Flash: The Return of Barry Allen with Bill Barber
We’re back with another episode of Trade School! This time, we’re talking about Flash: The Return of Barry Allen! Our host this week is Bill Barber!
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Edited by Case Aiken
Scored by Bret Eagleston
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Notes
Comic Book Impact and Personal Engagement
This discussion highlights how a specific 1993 Flash storyline deeply influenced a collector’s passion and understanding of comic characters.
Mark Waid’s Flash Run Sparked Collecting Interest (00:00)
Bill Barber described how the 1993 storyline “Return of Barry Allen” drew him into collecting trade paperbacks.
The storyline clarified Wally West’s character, who was less likable in earlier comics.
Waid’s writing helped redefine Wally as a relatable hero, increasing Barber’s attachment to the series.
This run became Barber’s gateway into comic collecting, shifting focus from single issues to trade collections.
Fan Connection Rooted in Character Development (01:24)
Barber grew up a DC fan, influenced by the DC Animated Universe and Justice League shows.
Discovering Waid’s comics helped reconcile the difference between the animated Wally West and earlier comic portrayals.
The storyline’s treatment of legacy characters like Barry Allen enriched Barber’s understanding of Flash’s history and character arcs.
This character depth is why Wally West became Barber’s favorite comic character.
Narrative Themes and Storytelling Approach
The story explores themes of legacy, identity, and heroism through a layered plot involving multiple characters.
Barry Allen’s Return and Identity Conflict (02:56)
The story tackles fans’ frequent question about Barry’s comeback and the impact of his earlier death.
Waid’s narrative shows Barry returning but not immediately accepted, reflecting Wally’s skepticism and internal struggle.
The arc explores Barry adjusting to changes in the DC universe, such as reformed villains, deepening the story’s realism and emotional stakes.
The story balances nostalgia with new character dynamics, enriching the Flash mythos.
Wally’s Emotional Journey and Growth (04:30)
Wally wrestles with his role as the Flash and his fear of replacing Barry.
Key moments include Wally’s recognition of Barry’s grief at Iris West’s grave, which helps him accept Barry’s return.
Humorous scenes about Wally’s identity, including joking about renaming himself, add lightness to the serious themes.
This emotional depth sets the stage for Wally’s eventual transformation into a confident hero.
Plot Twist and Character Revelation
The storyline culminates in a dramatic reveal that redefines the plot and characters’ motivations.
Barry Allen Revealed as Reverse Flash (06:15)
Barry’s increasingly erratic behavior raises concern, culminating in him abandoning Wally during a mission.
Supporting characters like Jay and Golden Age heroes intervene, showing the story’s wider universe involvement.
Wally discovers clues from a mysterious book that lead to the truth about Barry’s identity.
The twist reveals “Barry” is actually Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, who lost his memory and assumed Barry’s form.
Wally’s Triumph and Acceptance (07:56)
Wally defeats the Reverse Flash, overcoming his fear of replacing Barry.
He embraces his role as the Flash, marking a major turning point in his character arc.
The story ends with Wally choosing not to know his future, focusing instead on his present heroism.
This resolution solidifies Wally’s identity and sets the tone for his 1990s run.
Legacy and Market Availability
The discussion closes with reflections on the storyline’s lasting importance and its accessibility to new readers.
Enduring Quality and Influence of Waid’s Run (09:31)
Barber praises the writing and art as some of the best early work in Waid’s Flash run.
The storyline set a foundation for character development and thematic depth in future comics.
The run has been collected into omnibus editions and trade paperbacks, improving availability.
These collections make it easier for new readers to engage with this important era.
Fan Culture and Character Cycles (09:31)
Barber notes the parallel between fans’ original questions about Barry’s return and later questions about Wally’s absence.
This cycle reflects the evolving relationship between fans and legacy comic characters.
The story’s themes resonate with ongoing comic book fan engagement and character legacy discussions.
Barber’s closing thanks underscore the personal and communal nature of comic appreciation.
Transcription
00:00
Welcome to Certain Point of View's Trade School, where each episode a different host talks about a comic book trade paperback.
00:05
That they loved and why they love it.
00:07
Hello everybody. My name is Bill Barber. You may know me as one of the hosts from the podcasts, Gaming and Collecting, the three Do Experience or Geek Addicts. And I will be your host today. And I am super excited to get the chance to talk about one of my favorite comics from back in the day. Today we will be Talking about the 1993 Flash storyline, the Return of Barry Allen, the second major storyline in Mark Waid's legendary run on the Flash in the 90s. Written by, of course, Mark Waid with art by Greg LaRocque, in what would end up being his final contribution to the Mark Waid Flash comic. Or just actually, I should say the Flash comic in general because he had previously done pencils as well for the Bill Mentzer Loeb's run before.
01:00
But yeah, the Return of Barry Allen, this is a very interesting comic for me. It is in a lot of ways the comic that really opened my eyes to the medium and made me a comic collector. To this day, even if I don't really collect single issues anymore, I'm still a dedicated trade collector. And this was really the book that got me hooked up. So I guess a little background. I've always been like a DC guy, particularly watching the DC Animated Universe back in the day. And I always remember watching Justice League being a big fan of Wally west, the Flash. So of course I was very curious about his comics. And going into the store, I just happened to this was one of the trades on the shelf, the original printing of it.
01:47
So of course I picked that up and immediately I was very confused by the massively different characterization for the character than in the Animated Series. What I would learn was the Mark Wade's writing in a lot of ways really solidified the character of Wally west for me. Because I know, like, after going back and looking at the original, like, Mark Baron stuff or even like the earlier Mensur Loeb stuff, like, Wally was kind of a jerk. Like he was not a pleasant character. And the development he got throughout the Menzel Loeb's run and then especially with the start of Wade's run, especially with like Born to Run, really highlighted this character for me and why he quickly became my favorite comic book character of all time. So the Return of Barry Allen storyline is very interesting.
02:38
It actually the original trade has this very interesting little preamble written by Mark Wade and editor at the time, Brian Augustine basically highlighting Wade's frustration over the constant questions asked of when is Barry coming back? When. When are they going to reintroduce Barry? Which Mark Wade would point out. Like, one of the big things about Barry Allen's death and crisis was the impact it left and how it really like bringing him back would cheapen the huge impact left behind. So this story is a very interesting take on that. Essentially it takes place pretty much very early on in Wade's run. And it we the trade, the original trade does miss a few. A few of the storyline bits. Like there is a Christmas one off issue that is right before this storyline starts that kind of leads into it that was excluded.
03:41
There was also a Green Lantern tie in issue that was cut and a issue that was related to DC's bloodlines event from the 90s that was also cut. They are very minor to the overall plot. They were included in the later Flash by Mark Waid trade. But I have to say, like the interesting introduction of the comic essentially starting with Barry returning. And as a kid I had no idea who Barry Allen was. I only knew Wally west as the Flash. So I was very interested on this whole history of this other character who was the Flash for much longer than Wally West. And it was very interesting the way they brought him back where it was kind of like he's back now and no one really wants to believe it. So of course they'll have. Wally is very skeptical at first.
04:34
And it's also interesting seeing Barry get re acclimated to the current DC universe at the time where he's seeing characters like the Pied Piper, who were previously villains to him, are now reformed. And the immediate clash of Wally having to come to grips with the fact that this is his hero that he replaced and now he has to basically let him know like that he's now also the Flash. And it is. It's kind of an interesting like dynamic at first. Wally is very. He's very unsure of himself and it's kind of a theme throughout this arc. But we do get to see a few moments. We get to see Wally and Barry team up on a few cases and it all. The big.
05:23
One of the big major events that happens right away is Barry Will leaves for a bit and Wally eventually finds him at his wife's grave, Iris West. And that is enough for Wally to really recognize that this is Barry and they can finally move on. So following that we get a few more arcs like a lot of Wally, Berry and Jay basically going around doing different things. We get a humorous little thing where Wally is talking with his girlfriend Linda, joking about maybe he's got to change his name. And we do get a very humorous moment where they go over a few possible names, including Quicksilver, which Wally brings up as being very taken at the time, kind of playing with that little joke there.
06:15
What's crazy, though, is the farther we get into the book, the more you start noticing that Barry is kind off. Like, he's. He's acting very violent and kind of unhinged at times. And it's starting to concern everybody to the point where during a mission, Barry essentially leaves Wally for dead. And Wally is so distraught to the point where he basically is ready to give up being a hero. And he is. During this whole thing, we have Jay, he goes and meets up with some of his Golden Age buddies, including, like, Max Mercury and Johnny Thunder. Johnny Quick, not Johnny Thunder. Because they gotta. Basically, they know something's up with Barry and they really gotta knock some sense into him because he's. He's just straight up unhinged and on his own. He's basically gone rogue. So during this time, they're.
07:06
They're busy trying to take care of Barry. Meanwhile, Wally is off essentially trying to figure out things for himself. And he comes across this book that is kind. That he overhears a guy who had found this book. Essentially, hears the name Iris, which immediately picks. He picks up, and he discovers something from this book that immediately changes things. And he immediately snaps out of it, is back into action. And what ends up being revealed is that the Barry that we thought was Barry back to life was actually Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, who had gone back in time, changed his appearance to look like Barry, and had lost his memory to the point where he thought he was Barry. And he's been slowly reverting back. And the climax of this story involves Wally finally taking down the Reverse Flash.
08:05
And the big key moment is when Wally finally gets past this mental block that he's been having for the longest time of essentially this fear of replacing Barry as the Flash. And he finally is able to surpass that and become the true hero that he will become throughout the 90s run. And I just love the way that Mark Waid like balances Wally's emotions and the slow decline of this character that we think is Barry Allen until it eventually becomes revealed to us. And the end. The end of the story, I really enjoy because it. Wally is now, like, fully accepted that he is the Flash going forward. And he's kind of looking at the book and he knows this book from the future has information about him, but he decides that he's better off not knowing.
08:57
He discards the book and comes to terms that he is the Flash. And I just love the way it really portrays the character. It was such a huge, growing moment for the character. It really solidified who Wally west was as a character and would continue to build with him slowly becoming this awesome character that grows so much and really is connected to all the people around him. And I just like, I love the art, I love the writing. It's. It's honestly one of the best early books in the Wade Run and would set the tone going forward. And thankfully all of the Wade Run has been collected since then. I know for a long time most of it was kind of hard to find, but thankfully they've all been collected in both omnibus and like these nice, simple collections.
09:55
But yeah, it's such a fun run to help that helps define the character. And it's. It's very interesting thematic that, like this run really does start with that whole Wade Mark, Wade discussion about the fans constantly asking, where's Barry? And now, years down the line, since Barry has been officially resurrected and there was a long period of time where Wally west was no longer present in the comics, we actually got kind of an interesting parallel of fans from this era asking, where's Wally? I just. It's. It's an interesting thing like that, and I just found it. I find it kind of fun, but I think I've yammered on enough, so I want to just thank Keis for giving me the opportunity to talk about this book. And yeah, thanks for listening and happy reading.
10:50
Hey, Jay.
10:51
Hey, Jim.
10:52
You're a fan of the Legion of Superheroes, right?
10:54
Yeah, I've been reading their adventures for decades.
10:57
Me too. It was tough at first with all the characters, but now I think I'm an expert.
11:01
It's not too hard to get into the Legion. And to make it even easier, we have a podcast called Long Live the Legion. We talk about different aspects of all its history to help you out.
11:11
So whether you're a new reader in the Legion Academy or have your own flight ring or anywhere in between along live, the Legion podcast should be on your playlist.
11:23
Certainpov.com.
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