Running in Wally's World
With The Flash #768 Wally West has returned to take up the mantle he once held for over two decades.
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The true fastest man alive has reclaimed the position as The Flash. In The Flash #768, Wally was approached and given the chance to take up the mantle once again.
Flash 768 saw him fighting against the time stream where he was flung through time and forced to try and adjust on the fly. 768 flew by as Wally raced around the pages and raced through time giving us glimpses of what he is truly capable of when faced with a threat.
Wally spent years as the Flash and was the titular character for over 2 decades before DC decided to rip up his character design and forget that he existed by erasing him from the timeline. During that time not only was he replaced as the Flash but Barry Allen became a household name and people have started calling him The True Flash. They both are The Flash and for many sitting between the ages of 30-55 Wally was the only Flash they have known. Those before would know Jay and Barry but for those in that age range they watched Wally grow from Kid Flash to Linda's Husband and become a father and mature enough to be The Flash. That's a major growth to just be thrown away.
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Wally finally returned in Rebirth but was still mistreated. He was never given a proper ability to shine and I never understood why other characters can have 7 to 8 separate solo runs but only one speedster can appear at the same time or one of them being a host for a villain multiple times. Wally deserved better and while that doesn't take away from the other characters who have been The Flash they didn't need to destroy Wally and his legacy like that multiple times.
If anything DC comics should rely heavily on the legacy characters as a way to reintroduce new readers to some old names that are deserving of a reappearance. With The Flash #768 maybe they are finally beginning to atone for the monstrosity of a disaster they created. For the first time in years the Flash run is a wild chase and the story is absolutely unpredictable which is fantastic and allows fans to fully immerse themselves. Wally didn't just go and introduce himself to the known Rogues gallery and have one on one fights with all of them to re-establish his presence. Wally was given a new enemy and it seems like they are poised to finally extend an olive branch to a character that most definitely deserves his shot at glory and is in desperate need of being seen as a hero once again.
It's fair to be hesitant with DC with this new Wally run. You can't blame the people who have watched him be disrespected for years for wanting this or being scared to jump right in with him for fear of repeating past mistakes. For those that have been feeling this way a small bit of dialogue in #769 may ease your mind. Wally is speaking with Gold Beetle and she laughs off the idea of Wally's retirement when he returns saying many more adventures await including something known as the Galactic Space Race. It sits well with me reading these words. DC will face backlash if Wally doesn't get to see those through and actually ends up being relegated again. Fans would never accept that and nor should they have to. Wally is just as important as Jay and Barry to the legacy of this character. Like stated above he is the true fastest man in the DC Universe and it's time they respected him as such.
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DC has made many mistakes while trying to do these massive events. They have not returned to some smaller world stories with consistent characterization and flow. It's time to change all that and bringing back a legacy character like Wally and telling unpredictable stories that are new and invigorating could be the key to doing that across the Universe. Obviously the crisis are coming but it's not necessary to always be rushing to the next big time event to draw the fans into buying 6 or 7 stories to tell the tale. Sometimes we want to support individual stories from the talent but cannot find enough to support the entirety. It should not be forced upon us or miss.
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Wally West is back for now and let's hope he keeps racing his way into new adventures that give him a new legacy to celebrate.
About the Creator
Reel Vibes
All things pop culture. Movies, TV, Music,Comics as well as some dabbling into the Sports world. If you can record it, watch it and play it back. I have an opinion.
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