That cover above was the first time I ever laid eyes on the now familiar red and yellow costume of The Flash. I was seven years old when I got my hands on it. I think my dad bought it for me. It introduced me to the concept of a superhero who could run at super-speed. It also introduced me to the Rogues and (in a way) to the Reverse-Flash.
Also, I thought the dialogue on the cover was incredible striking: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury...my life is in your hands!"
As a kid I didn't fully understand everything I read in this issue but it left enough of an impression on me that The Flash immediately became my favorite super-hero. I even convinced my dad to name our (then) new dog "Flash".
Back then it was hard to get comic books. I lived in a small rural town and the closest place that sold them was an hour long drive away. We didn't really have comic shops back then. You had to buy them at convenience stores or drug stores. Imagine my surprise then when I found a copy of All-Star Squadron with a completely different Flash who lived on a completely different world!
Once again I was introduced to the Flash, this time Jay Garrick of Earth-2. He had a great costume, some great dialogue and introduction and seeing him alongside other heroes (most of which I didn't really know yet) like Green Lantern, Dr. Fate and Amazing Man was a real treat.
A year or so later, I met a third Flash, although at the time I didn't realize he was a different character from the first one I had met a couple of years before. Their costumes were the same, but there was a new (to me) face under the mask.
Wally West wasn't the first Flash I read about, but he ended up becoming my favorite. Once again, the cover of the comic is what drew me in. Fantastic use of colors and the story inside (including the amazing ending) is what made me the comic book addict that I am today.
Little by little I learned about the three different Flashes and their connections to each other. Remember: this was in the days before the Internet. I had to draw what information I could from the few comic books I could get my hands on. Flash Annual #3 was a big help in that.
Anyway, long story short, I plan to use this blog to review or discuss comics featuring The Flash. Most will probably be from the Wally West series (which is the one I grew up on), others will be from Barry's original series, the few Jay Garrick stories I've read, Bart Allen's series and appearances by the Flashes in other books (Justice League, Justice Society, All-Star Squadron). I have no idea how often I'll be updating this blog. I'm doing this mainly for fun and I'll update when I have the time so this won't be a daily blog but I'll try to update it at least once a week.
