Sorry I'm Late!: Barry Allen Appreciation

[Slim Shady]

There was a prelude to Flash war back In January and you may want to read the gorilla grodd arc that just wrapped up.

Echoing what FlashFreak said. Definitely get the Annual from January, and reading the recent Perfect Storm arc might be worthwhile as well.

Thanks! The Annual will be added. And bah! I was trying to limit how many other issues I was going to get but you had me at Grodd. I'll probably pick that up too.

[Frontier]

I am enjoying the current Flash run tremendously.

Just thought I'd say something positive for once.

Vehemently agreed .

[AngryComicBookNerd]

Those last few pages in #45 between Wally & Iris were just perfect. Overall it's just really well done and the supporting cast is great. Maybe there might be an issue with too many speedsters in the future, but they all feel somewhat unique. I'm even growing to like NuWally. Well... I'm growing to be less annoyed by him anyway. I too hope Williamson stays on this book for a while.

[liwanag]

[mr_crisp]

In Flash #46 Wally is in front of a statue with years and letters next to them. I'm thinking these are referring to the Ages of Comics. The last year is 2006 with a letter P. So we are in the platinum age?

[Frontier]

In Flash #46 Wally is in front of a statue with years and letters next to them. I'm thinking these are referring to the Ages of Comics. The last year is 2006 with a letter P. So we are in the platinum age?

Hmm...I like it .

[Terry Gibbs]

Um, I have almost finished the Showcase Trial of Barry Allen, and am reading Dick Girondos bio. I had heard this but was not too sure but it mentions that when Crisis was conceived they decided to kill Barry and reboot Flash with Wally (Titans was one of their top two books) because Flash sales had dropped off and it was blamed on the trial story line dragging on too long. In case anyone does not know what happened in the end I will not mention it here, but did Bates ever talk about how he had originally intended to end that story line and what he had intended for the future. Would Barry return to police work, stay in Central City, Marry Fiona Webb, .. what was his original ending.
I always thought the run from 174 to 296 was a stand out for its 70s mediocrity (with a few exceptions) but the last 55 issues with Carmine for me is one of the characters best runs.

[liwanag]

[Frontier]

Those are some Zoom-style eyes he's got going on there...

[Captain Craig]

In Flash #46 Wally is in front of a statue with years and letters next to them. I'm thinking these are referring to the Ages of Comics. The last year is 2006 with a letter P. So we are in the platinum age?

Officially Overstreet and the Industry have not recognized the next tier in our "Comic Ages" past Bronze Age at '86.
I think we all agree that 1986 to Present is a ridiculously long 'era' as the styles are wildly different.

The-Flash-46-statues.jpg

Using just that plaque:
Golden: 1940 - 1956
Silver: 1956 - 1986
Bronze: 1986 - 2006
P.......: 2006 - Present

To keep it simple, our Bronze Age starts about 1970 - 1984/86 depending on your source. Not sure why it's not yet universally nailed down as a date/year for the end of the Bronze Age.

I've seen and participated in this discussion before. Some want to see Bronze as just '70-'80 with a micro age called Copper '80-'86.
I almost universally see folks agreeing that due to the darker turn in story telling, rise of the anti-hero(Punisher, Lobo, Spawn) and Marvel's Bankruptcy that something like '86 - 2000-ish be The Dark Age. With 2000-ish to Present being the Modern Age.

[Captain Craig]

edit edit sorry

[Yonekunih]

RCO021_w.jpg
I'm hoping these two can re-connect after the Flash War.

To be honest, I only know Barry through his tv series and JL movie, and some of the issues from New52 and Rebirth, can someone tell me more about what Barry can do with his power?

[Great O.G.U.F.O.O.L.]

Um, I have almost finished the Showcase Trial of Barry Allen, and am reading Dick Girondos bio. I had heard this but was not too sure but it mentions that when Crisis was conceived they decided to kill Barry and reboot Flash with Wally (Titans was one of their top two books) because Flash sales had dropped off and it was blamed on the trial story line dragging on too long. In case anyone does not know what happened in the end I will not mention it here, but did Bates ever talk about how he had originally intended to end that story line and what he had intended for the future. Would Barry return to police work, stay in Central City, Marry Fiona Webb, .. what was his original ending.

I think this piece from a Cary Bates interview is the closest as an answer to your question:

Q: If not for the advent of Crisis on Infinite Earths, what direction would you have taken the Flash title after the Trial story? Would the resolution have been much different than what was published, and if so, did you have stories completed that were discarded?

CB: Because DC had given me over a year’s advance notice of the Crisis and Flash’s inevitable demise, I was focusing all my energies on the Trial storyline, since it would now carry through until the very end of the book’s run. So in all honesty I never contemplated what Flash’s life might have been like after the verdict. But the far more interesting question is what might have been had there been no Crisis event? Well, for one thing the Trial would’ve probably ended a good 8 or 9 issues earlier. Flash would’ve been vindicated and found not guilty in the court of public opinion—but perhaps not by the court system. In fact, before the Crisis entered into things, I do remember toying with the idea of Flash being found guilty and going “on the run” (literally). This would’ve kicked off a new story arc which would have had Flash continuing to do his good deeds as a wanted man with an arrest warrant hanging over his head (sort of a variation on the Green Hornet concept of a hero who the authorities view as a criminal). What I liked most about this idea was the delicious irony of a Flash who ends up joining his own Rogues Gallery.

https://speedforce.org/2011/05/interview-cary-bates2/

[Yonekunih]

I think this piece from a Cary Bates interview is the closest as an answer to your question:



https://speedforce.org/2011/05/interview-cary-bates2/

...That actually sounds interesting. Too bad it could not be carried out.

[Frontier]

I think this piece from a Cary Bates interview is the closest as an answer to your question:



https://speedforce.org/2011/05/interview-cary-bates2/

It would've been interesting to see a Post-Crisis Barry run, at least one that gained more traction then last Johns run.