WALlY WEST APPRECITION DAY REBIRTH

[golddragon71]

After two and a half years....
Wally Flash Banner by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
returns!

I was hoping that if I ever decided to restart this thread it would be as a companion piece to a New comic series starring Wally as The Flash. (Not as a replacement to The Flash starring Barry Allen. but as a companion series running on alternating weeks.
Instead this thread must be resurrected to act as a tribute page to a comic hero that is being constantly short-changed by the the powers that be at DC Comics.

However, i'm not a negativist. i intend to keep this thread going as a celebration of all things Wally. I've chosen to open it as a new thread however because i thought. The old thread served it's purpose for that period of time. it was meant to keep Wally's memory alive in a time when he was erased from existence. This new thread marks my return as well. I really fell off message boards a lot in the last two and a half years. Now, However I'm a bit more motivated in reinvigorating this place. There are so many sites that really only focus on the show and the current run of the comics. every podcast i see is only interested in doing play by plays of the shows and don't even mention the comics except to explain where this character and that come from. Hopefully we can get people excited about all aspects of the flash. Not just the Barry and Wally crowds but also the jay, Bart, johnny and Jesse Quick fans as well (and even to those new fans who are just starting to figure out that Flash isn't just an old Queen song!)


For now however, we're going to go back to 2016 and the DC Comics Rebirth specials had just hit the stands.
Screen Shot 2018-10-10 at 1.30.09 AM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
For weeks, DC had been promoting the upcoming special witha clip show that featured many familiar faces. including Classic Wally West from his First issue in 1987. Geoff Johns narrated some of it emphasizing the importance of legacy in the DC Universe. at first, i was skeptical of this new event as I thought it was meant to do little more than to establish the New52 Wally West as the New kid flash and as a permanent replacement for our classic Wally. After all, at the end of the Rebirth segment we don't see Classic wally, we see a lineup of new and old DC Comic heroes and Nu Wally is there in full costume alongside damian Wayne as Robin and Jon Kent as the new Superboy.
dc-rebirth-177743 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
When the morning came for the issue to be released i had wait up until 3:00AM to read it on mu iPad. (i preordered it.) As i swiped from panel to panel, i found myself realizing that this story was being seen through the eyes of the long Absent Wally West.
Screen Shot 2018-10-10 at 2.01.08 AM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
As I read on i found myself slightly worried. Wally was having trouble pulling himself out of the speed Force and without a proper lightning rod like his relationship with linda park, Wally would be pulled back into oblivion as part of the speed Force.
Screen Shot 2018-10-10 at 1.45.19 AM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
Of course when classic Wally watches over his younger cousin Wallace, discover the joy of using his newfound super speed power to save a little girl, my concerns started becoming fears. Convergence had been a big fake out that gave us a pre-Flash:Rebirth Wally west along with his kids Jai and Iris II only to cast them back into oblivion with no real hope that we would ever see them again. Surely Rebirth wasn't going to be another such fake-out where classic wally would lead us around on tour of DC's post 52 landscape and then vanish forever....
Screen Shot 2018-10-10 at 1.47.51 AM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
fortunately, this was NOT the case and Wally appeared to Barry.
Screen Shot 2018-10-10 at 1.48.53 AM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
When Barry and Wally parted ways after their joyful reunion I was beyond ecstatic! I couldn't wait to see what came next. (i found it very hard to sleep the rest of that night as i envisioned all of the possibilities that laid ahead.
Well, that's all for this week! Join me in two when i examine Wally's reunion with the Original TITANS!
DC-Rebirth-Titans-Wally-West by Michael Kramer, on Flickr

[golddragon71]

As Promised, it’s time for
Wally Flash Banner by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
And this time we’re talking about DC Rebirth Titans #1
RebirthTitans1.1 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
However, before we do, I have to confess something….
I knew next to nothing about the TeenTitans/Titans insofar as their comic history is concerned. In fact, prior to the New Titans/Batman crossover: A Lonely Place of Dying, I had never picked up a Titans comic. With that said…. We begin with Wally West remembering his time in the Teen Titans.
RebirthTitans1.2 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
I knew most of these characters off-hand except the cute redhead in the Green Dress…..
Wally recalls taking a group photo with the gang (much the way Barry does in the first season episode of the Flash The Sound and the Fury)
RebirthTitans1.3 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
However, in the present……
Screen Shot 2018-10-24 at 1.16.07 PM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
Wally is missing from the group photo! We now find Wally in a darkened apartment at night in some city. (Gotham perhaps?) Wally is looking over Titans pictures and is wearing his new suit. a voice off-page asks who he is and Wally finds himself face to face with Nightwing. Nightwing jumps to attack Wally but….
RebirthTitans1.4 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
Nightwing recovers and suddenly he finds himself recalling Wally as a friend. However before the two of them can discuss the matter the other members of the old Teen Titans are on the scene.
RebirthTitans1.5 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr

Believing Wally has attacked Nightwing, the group goes on the offensive. Wally evades them at first but after making physical contact with Each member, Memories start to resurface.
garth remembers his plan to leave the surface world behind. Roy remembers showing Wally his own place. donna remembers assisting Wally in a practical Joke on Roy and Lilith (The redhead) remembers her sobbing in Wally’s arms and his kissing her. The team now all recall having Wally as a friend and Wally finally feels like his return home is complete.
RebirthTitans1.7 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr

Once everyone stops and settles down, Wally explains how he was trapped outside of time. He believes the Speed Force helped his friends remember him once they made contact. Nightwing explains what his memory was….
RebirthTitans1.6 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
Wally blames some outside force that caused him to be forgotten which the Titans to believe to be Mister Twister. Wally isn’t as sure about who is really responsible. However he does believe that whoever it was, will try again. However Wally picks up the group photo that was taken at the beginning and….
RebirthTitans1.8 by Michael Kramer, on Flickr

Well that was Awesome. Like I said before I never knew much about Titans history. And while I’m sure a lot of what happened here was created solely for this issue, It did make me look back at some of the characters and stories from the old days. Wally’s return to his friends is a pure joy to watch and it opens up some interesting story-telling doors. (For one thing, I wanted to learn more about Wally’s relationship with Lilith.) The best part of the book is the fact that each member of the team has a “moment” with Wally. He’s not just Nightwing’s best friend, he’s really everybody’s best friend on one level or another.

Well that’s all for this week. Next Time The Team tries to get into Wally’s head to learn what caused the disappearance of their speedy friend
Screen Shot 2018-10-24 at 1.27.55 PM by Michael Kramer, on Flickr
and an old enemy resurfaces.