With the new Flash series on the way...

[new_onslaught]

..., which are the best Barry Allen stories to read until the series begins? I'm mostly interested in pre-new 52 stories. I've only read Flash Rebirth and Flashpoint. Do the old Barry Allen stories hold up?

[Güicho]

Great list - http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...ies-ever-told/

[new_onslaught]

Great list - http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...ies-ever-told/

Thanks! Good thing that most are one-issue stories, so it will be easy to get from Comixology!

[Ilan Preskovsky]

That looks to be about as good a list as you could hope for. One thing though, Silver Age and even Bronze Age comics are a vastly different reading experience to modern comics. I personally find them slightly hard to get into and I really have to put them into the context of when they were written to properly appreciate them. Well, mostly anyway.

For modern, pre-New 52 Barry stories, I recommend checking out JLA: Year One and Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold, both by Mark Waid (with Brian Augustyn/ Tom Peyer) and Barry Kitson. I think both trades are still in print.

Also DC: New Frontier features an excellent take on Barry as well.

Whatever you do though, avoid the Geoff Johns stuff like the plague. Boy, does that dude write a crappy Barry Allen.

[Shadowcat]

That looks to be about as good a list as you could hope for. One thing though, Silver Age and even Bronze Age comics are a vastly different reading experience to modern comics. I personally find them slightly hard to get into and I really have to put them into the context of when they were written to properly appreciate them. Well, mostly anyway.

For modern, pre-New 52 Barry stories, I recommend checking out JLA: Year One and Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold, both by Mark Waid (with Brian Augustyn/ Tom Peyer) and Barry Kitson. I think both trades are still in print.

Also DC: New Frontier features an excellent take on Barry as well.

Whatever you do though, avoid the Geoff Johns stuff like the plague. Boy, does that dude write a crappy Barry Allen.

The Dastardly Death of the Rogue's was a great arc. It's just everything that came after that was horrible.

[new_onslaught]

The Dastardly Death of the Rogue's was a great arc. It's just everything that came after that was horrible.

Wasn't much after it, was it? Only Road to Flashpoint and Flashpoint. Out of these I've only read Flashpoint, which wasn't that bad.

[MajorHoy]

. . . Whatever you do though, avoid the Geoff Johns stuff like the plague. Boy, does that dude write a crappy Barry Allen.

Agree whole-heartedly with his . . . for a guy who supposedly loved the Barry Allen version of the Flash, his version was a train wreck that gave Barry a new background (mom killed when he was a kid) that basically turned him into every other grimdark, angst-filled character out there.

(Though people have said his Wally West Flash was supposedly good.)

One other word of warning: as mentioned, many pre-CoIE Flash stories may seem dated some 30+ years later, but then again, society itself has changed drastically during that time as well. And if you can find them, the first couple of volumes of The Flash Chronicles will give you a better picture of how the character started (way back in 1956).

[new_onslaught]

Though people have said his Wally West Flash was supposedly good.

It is. I am reading it right now and it's pretty good.

[Neowing]

Didn't know that Geoff wrote a bad Barry

[Pharozonk]

Geoff Johns had a good run on Wally's series, though I didn't like that be brought more gore/violent action to the series such as Gorilla Grodd breaking Hunter Zolomon's spine.

[Kyer]

Geoff Johns had a good run on Wally's series, though I didn't like that be brought more gore/violent action to the series such as Gorilla Grodd breaking Hunter Zolomon's spine.

Yeah, that. As much as I loved the Crossroads--Blitz--Ignition arc the sheer level of violence Johns brought to the table was new and unwelcome to me.
Or maybe it was more that the upgraded techniques of artwork made it easier to show gritty-detail violence than before with what looked like dot-matrix printers on cheap paper stock.

I'm putting another vote in for Mark Waid's Brave And The Bold featuring Barry and Hal. That book was my first introduction to Barry as actually Barry (not an imposter or a 'ghost') and the main reason I'd been so excited for Flash: Rebirth (eh, until Flash: Rebirth actually came out and...ugh. Do not go there.)

[Rakzo]

You definitely need to read some of the Silver Age stories but especially the Bronze Age ones written by Cary Bates, Trial of the Flash aside, Bates wrote some of the best tales about Barry Allen.

Then go straight to the New 52 version with Manapul/Buccellato's run since they updated the character perfectly.

Skip the versions written by Mark Waid and Geoff Johns (second run), they simply had misguiden representations of the character.

[FlashEarthOne]

Skip the versions written by Mark Waid and Geoff Johns (second run), they simply had misguiden representations of the character.

Yeah... Waid may the worst choice if you want to see Barry written well.

[Mia]

..., which are the best Barry Allen stories to read until the series begins? I'm mostly interested in pre-new 52 stories. I've only read Flash Rebirth and Flashpoint. Do the old Barry Allen stories hold up?

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are just looking to familiarize yourself with the character as he is in the show. Then I would just stick with Johns Dastardly Death of the Rogues by Johns, as well as Buccellato and Manapul’s Nu52 run. Further if your main interest is in the ‘Barry Allen’ portrayed by Gustin. Then I would also strongly recommend that you try out Mark Waid’s run on the Flash as well as some of the Impulse stories (The Flash: Mercury Falling). Gustin’s seems to be more of a mish-mash of a young Wally West and Bart Allen (and Peter Parker) than the real Barry Allen as he has been portrayed. But if you genuinely are interested in Barry Allen, then you should check out Showcase Presents The Flash. Currently there are 4 volumes in print. Along with the Trial of the Flash. You can also try Darwyn Cook’s New Frontier.

Whatever you do though, avoid the Geoff Johns stuff like the plague. Boy, does that dude write a crappy Barry Allen.

Which is pretty ironic given the fact that Johns’ retcon is what is being used as a source for the show. I picked up a copy of the ‘Life Story of the Flash’ today at a used bookstore and was surprised at how it covered Barry’s background, and how amazing he came across. Why Johns chose to get rid of it, and replace it with the derivative superhero origin melodrama is beyond me

[teej]

You definitely need to read some of the Silver Age stories but especially the Bronze Age ones written by Cary Bates, Trial of the Flash aside, Bates wrote some of the best tales about Barry Allen.

Definitely. Carey Bates' stories are essential for any Flash fan IMO. It's a shame so little of it is easily available.