Read COIE first time. Barry Allen should have stayed dead
Im going to preface this by saying I haven’t read much beyond Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman Post Crisis. I haven’t been serious about comics until the last few years
That said, I’ve read a few Flash issues pre crisis and Crisis of infinite Earths feels like Barry Alen best moment even in death
Im not saying this because Im a Wally West fan; in fact, comic wise i only knew him from Teen Titans and he was far from a favorite there
It doesn’t matter now and Im not going to be upset when I read his return cause it wont be years of me getting attached to another but just my thoughts
I guess there would be no CW Flash without Barry’s return either but I dont think that was really in consideration when his return was decided in the comics
As a major character in the canon of DC and as the character that literally launched the silver age of comics and was a truly beloved character and (arguably) the most iconic version of The Flash. The fact that he remained dead for a quarter of century says something. There was an undercurrent of wanting Barry back right after COIE and it remained, in a pre-social media era as a fan voice and desire. The fact that Barry stayed dead as long as he did speaks volumes about not just his COIE death but his entire pre-crisis run.
Before WW became the “heart” of the DC Universe, it was Barry. Diana only picked up that mantle after Barry died.
The truth is comic book characters never completely die. If that was the case we would never have gotten Jay Garrick or Alan Scott and countless other characters back from the abyss.
Finally coming back after 25 years is warranted. His sacrifice was not in vain and his reemergence now doesn’t tarnish his sacrifice or his legacy.