WALLY WEST To Be ReIntroduced In NEW 52.. Is He Still Needed?

News broke out earlier that DC Comics will be reintroducing Wally West aka ‘Flash‘ and formerly known as ‘Kid Flash‘ back to the DC Universe. A lot of long time DC readers and Flash fans especially from the Geoff Johns Flash run, has been waiting for his return since the great DC reboot which started from Flashpoint. Recent news of DC’s plans to bring back old characters and make them new again have been sprouting little by little and all of them pointing towards the end of “Forever Evil” and a DC’s new direction in April. Batman scribe Scott Snyder have also told people his plan to bring back Stephanie Brown. Stephanie’s return might actually work if Snyder is able to do some makeover with her character. But with Wally, and his history, would it be that easy? Would long time fans forgive DC when changes comes to the character?

Under a new creative team of Robert Venditti & Van Jensen (both are co-writing the ‘Green Lantern Corps’ series) and artist Brett Booth,  they’ll reintroduce Wally West in the upcoming “The Flash Annual #3“. The new 52 Flash (Barry Allen) run by Pinoy writer-artist Francis Manapul and Brian Booch, is a really solid book and has improved a lot, and seeing them replaced might be a really downer for some especially those who are growing to like Barry. Though details about which speedster will be in the main Flash title are still sketchy, one thing’s for sure – Wally’s costume change. Say bye-bye to the term “Scarlet Speedster“? Oh and it definitely reminds me of Superman Blue.

I’m not hating on Wally, but I just hope that DC knows what it’s doing to the one of the most beloved characters in DC comics. This news is actually the second news regarding the Speedster, last year we’ve already heard that CW is working on a Flash series albeit starring Barry Allen. So we’ve already had Barry Allen in the comics, and now a possible TV series which would probably boost Flash/Barry Allen popularity and then Wally comes. This could honestly look bad. So is Wally West needed back in the DCU? Does his return signal another Flashpoint where pre-New 52 comes back? Or would it actually bring something back to DC comics and the Flash Mythos, the ‘Legacy’? The Flash is one of the top ‘Legacy’ characters, in DC comics and even in comicdom. The symbol and importance of the mantle being passed down to another generation has been a key factor in the Flash mythos. Would we see something like that? Or are we really okay with the idea of having two major Flashes running around? (Green Lantern pulled it off right?) .  Let’s just hope that the new creative team does offer new stories, especially exciting ones.

Wally West was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino in 1959 in which he was Kid Flash, the sidekick to Silver Age Flash Barry Allen. When Barry Allen died in the pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, Wally replaced his mentor and took over the mantle and served as the Flash for 25 years. So what do you guys think about his return?