"Okay, time to set the story straight."
From the time I started working at DC, I had a plan — no, scratch that, a desire to bring back Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. To me, they were the definitive Green Lantern and Flash, and they helped bring forth a generation of heroes. More important, they were the base from which all other ring-bearers and speedsters would come. Nothing against Kyle or Wally, but you can't know who they are without knowing who Hal and Barry are first.
In bringing Hal back, I found a "partner in crime" in Geoff Johns (remember that name; it is important later). Geoff was an even bigger Hal fan than I was and had the same desire to bring him back. Following that desire, we formulated a plan, and following the plan came GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH. The success of Rebirth exceeded even our wildest expectations, so with Hal back and better than ever, we turned our attention to Barry.
Okay. Now, with Barry, things were a little more… complicated. His death was one of the more important events of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, not something to be changed on a whim or easily undone. But slowly, over the years, the walls of Crisis came tumbling down, first with the return of the true Supergirl and then with the return of the Multiverse. Yet Barry's death still held firm.
Confession time. I originally hoped to bring Barry back at the end of INFINITE CRISIS, but things didn't work out as planned. Still, we did plan on a change in Flashes, as to echo the original Crisis, so… enter Bart. Now, Bart was there to show the generational aspect of The Flash, but he was never going to be The Flash for long. Plans for his arrival and departure were worked out in conjunction with COUNTDOWN and the JLA / JSA crossover. And again, it looked like we'd paved a way for Barry, but again the timing wasn't quite right. It wasn't until we hit FINAL CRISIS that the stars would align themselves properly. Enter Geoff Johns (there, I told you he would be important later).
Just as he did with Hal, he wanted to do with Barry. A plan was made and a story set — a story that would encompass everything and everyone in Flash's history. Not just Barry, but Jay, Wally, Bart, Iris, Max… well, you get the idea. BARRY ALLEN, THE FLASH: REBIRTH is a celebration of everything that was, is and will be great about the character. We are building on the brilliant foundation and history of the Flashes while adding to the future.
Don't you love it when a plan (sort of) comes together?
To be continued…
DD
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