#fiona webb

[helene-art]

Probably one of the only times I'll draw a somewhat detailed background ಠωಠ

[longitudinalwaveme]

Gaps Between Character Appearances: Flash vol. 1

Basically what it says on the tin: an examination of the longest amounts of time a character was absent for during the Silver/Bronze Age Flash run.

Heroes and Supporting Cast:

Barry Allen: Since he was the main character, Barry was, unsurprisingly, basically in every issue of the Flash. There are therefore no significant gaps in his appearances.

Iris West-Allen: Iris was in pretty much every issue from 1956 to 1979, when she was killed by the Reverse-Flash. She then disappeared from the comic until 1985, when she returned for the end of the Trial of the Flash arc---an absence of six years.

Henry and Nora Allen: Their biggest absence was a seven-year gap between 1966 and 1973. There was then a second large gap between their appearance in 1973 and their reappearance in 1978.

Daphne Dean: Her biggest gap was an 11-year disappearance from 1966 to 1977. She then had another large gap between 1977 and 1982.

Ira West: His biggest gap was a 3-year gap between 1975 and 1978. He then pretty much disappeared from the book entirely after 1979.

Solovar: His biggest absence was a 13-year gap between 1965 and 1978.

Wally West: As Kid Flash, he appeared pretty consistently, either with Barry or on his own, until the very end of the run. The biggest gap is a two-year span between 1981 and 1983.

Patty Spivot: She didn't have any gaps of more than a year at any point between 1977 and and 1984, her full run on the series.

Fiona Webb: Fiona didn't have any gaps of more than a year for her full run on the series, either, which lasted from 1980 to 1985.

Joan Garrick: Her biggest gap in the Flash series was between 1978 and 1982 (the latter of which was her last appearance in Barry's run).

Jay Garrick: His biggest gap is the same 4-year gap as Joan's (between 1978 and 1982). He then disappears from the comic for its last three years (most of which were taken up by the never-ending Trial of the Flash arc).

Dexter Myles: His biggest gap was a roughly three-year period between 1970 and 1973.

Villains:

Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash: The biggest gap in appearances he had prior to his death was the 5-year gap between 1969 ("Time Times 3 Equals--?") and 1974 ("Green Lantern---Master Criminal of the 25th Century"). After his death in 1980, he effectively disappeared for 3 years, reappearing in 1983 only to die again.

Abra Kadabra: His biggest gap in appearances was the five-year gap between 1972 ("The Flash in Cartoon-Land!") and 1977 ("Kill Me, Flash--Faster, Faster!"). There was also a 4-year gap between 1968 ("The Thief Who Stole All the Money in Central City") and 1972.

Gorilla Grodd: Grodd was absent for seven years, between 1971 (“Beyond the Speed of Life!”, otherwise known as the issue where Digger and James trip the Flash and he dies) and 1978 (“Beyond the Super-Speed Barrier").

Captain Cold: Captain Cold had two fairly sizeable gaps between appearances: a five-year gap between 1969 ("Captain Cold Blows His Cool") and 1974 ("The Hot-Cold War in Central City!"), and a four-year gap between 1977 ("To Believe or Not to Believe!") and 1981 ("Captain Cold's Cold, Cold Flame"). There was also a 3-year gap between his appearance in Showcase #8 and his appearance in Flash #114.

Mirror Master: Mirror Master had a number of two-year gaps between appearances, but never anything more than that. He was the most consistently appearing Flash villain.

Heat Wave: The biggest gap for Heat Wave was basically the same as for Captain Cold---a five-year gap between 1969 and 1974.

Captain Boomerang: Digger disappeared for four years between 1967 ("The Stupendous Triumph of the Six Super-Villains") and 1971 ("Beyond the Speed of Life!"). He was also missing for a 3-year period between 1976 (“The Last Day of June is the Last Day of Central City!”) and 1979 ("Road to Oblivion!").

Trickster: Trickster had a number of 3-year gaps between appearances---between 1965 ("The Trickster's Toy Thefts") and 1968 ("The Swell-Headed Super Hero"), between 1968 and 1971 ("Beyond the Speed of Life!"), between 1971 and 1974 ("The Day I Saved the Flash!", also known as writer Cary Bates' self-insert fanfic), between 1977 ("Prisoner of the Past") and 1980 ("If, At First You Don't Succeed"), and between 1980 and 1983 ("Dead Reckoning").

Weather Wizard: Weather Wizard was absent for six years, from 1967 ("The Race to the End of the Universe") to 1973 ("The Heart that Attacked the World").

Pied Piper: Hartley was absent from 1967 ("The Stupendous Triumph of the Six Supervillains") to 1972 ("The Flash of 1000 Faces"), a gap of five years. He also had a roughly four-year gap between 1977 ("Prisoner of the Past") and 1981 ("The Pied Piper's Paradox Peril"), and a 4-year gap between his first appearance in 1959 and his second appearance in 1963.

The Top: Roscoe was absent for six years, from 1967 ("The Stupendous Triumph of the Six Supervillains") to 1973 ("The Million-Dollar Death Trap!"). He was then basically absent from his death in 1976 to his return as a ghost in 1981, a five-year gap. His last appearance in the comic was in November 1981.

Golden Glider: Her biggest gap was a three-year absence from 1978 (“The Golden Glider’s Final Fling!”) to 1981 ("1981--A Flash Odyssey!"). Her last appearance in the comic was in October 1982.

Rainbow Raider: His biggest gap was a year-and-a-half-to-two year gap between 1981 ("A Stab in the Black!") and 1983 ("Trade Heroes and Win!").

Mr. Element/Dr. Alchemy: There was a six-year gap between Dr. Alchemy's appearance in 1958 ("The Man Who Changed the Earth!") and Mr. Element's appearance in 1964 ("Our Enemy, the Flash!"). Albert Desmond disappeared again from 1966 ("One Bridegroom Too Many!”) to 1972 ("The Curse of the Dragon’s Eye!”), a roughly six-year gap. He also disappeared for another six years between 1974 (“The Fury of the Fire-Demon!”) and 1980 (“Dr. Alchemy and Mr. Desmond"). His last appearance in the series was in September 1980. Alvin only appeared from July to September 1980 during Barry's run, and as such there were no gaps between his appearances.

Paul Gambi: Paul was absent for 10 years between 1963 and 1973, and then had a 9-year gap between 1976 and 1985.

Among the villains, Grodd had the biggest gap between his appearances, since he was gone from the pages of the Flash for seven years. Albert Desmond had the most frequent long absences, though, with three different six-year gaps.

Among the Rogues proper, The Top and the Weather Wizard had the largest gaps between appearances, though the Top's death meant that he was gone for more of the series than Weather Wizard.

[nerds-yearbook]

The Rainbow Raider first appeared in Flash 286#, June 1980. The Rainbow Raider was created by Cary Bates and Don Heck ("The Color Schemes of the Rainbow Raider", The Flash 286#, DC Comic, Event)

[story-weavr]

The Burnt Rose 🥀

Beverly Lewis was a sensible woman.

From a young age, Beverly was an independent person. She didn’t have much growing up. Her widowed mother made ends meet as best she could.

It was unfortunate that by the time Beverly was old enough to truly share the burden, her mother finally joined her late soldier husband.

But Mrs. Lewis raised a sensible young woman.

After taking care of the funeral, Beverly was on her way to Central City. There, she had a job lined up as a secretary in a small company.

Beverly was a sensible woman and that made her a good employee. She was first and foremost focused on the job. She didn’t like chitchatting or gossip in a place of business.

The company, in spite of its success, was small. The rumor mill was not hard to find out about whether or not one wanted to know.

According to the other secretaries, the company was owned by a rather wealthy man. How he got wealthy many disagreed over: he was an investor, the scion of wealthy parents, a made man!

Due to how rarely he came in, the owner’s appearance and character were just as much a mystery: he was handsome young man, a spoiled brat, an old miser, an aloof aristocrat, a wise gentleman, a pot-bellied greasy old man!

The rumors did little to prepare Beverly for when she actually met the elusive Ross Malverk.

One day, a blonde-haired slightly muscular man wearing a nice suit just strolled in to the office, heading for the Vice President’s door.

Beverly, a sensible woman, quickly intervened. At her, “Do you have an appointment?” the young man was stunned. His surprise quickly turned into a polite smile and replied with a no.

“If I may have your name, I can check to see if Mr. Philips has an availability.”

“Sure,” the strange said with a charming smile. “My name is Ross Malverk,” he stated, holding out a hand to shake, “and may I ask for yours, Miss?”

Beverly felt as though her entire face was in flames.

As she soon discovered, Ross Malverk was not only an investor, he was also the owner of several businesses in the city hence how rarely he came to the office. He was very handsome, young, & charming. He was also very forgiving.

Beverley Lewis was a sensible woman. Of course, she noticed how Mr. Malverk’s visits coincided with barely anyone in the office. How he left before any of the junior employees or secretaries came back from their work errands or lunch.

Beverley was also very much aware there was absolutely no photos or anything beyond his name on the company’s ownership papers to show evidence of him having anything to do with the company.

So like clockwork, before Mr. Malverk’s unofficial visit, Beverley discretely gathered the necessary documents for Malverk and Philip’s meeting, tidied up the Vice President’s office, and prepared refreshments before leaving for a quick lunch.

Around the time, Mr Malverk should have left Beverly would return before anyone else and tidy up the refreshments. Sometimes they were touched, sometimes untouched.

One day, Mr. Philips asked to her to stay behind. That day, Beverley was promoted to being Mr. Malverk’s personal secretary.

Being Mr. Malverk’s personal secretary was a great deal more work than being just a company secretary.

Beverly loved it. She loved balancing different projects, being trusted with confidential files, keeping up with various companies in different fields of industry.

She loved getting to know Ross: his intelligence, his ability to not just own but lead several businesses and projects, his dream of making Central City as big a name as those along the Eastern and Western seaboards.

Beverly knew she was in love when Ross revealed his passion project to her: a Central City Museum, one with a dedicated section to the Justice Society of America. The fact that most of the artifacts were related to The Flash was not at all intentional, Ross assured her with a teasing if sheepish grin.

Beverley kissed him.

Beverly Lewis was a woman in love.

Her beau was a charming, humble, and successful man. She never imagined she would have this kind of luck. The only downside was they frequently had to work apart.

Ross was often out of the office due to his numerous obligations. Meanwhile, Beverly had to hold down the fort, dealing with paperwork and visitors. The majority of times, the visitors who came brought issues she could handle herself. At times, though, they were there to meet with Ross personally.

Scheduling them in was relatively easy, although somehow or another, Ross always manages to meet up with them later that same day.

One day, however, Mr. Philips came. He seemed … antsy, almost … scared. Mr. Philips asked to see Ross. After Beverley that he wasn’t in, the greying man simply said he’d wait, immediately sitting on one of the chairs by the door

Beverley Lewis was a sensible woman. She got up and said she was making herself tea and if Mr. Philips would like anything. With a half-hearted smile, the greying man simply said “No thank you.”

After not even 10 minutes, Beverly came to an empty room with Ross’s door slightly open. A strange buzzing sound was in the air. With a strange feeling of foreboding in the air, Beverley slowly pushed the door the rest of the way.

What she saw shattered her world.

There was Ross smiling his kind smile, waving a human heart in his hand. A human heart that was still connected to Mr Philips’s chest.

Somehow, despite the buzzing in her ears, could hear her Ross calmly threatening to go back in time to kill his late mother in the most brutal way possible all while saying to blame her son. He would then make it look like how she died before, peacefully and in her sleep. And the only people who’d know would be him… and Philips.

And if Philips didn’t want that to happen, he should go back to work, fix his screw-up, and then kill himself in front of his family.

At that point, Beverley must have made a sound. Ross looked up fiercely with a ferocious glare only to morph into a look of shock. His hand, having been minutely vibrating this whole time suddenly stopped and CLENCHED. The whole room was splattered with blood. The now dead Philips fell to the floor. The thump echoing through the now quiet room.

Beverley Lewis was a sensible woman.

She knew Ross could not have come into the office so quickly after she left Mr. Philips. The coffee room was right by the elevators.

She knew Ross had strange powers. He literally took out a man heart without making a hole and kept it pumping with his own hand.

She knew Ross meant every word he said to Philips. His eyes said it all.

“I made tea. Do you want any?”

Above all, she knew she couldn’t deal with this the normal way.

If he were just a well-connected, unscrupulous business tycoon who just committed murder, she could go to the police and change her identity afterwards.

Ross was never “just” anything.

Over tea in a pristine office that 3 minutes ago was a crime scene, Ross told her everything.

That his real name was Eobard Thawne, that he was the one-time apprentice of The Flash, that he’d been betrayed by his mentor, & that he’d spent decades planing his revenge not just against Jay Garrick but his entire family.

That he’d already traveled through time and killed Jay Garrick’s wife, had framed Jay for the crime, and is now waiting for when Jay’s son Barry becomes the Flash.

His aliases, his businesses, his museum were a means to an end. Funds for his Speed Force research… and to set the stage of Central City for the war between the Flash and Reverse-Flash.

He even went as far as changing his appearance to match that of adult Barry. All the better to play mind games on the hero.

Beverly Lewis was a sensible woman. She only asked one question: “Was our relationship just a means to keep me loyal?”

Ross, Eobard, was in front of her in a nanosecond.

“Never!” the man practically hissed, “You were never part of the plan. But I-,” and here the man softened, “I couldn’t stay away from you. You… you were just - You! I-I don’t,” and with a groan, the struggling man laid his head down on her lap and loosely held her waist, “Oh Rose, I don’t have the words!”

Beverly calmly looked down at the man. Whenever Ross was going through some struggle however minor, he took this position, calling her by his special name for her, seeking closeness and her more down-to-earth wisdom to solve the issue. The familiarity sharply juxtaposed just how different things now were.

Softly carding her fingers through his hair, Beverly softly answered, “For whatever reason, or perhaps many reasons, you fell in love. You couldn’t help it. That’s like trying to stop the Sun from setting. There are some things that just can’t be controlled or prevented. The only thing you can do is look around, adjust, & make a plan.”

The man looked up… and then smiled in wonder.

“You always know just what to say.”

Beverley just kissed him.

Beverley Lewis was a sensible woman. She knew she couldn’t escape Eobard by normal means.

He quite literally broke the laws of physics everyday.

So she bided her time, keeping an eye and ear out. She didn’t bother trying to stop Eobard from his crimes or persuade him from his deranged ambition.

Men like that were so closely tied to their ambitions, it was the whole reason for their existence. And god help anyone who got in their way. Loved ones included.

So Beverly carried on as always. There were, however, some changes. Ross, as Eobard insisted she call him as her special name for him, put her in charge of the museum. Both as a show of trust and to make sure she wouldn’t see any bloodshed or violence.

It would almost be sweet if he wasn’t a megalomaniac psycho.

The museum was quite the treasure trove. Beyond the would be Flash Mausoleum, there was quite a number of fascinating artifacts.

Each with a story that could potentially lead to more.

Unfortunately, it seems having superheroes in the world doesn’t mean a person will just stumble on a magic item that will solve all their problems. Even if said person was “unofficially”engaged to the fastest psychopath in the world. (They both agreed the wedding should take place AFTER he defeats Flash. Ross didn’t want any paper trails leading back to her; apparently it wasn’t just The Flash they’d need to worry about)

In the meantime, the stories were interesting and perhaps she’d take up archeology if she’d live as long as Ross assured her she would.

Perks of being a speedster’s lover.

But then one day, Beverly discovered something terrifying. Something that almost threw her into complete despair.

Despite their precautions, she was pregnant. And she was no closer to an escape route than she was at the beginning.

The thought of raising an innocent child, her child, around and with a man who kills as easily as he breathes, who delights in mentally torturing others, whose vendetta would always, always, always be more important than even his own family.

Looking down at the museum’s most recent acquisition, Beverly couldn’t help but think of how she’ll have to face Ross when he finally gets back from his lab. (Even with his Speed, it would sometimes take days before he’d come back, either vibrating with excitement or clinging in whiny frustration, always bringing a bouquet of roses with a note attached.)

And then it happened.

The Flame Answered. And her Passion made it possible.

Fiona Webb was a sensible woman.

Even though she wiped or tweaked any memory or trace of her, as well as faking her death, she knew Eobard could stumble upon some information. Some tiny little detail that she didn’t notice while dealing with the main issues.

Just like how she stumbled on his secret.

And so despite changing her appearance, voice, and mannerisms, Fiona knew she’d have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Always afraid, always aware. Never truly safe. Never able to make connections for fear of giving Thawne more victims.

Heaven forbid she actually have another relationship. Fiona would be sentencing that poor man to death.

Because of that, Fiona actually considered giving up her baby. That way, Thawne would have a harder time finding the child. And the Flame’s offer of completely forgetting and living in peace was sorely tempting.

But after her daughter almost died from strangulation due to that half-wit doctor’s incompetence, Fiona was quite confident she could keep her child safer than anyone else.

She and Malina will be sensible women, with a burning passion that will make their truest desires reality.

[legionofzoom]

i love them more than anything

[kamamo1]

I feel I did a great disservice to my last post on Barry's relationships without picture aid, so here you go, look at all the cuteness.

Zatanna:

Fiona Webb (Beverly Lewis):

Cecile Horton (Barry's lawyer who had the best moment with him in all of Trial of the Flash):

[thecomicsnexus]

THE FLASH #326-329 OCTOBER 1983 - JANUARY 1984 BY CARY BATES, JOHN BROOME, CARMINE INFANTINO, GARY MARTIN, JOE GIELLA, FRANK MCLAUGHLIN, DENNIS JENSEN AND CARL GAFFORD

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

The Flash is booked for manslaughter, and, in a fury, destroys Barry Allen's apartment.

Gorilla Grodd regains human form as the Flash is summoned to the Justice League satellite for a vote on his continued membership.

The Central City police break up a gang of hoodlums accosting an old man. They soon discover however that this is just a trap perpetuated by Gorilla Grodd and his henchmen. Grodd and the thugs steal the officers' squad car and race back towards Grodd's penthouse apartment.

On the Justice League Satellite, the JLA deliberate on whether to keep the Flash on the team in lieu of his recent legal trouble. Superman votes to keep the Flash on the team at least until the trial. The Flash has other things on his mind however, and cannot sit around waiting for the League to decide his future. He takes the teleporter back to Central City.

Flash finds his old college roommate, Peter Farley. After saving Farley from a vehicle accident, they retire to his partner's mountain retreat where the Flash tells him that he wants Farley to represent him at his manslaughter trial. Farley is unaware that the Flash is his old roommate Barry Allen.

Meanwhile, Henry and Nora Allen visit the ailing Fiona Webb. Although her condition appears to be improving, she is still suffering great mental trauma from the recent attempt on her life. Upon seeing a photograph of Barry Allen, Fiona's mind snaps and she begins repeatedly smashing the picture frame against her forehead. Henry calls for an orderly and they take Miss Webb back to her room.

Elsewhere, Gorilla Grodd chooses a young juvenile delinquent named Angelo Torres to serve as his new apprentice. Although Torres had renounced a life of crime, Grodd's mental powers force him to work under his command. The psychic invasion warps Angelo's mind and he begins lashing out against his mother.

At Central City Police Headquarters, Captain Darryl Frye discusses the disappearance of Barry Allen with his assistant Ms. Spivot. He has in his possession one of the Flash's costume rings. He knows that it belongs to Barry, but is unaware of its actual purpose.

Later, the Flash leaves Farley's retreat and runs through the canyons. He reflects upon the bizarre turns his life has taken recently and ponders why all of this is happening to him.

REVIEW

Until now it wasn’t very clear if this title was in the bronze age of the modern age. The Bronze Age had its dark moments, but the lack of silly ones is what I think makes this to fit more into the modern age of comics.

Well, when I say it doesn’t have silly moments... I mean in the context of pre-crisis DCU. Where Flash could be granted the possibility of not having his identity revealed because he is a hero.

What also makes the whole thing a grey area, is the fact that we already know Barry is guilty... but didn’t seem to have a choice, just like a policeman would have reacted. Barry being a policeman in a way... could technically get free. And because a hero is respected as an authority in that city, I don’t think there is a real case against The Flash. Worst case scenario, he could plead temporal insanity.

Speaking of insanity... Fiona is completely fried. And I think is her scene that puts this into the modern age, more than Barry killing.

Carmine Infantino is great at anatomy... not so great in drawing different faces. But for the most part is satisfying.

There is also a flashback that is actually a reprint of Barry’s wedding issue. Nothing else to add about it as it was already reviewed.

I give these issues a score of 8

[gorogues]

What do you think of Barry marrying Fiona Webb?

That was all history to me (and done with) by the time I started reading the Flash, so I guess I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other.  I never liked Fiona much because I found her so flaky, but she was all right otherwise.  I do think she and Barry went from not-dating to a wedding a bit too quickly, but obviously Bates wanted to show Barry getting over Iris and that was the best way to do it, which is fair enough.  And obviously they needed to get that arc with Eobard’s death going.  I don’t know if Bates ever intended for them to really get married or if he always planned for Eobard to disrupt the wedding and the relationship permanently, so maybe she never really was going to become Barry’s wife in Bates’ plans.  I’m glad she didn’t truly get fridged, even if one can argue that going insane and being written out of the book is kind of a fridging.

So I don’t even know if she was really going to marry Barry.  I don’t think about it much, at any rate, because that was my least-favourite era of the pre-Crisis Flash series.