Flash: The Return of Barry Allen

The Flash (1987) (Old Editions) #2

by Mark Waid

/Mark Waid /Greg Larocque, Roy Richardson /and Sal Velluto, illustrators Once Wally West was just Kid Flash, sidekick to his mentor and friend the Flash, a.k.a. Barry Allen. The death of Barry left Wally the fastest man alive--and the new Flash. Now, somehow, Barry has returned--as a violent and paranoid speedster determined to eliminate what h

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Science Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with Wally West Flash thanks to the Justice League animated series. So, it was kind of interesting to read his adventures.

Wally West faces a unique challenge, as his life is turned upside down with Barry Allen returning to life. A person he regards as his mentor and hero, whom he has looked up to his entire life; those feelings now being changed into jealousy?

Mark Waid weaves a clever tale that oozes 80s in its narrative and dialogues, that is, being corny and cliched. However, he has done an outstanding job portraying Wally West for what he is, and how he differs from Barry Allen in various aspects.

I was not a fan of how the artwork and the panels feel cramped and congested; the artist is trying to fit too much inside a panel. Also, some of the postures of the characters in action scenes were laughably bad.

All in all, The Return of Barry Allen is still a fascinating read, and explores and expands The Flash mythos.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Mark Waid's legendary run on the Flash, but I'll just mark a review for this one storyline because it stands out among some of the best DC storylines I've read! Right around that time that DC was really honing in on the post-Crisis idea that its core themes were all about legacy, Mark Waid stepped in and played with those themes like crazy. This particular arc feels like the culmination of stuff he set in motion all the way back in his first arc, "Born to Run," and the way he plays on (and then totally subverts) your expectations about the way he'll use legacy in his narrative is genius. I won't post spoilers, because this story is too good for that. NOTE: It would probably stand on its own pretty well, but it DOES build so nicely on the stuff going back to "Born to Run" that I really recommend just starting from the beginning of Waid's tenure.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be quite difficult to get into. Sped up at the end which made it a bit easier to read.

[Adam Collings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story of character growth for Wally West.

[Your_Average_Magical_Girls_Fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, after several time, a classic revered by lots of fans THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY STINK LIKE A MOUNTAIN OF MONKEY POO! Is something wrong? well, the ending with the lightning is a bit strange...but then it is the only flaw I see in this. Thank you Mark Waid to make me invested in a character I never read about before, more than with the standard Born To Run origin retelling.
Recommended.

[Fernando Rezende · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I've never read a lot of The Flash so I decided to read not only his DC Rebirth title but also other classic stories.

I reached a point where I faced myself with Mark Waid's Flash and I got a little worried. While in one hand I love "Kingdom Come" and his run on Daredevil, and in the other hand a hate "JLA: Tower of Babel" and I think his run on the Avengers has been a little disapointing. So, now that you can see my dilema is easy to know why I was worried before starting his Flash run. I started of with "Born to Run" and it was completely amazing. I continued reading and more and more I was getting closer to this amazing arc named "The Return of Barry Allen". Finally I had the oportunity to read it and, my God, IT WAS SO FU$%#*@ AMAZING!!!

Really, the story is so good I couldn't stop reading. I was devouring this waiting more and more for the final revelation that is really shocking. I already knew the end and what was the big plot twist, but it was still shocking. I always thought that Barry Allen was the best Flash (specially bescause I used to watch The Flash's TV series), but I was wrong. WALLY WEST is the BEST FLASH OF ALL TIMES. I really can't describe how Wally grew on me while I was reading this, I just feel it.

If you're looking for an excellent Flash story arc, read this one, being a Flash Fan or not. It's completely amazing, I can't wait to read the rest of Mark Waid's run!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comic stories I've ever read, hands down.

Wally's quest to accept his returned uncle and former Flash Barry Allen is touching, if only for the awkward moments Waid builds off of in the first pages -- where Barry discovers Wally has donned his uniform and accepts it, despite being "weirded out" by it. Waid doesn't present easy answers in coping with a former friend coming back to life and to his former mantle, and the toll this takes on Wally is great, and masterfully dramatized, as Wally loses Barry (and his own sense of self) through a series of devastating encounters with the increasingly unhinged man. Only by digging deep into his own mental blocks will Wally be able to deal with the situation. By combining that break-through with some amazing action, including a runaway train, a high-fly fight on an unfinished skyscraper, and an amazingly destructive fight in The Flash museum, Waid amps up things for Wally early on in his impressive six-year run on the title.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty neat story with a good payoff in the end. Having read books situated later in the DC chronology I had some idea of what might happen but was still satisfied with the result. Found it quite accessible having really only read Crisis on Infinite Earths as a prequel to this. Highly recommend.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m getting into flash comics so I really didn’t see the surprised coming. I will say most of Barry’s behavior I just thought “oh I guess Barry from the cw show and the comic book Barry Allen have different personalities.”

I really enjoyed the show down between Wally & Reverse Flash. I was confused about a lot of things because I haven’t read many flash comics. Like I didn’t know what happened to Barry and Iris. I don’t really know who reverse flash is and what his history with Wally and Barry (we did get reverse flag’s origin story). I wanted to know more about Wally’s love interest. I feel like I missed a few things but it was still enjoyable.

[Briana C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this comic for the most part. The only thing I didn’t like was the portrayal of woman. Either it was Linda in very little clothing or nameless bikini women that felt like they belonged on a pornographic magazine cover.

[Brian Spath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evocative of comic book storytelling of the era, Waid crafts a competent tale that also reads quickly. The art is strong, but knowing that Wieringo took over duties shortly after this arc’s completion its hard not to be a little disappointed.

[Dom Lovallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big flash fan, and this is one of the best Flash Arcs I've read. Well written, good story, good artwork. 4.5 stars rounded up.

[Johnnie Bats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wally vs Thawne for the first time. Amazing.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Thedefarted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun!

[George Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing FLASH story

[Austin Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lilah G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wally West is better than me I would’ve killed him

[Neal Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Waid does it again. A story about meeting and exceeding expectations put upon you by others and yourself. We see Wally finally cement himself as The Flash by overcoming the mental hurdles he put upon himself. Also, Waid retells the backstory of one of DC’s most iconic Super Villains.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a decade before the actual return of Barry Allen, there was The Return Of Barry Allen in the pages of the Flash monthly. Here a despondent Wally has to try and figure out the mystery of how and why he has come back from the grave. As a reader it seems unlikely that it is Barry Allen because it only registers with Wally and few other speedster friends. I would think that a long dead hero coming back from the great beyond would have been a bigger moment. And to the time travel head scratching the plot here is a goofy but not to bad considering the time. The way a story was told then, even by Mark Waid, is so different now. Its very interesting how much time is spent each issue rehashing the last issue. The art by Greg LaRocque is amazing once again considering the time. His Flash, especially Wally is great. I loved it. Overall this is a pretty fun Flash tale with the typical early 90s goofiness!

[Daniel Sherrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read these issues back when they were new and I was 9, not long after I started reading comics in the first place. This storyline probably made the difference between comics being a passing fad and something I'd still be reading 20 years later. This isn't some basic good vs. evil struggle. It's about the balance between idolizing your hero and becoming your own person, about the importance of protecting a legacy, and about how it feels when your role model doesn't live up to your expectations. With these issues, I learned that comic books could be so much stronger than Saturday morning cartoons.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Return of Barry Allen, written by your writer's favorite writer Mark Waid (per former Paperkeg host, Mark Farrington), tells the story of when former and deceased Flash, Barry Allen, comes back into the life of current Flash, Wally West. I liked how the story was told but the villain names are just atrocious. Also, seeing the layout of how Wally West's living room was a nightmare for me. WHO PUTS A TV IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR LIVING ROOM?! I mean, don't get me wrong, this was a great story but there were some terrible things in here that just bugged me. Especially, the device that brought back Barry Allen is just unbelievable.

[Kayla Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good. All of my comic book friends told me that if I wanted to read The Flash, I had to read The Return of Barry Allen, so guys, is it all downhill from here?

I enjoyed this story, and I did not see any of the surprises coming. Now I want to go backward and forward with this series to find out everything else that happens!

One thing that I find very overwhelming is that they keep alluding to things that happen in different comics and saying where you can find it. I get that it means people have to go out and read all the other comic series in the DC Universe, but it does suck if you don't want to.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun -- I can see why Mark Waid's Flash run is so highly-regarded. I loved getting to understand the relationships between the different Flashes (and meeting Johnny Quick and Max Mercury for the first time), and the story did a great job of showing us who Barry was without actually (spoiler alert!) resurrecting him. I do wish the art was a bit better, but it was the 90s. Overall, a fun, quick read, with great character moments. This definitely makes me want to read more Flash comics.

[Maddsurgeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much to Wally's surprise, Barry Allen comes back from the dead... except it's not really Barry Allen.

Though the dialogue was a bit corny throughout most of this book, I really liked the plotting and the character development. Wally learns about his powers and overcomes his psychological shortcomings in a real believable way, and these quiet moments of character-development balance the action sequences really well.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente historia de Flash, de lo mejor que se ha escrito del personaje. Lectura muy recomendada. Argumento: "El día de Navidad, Wally West recibe una visita inesperada: ¡Barry Allen vuelve de entre los muertos! A partir de entonces, las cosas serán diferentes, y quizá el mundo no baste para contener a dos velocistas escarlatas. Pero si Barry quiere sacar de la carrera a Wally West, tendrá que pasar por encima del cadáver de Jay Garrick. Y el de Max Mercury. Y el de Johnny Quick".

[Kurt Rocourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Flash stories ever. Ever since the television show has premiered the concept of The Flash running (literally) through time has been an overused trope. This is the story that did not overuse the idea. This story strikes the perfect balance of time travel by one of the better Flash writers ever. It's a must read book for fans of The Flash family of heroes and vilains.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent flash story, but NOT a great one. A great one would've involved a massive change to the characters' powers or story. Neither happened. Barry still remained dead at the end, and Wally was perceptibly no better at using his speed, nor more confident in his life.
Waid could've done a bit better.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second volume of the early Wally West stories. They feel a little dated, but not in a distracting way. Overall this was a fun read. I always like stuff with the Reverse Flash, Professor Zoom.

[Michael]

Mark Waid's run of the Flash was probably the best "capes" comic of its time; this is the arc that exemplifies it with running themes of identity, inheritance, and budding mastery of the new and intangible.