Old vs. New

I have not written a good comic book post in awhile. Usually just a plethora of reviews. This goes back to the idea of really lame comic book debates. This one happens to be whether Barry Allen or Wally West should be the Flash. I have read this debate before, and it turned up again over at the Comics Should Be Good blog. For those of you who do not follow, allow me to break it down.

Barry Allen
The people who yearn for the days of Barry as their Flash say things about how his and Wally's origin are the same. That they have turned Wally into Barry over the years, so why not just have Barry back. They argue that Barry comes from the Silver Age, and he defines what a hero should be.

Wally West
Wally became the Flash when Barry died. He was young and inexperienced (even though he had been the Kid Flash for years). He was hot headed, a complete man whore, arrogant, and basically a jerk. To most of the West fans, this made him interesting. They watched him mature and turn into a great hero. The Anti-West folks say that DC just made him into Barry, so what point is there of keeping him around.

My Thoughts
Personally, I like Wally West as the Flash. Have you ever read any of the old Flash stories? Barry Allen was boring. I always think about some of the funny JLA stories, where in the middle of a battle, Wally would stop and make a joke. Like the time Superman is fighting an angel, and Wally stops and looks at the readers and says something like "This coming from the guy who wonders if he is good enough? Now he's wrestling an angel."

It is why so many people think Ryan Reynolds would make a perfect Flash. I agree with people that over the years Wally has become a bit dull. Maybe they can get rid of his wife and kids, maybe have a brand new day...

The best Flash stories usually center on him trying to live up to the legacy of Barry. I remember when JLA first debuted, Wally and Kyle were both new to the team. They did not like each other. Wally felt like Kyle was not worthy to be the new Lantern.

Anyways, those are just my thoughts on it. Obviously DC will continue to kill and bring back Flashes every few years. There is no point in worrying about it. I give it a year before Bart Allen shows back up in the main DCU.