#james jesse

One of the more annoying trends that has appeared in the Flash franchise since the Flashpoint reboot is something that I will call hybridization: the merging of two characters into one character that contains aspects of both. These hybrid characters are invariably characters who share a legacy identity, and the merges often anger the fans of both characters. 

Interestingly, the earliest notable example of hybridization that I can think of in the Flash books actually happened shortly before Flashpoint. In 2004, the original Captain Boomerang, George “Digger” Harkness, was killed in my least favorite event comic in DC history, Identity Crisis. In the same comic, it was revealed that he had a son, Owen Mercer, who became the new Captain Boomerang shortly after his father’s death. From 2004 to 2009, Owen bounced around the DC universe, being at various points a member of the Rogues, a member of the Suicide Squad, and a member of the Outsiders. He also spent a lot of time with Supergirl and the two struck up a weird friendship. However, Geoff Johns eventually decided that he wanted to bring back the original Captain Boomerang, and so, in 2009′s Blackest Night event comic, he turned Owen into an idiotic child murderer and had him killed off so that Digger could be resurrected as a much younger and more attractive man. In effect, when Digger returned to life, he seemed to absorb his son’s appearance, general age, and fashion sense, and Owen was effectively forgotten for a very long time. (In fact, Owen wouldn’t reappear until 2018, and when he did, he was effectively written as an entirely different character…and then apparently forgotten again.) That being said, as Digger basically maintained his own personality without absorbing any of Owen’s personality, this is not the worst example of hybridization in the Flash mythos. 

James Jesse, the original Trickster, and Axel Walker, the second Trickster, had a very odd dynamic pre-Flashpoint, mainly because Axel was the only legacy Rogue to take up the identity of a Rogue who was still alive. From 2002 to 2005, James was reformed, so Axel was effectively the main Trickster until James took up the Trickster identity again in Rogue War. In the course of that storyline, Geoff Johns retconned James’ character development so that his reformation was entirely due to the machinations of a brainwashed and crazy Roscoe, and then had Roscoe revert James back to his original, villainous state. Once he was no longer reformed, James promptly beat the crap out of Axel, too his gear back, and told the kid that if he ever caught Axel in the costume again, Axel would be in big trouble. James was thus the primary Trickster again from 2005 to 2008. Unfortunately, during this period, he only featured in really terrible comics, and, as a result, his characterization was derailed and driven straight off a cliff and into a bottomless pit. And then he died. Now that the original Trickster was dead, Axel took the identity once more. Despite being the only living Trickster from 2008 to 2011, Axel was still distinct from James until Flashpoint. However, once Flashpoint happened and the universe rebooted, James was seemingly erased from existence entirely. In the New 52, Axel was the only Trickster who had ever existed, and, as a result, his characterization started to be blended with James’. He got taller and older, he acted a bit more intelligently than he had before Flashpoint, and he started wearing James’ costumes. He stayed in this odd hybrid state until James returned in 2019. Axel got his original costume back and was firmly established as the younger, less experienced Trickster, while James was re-established as the original Trickster, who was older, more cunning, and more subtle than Axel. While James wasn’t quite the same character as he had been before Flashpoint, he and Axel had at least been differentiated from one another again.  Aaaand then Axel was reverted back to his hybrid Axel/James form as soon as Joshua Williamson left the book. Sigh.

Wally and Barry were also hybridized after Flashpoint. Since Wally had been erased from existence, and Barry had been de-aged, Barry started to take on a number of Wally’s traits. The fact that he was now a young, more inexperienced man made the comparisons to Wally pretty much inevitable, and the fact that some writers started giving him Wally’s cocky nature and sense of humor only made things worse. It was to the point that in team books, Barry effectively became Wally, but with Barry’s name, appearance, and job as a police scientist. Once Wally returned in 2016, Barry lost most of Wally’s traits, but his characterization still hasn’t fully returned to what it was before he was hybridized with his nephew. 

In outside media, hybidization of Barry and Wally had already been fairly common. The 1990s Flash show featured a Flash with Barry’s name, occupation, and general attitude, but Wally’s girlfriend and need to eat constantly, and the DCAU featured a Wally with Barry’s job as a police scientist. However, the New 52 caused the hybridization of Barry and Wally to be taken up to 11. The 2014 Flash TV show, the DC Animated Movie Universe, and the Flash of the DCEU all featured a Flash with the name, appearance, job, and love interests of Barry but with a demeanor that was more than a bit reminiscent of Wally…a problem that has yet to be fully solved. 

And then there’s Sam and Evan. Sam died during Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, and, after a brief vacancy, the mantle was taken by Evan McCulloch, who first appeared in 1989. Over the next twenty years, Evan solidified himself as the new Mirror Master, becoming more well-known and popular than his predecessor, and in 2011, he was not only the sole living Mirror Master but had been so for 22 years. But after Flashpoint, Evan was erased and Sam, after having been dead for 25 years, became the Mirror Master once more. This decision has always puzzled me. Barry, Axel, and Digger were the primary Flash, Trickster, and Captain Boomerang at the time Flashpoint happened. The other characters who had held the mantle were erased. So shouldn’t Evan have remained the Mirror Master? True, he wasn’t the first Mirror Master, but Axel wasn’t the first Trickster. Why didn’t they just erase Sam from existence in the way they did with James? Why bring back a character who had been dead for 25 years? It’s just such a weird choice.

Making the whole thing even more puzzling is the fact that when Sam was brought back, he was promptly hybridized with Evan anyway. While he didn’t pick up the Scottish accent, he did pick up the tooth gap, Evan’s almost supernatural talent with the Mirror Realm, and eventually Evan’s tendencies towards addiction and generally being a human disaster. He also lost his own incredible inventive talents, his showmanship, his cheeky smugness, and every other trait that made Pre-Crisis Sam so much fun. He’s so similar to Evan at this point that if they gave him the accent and called him Evan, he would actually be almost perfectly in-character! What was the point of bringing back Sam if they were just going to make him a less interesting Evan? ARRGH! 

Introducing a really weird, Trickster-inspired poem! 

When I was born, my Mamma laughed 

My Papa smiled 

The clowns cried tears of joy 

The strongman lifted up the crib, the high chair, the car seat,

And the midwife, all at the same time. 

The acrobats turned cartwheels and 

The old fortune-teller said 

That I would live a charmed life. 

You’ll dance on air, my son. 

But be careful you don’t fall.

When I was a child, my Nonna called me 

“mio piccolo piantagrane”. Her little 

Troublemaker. I got into everything from 

Clown makeup to the horses’ stables, 

From the strongman’s weights to the 

Swordeater’s blades; then I

Flashed a smile, 

And all was forgiven. 

My charm could convince anyone. 

You’ll dance on air, my son. 

But be careful you don’t fall. 

As a carny kid, I 

Wasn’t scared of much. 

I lived with men who had biceps the size of my head

A man who could twist his body like a pretzel

Lions

Tigers

Bears 

And ladies with beards. 

What I was scared of was 

My own act. 

My parents were tightrope walkers 

And I was scared of heights. 

I blame the old fortune teller. 

You’ll dance on air, my son

But be careful you don’t fall. 

When I was a teenager 

The old fortune teller disappeared, and 

I overcame my fear of heights

With a bit of stage magic.

To the audience, I could walk on air. 

And since I had no need to fear falling 

With technology holding me up.

I dazzled the crowds with my feats of daring. 

I was a star; I had been born lucky indeed. 

You’ll dance on air, my son

But be careful you don’t fall. 

I left the circus to seek my fortune elsewhere,

When I was no more than eighteen. 

My wits took me far; my smile took me further

And my ability to dance through the clouds did the rest. 

For what had once been stage magic was now something more;

Something I couldn’t hope to explain. 

I had always been lucky; now I was charmed

It was as though I had been blessed by the Fey. 

You’ll dance on air, my son

But be careful you don’t fall. 

As I grew older, my talents increased 

And at night I still dance through the stars. 

I live on the edge of a knife 

And laugh at both danger and sorrow.

For my life is charmed; what need I to fear? 

Now I live with no thought of tomorrow.

You’ll dance on air, my son

But be careful you don’t fall.

pied piper
well. i’m out of ideas.

capt. cold
okay. hold on. team huddle.

pied piper
why are we huddling

capt. cold
piper. get in here.

[ huddle. ]

JAMES JESSE
…so. sad about your boyfriend. but you’ll probably get another.

capt. cold
i’m going to strangle you.

David Singh-Rathaway
Just saying.
James bites me all the time.

Kristen Kramer.
feisty— what

julie jackham
Yeah, James is one of the people who has bitten Marco.

David Singh-Rathaway
What?

Kristen Kramer.
james as in
jesse? my ex?

David Singh-Rathaway
Sure.

julie jackham
That’s the one I’m talking about.

Kristen Kramer.
DAVID?

David Singh-Rathaway
He’s mine now, Kristen. [ laughing-crying emoji ]

pied piper
you hate barry.
you literally find joy in his misery.

THE TRICKSTER
i don’t HATE barry.
i just find it funny when he cries.

pied piper
well he does do that a lot…

THE TRICKSTER
he’s the funniest guy i know… [ emoji of solid snake saluting ]

THE TRICKSTER
one time my folks burned down a caravan from a rival circus.

Superman !
Thats not a nice childhood memory.

THE TRICKSTER
it was a little funny.

The Flash!
[ a gif of Snoopy dog laying his head on the floor with his bottom up and the words “so bored…” over his head ]

JAMES JESSE
SLUT.

The Flash!
Wh
What??

JAMES JESSE
sweet dreams.

pied piper
don’t let the rats bite.

JAMES JESSE
…
[ Concerned looking away emoji. ]

pied piper
[ sleeping emoji ]

If Wally West where to get a tattoo this is what I think he would get one to represent his position as part of the Flash family aka being Kid Flash. And being honorary member of the Rouge family aka being Baby Flash.

Black and White:

Colored: