DCU Book Club Week 79: THE FLASH, BORN TO RUN (1987-) Issues 62-65, Mar 16-22

We’ll wrap up The Flash tonight!

Yes first time reading this series.

I would have to go with Superman. I think it would be fun to see if all the rumors were true such as him being faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, and see how strong he really is.

Yes because it is always helpful to have a mentor who knows the ropes that can show you how to be the best version of yourself. I also think it helped Barry because he had someone to share his ability with even if he didn’t give away his secret identity in this series.

No I don’t think so I think all he wanted to do was tell him thank you for helping him with the bank robbers. I don’t think he thought that he would ever make another Flash.

I know this was not one of the questions but I really enjoyed this panel in this series.

1 Like

Hi @Lecouch84!

I would totally ask Supes to fly me around somewhere, just for fun!

I couldn’t agree more. It’s gotta be really hard to have a superpower that no one else has. There’s no one who can truly understand you. If I accidentally gave someone a superpower, I’d feel responsible for training them to use it properly.

Same

That’s a great panel! Loved that moment. And always feel free to share your thoughts, or favorite moments, even outside of the questions. Candid reactions are welcome! :smiley:

Thanks for joining and sharing!

1 Like

apologies I’m going to be a little late on this book report I’m just on the first issue and kind of sleepy sorry

No worries - have a restful evening!

Fun read so far, I think I have two more issues to enjoy.

I was a huge fan also of the previous run by William Messers-Loeb, but Waid brings a neat spin to how life is perceived, time / day passing is perceived by juveniles.

Some favorite panels so far:


As a kid and really to this day, that “suit in a ring” trick never grows old, I find it adds excitement and wonder to the stories when portrayed.

2 Likes

Great panels!

Same. There’s something magical about a suit that pops out of a ring :star_struck:

Is this your first time reading The Flash: Born to Run?

Yes it is. Overall it was okay – it kind of felt cliche in a lot of places, and I’m not sure why I see so much praise for this arc in particular, but it’s still a well done story around all the tropes.

Which DC hero would you have wanted to meet as a kid?

Batman, absolutely. At Wally’s age, while I was aware of other superheroes, Batman was the only one I really latched on to.

Do you think Barry should’ve trained Wally to be Kid Flash? Why or why not?

I think at the very least if he saw that Wally had those powers, he should teach him how to use them and keep control of them, so he doesn’t hurt himself or others with it. I could see in the process of it Wally getting better at his power and convincing Barry that if he has these powers, he should be able to do more with them than just maintain them, use them to help others.

Do you think Barry subconsciously caused Wally to become a speedster?

No – I think at most Barry subconsciously wanted Wally to like him. This is his girlfriend’s nephew, someone who Iris really loves and cares for, and thus Barry would like to be liked by him – it stings when your partner’s family doesn’t like you. So when he really doesn’t get that in being Barry Allen, he realizes he can get that by being The Flash.

1 Like

:laughing: great point!

:star:

Imagine a ride in the Batmobile at age 10 - it would be amazing! Actually that’s cool at any age.

Thanks for reading along and sharing your reactions with us @Jay_Kay!

1 Like

Day late, dollar short, but fully read. I’ve been pondering “why am I taking so long on some of these clubs lately” and I believe part of it is that my wife and I are watching a lot lot more of the news daily than we did even two weeks ago. Ah well.

First time reading: I believe so

Which DC hero would you have wanted to meet as a kid? I guess one of the Lanterns- the other heroes are so wildly powerful I would feel like I was walking blindfolded in lumber yard full of spinning blades; Superman by just getting a twitch in his pinky could send me to the hospital. Flash could do untold damage again with those “spinning” weapons that can crush walls. Metal Men would have the same danger you would face in an automated factory where moving arms could decapitate you etc. Green Lantern-- at least I might survive 5 minutes with them.

Should Barry have trained Wally to be Kid Flash? Well, at least to the point of helping him understand how not to accidentally cause serious injury or worse to his family or fellow students. Having him face adult criminals is in my opinion highly irresponsible; Kid Flash here is all of 11 or 12 years old in Year One.

Did Barry subconsiously cause Wally to become a speedster? I guess we’ll never know for sure unless a current writer wants to tackle that one, since after all Barry is back…well, at least for one more month.

An interesting read this time around for sure. Waid blended in his gift for observations on the human condition and unique perspectives of different age groups.

The hat joke was actually kinda funny.

1 Like

I was surprised the story left the door to this question open. It’s absolutely something that could be explored.

:laughing: great point!

Thanks for joining in!

1 Like

No, but it’s been a long time.

Any of the original Teen Titans. I could be their own Snapper Carr!

Not only do I think he should have, I think he had the responsibility to…you can’t just let an untrained kid loose with superspeed, can you?

There is a story somewhere, I would have to dig to find it, where after his death, Barry goes back in time as the actual lightning that strikes Wally West. So, no…he didn’t do it “subconsciously” …he did it on purpose, just later on, sort of.

1 Like

Hi! @ralphsix

:smiley:

Thanks for sharing this! I’m curious about that story now.

I’m with you on Barry taking responsibility for training Wally.

Thanks for reading along and discussing the book!

1 Like

Yeah, I was surprised by just how young he was in this take on the origin. I think by that point in the comics DC tended to make the kids a little older when they put on the spandex. Like around this time Tim Drake was coming in as Robin and he was around 16-ish.

Hey, I was wrong! Barry Allen becomes the lightning bolt that hits himself. Secret Origins Annual 2.

I guess it could stand to reason that if he got his own self, maybe he took care of Wally, too.