Necessary

Back before they brought back Hal Jordan I didn't want him back. I had no real connection to the character. In some sense I still don't. In fact, I was pretty pissed off in the beginning. Now, I'll admit that a lot of that was the snide smugness of a great many Hal Jordan fans.

Time passed and I mostly got over it. The Green Lanterns I liked didn't go away even with Hal headlining the Green Lantern solo book. And admittedly Geoff Johns was doing some interesting -- if weird -- stuff with the character and the book.

Then they talked about bringing Barry Allen back and I wondered again if it was really necessary. After all, Wally West had a great run as the Flash. I haven't counted, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out he's gotten more page time the the "Patron Saint of the DC Universe" ever did.

But they brought Barry back and I learned what a lot of people had said was true: Barry is incredibly boring. But setting that aside I've also grown comfortable with having him as the Flash again.

I may have gotten used to it, but I sometimes wonder if was really necessary. And I've come to realize that it was absolutely necessary.

How many of you have seen this footage for the Green Lantern movie? There's some pretty impressive stuff in there and I'm quite hopeful that it will make an entertaining film. But it could never have happened if they hadn't brought back Hal Jordan.

Could a film have been created featuring Kyle Rayner? How about Wally West? As much as I love those two characters they are defined by the heroes that came before them. Whether you like it or not, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen are iconic as Green Lantern and the Flash. They even have the dubious honor of having replaced their Golden Age counterparts as the quintessential versions of those characters.

It isn't just limited to the movies either. The characters and concepts in comics and other media need to be at their most pure. It's hard to explain who the Flash is by telling people that he's the nephew of the first Flash. But it's easy to say that a scientist was granted amazing super-speed by a bolt of lightning. Or that a pilot was chosen by a dying alien to wield the most powerful weapon in the universe.

In the same way that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman can never really be replaced it was folly to think that the same thing could be done with Green Lantern and the Flash. Or Aquaman, for that matter. These are characters too powerful -- for good or ill -- to be overwritten. And when I go see the Green Lantern movie in June, I'll know that it was necessary -- and inevitable -- that Hal Jordan have the starring role.

Thursday Night Thinking #139

Welcome again to... Thursday Night Thinking! Tonight we have a thought... And a kind of thought. What does it all mean?

Coming Attraction

Well, tomorrow we finally get to read The Flash: Rebirth #5. Once again, the Fastest Man Alive has proved to be the slowest.

Here's my question: what big surprises are there going to be? We already know that all the Flashes are getting out alive; we've seen that in Blackest Night among other things.

I just don't feel like this Rebirth is shattering the status quo like Green Lantern: Rebirth did. Don't get me wrong, though. I really have liked this story. It's a good story even if it isn't an event the way the first Rebirth was.

The problem is that a even a good story gets less good when you have to wait three to four months between chapters. It starts to lose the impact. It starts to be less fun. I'm hoping that Johns and Van Sciver can still pull out a show stopping finish -- and that the sixth issue will come out on time.

In The Days Ahead

There's been a lot of speculation as to how Blackest Night is going to end. A popular theory is that -- because of the massive casualties -- there must be a mass resurrection of characters when Blackest Night comes to a close.

I think that this theory is correct. But I'm not just speculating here. I think I have proof -- or at least very strong evidence -- that Geoff Johns left in plain sight for us to see.

It was tricky to find, I'll admit. But it shouldn't have been. That little tidbit of information shows up on the second page of a very high profile Geoff Johns project. Here's the rub, though: it has nothing to to with Green Lantern. The clue (or the proof) is found in The Flash: Rebirth #4.

It hit me like a bolt of lightning one night. On the second page of the issue Professor Zoom says the following to Barry Allen:

"I have a resurrection of my own in the days ahead, Barry. Thanks to a good friend of yours."

Initially I puzzled over the meaning of that phrase. Then I put it behind me. After all, it could be anyone. Zoom hadn't necessarily meant "a good friend" literally. It could just as easily be a reference to someone who simply knows Barry well.

But I think in this case it is a literal statement. I think that Professor Zoom literally will be resurrected by one of Barry's good friend. It should be obvious by now that that friend is Hal Jordan.

One of the main concepts of the Blackest Night "mass resurrection" theory is that Hal Jordan will be the catalyst. In order to save the universe from Nekron Hal Jordan will become a White Lantern and resurrect a lot of characters in the process. Most theories say that it will be the characters that have become Black Lanterns who will be resurrected.

As we can see in the solicitation for Blackest Night: The Flash #1, the Reverse Flash will be featured as a Black Lantern. Presumably the resurrection that Professor Zoom mentioned will take place post-Blackest Night.

Summing up, here's the timeline: we know that Rebirth takes place before Blackest Night. At the end of Blackest Night Hal Jordan resurrects a large number of characters hero and villain alike (this is likely only a side effect of Nekron's defeat). Now alive again, Professor Zoom travels back in time to menace Barry Allen in the pages of Rebirth.

Seems plausible to me...

Thursday Night Thinking #119

It's been a long week. And it's still not quite over. I'm so tired I can barely move... But I can still think! This is Thursday Night Thinking!

Oh, if only the ship itself were a color other than yellow. Like, for instance orange with little red things sticking off it.

Idiot.

Thursday Night Thinking #112

This is Thursday Night Thinking. And there's something you should really know about Barry Allen:

He's not as dignified as you think he is...

Thursday Night Thinking #110

This... Is Thursday Night Thinking!

No time for anything but three quick thoughts from Barry Allen --- A. K. A. The Flash!