The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen [Paperback]

Mark Waid (Author), Greg LaRocque (Illustrator), Roy Richardson (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563892685
• ISBN-13: 978-1563892684
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.3 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Waid, a New York Times bestselling author, has written a wider variety of well-known comics characters than any other American comics author, from Superman to the Justice League to Spider-Man to Archie and hundreds of others. His award-winning graphic novel with artist Alex Ross, KINGDOM COME, is one of the best-selling comics collections of all time. (Secretly, however, he prefers SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT and his IRREDEEMABLE collections as his favorite works he's produced.)

With over twenty years of experience in his field, Waid maintains a blog at www.markwaid.com that is full of advice for beginning writers and experienced authors both.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be careful what you wish for..., March 7, 2003

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen (Paperback)

With all due respect to the great work Geoff Johns is currently doing with the Flash, Mark Waid was the writer who really defined the character for me and remains my favorite. This is the storyline that first made me take notice.

Published in the midst of the "Kill/revamp/screw around with your hero" craze that started with the Death of Superman, when Barry Allen showed up in the Flash comic book, a lot of us didn't know what to make of it. Barry, alias Flash II, had died the ultimate heroic death in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and had become the Official Martyr of the DC Universe. His nephew, Wally West, took on the Flash mantle but had always struggled, trapped under Barry's shadow.

The best way to sum up this story is with the old chestnut, "Be careful what you wish for." When Barry returns, it seems like the greatest thing that could happen. As it turns out, this isn't the case. The twist doesn't come as too big a surprise to anyone familiar with Flash history, but this story wasn't really about the twist -- it was about the legacy of the Flash, one of Earth's heroes, created by Jay Garrick and immortalized by Barry Allen, and it was about the efforts of the heir to that legacy to rise to the challenge and become not only a hero, but a man. It's a marvelous, touching story, and it's something every Flash fan should read.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great Flash stories., January 20, 2004

By 

J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen (Paperback)

Imagine the man whose memory you wanted to honor by your actions returns from the dead...and he is disappointed in you. This is the dilemma facing Wally West when Barry Allen appears. Mark Waid invents a fascinating scenario here and by returning Golden age speedster, Max Mercury, as the guru of all the speedsters he sets up a number of stories establishing the Speed Force, from which all DC speedsters get their power. With a phenomenal twist and solid art by Greg Laroque, this one stands as one of the truly great Flash stories.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have, October 23, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen (Paperback)

This wonderful graphic novel is a reprint, in book form, of the FLASH #74-79 (1993). In this story, Wally West gets the surprise of his life when his uncle, Barry Allen, the previous Flash suddenly walks through his door. Barry was transformed into pure energy saving the universe, but he recently reformed back into the flesh. It's almost too good to be true.

And now, Barry seems to be getting jealous of the Flash name. Something strange is going on. Can Flash save the day? Yes, but which Flash?

This is a great graphic novel, one that shows off the Flash to great effect. And, not only do we have Wally West (Flash III) and Barry Allen (Flash II), but the super-speedsters Jay Garrick (Flash I), Johnny Quick and Max Mercury! Obviously something goes wrong (no spoilers here!), and it's a super-speedster rumble. This book has it all, a well thought-out storyline and excellent graphics.

So, if you like the Flash, or just like a good superhero story, then you must get this book - you won't regret it!