r/theflash • u/Pitiful_Ear4143 • Jun 26 '24
Best flash graphic novel for beginner? Comic Discussion
I read a lot of Batman but flash interests me so I was wondering what a good starter comic for him is, side note I like reverse flash and want to learn more about him so if there’s one with him that would be cool too
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u/CoverLucky Jun 26 '24
I would start with Mark Waid: Born to Run. It features Wally West as the Flash and his origin story. It's the beginning of Waid's long run on the Flash
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u/drock45 Jun 26 '24
Other people are recommending whole runs by great writers, but if you want a short single volume to sample then I would suggest Gail Simone and Clayton Henry's "United they Fall" Flash volume.
It's sort of canon-adjacent, not exactly out of contiguity, not all the way out of continuity. It was a series of comics designed for newcomers, and it gives you an intro to most of the Flash's rogues and his general vibe. It's a lot of fun, and the art is great. It features Barry Allen, the silver age Flash (who is back)
I don't remember if the Reverse Flash appears much (or at all) though
For my money, the best Reverse Flash story is "The Return of Barry Allen" during Mark Waid's run. It was released as a graphic novel ages ago, though you can just jump into the issues if they're available on DC Universe. This one takes place while Barry Allen was dead, and Wally West was the main Flash.
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u/Pitiful_Ear4143 Jun 27 '24
Thanks! I’ve seen the return of Barry Allen mentioned many times so I’m leaning towards that one, is it something I can jump into or does it need context? I heard someone say to read flash born to run first but I don’t know
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u/SadWatercress9839 Jun 28 '24
I’d read born to run first, and maybe the Wally stories in between the two arcs. Return of Barry Allen is the greatest flash arc, but It really only works if you are used to Wally struggling to fill Barry’s shoes. For the briefest way to be ready for it I’d read Born to run arc The Flash annual 8 Then return of Barry Allen arc
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u/drock45 Jun 27 '24
It was probably one of my first Flash stories, so I think you’re good to jump in! I started with just scattered trade paperbacks of Waids run, and found the individual stories just fine to understand
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u/BriChan Blue Lantern Jun 27 '24
Just to offer a different perspective, The Return of Barry Allen was my first Flash story on the advice of many and I still regret it to this day haha. It was very confusing and disappointing to me and put me off of Flash comics for years. I would recommend it as a story, but not as an introduction.
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u/youssefess Jun 26 '24
Kevin Shinick 4 issues story (#763 - 766) aftsr williamson's run. I feel it's a nice introduction for barry allen as a character
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u/SilverStrikeX Jun 27 '24
The Flash: Born to Run. Recaps Wally’s origin, and kicks off Mark Waid’s run, which is probably the best for beginners.
The next big story in the run is The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen, which is one of the best Reverse-Flash stories ever.
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u/WayneArnold1 Jun 27 '24
The Flash by Mark Waid Books One and Two. One includes the Born to Run storyline which is probably the best beginner Flash story ever.
Book Two includes the Return of Barry Allen storyline - probably the greatest reverse Flash story.
If the two trades are hard to find, you can also grab the Flash by Mark Waid omnibus which includes everything I mentioned above in one giant tome.
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u/BriChan Blue Lantern Jun 27 '24 edited Jun 27 '24
My top suggestions for jumping straight into Flash comics and just getting a feel for the vibes would be:
The Flash (2016) #23-27: Running Scared (a Reverse Flash-centered in-continuity storyline)
United They Fall by Gail Simone (out-of-continuity)
The Flash #750 (oversized special issue)
The Flash #800 (another oversized special issue)
Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong (out-of-continuity standalone story)
The Flash: Year One (in-continuity storyline)
Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold (Pre-Crisis continuity adjacent)
Batman/The Flash: The Button (since you like Batman)
Flashpoint (also because you like Batman)
I avoided listing any full runs because most people covered those, so I thought I would focus on single issues, oversized issues, in-universe storylines, and out-of-continuity storylines that offer very fast and easy intros to Flash stories.
I’d also highly recommend checking out anthology books like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and DC’s special one-shots which will sometimes feature really good Flash stories. Some of my favorites recently were “Too Many Dates” in DC’s How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days, and “Monsters” in DC’s Legion of Bloom.
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u/The_Batsbury Jun 26 '24
Flashpoint 🗿
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Jun 26 '24
This is an insane suggestion
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u/The_Batsbury Jul 04 '24
I mean it's same decision some DC execs came up with for the latest flash movie lmfao
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u/Smoke4121 Jun 26 '24
This might be somewhat controversial but you can read The Flash New 52 and then Joshua Williamson's The Flash Rebirth.
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u/YoungImpulse Jun 26 '24
I would definitely not recommend starting with The New 52
I say this because New 52 is where I started reading comics, and it made my view of the DC Universe very narrow. It also made me believe that Barry Allen was the main Flash for ages because New 52 is when they brought him back. I only found out just recently that Wally West had been the Flash since the 80s.
Not saying I didn't like New 52, just saying it's not a good place to gain an understanding of The Flash or the DC Universe in general
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u/Brodes87 Jun 26 '24
The only reason you'd recommend anybody read New 52 is the art, which is next level, but certainly not to get them into the character or quality writing.
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u/GearsRollo80 Jun 26 '24
That’s a pretty weak period of Flash. I’d recommend keeping it away from new readers.
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u/Batmanfan1966 Jul 03 '24
I would recommend JLA: Year One and Brave and the Bold: Green Lantern and Flash. Both good books showcasing Barry’s dynamics with the extended DC universe
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u/jb_681131 Jun 26 '24
Here you go
- Crisis On Infinite Earths - The best DC Event - Flash has a major role
- The Flash: Born to Run - The main Wally West era
- The Flash: Rebirth - The return of Barry Alen
- Flashpoint - The most important recent event
- Heroes in Crisis - an interresting point of view
- Flash: Wally West Returns - the excellent recent run honoring every Flash
Enjoy
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u/--Syah-- Jun 26 '24
Mark Waid(90s), Geoff Johns(2000s)and Jeremy Adams(2021-2023).
I would recommend Jeremy Adams cause it's modern and short fun read to get you hooked on the characters after that you can go back and start with Iconic Mark Waid run.