Megacon: The Return of Wally West? (via Bleeding Cool)

Bleeding Cool has just posted a report from this weekend’s Megacon in Orlando, Florida.  Within, there appears to be the first acknowledgement of a possible return of Wally West in the New 52 DCU:

That led us to a young man that asked about Wally West…[DC’s Dan Didio and Eddie Berganza] said because there were de-aging Barry, they didnt want him to be the same age as Wally. Plus they didnt want to take away Wally’s kids and family or make him a teenager again, especially with Bart already in that role…Their answer was that they are simply focusing on establishing the characters they started out with in this new 52, but not saying those other characters don’t exist or aren’t around in some way. They understand that everyone’s character is someone’s favorite. They just ask us Wally and Donna [Troy] fans to be a bit more patient with them and those characters will be seen once more.

Haven’t seen this corroborated elsewhere as of yet, but it is still early in the day.  Watch this space for more!

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40 thoughts on “Megacon: The Return of Wally West? (via Bleeding Cool)

  1. Kelson

    Nice of them to at acknowledge the fans instead of making fun of us, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

    Until then, telling us to be patient means as much as “Tomorrow is a rest day” in that first-season Farscape episode where every day was Friday, but the weekend never actually came.

    Reply
  2. Brian Fowler

    I’d find this much more encouraging if:

    A.) They’d said things to that effect back last year when this all happened, instead of mocking any questions on the subject.

    B.) We didn’t have a multi-year string of broken promises about Wally West ever since Barry came back.

    Reply
  3. Kyer

    You know the more I think about this the more my own nerd rage boileth to the brim.

    They didn’t want to take away Wally’s family….so they took away Wally and his family.

    Also, they couldn’t bare the idea of Wally being as old or older than Barry even though they don’t want him and Barry to be related anymore?

    Wait? I’ve been told to wait since Rebirth ended. I’m a human being, damn it, not a tortoise! I only have so long to live on this dirt ball.

    Nerd rage festers….festers….festers…..

    Reply
  4. Greg Elias Post author

    I thought the language on this was different enough to warrant the post, but if the writer at Bleeding Cool took any liberties with the facts I’m sure that will pop up. Personally, I’d read new stories about Wally if they were part of, or outside of, the New 52 universe. I find it hard to believe DC would hold off on cashing in on this level of fan anticipation forever. Hey, Barry Allen is the star of the monthly Flash comic book. Six or seven years ago, how likely did that seem?

    Reply
    1. Lee H

      “Personally, I’d read new stories about Wally if they were part of, or outside of, the New 52 universe.”

      He’s in most issues of the Young Justice comic. And there’ll be new episodes of the show in two weeks.

      Reply
      1. Greg Elias Post author

        I should’ve been clearer, meant as The Flash, with his story intact.

        Are the Young Justice comics worth checking out? I’ll grab one on your recommendation, have seen/agreed with many of your posts over time. I’ve enjoyed an episode or two of the show.

        Reply
        1. Lee H

          The first TPB is half price on Amazon.com if you want to sample the comic: https://www.amazon.com/Young-Justice-Vol-Art-Baltazar/dp/1401233570/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329670492&sr=1-3

          There’s no way Wally’s story is going to remain particularly “intact”, given that they’ve already written out Barry’s relationship with Iris, his travels to Gorilla City, all of Bart Allen’s previous stories and from the sounds of things all of Jay Garrick’s previous stories. I think it’s more important that they stay true to the spirit of the character rather than the baggage of now obsolete continuity.

          Reply
  5. Chris B

    I say we have at least 8-16 months before we have our first word of where Wally is. I think DC is wise to put him on the shelf (and I LOVE Wally).

    Reply
    1. Kyer

      Yes, well….I and my wallet will be up there on the shelf with Wally. I was actually holding out a distant hope that we would see him on Earth-2 or Multiversity. Now I only care about those two books to see how Jay and Alan fare.

      Honestly, why can’t Marvel or IDW offer to buy the rights to Wally and family off DC’s hands if they don’t want him? Seeing Wally under the Waid again but with the Marvel Banner would not trouble me in the least. Meanwhile doing without is making my heart sick and not making me love DC at all. That level of intense loyalty they shot in the foot a year back.

      They could at least do some Young Justice specials where “Kid” Flash got to interact more with the Flash Family and Barry (you know, like we were led to believe would happen directly after Rebirth?) Oh wait….Wally will never get past 17 in that nor is likely to meet up with a Linda Park. At least Barry is still with Iris there so we got something.

      Gah!

      Reply
    2. Penny Dreadful

      I don’t know if smart decision-making has anything to do with it. I just think that certain DC editorials don’t like Wally and don’t want to use him. I’d be happy to be proven wrong, though.

      Reply
  6. Lia

    DiDio specifically said to me at Fan Expo that they have plans for Wally. That said, I can certainly understand why Wally fans are very skeptical about any promises.

    Reply
    1. Esteban Pedreros

      I’ll believe it when I see it published, because if I were DiDio and I had spent years trying to get The Flash back on track after wrecking it for no good reason, I wouldn’t dare mess with it.

      As far as they can see, Wally didn’t sell and Barry is selling. I guess that self criticism won’t get them farther than that (as to why editorial decisions made the character fail). Bringing Wally back now that Barry is establishing himself as the Flash (as odd as that may sound), would complicate things unnecessarily.

      I don’t want to lose Linda, but I couldn’t care about the kids, as long as they don’t find a gruesome death around the corner. If they cease to exist because they haven’t been born yet, I would be happy with it. A younger Wally (who IS The Flash), is OK by me.

      Reply
      1. Lia

        Yeah, I’m guessing that if Wally returns it won’t be in the main Flash series. It’d be in a different book, like Bart and Jay. That way it doesn’t alter the book but still uses him in some manner.

        Problem is, if they’re determined to avoid the Flash Family concept and generally avoiding legacies, they’re running out of niches to stick Wally in.

        Reply
      2. Penny Dreadful

        Didio also said that 2010 would be a good year for Cass Cain. And he was one of the “Wally will kick ass again” crew before the reboot.

        IOW, don’t believe anything that’s not in a reboot or solicitation.

        Personally, I think we will finally see Wally again when Didio, Johns, and Lee leave DC and a new editorial management team takes over. Wally is in the same boat as Cass Cain–more popular with fans than with DC editorial.

        Reply
      3. Penny Dreadful

        Wally’s Flashcredibles series didn’t sell well, but editorial interference hobbled it, from what I understand. Before that, Wally was pretty well-loved and popular among fans.

        If Barry’s new series sells, great. Personally, I think the series represents everything that’s bad about the reboot.

        Reply
        1. Esteban Pedreros

          IMHO the one who ruined Wally was Geoff Johns, and that’s for the following reasons:

          – He completely forgot previous characterizations of the character and transformed him into a Barry Clone. Flash is particularly painful to read from issue 201 onwards (Ignition had a few good moments, but it all started there).

          – I was glad that Linda didn’t miscarried because of Zoom’s brutal attack, but getting her pregnant in the first place was a mistakes. Babies are useless in superhero comic books, and that immediately aged Wally.

          – He kept using Zoom over and over and over to the point I didn’t want to see the character anymore. The Rogue’s War would have been much more compelling if he hadn’t showed up to be the absolute center of the book.

          From that point DC didn’t know what to do with the character. They killed and replaced him for no good reason, and they made mistake after mistake with him.

          I doubt they acknowledge that they screwed up, they probably think that fans didn’t understand the book or that the character wasn’t attractive anymore. The Fact that we keep asking about him after all these years is a testament to how much he is missed.

          Reply
          1. Penny Dreadful

            Johns also wrote that retcon in which Rogues had reformed due to the Top’s programming. Right. Because people can’t consciously change for the better. Once a bad guy, always a bad guy.

            Unfortunate implications much?

            Johns is a good writer, but sorry, he’s overrated.

            Reply
  7. Savitar

    Nice that Dido and Co. just didn’t blow the kid off like they’ve been doing other Wally fans over the last few years.

    OK, they admit he will probably return…..AT SOME POINT. Next week, next month, next year, next decade, when?

    In this day and age of the comic industry, series and titles are announced & canceled on almost the same day. Until I hold Wally’s new appearance in my hands or read it digitally, Dido and Co are still making empty promises.

    Reply
  8. Kyer

    I think they finally gathered that making fun of Wally’s fans was not gaining them anything but equally rude remarks from bloggers and forums. However, I’m thinking that’s the ONLY thing that’s changed.

    Plus, I’m still not convinced that the bad story decisions from Bart’s tenure on weren’t planned (even if subconsciously) to help pave the way for the *need* to bring back Barry as the main title. They wanted their childhood character back and Wally was just plain in the way so they ran him under the Editorial bus. Maybe at first they genuinely meant to keep Wally in the background picture, but then it changed and….gee, no place for the guy and all sorts of asinine excuses started popping from their lips as to why they couldn’t even as each excuse was refuted by the fans.

    Yeah, yeah, conspiracy theory twaddle. Again, I don’t think it was all conscious decisions, but I think it does/did exist to some extent.

    Now a perfectly interesting CSI story has also bit the dust in favor of a Captain Cold title (a character who is a favorite of at least one higher up personae in the DC. Is this due to sales (which supposedly are still up) or to further pressure from DC Ed?

    Sorry, but every which way but the artwork, Flash for me has gone sour and I really don’t give much a care about any Kid [character] Flash of any hair color.

    If they are trying to build up anticipation for Wally’s eventual return, it’s backfiring for me.

    Reply
    1. Kelson

      Now a perfectly interesting CSI story has also bit the dust in favor of a Captain Cold title

      That’s an excellent point. Setting aside individual preferences, IMO the biggest thing you can do with Barry that you can’t do with Wally is to make use of his police scientist career in the story, or better yet, bring it to the forefront. (“Dark Matters” from Legends of the DC Universe was a great example of this.) While we got some of that in “Mob Rule,” it’s sad that a story focusing on the key element that sets Barry apart from the other Flashes has been scrapped this early in the run.

      Reply
      1. Kyer

        *wow…I made a good point. Must mark calendar!*

        I brought up at CBR not only this…missing out on a way to distinguish Barry from all the other speedsters who have appeared in the past, that with Wally they have a speedster who is also unique **if they keep his family**. What other speedster has a wife AND kids? This background makes Wally unique like being a police scientist makes Barry unique, like being a young kid with speed powers makes Bart unique (assuming he’s lost his other unique qualities like being from the future?), like Jay is unique for having the most practical experience….

        *throws hands up in the air**

        It all comes down to that they don’t want Wally in the picture whether just “yet” or “ever” they don’t, they lie, lied, continue to wave away arguments against their excuses or just plain ignore them…..

        I can’t trust these people. Their word means nothing anymore and, yes, they are probably decent people who are not out to hurt others, but the fact remains that I, we, the Wally fans, can’t trust what comes out of their mouths.

        They might as well be hawking used cars in a seedy part of town or working for the government. 🙁

        Reply
        1. Kyer

          *God dang memory like a sieve plus itchy Send trigger finger*

          Also, what the Sam Hill’s Penny Whistle is wrong with having Wally be the same age or slightly older than Barry so as to keep that family? Old universe continuity is already out the window. Why not have part of that screwed continuity be Wally’s family escaped whatever got ultimately mucked up during Flashpoint so that they alone remember the past but have realized that (as painful as it is) they must keep quiet about it. Or another of a dozen possible explanations besides that one.

          It’s a good thing I have low blood pressure or all of this would have resulted in high blood pressure instead of approaching normal (daily commute traffic) level blood pressure and I’d be screwed…..)

          Reply
      2. Realitätsprüfung

        I’m all for them focusing on the CSI angle. But the Barry series from the 60s to the 80s didn’t have a strong police component (science, perhaps). They focused more on the rogues, his relationship with Iris and his DCU ties (GL, the JLA, Jay, etc.) than CSI.

        The new book is doing the same thing. Focusing on what’s *different* in the book now vs. when Wally was around probably won’t ever be a priority. Wally was a highly similar Flash to Barry – by design. Carving out only the few remaining distinct elements is unecessary.

        Bottom line – Barry’s the Flash, and they’re doing all the classic, Flash-y things you’d expect, albeit in a modern context.

        Reply
    2. Lia

      I couldn’t speculate on why the CSI story was shelved, but it can’t be denied that Captain Cold is one of the most popular characters in the Flash mythos. His early return isn’t necessarily for sinister reasons.

      Reply
      1. Esteban Pedreros

        I don’t think that the CSI aspect of the character is particularly interesting. I guess that the story was probably shelved so the character could gain traction… to make it more familiar for old fans, and new fans alike. They can visit that story in the future, I doubt they’ll just drop it.

        I’m not particularly convinced that I’ll like the new Captain Cold, he is moving away from being a science-villain (or a Sci-fi character), and I’m not sure I like that, but I’ll read it first.

        Reply
        1. Lia

          I like the CSI aspect, but honestly that oneshot can probably be used at any point between story arcs. After a reboot and a fairly long story involving a brand-new antagonist, it’s probably a good idea to go to a popular established villain or two.

          I am not at all thrilled about Cold and the other non-powered Rogues getting powers, but will wait and see how it’s handled.

          Reply
          1. Esteban Pedreros

            I understand that the CSI aspect is a pre-existing trait of the character. But it was barely used before and the only reason it was brought to the forefront is because of the CSI franchise, but honestly… I don’t see the point of putting the fastest man alive to wait for lab results to fight crime.

            Is a nice contradiction for the character, but it kinds of falls out of place when you try to figure out how to use in a story… he’ll probably have better luck knocking 5 million doors in a couple of seconds, than figure it out in the lab.

            Reply
  9. CHR

    Let´s be clear. Wally will return in some point. But as Kid Flash when they can toss Bart out.
    They will say: WALLY WEST! NEW ISSUE 1! Make it appear as kid flash again, say Bart lives on another earth or whatever and that´s it . The more time Barry has it the more Wally is going to be “the flash of the 80s-90s”
    Everybody knows DC doesn´t want Wally because he´s more difficult to explain on a mediocre two hour summer movie.

    Reply
    1. Realitätsprüfung

      CHR, I think you’re basically right. But it’s perhaps even simpler:

      Wally’s a slight variation on Barry. You don’t need both, and one is clearly a continuation of the other. In a “young” DCU, Barry is a linchpin both of the Flash and JLA; it’s an obvious choice. But one that unfortunately relegates Wally to “figure out a way to include him…somehow” status.

      And here we are.

      Reply
      1. Esteban Pedreros

        Wally is not a slight variation of Barry.

        Wally West, as developed after Crisis, was very different character from Barry, for starters, he did have a personality.

        As I said, Johns transformed him into a sad clone of Barry towards the ends of his first run with the character. Before that Wally didn’t have a secret Identity, he kind of was a “profesional” superhero, in the sense that he didn’t have a job, he was the Flash 24/7… well, he won’t be back until the guys who miss him are in charge of DC, 10 o more years from now. Then he’ll be “the old Flash”.

        Reply
        1. Penny Dreadful

          I suspect he’ll be back sooner than that…when DC does another reboot or crisis crossover 2-5 years from now.

          Reply

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