Why I Love “The Flash” Again

[Calazans]

DCN Op-Ed: Why I Love “The Flash” Again



"As mentioned before, Barry Allen’s personality was very underdeveloped prior to the New 52 relaunch. Manapul and Buccellato have finally managed to inject a modern sense of humanity to a character that many have criticized as 'boring' and 'dull'. Does he has the same spunk and charisma that made Wally West popular? No, because he’s not Wally West. He’s still portrayed as the level-headed guy he’s always been. However, he cracks a joke every once in a while. He has emotional range. Essentially, he’s written to be a person as opposed to the burdened living legend he used to be.

For these reasons, Barry Allen is a relatable character for possibly the first time in publication history. Buccellato and Manapul have fine-tuned their writing by giving readers a hero that they can connect with and care about. And with readers now having an emotional investment in the Barry Allen character, the title as a whole has improved to a top-level comic, not just at DC but throughout the industry. If you haven’t done so already, check out the most recent arc in The Flash, titled “Reverse,” which began in issue #20. Barry Allen is not Wally West, but he doesn’t need to be".

I partially disagree. Mark Waid's Barry Allen on JLA Year One and The Brave and the Bold is also a relatable character.

dccomicsnews.com/2013/09/09/dcn-op-ed-why-i-love-the-flash-again/

[jonqcitizen]

I agree with the editorial.....the Manapul/Buccellato Flash is my favorite of any Barry Allen run that I've read.

[veronicadiall]

Very interesting that you say that. My reaction is the exact opposite. I just find the characterisation bland and wishy-washy. He's almost like a clone of the present Peter Parker. He doesn't 'breathe' and come across as his own man. There's no edge or steel that Johns imbued him with.

I liked the old Barry who had a bit of an edge. I hope that whoever the new creative team restores that to him.

[dillonmania]

Honestly, I've never understood why people found Barry so bland before Crisis. You can argue that he was bland in the Silver Age, but frankly a lot of DC heroes were kind of bland back then. Under Cary Bates, Barry was a fairly dynamic character -- he cracked some jokes, was occasionally a jerk, expressed a lot of grief when his wife was killed, etc. He wasn't as lively as Wally was post-Crisis, but that's partly because he was a more reserved person and partly because DC was clearly trying to shake things up a bit. Wally was generally more reserved before Crisis as well.

[Calazans]

Sept 26, 2013 22:39:34 GMT -5 dillonmania said:

Honestly, I've never understood why people found Barry so bland before Crisis. You can argue that he was bland in the Silver Age, but frankly a lot of DC heroes were kind of bland back then. Under Cary Bates, Barry was a fairly dynamic character -- he cracked some jokes, was occasionally a jerk, expressed a lot of grief when his wife was killed, etc. He wasn't as lively as Wally was post-Crisis, but that's partly because he was a more reserved person and partly because DC was clearly trying to shake things up a bit. Wally was generally more reserved before Crisis as well.

Exactly. I love even Silver Age Barry. I just don't like the Silver Age way of presenting heroes. Read Silver Age Batman. Even Batman is freaking weird. But I've read so many great moments of Barry on Silver Age comics, I really don't understand why people say he's boring. This idea of him being boring is something some post-Crisis Flash writers wrote to make clear Post-Crisis Flash went on a different road. Like when Grant Morrison tried to make Kyle Rayner cooler than Hal Jordan on his JL series - and failed IMHO. I've always seen Barry as an amazing character that couldn't reach full potential yet only for editorial reasons. Now he has the chance to shine to a new generation.

[speedster]

Sept 26, 2013 23:06:46 GMT -5 Calazans said:

Read Silver Age Batman. Even Batman is freaking weird.

What?! Silver-Age Batman was never...



...erm...never mind...

[xBarryxAllenx]

Wow - I actually bought that comic when it first came out (showing my age here). That was the very first appearance of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Glad they dropped the Bat-purse and made her a truly awesome crime fighter. But, I will agree that cover was strange with the "run in the tights" thing going on.

[speedster]

Really? I thought this was her first appearance:



Was the above a only cameo or something? I really don't know much about the early publishing history of Batgirl.

[xBarryxAllenx]

I'm sorry...I believe you are right! And, the "Go-Go Checks" take me waaaay back. Those black and white checkerboard stripes were on all DC comics for a while, so you could tell them apart from the "other guys". Thanks for posting that here!

[dillonmania]

I guess Barbara wasn't very smart if she thought she could fight crime in tights but not get a run. Those things get runs if you look at them funny.

[Savitar]

Oct 13, 2013 22:57:25 GMT -5 speedster said:

Sept 26, 2013 23:06:46 GMT -5 Calazans said:

Read Silver Age Batman. Even Batman is freaking weird.

What?! Silver-Age Batman was never...



...erm...never mind...

Hm.....the guy holding up Robin, where's the rest of his left leg? Is he standing on the thug holding the gun towards Batman?

And why would Barbara need a bat-purse? Can't fit everything into her utility belt? (Don't get me wrong, I love DC's Silver Age covers, some wacky moments indeed)

As for the original OP, I like Manapul's Barry, I think he has done rather well in establishing Barry's new character, situation, and relationships. If you refer to the Silver Age though, then yes, Cary Bates was terrific in handling Barry.