DC brought back Barry Allen... in a sneaky way.

[Heatwave the Rogue]

I am making perfect sense. The time that barry spends in the future with Iris doesn't matter. A month or 10 years. He could have traveled back all he wanted before IC. If writers wanted to have Barry appear as a time traveling guy (which has been done to death frankly) they could have done it before now.

CapeandCowl

1. Barry living for 30 years in the future would give him unlimitedly more opportunities to time travel. He could travel time at LEAST the same amount of times that he travelled it in his published Flash run which I would be reluctant to even try to count (way to many to bother).

He can now spend weeks or months with Iris before traveling away through time again. He couldn't before because of his one month limitation. Even though for Iris it would seem like he just left, for Barry it would be painful that he had to leave her for so long knowing he only had a month to live.

2. I count only 2 time travel appearances post-Crisis on Infinite Earths (Flash #200 and Flash #225). Hardly "done to death," thank you. In fact, not done NEARLY enough. That would be like me saying that you posting 2 times over the next twenty years would be to much for this message board.

3. Barry (with Iris) could conceiveably move back to the past at some point, take over the mantle of the Flash again for several years, and then eventually return to the future. Heck, they could even get new bodies again like Iris did in Flash #300 if they need them to reduce their physical ages.

4. The biggest change is that Barry and Iris would have got their happy ending together (which the characters deserved in my opinion). Barry would have got to enjoy the life of his wife and kids, his grandson, his grand-daughter (if XS still exists), and meet with his friends (Hal, Ollie, etc...) more often.

5. Barry returning to assist Bart doesn't take away from Bart like it would have taken away from Wally West. Wally West was Barry's direct predecessor and that made it tough for him to return without stealing his thunder. Barry assisting Bart is not the same thing. If anything, Bart becoming the Flash makes it more difficult for Wally to appear since he's his direct predecessor.

LOTS of new opportunities for Barry Allen Flash fans.

[Bobby Bell]

I wouldn't put too much stock in this, since Danny Blison said it's a dream, not a flashback, right here: http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29524.

[Hol]

Hate to burst bubbles but Danny Bilson just said in a thread on this board (questions for danny bu SNW21) that the narrative by Jay and Barry was a dream by Bart and not a flashback. Nothing has changed. Just an FYI guys.

[KevinTBrown]

Hate to burst bubbles but Danny Bilson just said in a thread on this board (questions for danny bu SNW21) that the narrative by Jay and Barry was a dream by Bart and not a flashback. Nothing has changed. Just an FYI guys.

Keith Tarnowski

So it's just how Bart sees it, not how it actually is..... Ok, so that explains some of the confusion.

[BESTBUY]

Wow, what a weird dream to have. To change the details of what really happened. Why bother to include it in the story if it doesn't mean anything?

[Hol]

Wow, what a weird dream to have. To change the details of what really happened. Why bother to include it in the story if it doesn't mean anything?

BESTBUY

Yeah I don't get it either. But then...I didn't get a lot from this issue really.

[Mark MacMillan]

I thought the Anti-Monitor kidnapped Barry because he was the one hero who could give him the most trouble and expose his plans early (due to Barry's ability to travel to different Earth's)?

[BESTBUY]

Yeah I don't get it either. But then...I didn't get a lot from this issue really.

Keith Tarnowski

We'll have to see how this plays out. If its not relevant to anything that happpens then maybe this book might really be in trouble.

[BESTBUY]

I thought the Anti-Monitor kidnapped Barry because he was the one hero who could give him the most trouble and expose his plans early (due to Barry's ability to travel to different Earth's)?

Mark MacMillan

My understanding is that Barry has to travel to the past (or at that time the present) when the crisis happened before the Anti- monitor considered him a problem. At anyrate he had to go back first before he was kidnapped.

[CapeandCowl]

I wouldn't put too much stock in this, since Danny Blison said it's a dream, not a flashback, right here: http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29524.

Bobby Bell

well that answers that I guess.

[Wayne Voto]

Any way that it is looked at it is a good thing to see Barry.

[BESTBUY]

Any way that it is looked at it is a good thing to see Barry.

Wayne Voto

I agree! Here's hoping we see more.

[Atom]

Hate to burst bubbles but Danny Bilson just said in a thread on this board (questions for danny bu SNW21) that the narrative by Jay and Barry was a dream by Bart and not a flashback. Nothing has changed. Just an FYI guys.

Keith Tarnowski

Awwwww... now I'm disappointed. Really. Stack 'em up... and knock 'em down. Dang it.

[Stephen Henel]

It was Wally that changed time to save his twins from Zoom, not Barry.

SirIvanDavenport

Zoom exists outside of the timestream. All of his actions are abherrations of history. Also, Wally was not trying to stop past Zoom from killing his kids, he was trying to stop future Zoom from killing his wife.

[GeraldKeefer]

Wow, what a weird dream to have. To change the details of what really happened. Why bother to include it in the story if it doesn't mean anything?

BESTBUY

Agreed. That is asinine. What's the point? I've been trying to stay postive but that is really making it hard. Actually, this is probably going to make me stop picking up the title and watch from a safe distance. Hopefully, I'm wrong and this turns out fantastic (considering the talent involved very possible, both the art and writers) and I have to scramble to find future issues.

Just make everyone happy and have Barry come back as Flash and Bart deaged and be Kid Flash with his grandpappy.

Oh wait, DC would hate to do something like that. They just like to make it seem like they MIGHT bring back Barry Allen then don't just to raise sales.

[astronato]

I gotta wonder how long you Barry Allen fans will take it before you finally get pissed off. Every third rate comic book character and his brother gets to come back from the dead in comic books....except one of the all time greats,Barry Allen. Hell, Bucky is back (and it's terrific), but Barry, no, he's the one token "meaningful" death in a superhero comics.

That's right, in a universe populated with guys in their long johns and capes, shooting laser beams out of their eyes and where people come back from the dead often, bringing Barry back as the Flash would somehow make it all seem too unrealistic. Or somehow invalidate the past 20 years of stories. Or represent a step backwards in story telling to the days of thought balloons and "Gee Whiz" dialogue. I just don't buy any of that. You can tell compelling stories with Barry Allen in modern continuity. Bring Barry back as the Flash and see if the success of Hal Jordan's return as Green Lantern won't be repeated. I am betting it would do big business despite what the Barry haters say. They said the same about Hal and Kara and yet both their books are top sellers for DC. Barry has been gone so long he'd be new if he came back.

It's not enough to just be vocal about it. You have to vote with your dollars. If you settle (yet again) for flashbacks, dreams and guest appearences that is all your gonna get. How many times do you have to be dissapointed before you stop buying Flash comics?

I just got back into comics last year. I was lapsed out of comics by the time DC replaced Hal. I missed all the stuff that happened with HEAT and the campaign to bring Hal back. The Hal haters say that Hal wasn't brought back because of HEAT and I think that's half right. I think they brought Hal back because his replacements sales had declined AND there was a lot of fans calling for his return. If CompuServ was as prevalent in the 80's as the internet was in the 90's Barry might have been back in the suit full time already.

I think if you really want Barry back in current continuity as the Flash you have to stop buying Flash until DC wants to make a change. You gotta let your fanboy flag fly and demand fan service. Or you can continue to settle.