Barry Allen: The Flash Appreciation 2020

[Digifiend]

https://www.cbr.com/alex-trebek-supe...pardy-gallery/

[Frontier]

https://www.cbr.com/alex-trebek-supe...pardy-gallery/

Now this would have been a terrific team-up .

[Digifiend]

Speaking of team-ups... Zagor?
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/flas...res-a-preview/

[Blind Wedjat]

For research purposes: do you consider Barry Allen a legacy character in the same vein as Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, Jane Thor, Kyle Rayner, Captain Marvel, etc.?

[Modamy]

For research purposes: do you consider Barry Allen a legacy character in the same vein as Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, Jane Thor, Kyle Rayner, Captain Marvel, etc.?

I don't think he started out as one, but ended up as one once Jay was acknowledged as the original Flash.

[Frontier]

I don't think he started out as one, but ended up as one once Jay was acknowledged as the original Flash.

And they actually referenced Jay's comic in Barry's first issue as his inspiration for the Flash identity, so even though it wasn't a succession like we got with the Post-Crisis situation, there was still a thematic element of a Flash legacy in the original comic.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, he thought Jay was a comic character at first and not a real person, but Barry did take inspiration from and name himself after Jay, so he is a legacy character.

[Tzigone]

For research purposes: do you consider Barry Allen a legacy character in the same vein as Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, Jane Thor, Kyle Rayner, Captain Marvel, etc.?

I do not. Yes, he was inspired by what he thought was a fictional hero. But he was not passed the mantle, it was not a legecy given or taken from another, and there was no other Flash in his world until then. Until retcons happened. I think making JSA same universe was not a good thing for Barry or Ray, since it made them take titles without permission (I think - haven't actually read origins published post-COIE). Retconning something like that just does not work for me, as it changes the entire flavor of his origin, etc. Then again, I also don't like the retcon of making Wally's parents bad or making Iris and Barry parent-like figures for him, because that is invalidating/erasing the relationships these characters actually had with each other. I don't even like Alfred retconned as parental figure for Bruce, though for more varied reasons.

But he was not carrying out the legacy of another character/person in either a meta or in-universe sense when he took the title.

[Frontier]

I do not. Yes, he was inspired by what he thought was a fictional hero. But he was not passed the mantle, it was not a legecy given or taken from another, and there was no other Flash in his world until then. Until retcons happened. I think making JSA same universe was not a good thing for Barry or Ray, since it made them take titles without permission (I think - haven't actually read origins published post-COIE). Retconning something like that just does not work for me, as it changes the entire flavor of his origin, etc. Then again, I also don't like the retcon of making Wally's parents bad or making Iris and Barry parent-like figures for him, because that is invalidating/erasing the relationships these characters actually had with each other. I don't even like Alfred retconned as parental figure for Bruce, though for more varied reasons.

But he was not carrying out the legacy of another character/person in either a meta or in-universe sense when he took the title.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a story or mention that Barry eventually got Jay's permission to use The Flash name Post-Crisis, but I don't think it was ever meant to be disrespectful, more like an honoring and because Barry was a fan of Jay's Flash.

I think the Barry/Iris stuff with Wally built on the relationships more than it erased anything, but that's just my take.

I feel like it's definitely a legacy in the meta-sense with the takeover of the mantle from the Silver Age and where Barry got the inspiration form.

[Dred]

I do not. Yes, he was inspired by what he thought was a fictional hero. But he was not passed the mantle, it was not a legecy given or taken from another, and there was no other Flash in his world until then. Until retcons happened. I think making JSA same universe was not a good thing for Barry or Ray, since it made them take titles without permission (I think - haven't actually read origins published post-COIE). Retconning something like that just does not work for me, as it changes the entire flavor of his origin, etc. Then again, I also don't like the retcon of making Wally's parents bad or making Iris and Barry parent-like figures for him, because that is invalidating/erasing the relationships these characters actually had with each other. I don't even like Alfred retconned as parental figure for Bruce, though for more varied reasons.

But he was not carrying out the legacy of another character/person in either a meta or in-universe sense when he took the title.

I find it rather silly to talk about the sanctity of Barry's origin.

To us, readers, people who know what we're reading, we know Barry is largely based on Jay. The fact that some plausible in universe person who isn't real would consider Barry the first Flash doesn't mean anything because we're not in a comic book. We know Barry is a legacy character. We know he got his name, his powers, his origin (a lab accident!) and his book from Jay. We know that a large part of Barry's initial surge in popularity was riding on the notoriety of The Flash name. There's a reason the first issue of his ongoing comic was Flash #105...not Flash #1.

He was very, very much carrying out the legacy in a meta sense. And that they quickly made it the case with the multiverse, and then later with the shared universe, just codifies that fact.

There is no Barry Allen: The Flash without Jay Garrick: The Flash.

The thing I really, really don't understand is why this is considered a bad thing. Being a legacy character is not some weird disease that Barry fans should try to rid him of. The best Flash stories are steeped in legacy. When people pick the most important Barry comic it's always Flash of Two Worlds. Wally's best comic is The Return of Barry Allen. It's a strong point of Barry that he was the first major legacy character to take on a predecessor's name.

[Blind Wedjat]

I think legacy characters are ones in which their predecessors explain their conceptualisation and creation, while some characters just inherit an established mantle to enrich their origin story.

Does Jay Garrick explain Barry Allen's creation (more in a meta sense) or does he only enrich Barry Allen's origin story?

Example: Peter Parker explains Miles Morales' creation, while T'Chaka enriches T'Challa's origin story.

[Dred]

They're both legacy characters. You have to jump through hoops to describe Barry and Jay's connection because there's no other word that fits it besides legacy and successor. "Barry Allen ONLY took Jay's name, powers, a similar, origin, and comic book. He's something besides legacy!" The reason we use the word legacy is because a legacy is meant as something that someone from the past leaves behind to a successor. All these things about Jay were there, given to Barry, from the past.

[Shadowcat]

Any word on who’s taking over the Flash book post FS?

[Dred]

Any word on who’s taking over the Flash book post FS?

There have been no post future state solicits for The Flash as far as I'm aware.

[The Darknight Detective]

Pre-COIE, Barry was unquestionably not a legacy character. No ifs, ands, or buts. You will not see anything in print that remotely suggested it back then, either. Inspired by Jay? Duh! With that said, they both were the first Flashes of their respective worlds. It's only on Cluttered Earth where Barry indeed became a legacy.