Comparing and Contrasting Barry Allen & Wally West's Personalities

[Jim Kelly]

Quick question, pre-Flashpoint, how many of the Titans finished college? I know Dick went to Hudson, but he didn't finish. Then he went to Gotham, but I don't think he finished there, either. Did any of the others go to college and finish? Not that it's absolutely necessary for every teen to go on to college, but it seems strange given their collective intelligence and resources that a few of them didn't get a degree. Or did Wally eventually get his degree? With Barry as a role model, one would think. And it would be pretty easy for him to complete a degree and do all this other business.

[Grim Ghost]

Quich question, pre-Flashpoint, how many of the Titans finished college? I know Dick went to Hudson, but he didn't finish. Then he went to Gotham, but I don't think he finished there, either. Did any of the others go to college and finish? Not that it's absolutely necessary for every teen to go on to college, but it seems strange given their collective intelligence and resources that a few of them didn't get a degree. Or did Wally eventually get his degree? With Barry as a role model, one would think. And it would be pretty easy for him to complete a degree and do all this other business.

I think Wally was studying to be an accountant and dropped out. This MAY have been around the time his powers were killing him. But I'm not really sure how much of the pre crisis stuff carried over into post crisis. With the Flash post crisis relaunch he was hard up for money and didn't seem to have any job skills beyond being the Flash. I don't recall Wally mentioning dropping out of college post crisis but it's been a long time since I read those issues.

[Lightning Rider]

Interesting topic because I associate a lot of superheroes with being educated. Clark is a journalist, Bruce is a businessman with insane intellect, Wonder Woman is a diplomat, Barry Allen is a scientist, Carter Hall is an archeologist, Ray Palmer is a scientist. The Titans should hope to achieve the same heights of worldly understanding.

[Ascended]

I really don't think Silver Age ideologies can be applied to 2017 Barry & Wally anymore. Barry is a scientist through and through which makes me even question if he is a devout Christian like he used to in modern age (last issue of the Flash had him calling Thawne a "man of science rather than faith" for example) and Wally is no longer a republican since Waid. And considering the year we live in, he is in love with a Korean American and most of his best friends are minorities (Dick is Romani in modern age and Piper is gay) so making him conservative doesn't fit the tone of today.

I agree that the political landscape of "back then" doesnt translate well to "now." But these things always shift and ebb and flow. One upon a time it was the Republicans who were considered to be the "party of the blue collar man" and the Democrats were all "super rich old money" votes. Stuff changes.

But I dont think Wally having gay friends and an Asian American wife preclude him from being a Republican. He just isn't one of the crazy extremist Republicans.

[Ascended]

"Flash is what I do" and "Flash is who I am" might work.

Spot on.

Yeah I wanted to emphasize that both use science, but to different degrees and for different reasons. Your breakdown was spot on.

Thanks! I struggle with Barry a little bit, because most of what I've read of him comes from post-Crisis; Waid's JLA Year One, Flash: Rebirth-now, etc. And I know that his character got twisted up a lot in those years from what it originally was.

When I wrote "accessible", I should have specified the communities they serve. The Flashes live side by side with and engage with the people of the Twin Cities on a much more familiar basis than most. Stopping by to help with even the smallest things. I think people would be much more comfortable asking Flash for an autograph or yelling something profane at him than with other heroes.

That I agree with. I love how they handled Flash in the old JLU cartoon. That dude was talking to random people on the street on a first name basis, painting fences, really a blue collar superhero. It's a great fit, and I cant think of anyone off the top of my head who does it as well as Flash (regardless of who is in the mask).

If you think about it, both are kind of inaccessible in a way. Barry for his introvertedness, Wally for his stubbornness. Totally agreed there. It's probably what makes their relationships (Hal, Dick) so special in a way too.

That, and they just really bounce off Hal/Dick really well. Though how Barry put up with Hal for so long is beyond me.

As for the modern political landscape, I don't think either should have a nuanced political ideology, but broader philosophical strokes. I think Wally would be more willing to cross political boundaries to save lives without thinking twice, and Barry would hesitate, if not abstain. Barry would probably be less empathetic to your common criminal than Wally would, due to Wally having experience with reforming villains (Piper) and having personal friends (Zoom) turn on him. Barry probably likes cops more than Wally does. Barry probably cares about the environment more due to the alarming scientific data that Wally wouldn't go out of his way to fully absorb. Wally is probably more sensitive to racial issues having a woman of color as a partner and spending more time in the more working class city of the two. Hopefully that makes sense.

I think really nailing a character's politics is a bad idea unless that character is Ollie Queen. Somehow he makes being a reactionary, knee-jerk liberal work. Everyone else is best left at vague notions like "He leans Right" or whatever. If you really wanna get detailed, you say something like "He leans Left on social issues but Right on fiscal policy." Anything more than that and you're likely to end up with angry fans who can't handle the idea of a fictional character not seeing the world the way they do. Gods, for all the complaints about hyper-sensitive liberals, the Right has become just as bad.

That said, given Wally's background and where he grew up, I'd be surprised if he didn't lean Right on most things.

[Buried Alien]

Though how Barry put up with Hal for so long is beyond me.

Barry is patient...very, very patient.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Lightning Rider]

Barry is patient...very, very patient.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

There's another good contrast: patient and impatient. (Though methodical encompasses that already perhaps)

[Bukdiah]

What are the great Barry Allen Flash runs? My introduction to Flash was Flash Rebirth back in the day that made my head hurt as a first time reader and then New 52 I guess. I just got into Waid's Wally West though!

[Buried Alien]

What are the great Barry Allen Flash runs? My introduction to Flash was Flash Rebirth back in the day that made my head hurt as a first time reader and then New 52 I guess. I just got into Waid's Wally West though!

Start here:



During Barry's first heyday, "runs" as we know them today weren't really operative. Stories were self-contained affairs that rarely ran over a single issue, and creative teams endured for years and years.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jim Kelly]

Between Crisis and his own rebirth, Barry Allen spent most of his time being dead, so there aren't that many runs to find. There were a few limited appearances.

Prior to Crisis, Barry had a long run--arguably the most successful character from DC's so-called Silver Age--in that his book was never cancelled, where every other character's book was cancelled at one time or another (only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were as successful and they were all hold-overs from the "Golden Age"). Sgt. Rock comes close but for some of that time OUR ARMY AT WAR was an anthology.

What made the pre-Crisis FLASH great was consistency--the fact that one could depend on the title to provide the same quality every month, year after year.

Clearly the best period was between 1959 and 1967 (plus appearing in SHOWCASE for four try-outs between 1956 and 1958), when nearly all the great Rogues were introduced and Barry's supporting cast was developed. John Broome was the main writer, with a good number of other stories from Gardner Fox (including most of the Jay Garrick plots). Carmine Infantino did all the artwork--inked primarily by Joe Giella but with Murphy Anderson and Sid Greene embellishing a good number of stories, too [SHOWCASE 4, 8, 13, 14; THE FLASH 105 -174].

The next best period was between about 1970 and 1978, when Irv Novick was the penciller--and Cary Bates was the writer for most of this period [THE FLASH 200 - 270]. Once Novick left and Iris was killed off, I lost interest, but in 1981 the return of Carmine Infantino and the Trial of the Flash (soon after) brought the run to a rousing conclusion in time for Barry's death in 1985 [THE FLASH 296 - 350].

All the Broome/Infantino run has been reprinted in SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE FLASH Vols. 1 - 4; most of it in THE FLASH ARCHIVES Vols. 1 - 6; some of it in THE FLASH CHRONICLES Vols. 1 - 4 and THE FLASH OMNIBUS.

Most of the Trial has been reprinted in SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE TRIAL OF THE FLASH.

[Lightning Rider]

What are the great Barry Allen Flash runs? My introduction to Flash was Flash Rebirth back in the day that made my head hurt as a first time reader and then New 52 I guess. I just got into Waid's Wally West though!

In addition to the pre-Crisis books mention, Waid wrote a fantastic Barry Allen in "Brave and the Bold", teaming him up with Hal, "JLA: Year One", and "The Life Story of the Flash", a more text-based story told from the perspective of Iris.

[Buried Alien]

Between Crisis and his own rebirth, Barry Allen spent most of his time being dead, so there aren't that many runs to find. There were a few limited appearances.

More than a few. During the twenty-three years that Barry was gone from active service in the DCU, he nevertheless managed to make some kind of flashback or time-travel cameo seemingly at least once every two or three months. Additionally, hardly an issue of Wally's FLASH series went by without at least one mention of Barry.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[HAN9000]

Barry's shy? When?

[Jim Kelly]

More than a few. During the twenty-three years that Barry was gone from active service in the DCU, he nevertheless managed to make some kind of flashback or time-travel cameo seemingly at least once every two or three months. Additionally, hardly an issue of Wally's FLASH series went by without at least one mention of Barry.

Yeah, I could've phrased that better--"a few limited appearances" was just a hand wave, because I didn't want to set myself the task of researching Barry's appearances in that period and I was trying to indicate that there were a few Flash runs or one-shots where he was the star or co-star. Comics like SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL No. 2 (1988), the six issue FLASH & GREEN LANTERN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (1999/2000) and SILVER AGE: THE FLASH (July 2000)--phew, glad I dodged that bullet, because trying to remember and find the dates for those comics woud've been a chore.

Obviously, pre- and post-Crisis, Barry also made appearances in other people's books, too. He was one of the most important stars in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA for most of its pre-Crisis run, for example. He had important contests with Superman where they tried to determine who was the fastest--or maybe it was just for charity. There were team-ups with Batman and others. And the Flash had his own starring feature in ADVENTURE COMICS for eight issues in 1979 (Nos. 459 - 466), when that title was a Dollar Comic.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I remember Wally and Bart having a lot of tension so I think Barry is the better teacher than Wally.