There are comic books that have inspired me through the words of the writer. The stories that they told stayed with me because I somehow connected with what they had to say. Then there are comic books that inspired me just because I found them at an age when my imagination was feeding off of the overall experience. This is something that happened with me when I found The Flash # 1 written by Mike Baron. I don’t remember when exactly I came across this comic book. It wasn’t completely new, maybe only a few years after the original publishing date. I believe it to be around the time that the original “Flash” TV show aired, which may have heightened my excitement level.
That being said, I was drawn in first by the dynamic cover art that shows the hero and what looks to be like him racing fighter jets. When I opened the issue, I was immediately transported into a fantastic new world. The Flash was racing against time and traveling hundreds of miles to transport a human heart needed for a transplant all the while discovering the man that would soon become his first arch nemesis, Vandal Savage. He was a villain that would have lasting effects in the life of The Flash. At the time I didn’t know why the primary the difference between this comic book and the show (this includes the current New 52 comic books and the updated TV show) was the man behind the mask. This Flash comic book was centered on a speedster whose name was Wally West. Then I never met the original hero Barry Allen in comics who just happens to be Uncle and mentor to West’s Flash. I found out later that he died saving the world. That struck a cord in me. That’s when I realized that a hero could die (and this was years before the death of Superman). It was one of the moments that I changed my perceptions of comic books. These days, hero’s die all the time and come back, but that’s not how it was when I was a kid and I’m thankful for it. This issue of The Flash was a starting point for me as it laid one of the many seeds that would give life to my imagination. It was a seed that was planted deep in my mind and in my heart because even today, The Flash is one of my favorite characters of all time.
By Gavin
I can relate, my first introduction into comics was from a Detective Comics special 100 page issue featuring Batman. followed up by the Hulk and into the Fantastic Four and the world was never the same.