Coincidence boggles the mind sometimes. My colleague John Babos and I had planned a series of Near Mint Memories columns highlighting the important characters of the Silver Age for months now. The series was intended to coincide with the early offerings of Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier mini-series.
Julius Schwartz was one of the giants of the comic industry and the man responsible for so many iconic characters especially those of the Silver Age. This week’s column centers on the beginnings of two of Mr. Schwartz’s most enduring creations. The coincidental part? The column you are now reading was bumped by a week so we could run John’s touching tribute to Mr. Schwartz in NMM last week.
It turns out that superheroes weren’t a flash in the pan!
When you look at the modern comic landscape, the market in the United States is almost completely dominated by superheroes. Costumed adventurers really began picking up steam with The Phantom’s introduction in 1936, followed closely by Superman in 1938, then Batman in 1939. A wide range of costumed heroes were introduced on the comic scene in the ensuing years and this type of character ruled the comic scene throughout the forties and into the fifties.
Yet, by the early part of the 50s, superheroes were waning in popularity and most of the costumed characters were replaced with other forms of comic entertainment. Horror, romance, true crime, and war stories were the popular genres of the time. This turn of events actually left Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as the only superheroes to appear in their own magazines by 1956.
Saved with a Flash!
The concept of the Flash was introduced in the 1940s. Jay Garrick, known today as the Golden Age Flash, was a popular member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) and was featured in his own magazine Flash Comics, which ran 104 issues. During a session with DC’s brain trust of the time, it was decided to try more superhero comics. These men decided to bring back the Flash for the anthology style book Showcase. The idea of returning Garrick to action was nixed. So, a new hero was created. Julius Schwartz had worked on the original Flash, so he was to edit the book. When you look at the talent that was arrayed on the book it’s no wonder that this new Flash concept launched the industry into what’s now known as the Silver Age.
Schwartz brought in Bob Kanigher (probably best known for collaborating innumerable times with legendary Joe Kubert on Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace) to workout the origin for the new Flash. John Broome was brought in to write the stories following Kanigher’s origin. The most inspired choice and the one that remained with the character for the greatest length of time was the artist. Carmine Infantino worked on the original (Golden Age) Flash, and set the standard for all artists to come on the new incarnation. He would work on the character at various times for decades including a lengthy stint in the 70s and 80s.
Although Jay Garrick was left out of this new book, he was not completely forgotten. Barry gained his super speed when a bolt of lightning struck his laboratory and he took the name of his favorite comic book hero. You guessed it, The Flash. This was a very nice historical nod, but one that would lead to the creation of an Earth 2, which was first explored in the classic story “The Flash of Two Worldsâ€. In this reality the Golden Age heroes, like Jay Garrick actually dwelled. This of course eventually led to DC’s need to uncomplicate their multiverse with the Crisis On Infinite Earths mega-event.
Nothing’s so sweet as rogue’s this neat!
With the possible exception of Batman and Spider-Man, the Flash has the greatest group of villainous foils of any comic character. In comics the villain makes the title character the hero that he is. You look back on all of the classic heroes and they’re always flanked by truly challenging adversaries. These foes are one of the main reasons that the Flash has remained successful for nearly fifty years (even though Barry Allen passed the mantle to Wally West in 1986).
Once the Flash’s series was up and running again, it was decided that the Flash would need great enemies to fight every month. As the issues passed, the team of Broome and Infantino created timeless villains nearly every month. The likes of: Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Gorilla Grodd, Weather Wizard, and The Pied Piper all debuted before 1960 arrived.
That wasn’t the end though. Characters like: Reverse-Flash, Abra Kadabra, Captain Boomerang, The Top, and The Trickster would also make our hero’s life quite miserable. The Flash was put to the test every issue by the sheer amount of entertaining villains, which made the fan’s reading experience a wonderful, colorful world of superhero vs. supervillain. Although I didn’t discover Barry Allen’s Flash until the 80s, the wide array of villains was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book.
Flash = Pioneer
The Flash, it seems, is a character that is continually a pioneer in the world of comics. First, he was the character that is considered the first of the new wave of Silver Age heroes. In 1966, he became the first major superhero of the time to marry his sweetheart. When Barry Allen and Iris West (then forward known as Iris Allen) got hitched it served as a major change for a character in an industry that had almost always used “the illusion of change.†Comic characters just didn’t see major changes at that time. Yet, for some reason, the Flash got this major step forward.
The Flash was a larger than life character that always fought villains that tried to steal the show. His exploits fit in perfectly next to those of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Down the line the Flash would join the Justice League of America (JLA) as a founding member, but I must slow down, as I am getting a bit ahead of myself.
Then comes a brightness, which will shine everlasting…
Showcase was again the place to reenvision a former Golden Age great. 1959’s issue #22 saw John Broome at work again, this time updating the Green Lantern (GL) concept with Gil Kane involved on the artistic end. Since it worked so well for the “new†Flash, it was decided to completely abandon the original Alan Scott GL character for a brand new concept. Hal Jordan the cocky California test pilot was born.
I won’t waste time recounting the origins of Hal Jordan, which I’m sure most everyone is all too familiar with. I would like to mention what I think is the most intriguing part of his origin. Following the death of alien GL Abin Sur, Hal Jordan became guardian of space sector 2814. While this idea took away the one-of-a-kind nature that most superheroes of the time held, it was a magnificent boon. When Hal became a GL he joined 3599 other Green Lantern’s in protecting the cosmos. Certainly this was very different than the singular nature of most heroes of the time.
In many ways, Hal, with the greatest weapon in the DC Universe, was the easiest character to relate to. Who couldn’t see themselves as a person totally lacking any fear (apologies to Daredevil, but Hal had “no fear†first) with the most willpower in the universe? For me, it was always much easier to imagine myself as a Green Lantern than as Superman, Batman, Flash (although he was always my favorite of the group). The character was really all about will and striving for your dreams, which was easy to relate to.
Of these icons that would make up the heart of the JLA, Hal was probably the most realistic outside of costume as well. He wasn’t an Amazonian princess, a “square†police scientist, an avenger of the night, or the ultimate Boy Scout. Hal was a braggart with more foibles than most heroes. So, not only were his powers more easy to imagine yourself with, but his personality was much closer to that of a “real†human being too.
Being a member of the Green Lantern Corps leant itself to a myriad of strange guest stars and stories that could be set across the universe. Yet, with Hal mainly stationed on Earth, there was the opposite dichotomy of stories available surrounding Hal’s time on Earth questing after his love, Carol Ferris. This dual ability of telling earth-bound and space-borne stories really set the Green Lantern book apart from most heroes on the stands.
Like the Flash before him, Green Lantern launched into his own solo series in 1960. In issue #13 Hal Jordan and Barry Allen learned one another’s secret identities while fighting aliens. Their friendship would be one of the strongest between any two characters in the era. Green Lantern joined Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter as founding members of the JLA in 1960. Since DC was having so much success with these revamps of old properties, the JLA was formed with the classic JSA as its basis. Julius Schwartz’s influence was seen yet again, as he left his mark with more Silver Age classics.
The pioneers are the ones that get whacked!
It’s amazing that Flash and Green Lantern, the characters that reignited the superhero movement were two of the classic characters to be killed off in the changing comic times of the late 80s and early 90s. Flash died in what is probably the most heroic fashion that any comic hero has ever perished in. He died saving the universe during Crisis. He’s gone and serves as such an example that he almost certainly will never be resurrected.
Hal Jordan is another story entirely. He went mad and killed most of the Green Lantern Corps and tried to remake the entire universe. He eventually regained most of his heroic faculties and died saving the Earth during the Final Night crossover event. Since then, he has returned as the Spectre, and if rumor is true, we’ll see Hal as (a) GL again before long.
Still, in the world of comics very little permanent change ever occurs with characters. Yet, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, were lucky (or unlucky) enough to have had their stories reach a final (if not all that satisfying) conclusion. It doesn’t matter that they’re both gone (at least for now), Hal Jordan and Barry Allen were two characters that reopened the superhero genre in comics. Of course we all know the person that should be thanked for these great characters and influencing everything that’s come since in comics —Julius Schwartz, may you Rest in Peace. You will be missed.
Get in touch with your inner….. 144Anima???
Now it’s time for a little promotion. If you haven’t checked it out already, take a look at 144Anima.com, which is the latest craze in web-comics. The first four strips are online as I speak and well worth a look! While you’re there head by the forums, we are having a great time there! So, don’t miss out.
The Reading Rack
Silver Age Flash Archives: Each 200 plus page archive collects a chronological collection of Barry Allen’s early appearances from Showcase to his solo book. Volumes 1 -3 are available from DC.
Silver Age Green Lantern Archives: Check out Hal’s early adventures; volumes 1 – 4 are available.
Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold: While it’s not a true Silver Age story, Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Barry Kitson bring you this modernized telling of the friendship of Barry and Hal.
