Tag: TheFlash

So yes, a legacy character *can* be done in a movie.

Easier, yes…but not necessary. Anyone remember a Zorro film from about 10 years back with Anthony Hopkins as retired Zorro and Antonio Banderas as new Zorro? It did well enough they made a sequel.

Other characters have legacy built into the concept, like the Phantom (maybe not the best example, because the movie tanked).

Maybe a better example: a big part of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film hinged on Will Turner following through on his father’s legacy, but Bootstrap Bill didn’t appear at all until they did the sequels.

Or, heck, Harry Potter – it’s all about this boy growing up and living up to the legacy of his parents and their generation who fought in a war. Harry’s parents are absolutely critical to his story, but they’ve been dead for 10 years when the first movie gets going.

So yes, a legacy character *can* be done in a movie. It may be *easier* to tell a story about the first guy, but it’s not *necessary.*

Barry’s been back for THREE YEARS

Barry’s been back for THREE YEARS. He’s been the focus of a Rebirth miniseries, had a major part in last year’s Big Event(tm), and had his own ongoing book, plus guest spots all over the DCU.

And here we have a gigantic, sprawling Flash-centric event (the first ever, I might add) with 5 oversized issues telling the main story, plus 16 miniseries and at least 4 one-shots telling side stories.

And DC is saying that nowhere in all of that could they find room for the guy who was The Flash for more than two decades? And you’re saying this is perfectly okay?

I don’t like to use the phrase “slap in the face” — it’s really overused IMO — but I think it applies here.

Least Favorite Retcon

Barry Allen being the source of the Speed Force.

It just feels like a cheap gimmick to make him more important than all the other Flashes, not just for now (like Wally discovering new ways to use the Speed Force or Bart absorbing it), but forever. No one can ever be better than him, no one can ever surpass him, no one can really succeed him without being second-rate, because hey, being a Flash is all about Barry Allen!

It’s like two kids trying to one-up each other in a bidding war, and one pulls out, “well, I bid infinity!” When it’s a kid, you laugh at that sort of thing. When it’s the Chief Creative Officer of the company, it’s canon.

On Reddit

Pleasantly surprised by a fun adventure story with great art.

I’m enjoying it [The Flash] a lot. I really wasn’t expecting to – I’m a Wally West fan myself, so Barry Allen’s return felt forced and unnecessary. Yes, the series was broken post-Infinite Crisis, but in the words of another Geoff Johns story, just because something’s broken doesn’t mean you throw it away.

Worse, Flash: Rebirth really annoyed me on a lot of levels. I was at the point where I figured if the new series was going to be like Rebirth, I wasn’t interested in reading it. Fortunately I gave it a chance, and was pleasantly surprised by a fun adventure story with great art.

On Reddit