Customer Reviews

The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

When this comic story came out in 1992, no one knew what was about to happen. Superman had just died, and Batman was about to be badly beaten, and we figured that the hype and the darkness were here for good. But along comes Waid, young and still not that highly regarded but talented, and shocks everyone with this. We didn't expect anyone would ever deal with Barry Allen again, and we didn't think anyone could make comics so much fun again.

This is a Flash-lover's dream and a wild ride young and old can appreciate. The art was the best Greg LaRocque ever offered, a fitting end to his years of work on this title. And Wally West, the third hero to be called The Flash, finally became a man.

Seven yars ago, I said that Waid would never top this. And with perhaps the exception of "Kingdom Come," he hasn't. It's that good.

Barry Allen back from the dead? Didn't he die on Crisis on Infinite Earths? Here we go again with dead coming back to life. Apparently, Barry Allen has reassembled himself from the speed force energy into whole again. Everyone welcomes him back especially Wally, the current Flash, who worships Barry. As the 2 Flash's confront enemies together, the erratic Barry Allen Flash becomes jealous of Wally for taking over the Flash mantle. The Allen Flash decides to take out Wally and destroy the city he once protected. Is this the true Flash? I won't spoil the rest.

This is great book written by Waid. We learn that original Flash was beloved by all, especially by Wally. We learn how Wally truly idolizes Barry Allen as the Flash. The characters are truly fleshed out and the surprise ending was quite satisfying.

Go out and buy this book!

Mark Waid's influential run on DC's fastest man alive reached it's height in this storyarc. Published in the early 90's, when Superman was killed, Batman was about to be broken, and Hal Jordan was set to go insane and kill his fellow Green Lanterns, not many knew what to make of this story, as current Flash Wally West gets the surprise of his life when his thought dead uncle Barry Allen, the silver age Flash who sacrificed himself in Crisis on Infinite Earths, comes back. While Wally has his suspiscions at first, at appears that this really is Barry and the two team up to take on the city's villains, but when Wally learns the truth, things will never be the same. Up until this storyarc, Wally West had always lived under the shadow of Barry Allen, not being sure of himself and such, but afterwards the character had never been written the same. This is the arc where West matures and becomes his own well-written character and even better loved than Barry. The art is typical for this type of book, but it's not bad, and the real selling point here is Waid's story. All in all, the Return of Barry Allen is one of the best Flash stories of all time, and a must read for those who think that no one stays dead in comics.

I first became a Wally West fan through Geoff Johns' Flash stories and decided to read Waid's Terminal Velocity as an afterthought, only to find it set the groundwork for Johns' run and introduced the speed force. The Return of Barry Allen is the second Mark Waid Flash story I've read and possibly the best Wally West story I've read. The dialogue, story, and pacing is just as good if not better than anything Johns did, and from beginning to end the story is fun and action packed.

Barry Allen returns, and as happy as he is, Wally West is also very skeptical. I expected the reveal to be a disappointment only to find my jaw drop to the floor as the conclusion sees one of the most shocking reveals in Flash history. Jay Garrick seems to have nearly as much panel time as Wally, and even Max Mercury and Johnny Quick are major players in this mind blowing storyline. Unless you hate the Flash, add this to your collection as fast as you can!!!

After reading the (current) FLASH series as my first regularly bought title (since around issue 40) and finding the characters, stories and art the most interesting of all my comics buys, The Return of Barry Allen proved to be the most breathtaking, emotion-building story I have ever read. Period. I had wondered since Mark Waid took over the writing of Flash from Bill Messner-Loebs, could this man, a relatively unproven comics writer, ever be able to fill his predecessors shoes in turning a superhero book into a spectacular drama, a superheroic. soap opera extravaganza rivalled only by the Superman titles themselves (although I'd choose this book over the S-man any day). Well, guess I was wrong. Mark Waid turned Flash from what was, in my mind, one of the most inspirational DC characters into THE BEST LONG RUNNING COMIC BOOK OF ALL TIME. Sounds a bit over the top? Naah. Pick up a Mark Waid book NOW, and you'll be prepared to burn any literature you have read previously.

More than a decade before the actual return of Barry Allen, there was The Return Of Barry Allen in the pages of the Flash monthly. Here a despondent Wally has to try and figure out the mystery of how and why he has come back from the grave. As a reader it seems unlikely that it is Barry Allen because it only registers with Wally and few other speedster friends. I would think that a long dead hero coming back from the great beyond would have been a bigger moment. And to the time travel head scratching the plot here is a goofy but not to bad considering the time. The way a story was told then, even by Mark Waid, is so different now. Its very interesting how much time is spent each issue rehashing the last issue. The art by Greg LaRocque is amazing once again considering the time. His Flash, especially Wally is great. I loved it. Overall this is a pretty fun Flash tale with the typical early 90s goofiness!

If you ever wanted to know why the Reverse Flash hated Barry Allen and never read Flash(current series) #74-79 read this book! It also shows how Wally learns to let go of Barry's death, and how he gets his speed back. READ it! Mark Waid again writes another great Flash story.