Jay Garrick (Golden Age Flash) Appreciation (2019)

[Fromper]

From 1986 until 1992, most of the Golden Age JSA members were "removed" and off fighting a never-ending Ragnarök.






Then Zero Hour: Infinite Crisis in 1994 killed off, aged, and/or maimed a bunch of the Golden Age heroes.

Thanks for the clarification.

I started reading comics in the early 90's, so I vaguely remember the old guys being aged up in Zero Hour, but I didn't know the characters, so it didn't mean much to me at the time. I didn't remember their earlier disappearance and reappearance. Though now that you reminded me, I think I do remember hearing something about it, though I never read those comics. Of the JSA guys, the only one I ever really knew much about was Jay, due to his appearances in Wally's Flash series.

[Starter Set]

Your comment actually gave me an idea. I also really like Jays design and love that it's modeled after Hermes which is very different.

What if you made the three main Flashs, Jay Barry and Wally, have different origins and different sources of their powers. They would all still be called the Flash and have super speed as their primary power but their source of their powers and origin would give them.their own unique themes.

Jay His look is modeled after Hermes so run with that. (Pun not intended ) He got his powers from the Greek or Roman diety and his powers come from them and are magic based. Hard water gas giving him super speed is kinda strange but you could work.it that that made him lose unconsciousness and from there had a meeting with Hermes. You can even have it similar to his close buddy Alan Scott in that although they have similar names to their counterparts their powers come from magic based sources.
Jays theme is ancient magic. Borrowing some thematic elements from wonder woman and hawkman.

Barry His powers have no supernatural base. He is not connected to the speed force. His origin and power source is exactly how it was originally. Purely a freak accident and based on science. His mind set is firmly set in this. He views his powers and deals with them strictly through science and logic with his Flash facts.
Barry's theme is science and cold hard facts. He fights science based villains like the rouges.

Wally Wally gets his powers from the speed force. Fitting as it came out originally through him. He still got his powers through a bolt of lightning but there were no chemicals involved and no lab. It was because it was his destiny and he was chosen. It was his is dream.to always be a hero and his wish fullfillment as well. His powers are spiritual. He uses his powers based mostly on gut and intuition and relies on his emotion.
Wally's theme is spirituality, emotion and instinct. Being connected to something higher with a higher purpose.

Some of these changes are drastic but I think some are just leaning heavily into the already existing distintions which is great for defining them. The differences between.them.could also roll into their costumes and how they use their powers as well as their villains.

Maybe this would work better as an elseworld but just a thought.

Works for me.

I really like the idea of good ol' Jay's powers being linked to Hermes and to have a different theme with each Flash.

I wouldn't be a bad concept to differentiate them more. Not just in design or origin but on a deeper level.

[MajorHoy]

. . . I really like the idea of good ol' Jay's powers being linked to Hermes . . .

Didn't they sort of do that during the New 52's Earth 2 series? (Can't remember if they used Hermes or Mercury.)


What a wonderful costume . . . it looks like a trail of pee is running down his leg.

[WallyWestFlash]

Didn't they sort of do that during the New 52's Earth 2 series? (Can't remember if they used Hermes or Mercury.)


What a wonderful costume . . . it looks like a trail of pee is running down his leg.

Yes that is true. But I believe it was only one page where they showed Hermes. It was the last page of the issue and he was gone by the next issue. I was intrigued by the idea and wish they explored it more.

My idea is to really delve into it and have it have a major effect on all aspects of Jay and be an ongoing theme. Earth 2 new 52 didn't really have it impact Jay in any other ways. Plus although he got his power through Hermes they changed his costume and he didn't look like him so what was the point?

Lol. Pee running down.his leg...

[Fromper]

So as mentioned earlier, I'm rereading my old comics, currently going through Wally's post-Crisis Flash series. I had forgotten how big a role Joan Garrick played, despite Jay being "gone". She showed up in several issues around the 20s through 30s, first traveling to New York just to comfort Wally's mother when he was missing, then later giving Wally advice, which is what led to him moving to Keystone City. While his own mother was driving him crazy, Joan was the older adviser Wally really needed in his life at that time.

Maybe she deserves her own appreciation thread.

[MajorHoy]

Jay briefly showed up in a couple of issues of All-New Batman: The Brave & the Bold.

He was being mind-controlled by the Mad Hatter in issue #3 (March 2011):




And he also showed up with other members of the JSA on the last page of All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #7 (July 2011), the issue where Batman had teamed up with Alan Scott.

[Fromper]

While I like the concept, there are too many problems with this. Jay should have been moving too fast for Batman to respond to like that. Bats shouldn't have been able to point to one in the crowd, nor should he have been able to knock his hat off with a batarang.

And speaking of mirrored lightning bolts, the chest emblem on the newer Flash (is that Barry or Wally?) is backwards.

[MajorHoy]

By the way, since we're in the "Year of the Villain", I'm trying to highlight some of the Golden Age villains.

Some of Jay's foes I've created threads for so far are:

* Golden Age Fiddler (Isaac Bowin)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...e-first-one-gt
* Golden Age Rag Doll (Peter Merkel)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...(Peter-Merkel)
* Golden Age The Rival (Dr. Edward Clariss)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...dward-Clariss)
* The Golden Age Shade (foe of The Flash and others)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...sh-and-others)
* The Original Golden Age Star Sapphire
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...-Star-Sapphire
* Golden Age Thinker (Clifford DeVoe)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...lifford-DeVoe)
* Golden Age Thorn (Rose Canton) Appreciation (2019)
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...ciation-(2019)

[WallyWestFlash]

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[Frontier]

jay_garrick_s_the_flash_by_shono_db9ybue-fullview.jpg
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Classic Jay is Classic .

[WallyWestFlash]

Classic Jay is Classic .

I like the buttons down the chest and the brown boots. Very classic, 1940's look.

[MajorHoy]

I like the buttons down the chest and the brown boots. Very classic, 1940's look.

More like "retconned retro-classic" look since Jay didn't have buttons.

[Jekyll]

jay_garrick_s_the_flash_by_shono_db9ybue-fullview.jpg
1char.

Cool photo. Looks like they based it off of the arrowverse design of when Zoom was impersonating Jay.

[WallyWestFlash]

Cool photo. Looks like they based it off of the arrowverse design of when Zoom was impersonating Jay.

I was thinking the same thing.

I think.they did his look there very well. Including the gloves, which they don't have here.

Even though it ended up.being the not as good Zoom.villain the look still holds up.

[byrd156]

Cool photo. Looks like they based it off of the arrowverse design of when Zoom was impersonating Jay.

I really like the jacket look. Would be a cool winter look or something for Jay.