Someone asked me if there was a particular type of comic I collect, well…apart from collecting Nightwing religiously every month, my collection has always been:

I see. I like the story/art. I buy. 

Sometimes I get given issues by people, (my parents used to occasionally use them as stocking fillers for me at Christmas.)

And more recently with a bit of extra money I’ve been getting lately, (hail being a working/studying adult…sorta…) I’ve started to invest in more Silver Age, Bronze Age, Copper and Australian only editions

So I thought why not throw open my folders archived collection and show off some of my favourites comics and covers.

That and the fact my library/sitting room/bedroom is currently a complete mess, since I”m repainting and redecorating, so the bulk of my collection are sitting piled up in boxes…and I’ve discovered issues I didn’t even know I had!

So this Monday I’m going to start my new weekly reveal of my favourite personally owned comics, and perhaps introduce you guys to the history of Australian DC published comics. (Which was defunct by 1986…so highly collectable.)

So: Holyisms to Goddamn and The Personal Archives of Doom will be up every Monday, the first being this Monday the 7th…and this one will be shot outside of my flat to reduce the danger of my oversized New Teen Titans promo poster falling on my head.

And yes, this is the first of the video specials I promised back in December, I didn’t think you guys would appreciate hearing my dentist-given swollen-jawed attempt at explaining Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes last month.

[And for everyone looking for the 4th Part of the Barry Allen Code, it will be up tomorrow, my word program crashed my work and I’ve just started recovering it. So on TGIHSCD Friday.]

(Now this section should have been up last Monday, but I felt the need to re-read “Flashpoint” as well as several other Bat-family comics and more recent news.)

—The Barry Allen Code. Part II: Allen-Gate—

Section 2:

Five Robins in Five Years?

• The Brave and The Bold…redux.

I’d like to take everyone back a little while to the Silver Age(…and don’t pull faces [you know who you are!], this is important! I promise. I don’t think some people in the wake of the reboot realise how important both the Silver and Bronze ages are right now,) so lets trip back nearly fifty years. =

Bruce Wayne has been close with very few people within the superhero community, (including some within his “Bat-Family”) and even those he keeps in contact with on a regular basis are rarely let into his inner circle.

Clark Kent gradually widdled his way into the “inner-bat circle” during the so called “World’s Finest era” and still, to this day, it is strongly regarded that Bruce, (while valuing Clark’s friendship and abilities in battle to a certain extent.) primarily keeps him close in order to keep an eye on him. (He mentions this fact often to Dick and occasionally to Tim.)

But if we’re really going to get to the bottom of the strongest friendships that Bruce has forged you don’t have to look any further than The Brave and The Bold comic series.

While there are many superheroes Bruce is shown to have close ties to within the pages of B&TB, (including Oliver Queen/Green Arrow and Rex Mason/Metamorpho, [who would also be a member of his Outsiders team,]) there is one particular friendship that stands out and indeed lead to another strong friendship.

From the outset Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne were going to have a relationship that was either going to be rivalry or understanding. It never was the latter, the understanding relationship began pretty much from the beginning because they were both scientists, they both frequently had to face a menagerie of odd villains and…believe it or not, Barry was the closest thing to a friend, and not just “ally”, that Bruce ever actually had!  (Dick and Alfred were family.)

There’s a reason why Dick and Wally were best friends long before the Titans were formed, Barry, later accompanied by Wally, frequented the Bat-Cave often and both Barry and Bruce were often eye-to-eye on both methods, forensic and scientific facts. This allowed for an easy friendship to develop between their young protégés, (one that Roy would always be jealous of because Bruce barely tolerated Ollie and wouldn’t let him near the Bat-Cave!)

The friendship between Barry and Bruce was close, closer than that of Clark and Bruce, (which has always been more along the lines of great allies,) and Bruce gave him something rare, his trust. He never barred Barry from visiting the Bat-Cave and he would also ask him for advice.

Barry valued this relationship deeply, because he knew the type of introspective, wary person Bruce was and that his trust was the most valuable thing he could ever give. It was something both envied by the bulk of the superheroes who ever associated with Bruce Wayne/Batman and yet a position most would never wish to be in for numerous reasons.

Hal Jordan was one ally who, though close to Barry, was never offered the position of trustworthy by Wayne, as Bruce never trusted him fully even on the battlefield. Bruce has never really trusted aliens, magic, myth or Gods, including any weapons or instruments associated with them.

The three Bruce does trust, (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Zatanna Zatara and Billy Batson/Captain Marvel,) are never let too far into his circle and are still often regarded only as a last resource by him. Barry has powers but his came by science, this Bruce understands.

When Barry disappeared into the speed-force, Bruce accepted Wally as the Flash and he still allowed West the same trust to frequent the Bat-Cave as always, but he never gave up the hope he might see Barry again one day. This is never more clearly illustrated than in the below panel from JLA V4 #10 when the speed-force gives back Wally and his family:

People have furrowed their brow a little over the softer attitude Bruce seems to have developed during the reboot for example:

What the Hell? Hal Jordan, the man Bruce has never trusted…I mean never, (especially after his genocide, which we can ignore since it didn’t happen on this Earth) suddenly is worthy of Bruce revealing his secret identity, in the middle of a public street, in the midst of battle! Holy flying…wait a minute.

Remember what I said at the beginning of the article? About the Silver and Bronze age being vitally important in the wake of the reboot, which effectively has wiped out all “Crisis’ ”?

This “Flashpoint” Batman is not The Batman Alan Moore and Frank Miller brought through the post-crisis late-eighties and into the nineties.

Ladies and Gentleman, this much kinder, less standoffish Batman is none other than the previously much despised by Gen X and some of Gen Y:

The Silver Age/Bronze Age Batman!

Bruce is, by all accounts and everthing we’ve so far seen, exactly as Barry remembers him!

This is one of the keys of what I call: The Barry Allen Code.

This is effectively a throw back to pre-Crisis! We are in a variation of the Bronze Age.

Look how every character, from the Big Three to the characters we now know are Earth-2, Helena Wayne/Huntress and Karen Kent/Power Girl. Superman’s attitude, Wonder Woman’s still wariness of man, Batman’s much less standoffish and dark.

And Helena and Karen/Kara are exactly how Barry remembers them…from his visits to EARTH TWO!

Is this being done deliberately, yes. I believe it is. DC is playing the “Crisis’ never happened” card, so this means all the crisis, so we’re effectively being thrown back into a condensed version of the Bronze Age.

Remember my earlier point in Part I? That I believe this world is purely made up of Barry Allen’s broken thoughts? This makes perfect sense, my first clue was the panel below:

As far as Barry could tell? If, as I believe, his memories have been damaged in a similar fashion as they were during Final Crisis #1, would he truely recognize the changes and…would Barry want to change things even if he is not lying about things being different. [I’ll direct people back to Part II if you haven’t read it for that answer.]

So, we are looking at a condensed Bronze Age…how do the “Robins” and the other “former side-kicks” fit into this one?

All will be revealed Thursday, in what I like to call Five Robins In Five Years? Part 2: Five Robins, Four former Teen Titans, Three Batgirls, Two Batmen and…One Flash? of The Barry Allen Code Part II: Allen-Gate.

Have a “bronze key” for your troubles:

And a gif for following through to the third installment:

[Part 1: Roy?] [Part 2: Where in the World is Wally West?]

—The Barry Allen Code. Part II: Allen-Gate—

Section 1:

Where In The World Is Wally West?

DC has made much of their young heroes/sidekicks in the past. They believed them to be identifiable for kids just taking their first steps into the DC universe and a reliable way to bring a sense of inclusion for their young readers.

Robin/Dick Grayson was the first in 1940, Speedy/Roy Harper soon followed in 1941. Wally West/Kid Flash appeared on the scene almost a decade after in 1959 and likewise Garth/Aqualad showed up in 1960.

Wonder Girl/Donna Troy was originally the a side-character in adventures of Diana/Wonder Woman as a child version of Diana in 1961. But with the idea of a “Teenage team” (sparked by Brave and the Bold #54 team up of Dick, Garth and Wally,) they created this ‘younger sister of Wonder Woman’ Wonder Girl. [She wouldn’t be called Donna Troy until she adapts the name in V2 of the Teen Titans.]

These five are the originals. They have survived reboots, crisis and each over 50 years of existence in the DC universe. DC gave these characters the opportunity to grow up from teenagers into adults with love interests, families, marriages and children.

Very little in their past history has ever changed. In terms of more recent events Donna has gone through her trials and rebirth but remains essentially still herself; Garth has been dead since Final Crisis; Wally disappeared for a while but he returned. Dick and Roy have always been pretty consistent.

Why then are we facing a reboot where we have only two of the “Fab Five” left in continuity after all these years of people growing up and reading about them after all this time.

It’s pretty simple for some of the “Fab Five” if you give it some thought. (Try explaining Donna Troy to someone with very little or with no substantial knowledge of the DC universe and The Teen Titans/New/Titans.)

Dick Grayson sure. Not only has he been in numerous television shows and movies, all you have to do is remind people he used to be Robin and replace this logo with his Nightwing symbol:

With this:

Ooh, lookit! He must know Batman, they use the same stationary! [Don’t get me started on this, I could write an entire essay on how much this really both irritates and how I also hate myself for accepting it more or less. I can ignore my feelings as long as the book stays pretty good.]

Roy Harper? Oh Hell… I wrote a little of my feelings here and here. I don’t like what Lobdell must have on Didio for getting three books, this gif explains most days for me when I remember that fact:

Garth is dead. You hate it, I hate it. Pretty much anyone who loves the real Titans hates the fact…but what bugs me if they’ve de-aged everyone and Ted Kord/Blue Beetle is alive why isn’t Garth? Explain…no. No Geoff Johns is writing Aquaman, I forgot. (Just like I try to repress the idea of how he’s going to introduce Billy Batson/Captain Marvel back into this continuity…I don’t want to talk about it.)

Donna Troy, okay yes, I adore her and I know so many people who also love her, but DC doesn’t, at least I’m pretty sure Dan Didio hates her with a passion, (I believe personally that he hates everything to do with the Original Teen Titans/New Teen Titans.) because she doesn’t make sense in his world because you actually have to study all of her history and not read it in four minutes off the back of a cereal box.

But…what about Wally West? Well his past is pretty basic, he’s Barry’s nephew, he idolized The Flash and didn’t know Barry, who was dating Wally’s Aunt Iris at the time, was really the Flash. When, ironically, the following happened:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_West

During a visit to the Central City police laboratory where Barry Allen worked, the freak accident that gave Allen his powers repeated itself, bathing West in electrically-charged chemicals. Now possessing the same powers as the Flash, West donned a smaller sized copy of Barry Allen’s Flash outfit and became the young crimefighter Kid Flash. Wally had a strained relationship with his own parents and often looked to his beloved aunt and uncle for moral support and guidance.

This costume was later altered (in The Flash #135 [1963]) to one that would make him more visually distinctive. The original red was replaced with a costume that was primarily yellow with red leggings, gloves, and ear-pieces.

Wally continued to aid his much idolized Uncle Barry as well as joining the Teen Titans right up until he was nineteen and in college. Wally voluntarily gave up his mantle as Kid Flash during this time, also quitting the New Teen Titans, because he discovered his connection to the speed-force had the potential to rapidly age him and possibly kill him in the process.

When Barry was killed during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths destroying the antimatter canon, Wally, not knowing this had occurred, was recruited by Jay Garrick to assist the heroes against the Anti-Monitor’s forces. During the final battle with the Anti-Monitor, Wally was struck by a blast of anti-matter energy, which put his disease into remission. In the aftermath of the conflict, Wally took on his fallen mentor’s costume and identity.

Wally marries Linda Park, they have twins Jay and Irey, they leave for an alternate reality for a few years, they returning during the JLA Lightning Saga. Wally tries to keep his kid’s powers under control and is criticised by most of the league for including his children in his missions, he is reunited during Final Crisis with Barry.

Okay, you wonder why I’ve given such a detailed insight into Wally that most people already know. I am making a point that Wally West’s history is no-where near as complicated for a new fan as Donna’s and it is certainly a lot less so than Roy’s or Dick’s.

There is something else I’d like to mention that popped up just recently:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_West

Following the events of Flashpoint, the timeline for the DC Universe has been rewritten. Barry Allen has never been married to Iris West, and it would appear that Wally West’s time as Kid Flash/The Flash no longer occurred. When asked about Wally’s whereabouts, DC creators have had no comment, and Dan DiDio has stated that the Wally is currently benched. Current Flash writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, however, have said they have a proposal for Wally on Didio’s desk.

This definitely interesting…beyond interesting. Is it possible that there is a circle of writers who are deliberately being kept in the dark while others are pulling the strings behind the scenes in order to keep everything under wraps?

But I’d now like to address the name of this section, Where in the World is Wally West? Where indeed and I’d like to start by referring to a panel from Flash: Rebirth:

Barry feels guilty. He was always close with Wally and he missed the chance to watch him grow and become the man he was, (remember Wally was nineteen when Barry died.) He is also full of regret for everything Wally has had to go through in the past decade or so, Barry blames himself a lot.

So I know you’re all thinking, if this “Flashpoint” New-New Earth, as I proposed in Part I, is made up of Barry’s desperate, broken memory, shouldn’t someone as beloved to Barry as his nephew Wally West have appeared already, or at least have a reference from Iris? All of Barry’s memories seem to be intact, I’ve read nothing to suggest he may not be playing along with everything happening for some reason.

In that scenario, wouldn’t Barry want to protect Wally from the life of being Kid Flash and then The Flash after everything he went through? In fear of the possibility that since Barry has apparently never “died” Wally might indeed have his powers imbedded with the previous problem he had with the speed-force that was rapidly aging him if he used it.

Wally may well be alive and living a very dull life because Barry wants to protect him from this possibility, and perhaps Wally never received his powers on this Earth because Barry blames himself for that accident in the first place! And Barry’s worried about the guilt for doing he will feel if he ever comes face to face with this Earth’s version of his nephew.

Yes that is exactly what I’m suggesting, that Barry knows deep down, despite the fact his memories might be damaged, that this world isn’t exactly like the one he returned to previously.  I also believe it is something that is going to be addressed very, very soon.

In fact I believe it is something connected in with what is happening with the Bat-Family and the aftermath in the wake of Court of Owls. I think the mere fact that the Batman family appears unchanged much leads to the conclusion that Barry is relying on Bruce in some capacity because, as usual, Bruce has the ability to realise when something is not as it should be.

Confused? Answers and more theoretical mumblings await in Section 2 – Five Robins In Five Years? of The Barry Allen Code Part II: Allen-Gate. Which will be up Monday. Stay tuned.

[Part 1: Roy?] [Part 3: The Brave and The Bold: Redux.]

I was thinking yesterday about the fact that Lobdell [Lobdell!] mentioned that Roy was nineteen in this continuity, (where as we know Dick is about 22-24) and I got to thinking.

This Roy (whom Scott would like to refer to as “Just Roy” and I refer to as Plastic Arsenal, Roy-Not, and the conglomerate of him and his “New ONLY Friend” as Jacoy,) appears so far removed from the fun, but also serious and fiery, Roy Harper from pre-reboot.

And my thoughts also fell onto Barry Allen, Koriand’r, the whole “Flashpoint” scenario and breaking down what DC is really up to.

Confused? Me too and I’d like to take the proverbial stand if I may honorable comic-fans of tumblr and state my case which I like to call:

—-The Barry Allen Code—-

Part I: Roy?

This new Harper we are presented with appears to have memories of the New Teen Titans but, oddly enough, in an interview Lobdell spoke of one of the other titles he’s writing,(How did this man get three books? Help!) The Teen Titans being the first Teen Titans ever.

He tried backpedaling by saying RHatO was partially written prior to the reboot but now the storyline continues to imply Roy worked together with Kory before.

Now I’m not going crazy here, but the facts are that:

• This Roy has his arm intact and yet Dick still had everything that happened with him as Batman with Damian happen. This all occurred at the same time. And Dick was at Roy bedside as Batman along with Donna and Wally. What happened to these events with this Flashpoint?

It doesn’t make one bit of sense no matter how you de-age the characters (or don’t in Damian Wayne’s case,) or even try to think maybe the events of Prodigal were smooched together with Dick’s more recent stint as Batman.

Roy was leading a group of Titans during the Prodigal era, having already fathered Lian and having worked for the Government. But, at nineteen, Roy hadn’t yet found out about Lian and was still working for the government.

• Roy is younger than Dick and possibly younger or the same age as Jason.

Jason picks him up in the middle-east under heavy lock and key…despite the fact at this age in the previous canon Roy was still working partially for the government .

This raises the two possibilities that entered my head last night:

1. Is it possible, now we know from the previews of the upcoming RHatO Tim is in contact with Jason, that Batman INC recruit/are paying Jason to keep an eye on both this Roy and Koriand’r because they aren’t the real deal? They’re clones?
   or
2. Both Kory and Roy seem to have broken memories. Roy keeps referring to Jason as “His only friend” and Kory, despite claiming to have no knowledge of any of her past dealings with the Titans or her relationship with Dick clearly mutters: 

before she passes out in this panel. This brings up my second possibility that their memories both could have been tampered with…for what cause I don’t know and I believe it to be the reason why DC are being obscure.

So it’s possible Lobdell isn’t being a complete idiot…much…

Barry Allen- Knew ye what you have wrought in your desperation?

There’s been mumbling that DC are leaving this reboot thing open ended just in case they decide to revert back to bits and pieces from the New-Old-Earth continuity… or have they been plotting to return to the “old” canon all along?

This “New-New Earth” world Barry has “returned to” could be entirely made up from bits and pieces of his broken mind itself.

1. Barry has no real memory of Koriand’r, he’s barely even met her and the little he does know about her, apart from her appearance, was only she was powerful, she was a Titan and she was previously in a longtime sexual relationship/romance with Dick. When he returned Kory still appeared to be in love with Dick and then left Earth all together so Barry still didn’t know her at all.
2. Roy Harper was, when Barry disappeared during Crisis on Infinite Earths was still, as far as Barry knew, suffering with drug-addiction. When he returned Roy was suffering with the loss of Lian, his arm and again had become addicted to drugs.

Seeing a pattern here? Barry met up again with practically everyone else he knew…but that’s the ticket right there.

When Barry knew Superman/Clark Kent he wasn’t married and wasn’t quite as calm and rational as he was when Barry returned.

Hal Jordon hadn’t committed any holocausts as far as Barry knew, perhaps this was kept from him?

Ted Kord is alive.

Barbara Gordon, whom Flash had met a couple of times and definitely made contact with when he returned, suddenly finds a miracle cure for her condition?

Bart Allen? He’s from the future, he’s Barry’s Grandson, he has the speed-force, he has red hair and is funny. This hasn’t changed.

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen and Black Canary/Dinah Lance were not married and Barry was clearly surprised they were…can surprise become repression? You bet.

Speaking of surprise notice I haven’t name droped THREE very, very important names yet and the people connected to them.

Trust me, there is much more.

All will be continued tomorrow in Part 2 of The Barry Allen Code: Allen-Gate, stay tuned.

[Part 2: Where In The World Is Wally West?]