Yes, I'm continuing banging the drum as to why FLASH: REBIRTH is wrong in nearly every way imaginable. This may seem petty and vindictive, but I get cranky when the unspoken yet fundamental rules of popular culture get stamped upon. So, here we go looking way too deeply at the paradigms that mold the science fiction sub-genre which dominates the particular medium I love and have loved for decades.
Superman was first. He started it. He's the iconic figure representing science fiction in the sub-genre in that he's an alien from another world who's very presence on Earth gives him nearly omnipotent powers. Batman is on the opposite end of the spectrum representing the pinnacle of human achievement and using personal tragedy to form himself into something greater. Wonder Woman represents the aspect of mythology in the sub-genre giving credence to mysticism and tales of ancient times. These are the three fundamental aspects of the whole ball of wax: humanity, mythology and pure sci-fi. This is why these three characters are not only considered the "trinity" of the DC Universe but of the sub-genre of comic book superheroes.
So where does The Flash fit into the key elements of all of this? It's simple. The Flash does the obvious: he moves.
The Flash is what moves the genre forward. The creation of Barry Allen ushered in the Silver Age of comics. Hell, everyone immediately recognizes the Carmine Infantino designed costume and I guarantee that every speedster character created since owes at least a small nod to that design. Following Barry's creation in 1954 came a revitalization on the sub-genre that even spread over to Marvel in 1961 when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby made that company what it is today.
Then came Barry Allen meeting Jay Garrick. This added in the concept of the "multiverse" into DC continuity. This opened the door for characters from the old Whiz and Charlton comics to make their way into the DCU. Think of the DCU without Captain Marvel or the Blue Beetle for a moment. Not a very nice thought.
The Flash mythos knows when to pass the torch. They knew the time was right for Barry Allen to start running and move away from Jay Garrick. Likewise they also knew when it was time for a sidekick to actually fulfill the promise of the role. Wally West has grown up, too grown to be Kid Flash. The time for the 'Multiverse' in the DCU was to come to an end. Barry Allen was killed off. The character that had introduced the Multiverse concept died in the same storyline that the Multiverse did.
But as always, the Flash moves forward. Wally West picked up the mantle. Sure, Dick Grayson was Batman for a short while. Donna Troy has been Wonder Woman. Wally did it first and, unlike Grayson and Troy, his move stuck. This opened the door for the creation of new and exciting characters just as Barry Allen's creation had. Think of the DCU without Kyle Rayner, Connor Hawke, Ryan Choi or Jamie Reyes. When you're done cringing, thank Wally West.
Despite the forces that would make the genre a dark and 'gritty' area of the pop culture imagination there will always be things moving the thought stream in the right direction. "When Mark Waid took over writing THE FLASH, Wally West was one more 'realistic' jerk in a field obsessed, since the mid-80s, by rapists, serial killers and tormented, unshaven 'heroes' doing tormented, unshaven, repetitive things." (Morrison, 1998) Then came the start of the greatest study in character development in comics. "Born To Run" didn't just change the Flash, it was the start of a movement in comics which saw heroes being heroes again. Saving the world every Wednesday and still willing to rescue a kitten out of a tree.
In all these times of great progression it's been the right time. Something in the collective subconsciousness knew it was time to move forward. Something was in the air and things that were as grand as year long events, as interesting as a new writer seeing things differently or as simple as one person wanting to tell a cool story changed the course of an entire sub-genre.
The forward progression is important. Mark Waid made people stop asking the stupid question of "When is Barry coming back?" Great writers do such things. If you want more proof, did out old issues of STORMWATCH and notice how the question "When's Diva coming back?" promptly stopped after Warren Ellis knocked the fanboys on their flabby asses.
And herein lies the problem with FLASH: REBIRTH.
You can't move onward when it's not time. The idiotic notion of "It's not a Crisis until a Flash dies" had been snuffed back in ZERO HOUR where it was thought that Wally West perished. What readers were subsequently treated to were THE FLASH #0 (Which is easily one of my favorite Flash stories of all time) and then "Terminal Velocity" which had to be one of the best love stories disguised as an action story anywhere. When the edict came down that there was to be a new Flash after 2005's INFINITE CRISIS if was doomed to failure. There was no one ready to pick up where Wally left off. This led to aging Bart Allen to adulthood, thereby stealing what was left of his youth and forcing him into the role. The progression was forced. It was obvious, and it could not be sustained.
Now, since the current editorial powers could not shift things forward, they shifted it backwards, back to Barry Allen. This move is doomed for multiple reasons. First, and as I've said before and repeatedly, you do not move forwards by passing the baton backwards. Second, this move had always been done with Green Arrow and Green Lantern. The Flash leads. He does not follow. If the will and consensus of the tides that are the ocean of humanity's pop culture imagination had decreed that it was time to dig out all these Silver Age characters and have them drive the stories then Barry Allen would have been the first one back.
This project is doomed. It was from conception. Not every editorial staff can be blessed with being in the right place at the right time and having magic happen under their watch. A guy in New York needs to stop trying to force it.
Look forward.
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