For fans ofDC Comics , this calendar week ’s Flash : Rebirth marked a milestone : The yield of the publisher ’s own Christ figure , Barry Allen . We talked to writerGeoff Johnsabout resurrecting such a dear character .
Why bring back Barry Allen ?
Because the world needs grinder .
Bringing back Barry Allen , that was something that grow out of everything we were doing with Final Crisis with Grant [ Morrison ] and everything . You live , Grant and I had talked a raft about this , too , when we were working together on DC Universe Zero way back when , about what was going on withthe FlashUniverse , and more specifically the DC Universe .
With Final Crisis , it was a full circle from Crisis on Infinite earth , and with Darkseid representing the ultimate evil , and Grant really playing the melodic theme that Darkseid really is malign incarnate without elbow room for any Thomas Gray , Barry Allen was by all accounts considered the bully force for good in the DC Universe , and so he was bring back to combat that as a signaling of ushering in the new age of heroes back in the day with Showcase # 4 . Barry represent that .
My , and a lot of fans ’ , vox populi about this is that Barry Allen was almost more powerful being idle , because he was this front , this person who made the ultimate sacrifice . He became this almost Guardian Angel for the DC Universe . By make for him back , do you minify that ?
That ’s what the story ’s about : If Barry Allen is back , what does that intend to what he sacrificed , what does that stand for to what he was seen as , what does that think of to the Flash universe … It ’s a very different billet to [ Johns ’ previous series]Green Lantern : Rebirth .
To my judgement , Green Lantern was reveal in a mode that Flash was n’t . Green Lantern neglect Hal Jordan , missed the Corps .
I spell the Flash for five years . I wrote Wally West for five old age , I screw Wally West , I love the rogue . I opine the Flash universe has extend on , though it ’s recently tripped . Whereas Hal Jordan ’s return bring the entire [ Green Lantern ] universe back . You sleep with , the Green Lanterns had become kind of complacent . You only had Kyle Rayner and John Stewart flying around , really . But the Flash cosmos , it progress . Wally West became a great Flash , you had a new Kid Flash , Jay Garrick was still around , Modern speedsters showed up . Even Iris West move on . That ’s not to say there ’s nothing to construct up or nothing new to add . There is .
Did you approach this as “ I have it off Barry Allen , and therefore he ’s going to be the Flash ” ? I think of , like you read , you write Wally for days .
Not at all . I grew up record Wally West comics , I show Barry Allen comic strip in back issues . I like the Flash ; whenever I put a name down , listing my pet characters , the Flash was always phone number one . I ’m pay off into Barry Allen now , so it ’s really a process of rediscovery , for me , of that character . But it ’s the concept , and the idea of the Speed Force , that is at the substance of it all for me .
For me , the Barry Flash is much more of a science fiction , science bomber , and Wally was more the superhero . Is the book returning to its skill fabrication roots ?
There ’s definitely a quite a little of science fable in it , absolutely .
And another major difference with Wally was , he never had much of a living outside of being the Flash .
Yeah , that define his character once he became the Flash , his life story became about experience up to Barry ’s legacy and everything else was a part - prison term business .
Yeah , it was always about living up to Barry ’s bequest . And then , beyond that , he became his own character , his own hero , his own Flash , but he was never really out of the uniform very much . Barry is , or was .
So what do you think about complaints about DC being retro , with bringing Hal back and bring in Barry back ? How much of that is because [ DC ] is being nostalgic , and how much is because the concepts just did n’t work that well without those persona ?
Well , I call back Green Lantern is anything but a retro book . And you have a whole fresh , young audience study about Green Lantern . That ’s a expert thing .
Barry ’s been bushed as long as he ’d been alive , so there ’s a whole genesis who ’ve never read Barry Allen as the Flash .
Yeah , but to me , that ’s exciting as infernal region . Barry Allen is “ young ” to most readers .
How much of this is candid to masses who have never read a Flash comic before ?
100 % . Just likeGreen Lantern : Rebirth . Green Lantern : Rebirth was a jumping - on point for a lot of hoi polloi who ’d never read a Green Lantern comical before . That was their first comedian . I mean , not everyone ’s read comics for 20 yr , a deal of people forget about that . This is definitely for rooter of the Flash , but also for new readers who ’ve never read the Flash , have never fulfill anyone in the Flash universe .
Is Flash : Rebirth all about laying the groundwork for what ’s coming ? How much of it is a chronicle complete in and of itself ?
It ’s a storey in and of itself that evidently do up the condition quo for a lot of these theatrical role . There ’ll be a couple of new characters occur out of it .
In the same way that Green Lantern : Rebirth go down up moderately much the remainder of your Green Lantern run ?
It has a definite ending , just like Green Lantern : Rebirth had a definitive ending , with an open road onward . The last issue does n’t terminate “ To be continued . ” It stop .
Is that the way you tend to recall , in terms of persona and stories ? Is the point of Flash : Rebirth , to you , to relaunch a franchise ?
It ’s a story about a bozo who ’s come back , but feels the seconds slipping away , everything moving at breakneck speed and he is n’t quite sure which way to change state at the crotch in the route . certainly , there ’s going to be people who ’ll say “ My favorite Flash is Barry Allen ” or “ My preferent Flash is Wally West ” or “ My favourite Flash is Bart Allen . ” Same with GreenLantern , everyone has their favorite character , but …
But with Green Lantern , you almost get to the point where you’re able to please everyone , because there are multiple Green Lanterns …
you may never please everyone , but there have been multiple Flashes since Barry Allen match Jay Garrick .
But there can only be one fastest serviceman awake , certainly . Does n’t there have to be a New York minute in a fashion that there does n’t have to be one Green Lantern ?
You ’ll see what establish each of them individual , just like you did in Green Lantern , through Flash : Rebirth . I call up that ’ll become pretty cleared .
Flash in all his incarnation has become reasonably of an avatar for the DC Universe . Barry usher in the Silver Age , but Wally , to an extent , the modification he went through mirrored the direction of strip at the time , from Mike Baron ’s quasi - matured coming to Mark Waid ’s updated silver eld run that set the flavour for DC ’s superhero books for the next five years or so . Do you finger a similar pressure with Rebirth ?
Of of course , but I ’d rather go for it or not . I believe in the Flash , I believe it can turn , and Ethan is doing an amazing line . Barry Allen ushered in a lot of heroes , but the world could always practice more imo .
You ’re bringing back Bart [ Kid Flash , who was kill in 2006 ] as well , correct ?
Bart comes back in [ Final Crisis :] Legion of 3 Worlds – distressing for the delay , but the art is worth it , it ’s freak out amazing ! – but in Flash : Rebirth , he ’s back from the future and his mental attitude is “ Wally ’s the Flash , I ’m Kid Flash , Now Barry ’s back . What ’s going on ? If Barry ’s back , where is everyone else ?
“ If everyone ’s coming back from the Speed Force , where ’s Max ? ”
Is the tone similar to Green Lantern : Rebirth ? Because Green Lantern has a tone of , I do n’t require to say “ space opera house , ” but it ’s been very grandiose and the stakes have never been small .
Green Lantern is to Space as the Flash is to Time .
The backdrop is , braggart and heroic . But it ’s a small minute more character - focus , though , the difference being , I got ta get into Barry Allen ’s chronicle more because he ’s more of an unknown to mass .
Barry did n’t really have much of a personality , either . He died before the trend for giving your hero sandwich more of a personality than just a schtick – in Barry ’s case , being late – kicked in .
Hopefully , you ’ll feel dissimilar as the serial progresses .
Starting with Hal Jordan and work him back , even back then , was this neat thing … I recall the skeptics on that , but it turned out well and I ’m hoping to do the same thing with this .
By this point in time , Barry ’s better screw for that legacy , for die .
Yes . And why there ’s an ominous or reluctant attitude in Barry will become absolved .
Do you think Flash is one of the more inviting of the DC superheroes to novel readers ?
Absolutely . Absolutely .
We ’ve got Green Lantern being made into a movie , all the talk about Wonder Woman back and forth , and plainly Superman and Batman …
The Flash is doubtlessly one of the most popular characters that the DC Universe has . I think he ’s one of the most pop characters in comic . Superspeed is one of the most amazing world power that I believe people can get into and explore . upper is something , today … everyone desire matter to go faster , downloads to go quicker … No - one has anytime for anything . focal ratio is something that , today , we ’re always try out to get everything to go quicker . As our society “ progress , ” everyone is wanting thing to move faster , everyone is texting , using Twitter , all this material , all this unvarying communication and interaction , it ’s all about hurrying .
It used to take weeks to deliver a letter of the alphabet , and now you could communicate with someone in , like , two minute . you’re able to pass along with two or three thousand “ protagonist ” about what you ’re ingest for tiffin immediately , all at once . It ’s pretty awing .
In that case , is the Flash more suitable to the modern human beings ?
dead . I think Barry Allen is more relevant now than he was back then , including his identity outside of the uniform … And not just because CSI is a TV show , but because the technology and the mankind has progressed .
Criminals are hitch because of DNA , and Barry Allen has n’t been operating in a modern reality since , what , twenty - plus years ago .
So what ’s your one - seam slant to io9 reader to read Flash ?
He ’s the firm serviceman active . If you ’ve ever wished you had more sentence to do everything you wanted to do , here ’s a story about a guy who has that ability .
And then you could go and pitch that as a movie .
[ Laughs ] Who knows …
ComicsDC ComicsGreen LanternThe Flash
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