I want to go out on a limb here and say I am really enjoying the FLASH: REBIRTH mini-series. No, I am not going out on a limb because the quality of the book is less than desirable. Clearly, anything written by Geoff Johns is going to be top of the line work. The guy is easily one of the very best comic book writers to emerge over the past several years. No, I am going out on a limb because I am very opposed to bringing characters back to life after they have died. Actually, scratch that, I don’t mind it happening now and then. However, when it does happen, it should occur sparingly. When it is done repeatedly (which it is), it ruins the original impact of classic stories. This is most evident in the return of Elektra, Jason Todd, and The Green Goblin.

With the return of Barry Allen in FLASH: REBIRTH, I cringed somewhat. The death of Barry Allen 24 years ago in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS was one of the most shocking events in comics at the time. The impact of this was made even stronger due to the fact that he remained dead for two decades. With his return, the impact of that death somewhat diminishes, but what makes the return so strong is the incredibly excellent writing found within the pages of this mini-series. Simply put, Johns has an amazing flair for putting words to paper and that makes pretty much anything he does worth reading. With the return of Barry Allen, we are treated to a complex story about a complex hero. This makes the proceedings compelling and the return of the character more interesting rather than groan inducing. Welcome back Barry Allen. We really did miss you.