So, we've come to the end of this so-called 'Crisis' and what have we learned? What have the characters learned? How has the DC Universe been irrevocably changed? Well... Nothing that we already knew, nothing that they already knew... and nothing really overall. So, 3 for 3, this ends up being a waste of time. But this had so much potential.
Like others, I feel that the premise of having a safe haven for heroes and reformed villains to be able to come to terms with their mental issues like PTSD is very viable and has a chance to tell stories that can allow characters to process past tales, allowing them to give greater characterization during those critical moments in DC history. Hell, DC could easily do Sanctuary 1-shots that are released at the end of ongoing major events transpiring at the time.
My biggest issue is the type of story that is told: The murder mystery. When we saw the various victims in Sanctuary, we knew that right away that something didn't click. So many people killed in quick succession, and somehow one of the victims is legitimately considered the fastest man alive and is able to travel through time? Uh-uh, that felt wrong. The fact that you had the world's greatest detective and one of the top forensic scientists stymied by what happened? Again, it felt wrong. Having one of the victims in fact be the killer? It's fair to say we expected it, especially in a comic-book universe and moreso considering one of the victims.
However, given some time to think, I actually do have a sense of appreciation with King's take on Wally's thoughts during Issue 8... up to a point. You see, I've spent a lot of time dealing with depression and PTSD myself (and still do to this day), and I know that having it will cause you to see things in a different light. You often feel alone, that you have this guilty shame that no one else could possibly understand or deal with. You feel that people want you to be okay, so you try and show yourself to be strong, to be okay for their sakes. And for a period of time, you do feel okay. Then something happens, some incident that throws you off balance, that makes you feel like you did before, and the pain from the past comes back as fresh as it did the first time, leading to you performing the same actions as before to return back to the norm. This goes on for some time, then you see others who act like you do, and you realize that you are indeed not alone in suffering. Having Wally go through all that before HiC (and in turn detailing it in HiC) works. Having him lose control over the Speed Force when he finds that he is not alone does not. And having him trying to do everything he can to circumvent his involuntary manslaughter being found out absolutely does not.
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Like others, I feel that the premise of having a safe haven for heroes and reformed villains to be able to come to terms with their mental issues like PTSD is very viable and has a chance to tell stories that can allow characters to process past tales, allowing them to give greater characterization during those critical moments in DC history. Hell, DC could easily do Sanctuary 1-shots that are released at the end of ongoing major events transpiring at the time.
My biggest issue is the type of story that is told: The murder mystery. When we saw the various victims in Sanctuary, we knew that right away that something didn't click. So many people killed in quick succession, and somehow one of the victims is legitimately considered the fastest man alive and is able to travel through time? Uh-uh, that felt wrong. The fact that you had the world's greatest detective and one of the top forensic scientists stymied by what happened? Again, it felt wrong. Having one of the victims in fact be the killer? It's fair to say we expected it, especially in a comic-book universe and moreso considering one of the victims.
However, given some time to think, I actually do have a sense of appreciation with King's take on Wally's thoughts during Issue 8... up to a point. You see, I've spent a lot of time dealing with depression and PTSD myself (and still do to this day), and I know that having it will cause you to see things in a different light. You often feel alone, that you have this guilty shame that no one else could possibly understand or deal with. You feel that people want you to be okay, so you try and show yourself to be strong, to be okay for their sakes. And for a period of time, you do feel okay. Then something happens, some incident that throws you off balance, that makes you feel like you did before, and the pain from the past comes back as fresh as it did the first time, leading to you performing the same actions as before to return back to the norm. This goes on for some time, then you see others who act like you do, and you realize that you are indeed not alone in suffering. Having Wally go through all that before HiC (and in turn detailing it in HiC) works. Having him lose control over the Speed Force when he finds that he is not alone does not. And having him trying to do everything he can to circumvent his involuntary manslaughter being found out absolutely does not.