DC Relaunch: The Flash

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato



TF: Giving Barry Allen a mask with a chinstrap is like giving Clint Eastwood a skateboard.

DM: That’s a design issue. Hell, most of the characters are designed in some way that speaks to function but adds a bit of “cool” that may or may not need to be there. for Flash I hope there’s more Cully Hamner than Jim Lee when it’s all said and done.

DM: Flash is one of those characters that needed the least amount of work. He’s the definition of the Legacy Character. If this new Flash book is a ‘Barry as One True Flash” scenario, I’ll be disappointed. I don’t give 2 shakes about Max Mercury but Wally West earned a shot at the big time and excelled when he got there, Giving him 2 super powered kids was GREAT and I’d hate to see all of that rolled back.

TF: Wally who?

DM: We could be headed there but I can’t see it with Bart in the Teen Titans. I mean damn, Dick learned the promotion was temporary because his guy was unstuck in time. Wally learned that following the company formula doesn’t mean fuck all when your dead ass uncle comes back from the dead after 30 damn years. I hate this more than I hate Legion reboots.

TF: It must give all the Barry Allen fans a twinge of delight to see everybody who grew up with the Wally West Flash be disappointed. Then they wonder why there aren’t any new readers.

DM: I’m not sure I believe in the existence of Barry Allen fans. I think they are a myth, like the Easter Bunny, Trickle Down Economics and Cold Fusion. We have a better chance of finding Bigfoot riding the Lochness Monster through Camelot than finding an honest Barry Allen Fan who still reads DC Comics regularly. I’m giving this book a shot although I have no reason to trust Francis Manapul as a writer.