit greatly by having a Flash Family dynamic on it and making the stories shorter. But overall I'm not feeling this run. Manapul was nice and a fun read, but it was mostly for the art, I think Flash has not been really good in a decade or so and I'm starting to think it may never be again.

I think you guys are going to hate me for this, but I would really have liked to see the Reverse Flash Family storyline Johns was building up to. I wanted to see him doing what he did for GL with the Flash franchise and expanding it, giving it the capacity to sustain spin-offs. I agree that his brief stint at writing Barry Allen was not that good. He wrote Barry as too grim and joyless, but maybe that has changed since Flashpoint. He certainly got a different grip on Barry in his JL run.

Geoff Johns has no idea how to write Barry. He was one of the frontrunners at "writing Barry like Wally-lite" in JL, he sucked at writing him so much, he didn't do anything special with him after Origins. His lack of characterization of Barry is the reason we have yet to get a "definitive" story of character in modern times. I don't want him to do anything Flash related besides a Rogues book.

Williamson is clearly inspired by Waid but he doesn't get what makes his stories so beloved because he's yet to reflect Flash #9 on his actual run. Starting off with an evil speedster also wasn't the best of ideas he had. I had high hopes for Shade but he failed to deliver on that front too. He's only loved because he came after an utter abomination of a run.

What I want in main Flash line is the deconstruction of Speed Force from the ground up and NOT USING IT for a good while and focusing on Barry's characterization, sidecast & story. Geoff Johns did this to Wally West and it's why his run is beloved. We've been getting evil speedsters or speed force for the last 5 years, NON STOP. Evil speedsters are MEANT to be rare because they mean actual threat to Flash. If you keep throwing Professor Zoom at Flash, then the character loses all the threat he possesses.(look at Joker at this point) Every time a Reverse Flash or evil speedsters appeared, it meant a huge crisis in family and they delivered it all the time. Thawne killing Nora and Iris, dying and leading to Trial, Thawne trying to pretend to be Barry and target Wally's all insecurities; Zolomon killing Wally's twins and turning his life upside down etc. they were all big moments that changed everything FOREVER.

But since we are in full crisis mode with Rebirth, I would like to see the resolution of Thawne/Zolomon team up against Kadabra and how they are affected by Flashpoint/Manhattan and that's it. Daniel West, Godspeed can go screw themselves for all I care.(unless they become henchmans of Zooms, that's a different story)

[PennyDreadful]

Geoff Johns has no idea how to write Barry. He was one of the frontrunners at "writing Barry like Wally-lite" in JL, he sucked at writing him so much, he didn't do anything special with him after Origins. His lack of characterization of Barry is the reason we have yet to get a "definitive" story of character in modern times. I don't want him to do anything Flash related besides a Rogues book.

I am not sure I'd even want Johns on a Rogues book at this point. It would be another one of his Mary Sue stories starring Captain Cold.

Williamson is clearly inspired by Waid but he doesn't get what makes his stories so beloved because he's yet to reflect Flash #9 on his actual run. Starting off with an evil speedster also wasn't the best of ideas he had. I had high hopes for Shade but he failed to deliver on that front too. He's only loved because he came after an utter abomination of a run.

I agree they could've held off on Godspeed, but I'm enjoying Williamson's run so far. And the "Kid Flash of Two Worlds" issue? With the reveal at the end? YES!

Besides, this is the NuWally I like!

What I want in main Flash line is the deconstruction of Speed Force from the ground up and NOT USING IT for a good while and focusing on Barry's characterization, sidecast & story.

Yes! This!

Yo! DC! Wanna know why too many fans think Barry is boring? It's because you DON'T give Barry character development. You don't let us know what makes him tick. Wanna know why TV Barry is well loved? Because he has a personality and flaws and strengths and people who love him and he continues to evolve. TV Barry has grown more in two and a half years than comic Barry has since his reintroduction.

Develop comic Barry and then I'll be interested in a Year One book.

[Flash Gordon]

Guy got hits by lightning, became really, really fast.

There you go!

Bam! There ya go.

[Frontier]

I liked Johns' Barry (never really saw him as Wally-lite).

I would've liked to have seen how he'd handle a Secret Origin retelling of the origin and what it would've looked like compared to the ones he did for Green Lantern and Superman. Same with Aquaman. It might've worked to supplant the issues with Flash: Rebirth to some degree (or maybe not).

I'm enjoying Williamson's run and I think he has a good handling on the mythos so far, but I'm not sure if he'd be the writer I could see doing a big, iconic, Secret Origin retelling of The Flash.

[MajorHoy]

Didn't Geoff Johns already do enough damage to the Barry Allen story with The Flash: Rebirth mini-series back in 2009?