This feels like a long time coming. It's actually quite amazing that it's taken us this long to cover Barry Allen. We're slowly making our way through the original seven members of the Justice League (Martian Manhunter is the only remaining member left and we'll cover him soon). There's a few reasons why it's taken us such a long time to cover the character that practically launched the Silver Age of comics.

First, we're Wally West fans. There's a reason why Wally West was the second character we ever covered on the Character Corner. And rightly so. Most of what everyone knows of the Flash came from Wally's time (The Speed Force was created during Mark Waid's great Wally West run). Related to this, the second reason it has taken us this long is because Barry Allen for so long represented more of a Legend in the DC Universe than anything else. His first appearance kicked off the start of the Silver Age and his death not only saved the DC Universe but also arguably kicked off the Bronze Age. His sacrifice set the bar and tone for so many characters, not just Wally. He also for the longest time the promise of a hero passing his mantle and legacy to his protege. And honestly, the best Barry Allen stories and the ones people really think of that define the character, all came after his return from death after two decades. 

But before we get into Barry, we start with Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. We'll also be covering some of the other members of the Flash family in part 2. Consider these episodes the primer for later this year when we do a deep dive Comic Book Book Club into Josh Williamson's run on the Flash that really brings home and ties together the legacy of Barry Allen.

Issues:

Jay Garrick

Flash Comics #1 - First Appearance of Jay Garrick The Golden Age Flash

All Star Comics #3 - First Appearance of the Justice Society of America (Jay was founding member and Chairman)

Barry Allen

Showcase #4 - First appearance of Barry Allen the Silver Age Flash

Flash #110 - First Appearance of Wally West as Kid Flash

Flash #123 - Flash of Two Worlds (Barry & Jay meet for the first time)

The Original Rogues (We covered Flash Rogues on this episode)

Captain Cold - Showcase #8 

Mirror Master (Sam Scudder)- The Flash #105 

Gorilla Grodd - The Flash #106 

Pied Piper (Hartley Rathaway) - The Flash #106 

Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) - The Flash #110 

Trickster James Jesse - The Flash #113 

Captain Boomerang - The Flash #117

The Top (Roscoe Dillon) - The Flash #122

Abra Kadabra - The Flash #128 

Heat Wave - The Flash #140

The Golden Glider (Lisa Snart) - The Flash #250

Rainbow Raider - The Flash #286

The Flash #139 - First appearance of Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom

The Flash #275 - The death of Iris Allen

The Flash #282 - 283 - Thawne revealed as Iris' murderer

The Flash #324 - Barry kills Thawne when Thawne tries to kill his new fiance

The Flash #340 - 350 - Trial of  the Flash. #350 ends with Iris being revealed to be from the 30th century and still alive, Barry goes off with Iris to live in the 30th century

Crisis on Infinite Earths

The Wally West Years (Check our Wally West Character Corner & the Update)

Final Crisis #2 - The real return of Barry Allen

The Flash The Rebirth - Six Issue mini-series. Sets the ground for the modern take on Barry and Eobard. Revealed that Thawne went back in time to kill Barry's mother

The Flash vol 3

Blackest Night

Flashpoint

The Flash Vol 4 (Rebirth)

The Williamson run. We will be covering this in a Comic Book Book Club

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