Best Introduction to Flash, Pre or New 52

[TheLegendarySnooch]

I will admit that I have never really had any interest in The Flash and have primarily followed Batman and Green Arrow through my years of DC comics reading. I have a 7 year old son who's favorite DC character is The Flash and now that he is getting into reading comics on his own I am looking to get him his own Flash trades and eventually current issues is he's enjoying them. My question is he likes the character from various cartoon iterations but he's not familiar with any of the comic continuity so I am looking for one or perhaps several good jumping on points for him. Not sure if it would be best to start with Volume 1 of the New 52 series and go from there or if we should start pre-New 52. Thanks for the input.

[FlashingSabre]

New 52 stuff is about Barry Allen, while all of the cartoons use Wally West as the Flash and Kid Flash. For Wally, your best of hunting down the Geoff Johns stories, starting with Wonderland and Blood Will Run. Be warned, as they can be pretty violent sometimes.

[Poe]

Start with the four volumes of The Flash Chronicles

[MajorHoy]

Start with the four volumes of The Flash Chronicles

What he said.

It was the beginning of DC's Silver Age.





The stories may seem a tad dated if you're younger (hell, they were first told almost 60 years ago!), but they truly were significant in the overall story of the original Barry Allen version of The Flash.

[andersonh1]

New 52 stuff is about Barry Allen, while all of the cartoons use Wally West as the Flash and Kid Flash. For Wally, your best of hunting down the Geoff Johns stories, starting with Wonderland and Blood Will Run. Be warned, as they can be pretty violent sometimes.

Which is precisely why they wouldn't be appropriate for a 7 year old. I'm not sure some of the subject matter in Wally's early issues would be either.

I agree with other posters, go for the early Barry Allen comics. You've got Flash Archives, Chronicles or the recent Omnibus to choose from. Or, if you like Jay Garrick's Flash, there are two volumes of Golden Age Flash. I'm very fond of those myself.

[Jim Kelly]

What about THE FLASH BORN TO RUN? I don't know if that's age appopriate or not, but it has the advantage of retelling the origins of Barry and Wally. And a bit off the track from the Flash, I think IMPULSE: RECKLESS YOUTH is kind of kid-friendly (but maybe for ten years old and above). I thought that the Implulse comics from Mark Waid were the kind of thing I'd want to read when I was a kid. But perhaps already dated by now.

[FlashingSabre]

Which is precisely why they wouldn't be appropriate for a 7 year old. I'm not sure some of the subject matter in Wally's early issues would be either.

I agree with other posters, go for the early Barry Allen comics. You've got Flash Archives, Chronicles or the recent Omnibus to choose from. Or, if you like Jay Garrick's Flash, there are two volumes of Golden Age Flash. I'm very fond of those myself.

I only recommend it because his son is obviously a Wally fan, as opposed to classic Barry. Frankly, with all the violence kids today ae exposed to, it might not be too much. I probably wouldn't give it to my kid though, so take what you will. (I'm against kids playing COD and the like)