#Golden Age Flash

[chernobog13]

Jay Garrick, the original Flash, by Paul Smith and colored by Rich Seetoo.

[incorrectcomicbookquotes]

Flash Family Reunion 4

Wally: Okay, guys! We need to figure out who reverse-engineered Brainiac's tech to take over the world!

Wallace: It was Bart.

Wally: Huh?

Avery: After Max came back to life again, he decided to brainwash everyone in the world so no one would hurt him ever again.

Wally: How do you know this?

Jay: He told us.

Wally: Wha-?! Well, why didn't you stop him?!

Jay: Because, it's Bart. He's really cute!

Avery: (chuckles) Yeah, you should've heard him! He was all like; (impersonating Impulse) "All resistance is futile!"

Wallace: (impersonating Impulse) "Those who stray from the path will be corrected!"

Jay: (impersonating Impulse) "Today, a safer Central City! Tomorrow, a safer world!"

Wally: Are you crazy?! How could you not see that he was dangerous?! Actually, now that I think about it, that must've been adorable.

Flashfam: D'aaaaaw.

Wally: Okay, let's take that cutie-patootie down!

[wanderingmind867]

Jay Garrick is a better Flash than any of the others. His golden age stories are silly and goofy (he had a group of three stooges rip-offs as sidekicks), he has some of the most fun villians I can think of (the thinker, the shade, etc), and he's also got Greek mythology ties (He wears a Winged helmet of Hermes/Mercury, presumably as a tribute to the God). Also, he's just a lot faster. I read a few golden age stories. Jay's stories move so rapidly and so frenetically that he seems so fast. Half his stories seem to only take an hour (or less). He can catch a crook in 3 minutes; he's just that fast. Jay Garrick is the best. Him and Quicksilver at Marvel are probably my favorite speed based heroes, with Wally West directly behind them in third.

[fastestfanalive]

“Everything I’ve ever done as The Flash has been because of Barry and Iris. And the greatest gift they ever gave me was showing me what family was.” - Wally West, The Fastest Family Man Alive. 

From The Flash #800: A Celebration of Wally West

[silveragelovechild]

I like the simplicity of the design for a Jay Garrick/Golden Age Flash action figure. He could have jumped off the page of a comic.

[sandy-castle]

Jay Garrick helping out Santa in Comic Cavalcade (1942) #13

[tomoleary]

Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick) by E.E. Hibbard

[theflashjaygarrick]

People have spent so much time fleshing out random background male characters and so for feminism I am going to give one of DC's under appreciated female characters this treatment . I am absolutely fascinated by Joan Garrick as a character. DC is not. But who am I to let that stop me.

So what are some things we know about Joan Garrick (née Williams). One is that she met Jay Garrick when they were both students at college. More potential context was given by Millar and Morrison in the iconic Jay focused Flash (vol 2) #134. Here we learn that at the present time she is teaching microbiology and based on the fact that in my experience a specific microbiology subject is more common in university and she's heading in for specific classes not the school day I can infer she is a lecturer/professor. These few facts paint a picture of an awesome and boundary breaking woman in her own right.

We can assume she was in college in the 1930s. This makes sense. After all the 30s was the first generation where (almost entirely white and middle class) women attended colleges in greater numbers and with more social acceptance then before. They became symbols of newfound female independence and education. But at the same time they faced a lot of obstacles , particularly in co-ed institutions like Midwestern University. She still had to navigate her way through a very male dominated institution that did not take her seriously if they wanted her to be there at all. Along with the change in female education came cultural backlash both within and outside the academy. Misogynistic (and racist) detractors viewed female higher education as frivolous, unsuitable for women's 'fragile physiology' and even saw it as the 'suicide' of the middle-class white American family. Yeah these people were the fucking worst. Anyway, being a female student at a university in that era meant dealing with and overcoming all kinds of bullshit from exclusion to outright harassment (even more than it does now).

And then there is the fact that she apparently studied biology (or microbiology more specially) in a time where most women pursued degrees in teaching or nursing (if they planned to use it vocationally) or liberal arts (if they did not). Women were actively discouraged from taking science courses and Joan would have been trying to enter an even more hostile boys club whilst fighting against even greater social pressure. But despite it all she seemingly did succeed and presumably help break barriers for women in science which is awesome.

And we can see this refusal to back down in her personality. Joan's kindness is matched by her tenacity and her 'do first, ask for permission later' personality, which whether forged through her experiences in academic or before-hand helped her persevere overcome the many obstacles she would have faced. She's an absolute badass.

Now this is not strictly relevant but she also knew Jay was the flash the whole time which is really sweet. I personally like to think she figured it out because he kept asking her really specific questions about human metabolism and the like (biology seemingly is Jay's scientific blindspot) and she put two and two together. Also he just innately trusts her with his secret which is cute considering how much secret identity drama silver age couples went through.

[comic-covers]

(1946)

[onlylonelylatino]

Plastic Man, Young Justice, Justice Society and Justice League by Todd Nauck

[cgbcomics]

[evilhorse]

Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #11 (Tony Harris variant cover)

[comicartarchive]

Flash Gordon Sunday 5-19-1940 by Alex Raymond

[wanderingmind867]

Golden Age Flash had one thing other versions of Flash didn't: a parody of the Three Stooges. Golden Age Flash had the Three Dimwits: Winky, Blinky and Noddy. They appeared a lot in Jay Garrick stories, and even scored a handful of solo stories in the 40s. After that, they dropped off the map. Gardner Fox or John Broome did try to revive them (they had one apperance in an early Barry Allen story, doing their usual comedic thing), but apparently nobody liked that story enough to revive them. And I don't really like that.

If we ever get a true Jay Garrick comic (one willing to pull out all the true golden age stops), then bring back Winky, Blinky and Noddy! Hell, I'd even take them returning for a Barry Allen or Wally West story! Their style of madcap, slapstick comedy and wordplay still works today! People still love the Three Stooges! Why not the Three Dimwits!?

[jasondeansgothwife]

made some marilyn manson era blinkies!! :3

[silveragelovechild]

Golden Age The Flash and Green Lantern by Alex Ross