FLASH REBIRTH:
WATCHING IT UNFOLD

by Michael McDaniel

      It has been more than 20 years since the Silver Age Flash (aka Barry Allen) ran towards his destiny in the pages of the now classic maxi-series “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. I remember this event- and I don’t use the term EVENT lightly- like it was yesterday mostly because it was only a month removed from the death of Supergirl. In just two months, two big named heroes had died. These deaths were the first of many for my comic reading career. By the twelve and final issue, more characters met their makers that I could keep track. Suffice it to say, it was like the stage during the final act of a Shakespeare play- littered with bodies.

THE COVER TO CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8 BY GEORGE PEREZ

     While some of the heroes and villains in the DC Multi-verse died in the metaphorical white-out that was the crisis wave, Barry spent his last moments as the Flash as he had done throughout his published history- as a true hero. As I flipped through the pages of issue eight of Crisis, I remember being awe struck by the way in which the Silver age Flash – my Flash- ran his final race. It felt a little like watching “The Cowboys” with John Wayne. In which, the Duke was gunned down in the back by a menacing Bruce Dern. Heroes that big aren’t supposed to die! Of course, Barry’s death was cushioned by the fact that Wally West- the former Kid Flash- was passed on the baton and became the Scarlet Speedster for a whole new generation of comic fans.
     Since his death, many comic companies have gone to this theme of killing and then resurrecting said characters in an effort to boost sales. More than a few have died since Barry Allen and have their own series so it was only a matter of time for Barry to be taken off of the shelf and given another shot. Now cut to 2009 and the Final Crisis. Grant Morrsion’s work on Final Crisis is landmark in its mediocrity and boorishness. One of the highlights of the series was Barry racing back from the dead- albeit at the expense of the apparent death of Bruce Wayne in the same series. (Whoa! I can’t believe I lasted the whole series! DC now needs a “Crisis” to fix Morrison’s Crisis!)
     Now, Barry’s about to race back into his own series thanks to Geoff Johns- who in my humble opinion is this generation’s best comic writer- in the pages of “FLASH REBIRTH”. I could write article after article on John’s work. Justice Society to Green Lantern. Superman to Teen Titans. Avengers to a considerable run on Wally’s Flash book. He’s set to due to the Barry Allen what he’s already done to Hal Jordan. Which is: make him one of DCs biggest icons. Several years ago when “Green Lantern: Rebirth” was being planned, Johns stated in some interview that I read that he wanted to see Green Lantern up there in popularity with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. While I don’t know if Hal Jordan belongs among DC’s Holy Trinity, but looking at the 40+ issues of Green Lantern that he’s written, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a more solid book in comics today. In fact Green Lantern far outsells Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman comic.

THE COVER TO FLASH ISSUE 123 WHICH FEATURED THE FIRST CROSSOVER BETWEEN EARTH ONE AND EARTH 2.

     I would argue that Barry Allen/Flash also deserves a shot to stand up there on that ever-crowded platform made for the holy three due to his importance to the DC Multiverse. After all, it was in the pages of Flash (issue 123 of the first series) in which then Flash writer Gardner Fox revealed the first hints of the Multiverse when Barry crossed over to Earth-2 and ran alongside with the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. The emergence of multiple Earths would be expounded upon by Fox in the pages of the Justice League of America when the heroes of Earth 1 would meet their counterparts in the Justice Society who lived on Earth 2. Flash would routinely cross over to Earth-2 and Jay would visit Earth-1 over the next two decades. These crossovers and others eventually led to the so-called problems in continuity which in turn led to the “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. One of the purposes of the first Crisis series was to simplify what the editors of DC Comics at the time perceived as a convoluted DC Universe with an unmanageable number of Earths. These simplifications led to other problems with DC continuity which is only now- more than twenty years later- being undone by the current writers and editors at DC.
     So far in the first three of the six issue mini-series, Geoff Johns has built on the Barry Allen mythos by delving into Barry’s career as a police scientist as well as his origins at wanting to follow that career path by proving his father’s innocence of his mother’s murder. Maybe Johns’ inspiration on this new twist on Barry’s motivations comes from “The Fugitive” TV series from the 1960s where Doctor Richard Kimble is searching for the real murderer of his wife all the while “running” from the authorities to escape the false charges against him.

     Another important relationship that Johns has dealt with early on in the mini-series is the one between Barry and Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. Older comic book fans may remember that Green Lantern was relegated as a back-up feature in Flash’s monthly book in 1972. This continued until for almost four years when DC resumed publishing Green Lantern in his own series again with #246 in 1976. But beyond that, Hal and Barry were friends of the highest order. How better to welcome Barry back to the DCU than with a cameo of this summer’s hottest DC hero - Green Lantern. Also appearing in the Flash Rebirth Series are all of the Generational Flashes including Bart Allen who was recently brought back in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. The entire Flash family has been assembled to welcome back the silver-age speedster.
     As a former writer of the Flash, Johns, who has a passion for continuity and established canon, works within the established Flash Mythos by paying tribute to the writers who have “sped” the Flash along during his many runs such as the previously mentioned Gardner Foxx and current comic writer Mark Waid. One of the most memorable scenes so far has been when Barry raced off to become one with the Speed-force and it is none other than Superman who decides to catch up to him to stop him. Clark reminds Barry that he even won a few of their various races throughout the years but its Barry who reveals to Clark that “those races were for charity” as he streaks off and leaves Superman eating his dust!
     Like in the smash-hit “Green Lantern: Rebirth” series (which catapulted Green Lantern from the also-rans to one of the premier characters in the DCU in sales and in the interests of comic book fans), Johns is joined ably by the talented pencilller of that same series. Ethan Van Sciver, who takes great detail to emulate some of the iconic style of early Carmine Infantino work on the Flash, is one of the most underrated artists in comics today. With this team of creators and strong sales so far, I’m sure that they can prove for Barry at least- that lightning can indeed strike twice!