Barry Allen, Where are you?
by Mike McDaniel - INMATE at Heroes and Villains Sanitarium

           How many times in comics have you seen them do it? It is as predictable as death and taxes. In comics, someone will die and then they will come back. In the last two years alone, Hal Jordan, Bucky, and Jason Todd have all returned from the beyond. In keeping up with this trend, this week in the aptly titled “Civil War: the Return” Marvel has brought back a character that has been dead since 1982.

Captain Marvel. (Not the “Shazam!” guy, rather the Kree Captain Mar-Vell.)

            Although they have flirted in the past with bringing him back with a appearance here and there, the Kree captain has been in the land of the deceased since Jim Starlin, the writer who is best known for his run on Mar-Vell’s series starting in the mid 70s, did the deed in the graphic novel way back during the 1st Reagan Administration. He was killed back then to tell a story (what a great concept), not to sell a comic book.  

Queue the Civil War series…

            Here’s some advice to the writer (and I know you’re out there) who’s contemplating bringing back Uncle Ben, Thomas and Martha Wayne, Jor-el and Lara, and…oh yeah…Jean Grey, how about pitching this to your editor: DON’T KILL THEM IN THE FIRST @#$%^ PLACE!!!

            If you guys want to sell more books, here’s where you start. Go out and get some great writers to write great stories. Then find some great artists to draw the stories. Get a great inker (tracer) and letterer as well. As a professional comic-book store owner, I guarantee you; you will sell a great number of comics this way. In fact, you will break records of sales (Psst, Marvel…look at the sales figures of DC Comics’ “52”). Of course if you can’t do that, why not put a mini-series out that comes out on time!!!

Now that I’m done venting, who wants to see Barry Allen come back as the Flash?

Mike McDaniel has been reading comics for the better part of the last thirty years and despite his sometimes whining about the medium, he loves it. He currently can be found at his "sanctum sanitarium" at 1245 Russell Parkway where he holds court over a crowd of lovable goobers.