10 DC Characters Who Survived Terrible Debuts
3. The Flash-Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick, the first Flash, was created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert for Flash Comics # 1 in January 1940. Garrick helped form the Justice Society of America and was instrumental in driving the Nazi menace from American shores. He would grow to become one of the most respected heroes in the DC Universe, an elder statesman in the JSA, and the lead figure of a generation of speedsters that carry on his name and legacy. But like many Golden Age creations, Jay’s origin falls victim to questionable science and odd costume choices.
When Jay Garrick debuted, he was a college student working in a lab. He stops his experiment to take a smoke break. Smoking in a laboratory around chemicals should already have been a red flag. At some point, an accident happens and Garrick inhales “hard water” vapors and this grants him super speed. Hard water is simply water with high mineral content. It is water that has gathered minerals like limestone, chalk, gypsum, and calcium.
It’s obvious that the Flash was patterned after the classic look of the Greek god Mercury but the “Steel hat” is extremely impractical for a speedster. For one, how does it stay on? Writers have tried to make the seemingly indestructible helmet into a weapon or a shield but it is still an impractical choice.