Author Archives: Kevin Hillman

About Kevin Hillman

Kevin Hillman works in television and is equally capable of discussing 19th century tax law and Pokemon battle tactics. He lives on Planet Coruscant with an Ewok named Moo.

pokemon

Pokémon’s popularity due to simple escapism

It’s the second-most successful video game franchise in history. It’s spawned a television show, toys, over a dozen movies, toys, trading cards, toys, and more and more games. But the success of this juggernaut comes from something incredibly simple.

Why has Pokémon caught on so much with each new generation, and why do some of its original fans still play the games nearly 20 years after their introduction? Because the games offer a simple, magical tale that every kid and kid-at-heart loves to experience. And with two new games coming out this week, the franchise remains just as good as it has ever been.

The first generation of American Pokémon fans experienced the game in its simplest form: on the original Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket, with simple graphics and a game engine that strained itself to the point that glitches were inevitable and considered a normal part of the game. The feeling today’s 20-somethings experienced as children entering into this magical world of special creatures is impossible to relate to anyone who never experienced it.

Imagine you are between the ages of 5 and 12 and you are told about a mystical land, resembling our own but inhabited by creatures called Pocket Monsters — or Pokémon, for short. You are now being given a license to travel the world and befriend these unique monsters. You will raise these animals as pets and help them unlock their fighting potential. Success means the monsters will evolve into stronger and fiercer fighters, but their loyalty to you will remain strong.

And you can capture and raise as many as you want. In fact, finding many monsters is encouraged, because you are also on a scientific mission to gather information on these creatures. That’s right, at age 10, you are being sent out into the world, alone, to train monsters with superpowers to fight each other. For science.

Fans of the game will never forget that first agonizing choice. Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Grass, fire, or water. Most kids I knew picked Charmander, probably because he evolved into a freaking dragon, but my choice was always between the grass and water Pokémon. Ultimately, being the hipster that I am, I chose Bulbasaur, and despite my awareness that he is only a fictional monster, I’ve always felt a strange defensiveness toward the toad with a plant in his back. Other players of the Pokémon games could relate the same feelings.

We were told back in the last century that there were only 150 of these monsters, and it was our journey to capture them all. But soon, rumors grew that there were secretly more Pokémon out there that we’d never heard of. As a 10-year-old boy, this was like finding out there was a second day of the year when Santa Claus would deliver presents. We would scour the grass outside of Viridian City or Lavender Town, hoping to spot a Pokémon not mentioned in the official lists. Sadly, the only unlisted monster we could ever find was the MissingNo., the Pokémon created by a freak glitch in the game and now a legend in its own right.

As it turned out, the rumors of new monsters were simply a brilliant marketing ploy. The success of the original Pokémon Red and Blue (Green in Japan) versions of the game guaranteed sequels. First, there was Pokémon Yellow, which acted as a direct tie-in to the television series and eliminated the agonizing first decision by forcing you to take Pikachu as an initial Pokémon, but this game offered no new creatures. Following Yellow version, however, GameFreak and Nintendo released Pokémon Gold and Silver, featuring 100 new Pocket Monsters. In order to complete your mission to catch ’em all, you would need access to at least four versions of the Pokémon game. And so it goes.

Today, the games still require several versions in order to capture every Pokémon, which is an admittedly diabolical, business-savvy move. But despite the obvious money grab in the overall scheme, the games remain popular and, perhaps more importantly, they remain fun.

Nearly 20 years after Red and Blue’s introduction, those of us who have stuck around have come to accept that we will never again experience the feelings we had when first encountering Articuno or Mewtwo. Nothing about the games feels as mystical as it once did, and many longtime players have turned the games into math tests. But we continue to play, perhaps chasing that high that we can never again attain. Or perhaps we simply enjoy the games in a new way now.

The newer games work hard to add new levels of depth to the games’ story lines, whether through legends on the origin of Pokémon, or by adding moral ambiguity to the villainous factions’ intentions. This week, Nintendo will be releasing remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire versions, which were the first games to add this small layer of depth to the story.

Whereas Gold and Silver were direct sequels to Red and Blue, Ruby and Sapphire were fresh starts — and the first Pokémon games to a new generation of fans. For the older fans like myself, the games’ villains were an odd addition. Unlike Team Rocket, who sought only world domination, Teams Aqua and Magma appeared to be fighting for more noble goals: Team Aqua aimed to expand the oceans, while Team Magma aimed to expand the world’s landmass, both supposedly driven to better the world for life. Though their ideas were ultimately poor, and their methods atrocious, their intentions at least seemed pure.

But more importantly for the older fan base, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were the games that truly added new levels of strategy to competitive battling. No longer were victories determined strictly by levels and the rock-paper-scissors game of elemental types. Special abilities and character traits guaranteed that each Pokémon was unique, and the traditional ways of battling were no longer valid. Double battles, introduced in this generation, also required much more strategy. Battles were no longer simply fire versus water, but fire and electricity versus water and grass. In succeeding generations of Pokémon games, strategy became even more important to competitive battling, leading to the creation of an entire subculture devoted to Pokémon breeding. Yes, it’s as exciting as it sounds.

But investing in strategy and learning the proper methods of Pokémon breeding are not necessary to complete the games. At their core, Pokémon games are still about simple myth and unending fun. The game can be mature for those who want it that way, but for kids picking up the game for the first time, that magic is still there. Only now, in order to catch ’em all, players must find 721 different species of Pokémon. That’s not even mentioning mega evolutions and different forms of other Pokémon.

I can only imagine the magic kids feel when they first experience Pokémon through these new games. The heart of it is still there, the mystery of it is still profound, and the level of fun the games brings about will never disappear.

Chesnaught, Fennekin, and Froakie will never replace Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, but to a new generation of fans, they are their first Pokémon. In 10 years, Pokémon X and Y may be remade for a new generation of fans, and today’s new fans will look at the new game with a sense of nostalgia, remembering the day when they took their first step into the grass with their very first Pokémon.

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Fifth of November: Untangling truth from Vendetta

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November.

It is fitting that American elections are held during the first week of November — the one time a year when we hear the name Guy Fawkes as we chat briefly about overthrowing governments and installing anarchy. We salivate over how great V for Vendetta is, and how we’d like to head our own utopian government. But, ironically, very few people actually know what happened on the Fifth of November that we’ve come to commemorate.

Sure, some are aware that November 5, 1605, was the day Fawkes tried to bomb the English Parliament, but far fewer know why — or, really, anything else about the man whose face has become a symbol for activists and anarchists everywhere. So, who was Fawkes? What is it he fought for? What is it we are really celebrating? How did he become the symbol we know today? And what are the differences between Fawkes and the fictional character V?

At the turn of the 17th century, Europe was tearing itself apart. Increased literacy and education led to the questioning of traditional religion and its role in state politics. Protestantism was on the rise, and the rift in Christianity left many countries with factions feuding over religious dominance. Henry VIII of England wanted to marry his love, Anne Boleyn, but the Pope refused to annul the king’s wedding to Catherine of Aragon. To get around that complication, the king split from the Pope, who had once called Henry the “defender of the faith,” and the Roman Catholic Church entirely, declaring himself the head of an independent English (or Anglican) Church.

In the coming decades, each subsequent English monarch changed the official religion in some way, including reestablishing the supremacy of Rome for a time. In this environment of constantly shifting religious alliances, it was inevitable that many would take sides and fight for their version of the Christian faith. Under James I, Catholics had hoped to see a move toward greater Catholic religious tolerance. They were disappointed. Anglicanism continued to reign, and the Bible was translated into an authorized English version that bears the king’s name. But some English Catholics were no longer content to wait for the afterlife to see the Protestant leaders judged. And in 1605, one group of conspirators planned to retake the throne for Rome.

The Gunpowder Plot was the attempt by English Catholic subversives to bomb the House of Lords, theoretically leading to the death of King James and the installation of his young daughter, Elizabeth, as a Catholic queen. Fawkes, who many imagine as an anarchist, was in fact among the conspirators hoping to establish a Catholic theocracy. Fawkes was put in charge of guarding the explosives, but he was captured, causing the coup to fizzle out before getting anywhere.

Fawkes was tortured, under the king’s orders, to compel the man to give up the names of his co-conspirators. While his resolve remained strong at first, the increasing brutality of the torture eventually broke Fawkes. To understand the full scale of the beating Fawkes received, one must only look at his signature before and after his torture. Fawkes and his cohorts were tried and sentenced to death, with the added humiliation of being hanged, drawn, and quartered. Fawkes, defiant to the end, evaded part of the punishment when he jumped and broke his neck, avoiding having his guts and testicles cut apart while still conscious.

Not long after the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, November 5 was declared a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the king’s survival. The holiday acquired the name of Bonfire Day because crowds would burn effigies of Fawkes and the Pope. Unsurprisingly, this worsened the bad blood between the Christian sects.

Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Day has evolved over the centuries and taken on new meaning as public opinions and sympathies have changed. For the first several centuries, the holiday was very obviously a celebration of the plot’s failure. When the monarchy did temporarily fall midcentury, the focus ceased to be on the survival of the king, but on the supremacy of Protestantism and parliamentary rule. Today, it is harder to pin down whether folks are celebrating the survival of English government or the idea of destroying it.

Either way, Fawkes became a symbol, with his name and likeness surviving long after his execution. In fact, the word “guy” is derived from the effigies of Guy Fawkes. The effigies were often made by children out of old clothing and called “guys.” The term became a pejorative for poorly dressed men, though it evolved in time to mean any male, losing its negative connotation.

Over two centuries after the failed plot, in 1841, William Harrison Ainsworth’s historical romance Guy Fawkes; or, The Gunpowder Treason was released, portraying Fawkes as a more sympathetic character. Fawkes continued to appear in new works over the next century, but none would do as much for the man’s image as Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s graphic novel of the 1980s, V for Vendetta.

V for Vendetta was Moore’s first attempt at writing a continuing, serialized story. The story, as written in the comic, is set in the dystopian future of 1997. English fascists have overtaken the country following a devastating nuclear war. The state suppresses dissent, eliminates the ethnically diverse, and broadcasts the government’s message everyday. Essentially, the government is a cross between that portrayed in George Orwell’s 1984 and Adolf Hitler’s Germany.

The party in power, Norsefire, meets its match in the anarchist vigilante, V, who dons a cloak and Fawkes mask as he takes to the streets, killing men and women who performed great evil on him or mankind. Unlike traditional heroes, V is not squeamish about killing; rather, death is all he seeks for his adversaries.

V is an ambiguous character with a shrouded backstory and even more mysterious morality. The vigilante is a victim of fascist concentration camps and experimentation. The experiments appear to have had an effect on his mind, possibly driving him mad, though he sees his mission with absolute clarity of purpose. V seems content with becoming a monster himself in order to combat the monsters of Norsefire. V strikes terror into the hearts of the fascists in order to inspire the masses and find vengeance.

While the true story of the Fifth of November can be seen as a dispute between Protestants and Catholics, or between conventional authority and subversive terrorism, V for Vendetta is about a battle between fascism and anarchy — two words with less than favorable reputations. Moore, an anarchist himself, crafts his hero around these principles and even takes time to dispel certain ideas of anarchism. In the novel, V explains that chaos is not the anarchist system; rather, a functional anarchist system would grant great freedom, not the looting and destruction that follows the immediate fall of government.

Moore also does much to make the reader question V’s methods. Moore and Lloyd raise some of the same difficult questions through V as the actions of the Gunpowder Plot raise, such as: When is violence — even murder — acceptable?

In the 2006 film adaptation of the graphic novel, the Wachowskis clung to the principle that killing in the name of freedom is acceptable — and, according to Moore, kept little else from the source material.

In an interview with MTV, Moore explained his problems with the film adaptation.

“It’s been turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country,” Moore said. “In the film, you’ve got a sinister group of right-wing figures — not fascists, but you know that they’re bad guys — and what they have done is manufactured a bio-terror weapon in secret, so that they can fake a massive terrorist incident to get everybody on their side, so that they can pursue their right-wing agenda. It’s a thwarted and frustrated and perhaps largely impotent American liberal fantasy of someone with American liberal values [standing up] against a state run by neo-conservatives — which is not what V for Vendetta was about. It was about fascism, it was about anarchy, it was about [England].”

Moore’s criticism of the movie is accurate, but a bit close-minded. While the graphic novel was about 80s-era Thatcherism, the film was intentionally made to evoke images of the modern world. And, in fact, the film’s message had a greater impact than the original creators could have ever hoped. It made their hero and his signature mask into an icon of defiance. The visage of Fawkes, long burned in effigy with feelings of malice, has been adopted by groups such as Anonymous and the Occupy Movement as a symbol of their fight against oppression.

As Moore explained in an interview with The Guardian, “Suppose when I was writing V for Vendetta, I would in my secret heart of hearts, have thought: wouldn’t it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world … It’s peculiar. It feels like a character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of fiction.”

But if you are going to don a Guy Fawkes mask to make your political point, it is important to remember the differences between Fawkes and V.

Fawkes was fighting for Catholicism, not anarchy. It could be argued that the Gunpowder Plot was about religious liberty, but it could just as easily be said that Fawkes and the conspirators were looking to establish a different — but still oppressive — theocracy. Still, Fawkes works well as a symbol in opposition to the status quo.

Fawkes was not a sole man on a mission, but rather part of a team — and not even its leader. V, on the other hand, is as alone as a crusader can be. V actively tries to become the symbol that Fawkes became and chooses to use his legacy to change the minds of the world.

It is unlikely that Fawkes ever saw himself as any type of progressive, such as V. Rather, he was a reactionary, fighting for things to return to the way they were a century prior. Still, his act of defiance, which had been derided for centuries, has become an inspiration to all of those looking to fight against the machine. His spirit lives on in the progressive aspirations of the antihero of V for Vendetta, as the film advocates for racial equity, gender equality, religious tolerance, and even sexual orientation and transgender rights.

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History of The Flash, Part II: The Silver Age and Beyond

This is part 2 of a two-part exploration of the history of The Flash, a comic book character brought to life on television screens this season on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT on The CW. Read part 1 here.

Perhaps it’s his ability to travel through time, or maybe it’s because he’s so fast, but The Flash always manages to be miles ahead of superhero trends. During the Golden Age of Comic Books, the first man to bear the title of The Flash, Jay Garrick, set the standard for specialized superheroes, helped build the first superhero crossover team, and raced to astounding heights of popularity. But as the business faded, so did The Flash.

The end of World War II precipitated a decline in the popularity of superhero comic books. The medium switched its focus from superheroes and profited off of romance, horror, and other genres. Unfortunately for the industry, the increased popularity of horror comics gave ammunition to Fredric Wertham, who began a crusade against the industry. His book The Seduction of the Innocent accused the comic books of creating juvenile delinquents.

To combat the charges, the comic book industry needed heroes. But with superheroes fading into oblivion, the genre needed a bolt of lightning to revive it. Luckily for superhero fans, that bolt of lighting struck, hitting Barry Allen, and creating the second Flash.

It was 1956 and editor extraordinaire Julius Schwartz set out to revitalize the dying superhero genre. He tasked writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino with recreating The Flash as a more contemporary hero. The team, along with writer John Broome, created a much sleeker hero, sporting a bright red spandex suit accented with lightning bolts.

Introduced in Showcase #4, the new Flash was Barry Allen, a reputedly slow and deliberate police scientist. In his origin story, Allen is struck by a bolt of lightning and doused with chemicals, with the combination somehow giving him super speed. Allen dons a red costume and takes to the streets of Central City to fight crime. Interestingly, Allen chooses his name by taking it from his favorite comic book superhero, Jay Garrick. In establishing Garrick’s run as the Fastest Man Alive as fictional within the fictional world, DC marked a new beginning for comic books. In time, the introduction of Barry Allen came to be seen as the beginning of the Silver Age of Comics.

The origin story for the new Flash changed the formula of superhero stories. A stronger emphasis was placed on scientific explanations for superpowers and supernatural events, though very few of these explanations could survive professional scientific scrutiny. The pseudoscientific stories led to the creation of items such as a ring containing The Flash’s costume and a cosmic treadmill that allows Allen to travel through time.

Real science, however, is never far from a Flash comic. Allen is a scientist after all, and he often uses his scientific mind to defeat his opponents. Soon, a laundry list of superheroes, mainly created during the Silver Age, would be able to list their profession as “scientist.”

The popularity of The Flash and the increased attention being paid to superheroes led to Schwartz’s edict to revive the Justice Society of America. Since the original JSA included Garrick’s Flash, it was inevitable that Allen would be a member of the new team. Gardner Fox, the creator of the Garrick incarnation of The Flash, was assigned the task of reviving the team, and he renamed it the Justice League of America. Flash joined the A-list team of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter, debuting in Brave and the Bold #28 in 1960.

The Justice League team proved a hit, quickly gaining their own title that sold incredibly well. DC publisher Jack Liebowitz bragged to Marvel owner Martin Goodman about the JLA’s success, leading to Goodman assigning his editor, Stan Lee, to create his own team of superheroes. Marvel’s subsequent creation, the Fantastic Four, introduced in 1961, followed the examples of the Justice League in its team format and The Flash in its emphasis on pseudoscience. With the Fantastic Four, The Flash, and the Justice League, superhero comics were on the rise again.

Also in 1961, Allen took part in an historic story, meeting up with Garrick, the Flash of the Golden Age, who, it was explained, existed on Earth 2, a parallel world to that which was home to Allen. The comic introduced to audiences the now-popular idea of a multiverse.

The following years in the comic book industry saw a lot of changes, including a shift to darker, more realistic comics. For Allen, the shift was evident in the apparent death of his wife, Iris West, at the hands of the Reverse-Flash. When Reverse-Flash attempted to duplicate his actions with Allen’s new girlfriend, The Flash appeared to kill his rival, crossing the line that superheroes were supposed to respect.

DC’s continued attempt at fostering realism raised questions about complicated continuity issues. The company decided to make a bold move by rebooting the combined universe. The idea was to streamline the characters’ histories and form a more coherent world that would compete with Marvel. Part of that new world would be a sense of history, legacy, and real stakes. To reach all of these goals, the company needed to make a bold move. It needed to kill Barry Allen.

Crisis on Infinite Earths is perhaps the biggest event in comic book history. The Crisis is brought about as the Anti-Monitor sets out to destroy alternate world after world. The Anti-Monitor specifically targets The Flash, believing him to be the greatest threat to his plans due to his ability to travel between dimensions at will. Anti-Monitor’s fears prove valid, and Allen is able to stop the monster’s antimatter cannon, but the hero seemingly dies in the process.

The end result of the Crisis is a singular world and continuity, changing Garrick from an alternate world Flash to the original Flash from the 1940s, whose heroic actions inspired a young Allen to adopt his name. Now, with Allen gone, his heroism would inspire a new generation’s hero to adopt the moniker of The Flash.

Wally West, Allen’s nephew, was introduced as The Flash’s sidekick in 1961. Dubbed the Kid Flash, West gained his powers in the same convoluted process as his uncle. West was a founding member of the Teen Titans at a time when teen superheroes were growing in popularity. In the wake of his mentor’s death, West took up the mantel of the Scarlet Speedster, becoming the new Flash.

West’s ascension to a top spot on DC’s roster of heroes set a new precedent for comic books. Due to the incredible popularity of the men behind the masks, the big two of superhero publishing made a point to never allow their protagonists to age. By establishing “The Flash” as a legacy name, and Garrick and Allen as history, DC Comics made a major shift in superhero storytelling. In the coming years, other heroes would be replaced as well. Kyle Rayner would become the new Green Lantern, Dick Grayson would become Batman, and even Marvel would replace Steve Rogers with Bucky Barnes and, more recently, Sam Wilson as Captain America.

West’s two-decade run as the Fastest Man Alive also introduced a new concept to the DC Universe: the Speed Force. The Speed Force is an extradimensional power that is used as a shorthand answer to explain away the physics-defying powers of DC’s speedsters. West’s connection with the Speed Force gives the hero new powers, including the ability to take away and share speed itself with others, and it led to West finally being able to achieve the high speeds of his predecessor.

For a brief period following DC’s Infinite Crisis, a fourth man took up the mantle of The Flash. Bart Allen is a hero from the 30th century with an incredibly confusing back story that exemplifies the worst of comic book writing. His time as the Scarlet Speedster was short, as the character was killed off after 13 issues and replaced by the returning West. But West’s new run would be short as well.

Under the direction of Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison, DC decided to revive the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen. Barry returned during DC’s third Crisis event, Final Crisis, and played a major role in the company’s biggest subsequent events, Blackest Night, and Flashpoint. These three enormous event stories shook the foundations of DC Comics, with Flashpoint effectively rebooting the entire DC canon.

The reboot, though unpopular with purists, has proven to be a big success for DC, with the “New 52” brand outselling its predecessors in many cases. The decision to reboot DC’s entire lineup came as a result of the enormous success of superhero movies around the world — though, ironically, that success is primarily thanks to Marvel Studios.

But with The Flash joining Arrow on The CW, in addition to Fox’s Gotham and NBC’s debuting Constantine, it is clear that DC is beating Marvel on the small screen. The new small-screen Flash follows Allen as he learns to become a hero in a world of super-powered criminals. The series promises to be the first true superhero show in the era of good visual effects, and it will change the perception of heroes on television.

In addition to his new show, The Flash will finally make the jump to the big screen, with a solo movie starring Ezra Miller coming in 2018. The Flash’s first movie represents a rare time when the hero has been behind the curve of the superhero industry. However, The Flash’s new TV series is likely to prove that the Fastest Man Alive is still the trendsetter of the superhero genre.

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Star Wars Rebels promises to fulfill Lucas’ original vision

Star Wars Rebels is the latest entry in the expanding Star Wars universe and is on track to be another Lucasfilm hit. The animated series was introduced on the Disney Channel this summer with a collection of shorts, leading up to a television movie pilot that aired October 3. Audiences got to preview an episode of the first 16-episode season October 11 at New York Comic Con.

The series, which began October 13 on Disney XD, is set five years before Luke Skywalker leaves Tattooine and documents the rise of the Rebellion while focusing on the ragtag crew of the spaceship The Ghost. Rebels is guaranteed to be another strong chapter in the overarching saga, and while the Star Wars universe has been greatly expanded in books and comics before, Rebels has the unique opportunity to fulfill George Lucas’ original vision for the Star Wars movies.

When Lucas first conceived of the Star Wars world, he had planned to create a series of movies that would pay homage to the adventure comic strips of his youth — namely, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Lucas’ small group of heroes would face easily defined villains and take part in swashbuckling adventures across unknown worlds, full of alien species and languages incomprehensible to viewers. Each story, brought to life in either nine or 12 films, would be unique, with only a common threat binding the episodes together.

But as the films evolved, their premise did as well. As explained in The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski, the movies changed from a collection of unique adventures into a larger epic about a single family, with only casual glimpses of the original, episodic nature Lucas had planned. Specifically, the movies became The Ballad of Anakin Skywalker, as he grew into a hero, fell to the Dark Side, and was redeemed in his final hours.

While the original Star Wars can still be viewed as a simple adventure movie, the release of Empire Strikes Back and the prequel trilogy changed the tone of the movies into one defined by moral ambiguities, political intrigue, and an interconnected world. Each installment had to have meaning in the larger story, rather than be like Lucas’ other creation, Indiana Jones, whose adventures are all distinct.

In order to create his grand epic, Lucas made the decision to abandon his strictly serial premise, and his original stories were left to history. Until recently.

With the recent acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, it was only a matter of time before the series’ publishing license for comic books was moved from Dark Horse to another Disney subsidiary, Marvel. Before losing the license, however, Dark Horse paid homage to the man who had built the galaxy far, far away with a new graphic novel.

The Star Wars is an adaptation of Lucas’ original 1970s screenplay — a story much more in line with the adventure serial Lucas originally hoped to film. The comic feels like what would happen if all six Star Wars movies so far were squashed into one, nearly incoherent, story. All of the signature traits of the movies are there, but it feels as though the entire story is just a single, complex mission, with many more to come later.

The Star Wars, however, is a one-off story, and the adventures won’t continue, despite the comic’s final page claiming otherwise. The exploits of Annikin Starkiller, General Luke Skywalker, and the six-foot-tall lizard, Han Solo, are finished.

Nonetheless, Star Wars comics have existed for decades and will continue next year at Marvel, with titles following Darth Vader and Rebels’ protagonist Kanan.

Comics did a lot to inspire Lucas to create the world he did, but he was a filmmaker above all else. It was always his dream to bring the excitement and intrigue he experienced on the pages of comics to the screen.

The Clone Wars cartoon series came closest to fulfilling Lucas’ vision. The successful show, which followed the heroes of the Galactic Republic as they faced the forces of the Separatists, utilized numerous characters and told as many stories. Some were complex, political thrillers, while others were classic, swashbuckling missions. Every story, however, felt like part of the larger whole; each entry mattered to the progression of the Clone Wars.

The new series, Rebels, however, follows Lucas’ original concept much more closely and delivers a satisfying, episodic ride that doesn’t always have to feed the larger story. Conceptually, Rebels is meant to bridge the gap between film Episodes III and IV by showing the strengthening of the Empire and the rise of the Rebellion. But the show is undoubtedly more in line with the spirit of the original trilogy. Rebels does not focus on politics like Clone Wars, but it revisits the philosophy of the Force, the nature of loneliness and teamwork, the tragedy of losing an entire culture, and the heroism of the unlikely. Whereas the prequels and Clone Wars brought to life villains whose motives could be seen as just, the original trilogy — and now Rebels — emphasizes flawed heroes whose actions are questionable but whose end goal is usually noble.

The spirit of Lucas’ original vision goes deeper than just antiheroism and the serial nature. The visuals and the individual characters or Rebels closely mirror early work on the Star Wars movies as well. The look of Rebels is based on the original concept art of Ralph McQuarrie. This includes protocol droids that more closely resemble the robots of Metropolis than C-3PO, and Zeb, the alien companion, whose species, the Lasat, is based on the original design for Wookiees.

Kanan leaps straight off of the pages of Lucas’ original screenplay. Halfway between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Kanan is identified as a cowboy Jedi, a man who was trained as a peacekeeper but finds himself on the other side of an open rebellion. His uncertainty in his abilities, coupled with his unconvincing brashness, makes him eerily similar to Annikin Starkiller and the movies’ Luke Skywalker.

Joining Kanan is the pilot of The Ghost, Hera, whose voice actress, Vanessa Marshall, said at NYCC that Hera is second only to Han Solo as the best pilot in the galaxy. Marshall sees Hera as the cross between Han and Princess Leia: she’s brash, powerful, and extremely dedicated to her crew and her mission.

Rounding out the cast are the younglings, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren. Ezra will fulfill the role that the Skywalkers held in the movies: the young student working to get past his arrogance and become something greater. Sabine, however, appears to be unique to Rebels. She is a Mandalorian artist who uses her skills to paint anti-Empire propaganda across the galaxy. Where Sabine goes in the future will be one of the show’s most intriguing questions.

Rebels has infinite potential to be something special in the Star Wars galaxy. It will be the first on-screen story not to focus on the Skywalker family but on the regular folks who have been impacted by the Empire’s tightening grip. It will feature swashbuckling excitement and flawed heroes, and it will examine what it takes to turn quiet dissent into open rebellion.

But, perhaps most importantly of all, the show will be a fun adventure that can stoke the imagination of child and adult alike — which is what Lucas has wanted out of his creation all along.

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Marvel, DC showcase divergent strategies, old habits

New York Comic Con is an annual festival for fans of nerd and geek media. At its epicenter are the two giants of the comic book world: DC and Marvel. This year, both companies showed up to promote their brands, but one came prepared for the future while the other simply talked about the past.

Marvel has undertaken numerous changes in the past year. As CEO Axel Alonso said several times this weekend, Thor is a woman, Captain America is black, and a nonhuman, Rocket Raccoon, is arguably the most popular superhero in the world. Things are changing at Marvel.

But at DC, the company seems content to stay on its current track.

To be fair, DC is on the rise. Having fallen years behind Marvel in movie production, DC can now look to a long list of release dates dedicated exclusively to its superhero properties. Superman and Batman will return to the big screen and will be joined by Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Shazam, Aquaman, and the Suicide Squad. DC’s heroes also have live-action television series on three broadcast networks with all of them drawing strong ratings and showing infinite potential.

It’s a bit understandable that DC would use this convention to take a bit of a victory lap. After all, the company seems to be taking over broadcast television. The Constantine premiere was well-received, and simply acknowledging Arrow, The Flash, or Gotham caused rapturous applause. But the company’s focus on Gotham specifically seemed to represent a microcosm of the company’s overall philosophy: focus on Batman.

The complete reliance on the Dark Knight may actually be the company’s biggest problem. As an avid, noted fan of the Caped Crusader, I was certainly happy to enjoy the Batman 75th Anniversary panel — a long look back at the hero’s storied career with a star-studded guest list. But when attending the DC Essentials Panel, I at least expected to hear more about the company’s other plans — whether they be about the Justice League, Teen Titans, or anyone else — and less about my favorite hero.

In Marvel’s equivalent panels, Alonso and chief creative officer Joe Quesada announced several new comic titles, including Gamora, centered on the Guardians of the Galaxy character; a new Ant-Man, featuring Scott Lang; and Star Wars titles, such as Kanan, following the early adventures of the new Star Wars Rebels character. Marvel also announced a new creative team for Hawkeye, Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez, and a new version of the classic comic book crossover Secret Wars. In addition, Marvel screened an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., announced a new Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon, introduced the cast of Daredevil, and hosted a panel on the future of Marvel Comics following the death of Wolverine.

When asked why the company would kill off such a popular character, the answer, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, was, “So you would stop complaining that he’s overexposed.”

Perhaps DC should learn that lesson — though killing off either Batman or Wolverine is a ridiculous idea. The Dark Knight is an incredible character; the star power of his panel and the sheer number of people in the conference room proved that. But the emphasis on the Bat is hurting DC’s other franchises. During the DC Essentials panel, the company discussed Gotham, Batman issue #35, Batgirl, Batman Earth One, and its new comics, including Gotham Academy and Arkham Manor. No other franchise was given any time during a panel that promised to discuss the essential news about DC’s future.

On the flip side, Marvel’s entire panel focused on change. The biggest change? The Marvel women’s movement. Last year, a new Ms. Marvel was introduced, and she quickly became a sensation. The new hero, Kamala Khan, is a Pakistani Muslim girl from New Jersey who gains super powers. According to Alonso, she is the spiritual heir to Peter Parker as the most relatable superhero in their lineup. Gamora will be getting her own series, as will Angela, an Asgardian spy. They will be joining the new female Thor. In addition, Marvel will introduce its first young adult novel, starring Black Widow, soon.

An entire panel was dedicated to the women working at Marvel, who inspired a great deal of the young ladies in the room to fight for their dreams of working in the comic book industry. The room was enamored by the strong, intelligent women on stage and even managed to start a worldwide Twitter trend: #WomenofMarvel.

That’s not to say that Marvel is perfect, however. Though they were more accessible and progressive, the company has also proven to be set in its ways. Earth-shattering events and the death and inevitable rebirth of major characters have become regular occurrences in the Marvel world. Wolverine’s demise will lead to a spike in comic book sales, but as soon as they dip again, Logan will inevitably be revived. Fantastic Four’s comics will cease production, but only until they can feel “new” again. Cataclysmic events like Secret Wars are being pushed as the biggest in the company’s history, but it takes its name from a comic book event written in the 1980s. The Marvel world has seen so many resurrections, alien invasions, and time-altering battles that there is no longer any sense of scale to the company’s story lines.

But despite the criticism, the future of both companies looks bright. DC’s animated movies have hit an incredible stride, and their next release, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, promises to be another strong work. Arrow has proven to be a remarkably strong show, and its good will has been passed on to The Flash, which saw impressive numbers in its debut. Critics are also excited for both Gotham and Constantine. In the comics world, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run with Batman has consistently spawned the highest-selling comic book in the country, and its stories going forward offer intriguing potential.

Marvel is on top of the world and can afford to take some bigger risks. The stage has been set for a major shakeup in the Marvel comic book continuity with Secret Wars and the recently announced relaunch of the Civil War. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing well, but Netflix’s Daredevil promises to be a game changer. In the comics, Hawkeye is an award-winning piece of work, Ms. Marvel has showcased the company as a beacon of progressive characters, and the new Star Wars line is a guaranteed hit under Marvel creative, especially with Lucasfilm’s promise of a larger canon moving forward.

It has been said for some time now that nerd culture has taken over popular culture, but it was never more evident than at this weekend’s NYCC, which was even larger than this year’s San Diego International Comic Con. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of superheroes, comic books, and action-adventure, even if the Big Two’s quirks may sometimes be frustrating.

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Jason David Frank lives life like Power Ranger would

He’s the best one ever. He’s worn Green, White, Red, and Black. He’s Tommy Oliver, the original Green Ranger. His real name is Jason David Frank, and he’s as good of a person as his starring role would make you believe.

All of us who have seen Power Rangers have questioned the characterization of the Rangers. There’s no real conflict among them. They’re all perfect, wonderful human beings, who always do the right thing in the end, while still living an incredibly eventful, action-packed life even when they aren’t fighting evil space aliens. They are, in a word, unbelievable.

But this weekend at New York Comic Con, I was fortunate enough to meet Frank, who has been a personal hero of mine for most of my life. He proved himself to me and every other fan there that he is just as good as the character he made famous, albeit much funnier. The Tommy Oliver character could always be relied on to use his fighting prowess to save the day, even when the other Rangers were down. And Frank’s incredible martial arts skills were often on full display, inspiring me and many others to take lessons. My years in martial arts — learning not only how to defend myself, but how to live — shaped who I am today. Frank himself teaches martial arts at his Rising Sun Karate school and helps to shape hundreds of young martial artists.

But Frank understands he isn’t known for being a martial arts black belt. He gets that Power Rangers is what made him famous, and he counts it as a blessing.

There is no resentment from Frank about his career being defined by the Power Rangers. In fact, he embraces it, wearing a white tiger power coin as a necklace and often putting a green streak in his hair to symbolize his character’s most famous incarnation. Frank has even returned to the show several times, including an anniversary episode, “Forever Red,” on Power Rangers Wild Force, and in a regular turn as a mentor on Power Rangers Dino Thunder, where he gained new powers as the Black Dino Ranger. In fact, Frank is set to return to the show again in the finale of its current season, Super Megaforce, this time as the Green Ranger. The actor is well aware of his status as the face of the franchise, and he loves the responsibility. Frank has even been pushing to be more involved in Saban’s Golden Goose going forward.

Frank has hinted in the past that he and Saban were working together on a series exclusively following the Green Ranger. In his NYCC panel Friday, Frank announced that these talks were on hold until Lionsgate determines how to handle the cinematic reboot of the series. But Frank also admitted that discussions were ongoing about further involvement in Power Rangers projects. With the next season’s theme, Dino Charge, being a return to dinosaurs, could Tommy Oliver return as a series regular? Devoted fans will remember that Tommy received his doctorate in paleontology and has a history of working alongside dino-themed Ranger teams.

The man known as Tommy has even been utilizing his fame as a Power Ranger to run a show on YouTube, hosted by Bat in the Sun, that follows his everyday life. My Morphin Life takes fans into the day-to-day activities of everybody’s favorite Ranger as he teaches his martial arts classes, sets world records, and travels the world to attend conventions.

Like we would expect from Tommy Oliver, Frank lives his life fearlessly, fighting in mixed martial arts matches and skydiving regularly. In My Morphin Life, Frank admits he fears two things: clowns and, believe it or not, hot air balloons. And as if the episode were written by the good people at Saban, Frank confronted his fears in an incredible way: by diving out of a hot air balloon, dressed as a clown.

Everywhere he goes, Frank is greeted as a hero, and he treats his fans with complete respect. In his YouTube show, Frank travels to Brazil and attends a convention, where he is blown away by the love he receives. It’s not just an act for a show either; in New York last week, Tommy Oliver’s kind personality was hard to miss.

The Green Ranger’s autograph line appeared to be the longest in the room, despite hefty competition from William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, and the voice of Batman himself, Kevin Conroy. The wait was worth it. Meeting my hero for the first time, I was profusely thankful to the man and told him how much his simple role in a kids’ show influenced by life. He was incredibly respectful and thankful in return, which is to be expected, but he rose above and beyond soon after.

I was on my way out of the convention center when I heard my name being shouted. It was Frank, who followed me to give me the autographs I had forgotten on my way out. It was an incredible moment that felt like it came straight out of an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Frank explained during his panel the next day his philosophy on life. Simply put: treat everyone equally, and treat them all well. As a celebrity, he thinks every interview has value, whether it’s on CNN or with an upstart website. Frank doesn’t expect appearance fees and isn’t looking for a big studio to produce My Morphin Life. He simply wants to have fun and keep his fans updated.

Jason David Frank is a man who loves his fans, loves his craft, and enjoys sharing it all. His autograph lines were long and the audience for his panel was huge, but he made sure that everybody got his or her money’s worth. He is thankful for his fame and will continue to give his heart and soul in everything he does. I know this fan looks forward to seeing him on television again.

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Superman Lives, abandoned in 90s, might have been great

Imagine Superman. Now imagine Superman portrayed by a long-haired Nicolas Cage in a role written by Kevin Smith and directed by Tim Burton. With Chris Rock co-starring as Jimmy Olsen.

What if I told you this movie was almost made? Now, to make things even crazier, what if I said it probably would have been good?

Well, according to Jon Schnepp, it probably would have been. And in his documentary The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?, the director seeks the answer to his film’s title. Schnepp and producer Holly Payne discussed the documentary and the Superman movie that never was Thursday at New York Comic Con.

The unproduced film Superman Lives was an attempt in the late 1990s to revitalize the Man of Steel’s movie franchise that had been stuck in developmental hell. Superman was doing well on the small screen with the successful television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. And comic book sales had soared that decade due to the success of the “Death of Superman” story arc.

The media, unfamiliar with the classic comic-book trope of temporarily killing off popular characters — only to bring them back later — was shocked that DC would kill off its biggest franchise, and made the story into a bigger one than anyone could have expected. “The Death of Superman” comics sold incredibly well, largely due to the belief that Superman’s last story would one day be worth millions of dollars, just like Superman’s first story was. Warner Bros. saw dollar signs and hoped to adapt the story for the big screen.

The Superman movie franchise had been dormant since 1987’s awful Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. A new spin on the classic superhero was needed to rejuvenate the franchise. Producer Jon Peters looked to Kevin Smith, director of Clerks and noted comic book fan, to write the script. As Smith has explained in depth, the concept for the movie was already in Peters’ mind, and he was simply hired to flesh it out. Peters wanted Superman in an all-black suit, never taking flight, and fighting a giant spider in the film’s climax.

Despite the absurdity, Smith agreed to work within those terms, but he was handcuffed with more and more demands throughout the process. Peters wanted the supervillain Brainiac to have a marketable “space dog,” like Chewbacca, and demanded more action scenes, which would have led to a fight scene with polar bears.

Smith’s script, which has been posted online, is seen as the version that has the strongest basis in the source material despite Peters’ involvement. But the movie changed a bit with the addition of Burton as director. Burton wanted the film to contain his version of Superman. Smith left the project, but the new writers maintained much of what he wrote. Financial issues in the new drafts, however, prevented Warner Bros. from completing the film, and Burton left the project in 1998.

Since that time, the legend of Superman Lives has grown, especially after Smith’s hilarious comedy routines explaining the creative process behind the film. Most believe the film would have been an absolute disaster, but as Schnepp and Payne stated Thursday, that would not have necessarily been the case.

The movie would have offered a different take on the Man of Steel, emphasizing his alien nature and following Clark Kent in an existential journey. New villains would have been emphasized, including the perennial favorite, Brainiac, and the relative newcomer, Doomsday. The fight between the Kryptonian and his would-be killer would have been of an epic scale unseen in movies at the time. Cage was at the top of his game in the mid-90s and would give the character a different spin — unlike the line of pretty boys who continue to try and fill Christopher Reeve’s capable (and, admittedly, also pretty) shoes. A funeral scene would have brought into focus the importance of Superman to the world and would have included an inspiring cameo from Batman.

As can be seen in Schnepp’s documentary, the production design for the film was also impressive. Alien technology and a superhuman suit needed to be created from scratch. The results included a “resurrection suit,” utilizing LED lights, lasers, and fiber optics to create a multicolored outfit that could change its look depending on the situation. The iconic “S” shield would be usable as a weapon as well, which would come in handy when Supes had to take on the giant spider.

Speaking of that giant spider: Smith had written it as a “Thanagarian Snare Beast,” and it was Peters’ belief that it should be done as an homage to King Kong. The spider would have been an incredible challenge to the newly revitalized Superman, who was still struggling to regain his powers. The movie may not have been the conventional Superman film, but it would have been unique, philosophical, laced with strong science fiction, and with Smith’s script, likely pretty funny.

Schnepp’s new documentary seeks to further explore what the movie would have been and why it never came to be. The film includes interviews with those closest to the process, including Smith and Burton. Schnepp shared an extended 20-minute clip at NYCC, that will only be five minutes in the completed movie, about the creation of Superman’s suit, complete with concept art and video of the prototype in action.

See exclusive photos from the New York Comic Con panel, including concept art from Superman Lives.

Schnepp, who also directs Cartoon Network’s Metalocalypse, is crowdfunding the project and is still looking for some help finishing the film, which he hopes to release next year. Those who would like to contribute to the project can check out this site and add their name to the list of supporters who want to know, “What happened?”

View a trailer for the documentary here:

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Korra panel solidifies status of Avatar-verse

Being at New York Comic Con has removed any doubt in my mind that Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra will go down in history as tremendous, beloved shows.

After getting into panel after panel with ease on Thursday, I remained convinced that The Legend of Korra’s would be much more difficult to attend. Before the Korra panel was set to begin, the creators of The Walking Dead were using the room to host a Q&A. To avoid missing the panel for which I had my heart set, I entered the hall for The Walking Dead panel, despite never having read a book or watched an episode of the series. It turned out that I was not alone.

Looking around the conference room, one could notice something was a little off. Many of the attendees were otherwise occupied, playing on their iPads and 3DSes rather than listening to the creators of one of the highest-rated shows in the country.

Many of the author’s jokes were met with silence, and a surprising number of people were dressed in Avatar cosplay. When the panel was nearly finished, a mile-long line of Korra fans was standing in the center aisle, waiting for people to leave their seats. The only problem? Almost nobody moved. At least one-third — and likely half — of the attendees in the enormous conference room were only there to wait for Korra.

When the creators and voice actors of The Legend of Korra were introduced, they were treated like rock stars, as men and women, young and old, shrieked in awe.

The panelists wasted no time sharing the next episode of their beloved show with the clamorous crowd. But first, the show runners, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, expressed their feelings about this episode, declaring it the most emotional, powerful, and serious one they’ve ever done across seven seasons of their popular franchise.

And that was not hyperbole. The episode recounts the last three years of the Avatar’s life, as she struggled to recover from the battle with Zaheer at the end of season 3. Zaheer left Korra poisoned, crippled, and unable to connect to her spiritual half, Rava.

In the run of the show, Korra was only in a wheelchair for a few minutes, and viewers had already seen that the Avatar would regain her mobility. Yet even so, the fans in that conference hall were completely invested in Korra’s journey back, with the hall erupting from Korra finding the strength just to move her big toe. Applause broke out upon seeing Korra walk again. Every single person in that hall wanted to see Korra succeed.

The fans’ investment in the characters was not limited to Korra, with Tenzin drawing a round of applause and the antics of Mako and Bolin bringing the crowd alive with laughter.

Katara made her first appearance in a long time as well, appeasing the Avatar fans in the crowd, but it was another Last Airbender alumnus who truly stole the show.

In the final moments of the episode, with Korra struggling to confront her past, an old friend — and an incredibly popular character — returned to the Avatar world in a touching moment. Toph, the blind, smart-mouthed inventor of metal bending, addressed Korra, smiling, and saying that, in a past life, they were the best of friends.

“Nice to see you again, Twinkletoes.”

I, like the rest of the room, cheered wildly at seeing a character who hasn’t appeared on a new show in years.

The time spent in the packed conference room proved to me once again the strength of the Avatar franchise. The strong characters, historical and political allegory, and incredible animation style make the show stand out above the rest.

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History of The Flash, Part I: Garrick and the Golden Age

This is part 1 of a two-part exploration of the history of The Flash, a comic book character returning to television screens tonight at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT on The CW.

With 74 years of history behind him, The Flash is racing onto television for a new show on The CW. The new series has piqued the interest of many and is sure to score high numbers for the network. The Flash has captured so much attention because it promises to be something unique to television, even though The Flash has already had his own series on the air. While Arrow and Gotham are built around gritty, realistic characters, and Constantine promises to focus on demons and the often-explored supernatural, The Flash will be the first series in the modern era of strong visual effects to focus on a true superhero in the starring role.

Superheroes are already dominant on the big screen, but if The Flash proves to be a success, we will likely see an influx of super-powered heroes on the small screen as well. This would be very much in line with the hero’s legacy: the Fastest Man Alive has always led the way for comic book protagonists, his story often paralleling that of the comic book industry at large, from the escapist days of Jay Garrick, to the high energy days of Barry Allen, to the all-too-real days of Wally West, and beyond.

The Flash was not the first superhero, but he was the first with a specialized power, even if his original design would be unrecognizable to many fans today. In 1938, Superman was introduced to the world by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the pages of Action Comics #1. The issue, demonstrating the Man of Steel hoisting a car over his head, sold immensely well, and a new genre was born. What followed was a boom in superhero titles, with every publisher trying to get in on the lucrative action.

Most companies simply tried to copy the Superman formula, with Wonder Man, Flash Lightning, Dynamic Man, and Fawcett Comics’ incredibly popular Captain Marvel all gracing the pages of comic books. Each hero operated in the same way as the Man of Tomorrow, possessing a laundry list of superpowers that made it impossible for any villain to stand up against them. It was All-American Comics, with the writer/artist team of Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert, that eventually bucked the trend by creating a superhero, The Flash, with only one power — and a power that every kid running around a playground could understand. The Flash was the first specialized hero, starting a new trend that persists to this day.

Fox and Lampert likely never believed they would go down in history for creating a beloved superhero. The Great Depression had left many looking for ways to supplement their income. The low-cost medium of the comic book was one of the few business that thrived during the economic downturn. Fox, a lawyer whose business was struggling, saw an opportunity in the new market and began selling scripts for extra money. Fox did work on early Batman stories, even introducing many of the vigilante’s greatest weapons, including the utility belt.

The lack of history and prestige associated with the comic book industry in its infancy meant that no one went into the business thinking they’d attained a dream job. And not everyone’s background was as far removed from entertainment media as Fox’s. The comic book artists of the day had more related professional backgrounds, including Lampert, who worked as a cartoonist and comic book strip artist. He had worked with Max Fleischer on some of Fleischer’s studio’s famous works, including Betty Boop and Popeye. Lampert began working on comics in 1938, including doing touch-up work on the aforementioned Action Comics #1 to get it ready for print.

Lampert enjoyed writing comedic material for the strips and considered himself to be miscast as an artist for superheroes, but his work in the field ultimately made him famous. In 1940, All-American Comics introduced Lampert and Fox’s creation, The Flash, to the world. Inspired by the Roman god Mercury, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, debuted in Flash Comics #1, which despite its name, was not a solo title. The issue told The Flash’s origin story in a tale that would make any modern critic scratch his or her head.

That first issue explained that Garrick gained his powers from inhaling “hard water” in a laboratory, which is as impossible to explain as you would guess. Garrick immediately used his lighting-fast skills as many young men would: by trying to impress a girl on the football field.

Garrick’s Flash was a huge success and would not be limited to his role in Flash Comics. Like Superman and Batman before him, The Flash gained his own solo title, All-Flash, in 1941. The Flash’s success throughout the 1940s was linked directly to World War II, with soldiers loving the books for their escapism and children loving the simple stories of good triumphing over evil in a world where evil seemed to be winning. The Flash’s popularity was also used to help other heroes with notably less prestige.

Today, superhero team-ups are so common that you can pick up any Marvel title and expect to see any other Marvel character in it. But in 1940, such an idea was unheard of — until All-Star Comics #3, with the first appearance of the Justice Society of America.

The JSA included many Golden Age heroes from both DC and All-American Comics, such as The Spectre, Hawkman, The Atom, the original Green Lantern, and, of course, The Flash. The team-up concept was very popular, and the group kept its adventures going throughout the decade, though the roster changed many times. The Flash himself left the book after issue #6, due to his new role as star of All-Flash.

Like Superman before him, The Flash, as the first specialized superhero, saw many imitators. Quality Comics had Quicksilver, who is today known as Max Mercury; DC introduced Johnny Quick, in 1941; and Marvel got in the game as well, creating the Whizzer. While these characters still exist in one form or another, none was able to match the success of The Flash.

As the popularity of comics grew, The Flash was one of its strongest victors, but when the medium’s popularity faded as the ’40s drew to a close, so did the marketability of The Fastest Man Alive. All-Flash was cancelled in 1948 after 32 issues, Flash Comics ended in 1949, and All-Star Comics ceased production in 1951, ending the Flash’s Golden-Age run. The character would not appear again for 10 years, but the name “The Flash” would be recognized again soon enough, in the beginning of a new era in the comic books.

The Flash will return next week in “Nerd/Wise: History of The Flash, Part II: The Silver Age and Beyond”!