The Four Color Media Monitor

And it doesn't sound like an April Fools joke either. From this review of Flash: Rebirth #1, it looks like Bart Allen has turned up alive:

The only character with any kind of sensible reaction, which stemmed from the fact he wished Max Mercury came back from the Speed Force, was Bart Allen, who's back in our timeline and alive with no explanation whatsoever. For those out of the loop, he mysteriously came back in Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3, a series that has since been delayed into oblivion. I assume we'll find out how he returns to the present day / is alive (they just have him show up after using a cosmic treadmill with no explanation). He appears to know he died and was the Flash at one point, so I'm unsure just how he's alive and not deaged to a Kid Flash persona.

That's probably got something to do with how it was established at one point that he's unaffected by time paradoxes. Or does it? Well here's to hoping that this isn't some poor trick on the audience, and that the adult Bart seen 2 years ago was some kind of an alternate timeline version, or a duplicate.

But the reviewer is still not happy, and there do seem to be good reasons for that. For example:

However, Bart's reaction, aside from the anger over no one celebrating his return and his desire to have his mentor, Max Mercury, back, was also flawed. Bart loved hearing stories of his grandfather Barry and always wished to have adventures with him and follow in his footsteps. Having him not care one bit about Barry's return is also a bit odd. Much of Bart's dialogue also comes off as Johns' attempt at quelling the average fan's concerns, fans who have never read any comics featuring Barry and also mirror Bart's take on Barry with the whole 'never knew him' and 'what did he sacrifice if he didn't really die' bits, by showing the one dissenting character as obnoxious and childish. It felt eerily similar to his Superboy Prime, who has been portrayed as a substitute for internet comic fans, except less subtle, to me at least.

This reminds me of the Blitz storyline, where Bart was depicted as sullen and not very excited about Linda Park West's pregnancy. Thinking back on that, no, it was not very well done at all, one more reason why I ended up having second thoughts about Johns over the past years.

Bart's revival is welcome, but the way this book is written doesn't sound the same. And if Barry's death of yore was written decently, that's why his return doesn't sound so either.

But putting aside any malfunctions this miniseries has for now, so that's one more protagonist whose death and misuse has been fixed? That's very good. It leaves just:

Elongated Man
Sue Dibny
Silver Age Atom
Jean Loring
Blue Beetle
Jade
Jack Drake
Hector Hall
Lyta Hall
Firestorm Ronnie Raymond
and even Superboy Connor Kent

whose death, villification and misuse still need to be reversed. Let's not forget them, okay?

Labels: dc comics, Flash, golden calf of death