Flash of Two Worlds – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

John Byrne — Happy Together (Flash Rerun)

June 30, 2022 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Flash of Two Worlds, Commission, 2012

Today’s post concludes our special feature “The Flash of Two Worlds,” as well as our multi-part Flash series.

I look at this cool pinup of the two Flashes, and imagine a retro moment in original continuity when the two Flashes have already met, worked together, and appreciate the fact that in each of their respective multiverses, they are indeed the fastest man alive.

That said, I never asked John what he envisioned when he drew the piece. And, I don’t think I will. It’s easier to continue to imagine the backstory to fit in with my own vision of the “pre-Crisis” DC universe.

May the Speedforce be with you.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez & Dave Gibbons — Fast Friends (Flash Rerun)

June 29, 2022 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

DC Universe Legacies #4, October 2010

Continuing our celebration of the Fastest Man Alive with a few classic “re-runs” — pun absolutely intended— from the early days of the blog. Today’s post is part two, of the genre within a genre, “The Flash of Two Worlds.”

Two legends team up, and tell the tale of two legends teaming up.

This fabulous story page comes to us courtesy of DC Universe Legacies, a 10-part 2010 series written by the late Len Wein that provides an overview of DC history (in contemporary continuity) through the eyes and life story of a one man. The series features an all-start line-up of DC art talent including Joe Kubert, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and many others.

The page here, showing the Flashes meeting for the first time, contains retroactive continuity (retcon), as both characters exist in the same universe — which is the established “post-Crisis” narrative. Also, in the original Flash #123, the Flashes have already met and teamed up when they get to the construction worker.

Garcia Lopez and Gibbons are a terrific pairing, and I was fortunate enough to find this great page before someone else did.

Rodney Ramos — Flashbacks (Flash Rerun)

June 28, 2022 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Flash of Two Worlds — DC Comics Classics Library, 2009

Continuing our celebration of the Fastest Man Alive with a few classic “re-runs” — pun absolutely intended— from the early days of the blog. Today’s post, along with the next two, features “The Flash of Two Worlds.”

Flash #123, “The Flash of Two Worlds” is one of the most important comic book milestones of DC’s silver age, establishing the DC multiverse and paving the way for countless crossover storylines that ultimately lead up to 1985’s Crisis on Multiple Earths. It’s 1961 cover follows as one of the most iconic images of the era.

But, when DC went to reprint the earliest Flash crossover stories in a special collection, the original art and layout and didn’t quite work within the new cover design.

So, the editors turned to the talented Rodney Ramos to recreate (and slightly reconfigure) the iconic imagery, in the Infantino/ Murphy Anderson “style.”

He pretty much nails it.

(As seen below, the final published piece crops the image significantly, and also digitally manipulates the two Flashes closer together.)

John Byrne — Happy Together

September 29, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Flash of Two Worlds, Commission, 2012

The Flash TV series (CW) explores DC’s multiverse legacy in creative and often reverential ways. Today’s post concludes our special feature “The Flash of Two Worlds,” as well as our five-part Flash series.

I see this cool pinup and imagine a retro moment in the DC original continuity when the two Flashes have already met, worked together, and appreciate the fact that, in each of their respective multiverses, they are indeed the fastest man alive.

May the Speedforce be with you.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez & Dave Gibbons — Fast Friends

September 28, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

DC Universe Legacies #4, October 2010

Part 4 (of 5) of our special Flash series.

Two legends team up, and tell the tale of two legends teaming up.

This fabulous story page comes to us courtesy of DC Universe Legacies, a ten-part 2010 series written by Len Wein that provides an overview of DC history (in contemporary continuity) through the eyes and life story of a one man. The series features an all-start line-up of DC art talent including Joe Kubert, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and many others.

Garcia Lopez and Gibbons are a terrific pairing, and I was fortunate enough to find this great page before someone else did.

In the original story (Flash #123) The two Flashes have already met — and started working together — when the construction accident happens.

Flash read Flash Comics? Gardner Fox was” tuned in” to the alternate universe? Wait… What?

Rodney Ramos — Flash Back

September 27, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Flash of Two Worlds — DC Comics Classics Library, 2009

The Flash TV series (CW) explores DC’s multiverse legacy in creative and often reverential ways. Today’s post, along with the next two, feature “The Flash of Two Worlds.”

Flash #123, “The Flash of Two Worlds” is one of the most important comic book milestones of DC’s silver age, establishing the DC multiverse and paving the way for countless crossover storylines that ultimately lead up to 1985’s Crisis on Multiple Earths. Its 1961 cover follows as one of the most iconic images of the era.

But, when DC went to reprint the earliest Flash crossover stories in a special collection, the original art and layout didn’t quite work within the new cover design.

So, the editors turned to the very talented (and very underrated) Rodney Ramos to recreate (and reconfigure) the iconic imagery, in the Infantino/ Murphy Anderson “style.”

He nails it — and you could be headed for a career in the FBI’s counterfeit investigations unit if you can immediately tell the published cover is not Infantino / Anderson.

(As seen below, the final published piece crops the image significantly, and also digitally manipulates the two Flashes even closer together.)