Who was Flash/Barry Allen's greatest writer?

[Buried Alien]

Who do you consider to be the greatest writer of the Flash/Barry Allen's character?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Raijin]

It's hard to even pick because Barry stuff is so far and few between, sadly.

[Jekyll]

I would say John Broome and Cary Bates. Their works are pure classics. I really like Joshua Williamson and he is definitely my favorite of the modern writers. Manapul’s run during the new 52 was the first time in my life I stopped buying Flash comics. I also really enjoyed Darwyn Cooke’s take on Barry in The New Frontier.

[Sandy Hausler]

I had a hard time choosing between Broome and Bates. I ended up with Broome because he created (I think) all the classic members of the Flash's Rogues Gallery.

Sandy Hausler

[WallyWestFlash]

Cary Bates hands down. No question.

15 years as the writer makes him THE Barry Allen writer for me.

[Slim Shady]

Yeah it almost has to be Broome or Bates really. I go with Bates since I’ve read most hist stuff and think it’s great for the most part. Plus he gave us some of the biggest, most important Flash stories.

I would say John Broome and Cary Bates. Their works are pure classics. I really like Joshua Williamson and he is definitely my favorite of the modern writers. Manapul’s run during the new 52 was the first time in my life I stopped buying Flash comics. I also really enjoyed Darwyn Cooke’s take on Barry in The New Frontier.

I agree about Williamson. I’ve enjoyed his run. I think it’s going to be remembered very highly. Everything’s pretty solid with his run. He’s had a lot to deal with too. Barry and Iris, Wally, Kid Flash, all the Rebirth stuff, I think he’s handled it all pretty well.

[Jim Kelly]

I don't get why Broome and Kanigher are forced to share one selection. I know that they each did stories during the early SHOWCASE try-outs, but Broome became the main writer when THE FLASH started its run as a title. John Broome was sometimes given a break by Gardner Fox, who wrote such trivial stories not worth our consideration as "Flash of Two Worlds" (not to mention all those JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA adventures).

Due to Broome only being in the USA for a part of the year, at which time he would do all his writing for Schwartz, other writers had to pick up the slack--with Frank Robbins and Mike Friedrich also handling Barry's book later in the 1960s. Finally in 1970, Robert Kanigher became the main writer on THE FLASH and did things like establishing that Iris West was born in the 30th century. That Kanigher term lasted about a year before Cary Bates became the main writer and stayed on THE FLASH up until 1985.

While Grant Morrison, Marv Wolfman, Mark Waid and Darwyn Cooke did some interesting stuff with Barry, I wouldn't put their output or their contributions up against significant work of Gardner Fox, Robert Kanigher or even Mike Friedrich.

In terms of Barry Allen there are no writers yet who have written as much for the character as Bates and Broome. I think maybe Geoff Johns comes the closest.

[Buried Alien]

I don't get why Broome and Kanigher are forced to share one selection.

Mostly because it's not clear who did what in those days. Both are listed as writers on SHOWCASE/THE FLASH for those 1950s and early 1960s comics, but it's not clear precisely which stories were written by which writer. Both were always credited.

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[Sam]

From what I have read, Joshua Williamson. I've been loving his run on the title with Running Scared, Perfect Storm, and Flash War being particular highlights. However, I will say, I haven't done a real deep dive into the Bates or Broome eras. I've been curious to for a while, just never been in the right mood. And with Bates, specifically, I'm not sure if it is best to start from the beginning or try the big stuff first (Who Killed Iris Allen?, The Trial of the Flash).

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I find Silver Age comics a bit hard to read, to be honest, and I only started reading comics post-COIE so it's between Mark Waid and Darwyn Cooke. Waid takes it but Cooke is the only other writer to really make me like Barry Allen. Morrison did a solid job too but he didn't make as much of an impression on me as the other two did. Though, man, if only he wrote Rebirth....

I actively hate Geoff Johns' take (probably his worst work in comics ever), while Manapul's was boring (gorgeous art, though!) and Williamson has just doubled down on that not very tasty combo of blandness and jerkiness.

[thales]

Did Mark Waid do Barry Allen's Flash? Wasn't that mostly Wally West?

[The Darknight Detective]

Cary is the man.

[Spider-Ham]

Did Mark Waid do Barry Allen's Flash? Wasn't that mostly Wally West?

You can read about Waid's Barry in JLA : Year One, The Brave & The Bold and somes stories like Chain Lightning.

[Buried Alien]

Did Mark Waid do Barry Allen's Flash? Wasn't that mostly Wally West?

Waid wrote THE LIFE STORY OF THE FLASH, JLA YEAR ONE, and THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD: FLASH AND GREEN LANTERN. Moreover, with Waid at the helm, Barry periodically popped up in Wally's series.

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[Frontier]

On principle I'm almost willing to just give more points to anyone who wrote Barry pre-Flashpoint and pre-"dead mom" status quo.