Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

[KA.]

Okay, I finally picked up my DC Archives: Flash Vol 1, to reread, and I noticed something.

Iris West is one of the nastiest female characters I have ever seen in comics.

She is like a better looking version of Rosa Kleb (From Russia With Love).

 

I know that she is supposed to be "fiesty" or something, but she seems more like downright abusive to me.

 

I know that Lois Lane was pretty disrespectful of Clark Kent in the early days, but that is also because they weren't supposed to be in a relationship.

 

But Iris is totally off the hook!

Is there supposed to be some sort of "Dominatrix" undercurrent in their relationship?

Is Barry Allen into the "Public Humiliation" thing?

Did she have some unrevealed childhood trauma that later came out during therapy?

 

I like the character of The Flash, but I was never what you would call a "fan", so I don't know a lot of detail or backstory on the characters.

 

Was there eventually some reason given for her behavior?

 

KA.

 

P.S. I know that she was later killed, but I hope that somewhere in between there, we found out what her problem was.

[RavensPath]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

I don't know that it was ever really explained per se why she was so nasty in the beginning. You do learn later that she is from the future, sent back as a young child to protect her. You also learn that she knew about Barry being the Flash a long time before he told her. Maybe that is what upset her.

 

And she did die, but she also came back and is in the current Flash series (or was a 8 months ago). She wrote a book about the Flashs. Impulse is her grandson. Her and Barry ended up in the future before he died and they had twins. Two grandkids, Impulse and XS from the Legion series.

 

Iris did mellow after a few years.

 

Check this site out for lots of flash info!

 

Ride the lightning

[KA.]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

I don't know that it was ever really explained per se why she was so nasty in the beginning. You do learn later that she is from the future, sent back as a young child to protect her. You also learn that she knew about Barry being the Flash a long time before he told her. Maybe that is what upset her.

 

And she did die, but she also came back and is in the current Flash series (or was a 8 months ago). She wrote a book about the Flashs. Impulse is her grandson. Her and Barry ended up in the future before he died and they had twins. Two grandkids, Impulse and XS from the Legion series.

 

Iris did mellow after a few years.

 

Check this site out for lots of flash info!

 

Ride the lightning

 

 

Thanks, RavensPath,

That explains a lot. Knowing that your boyfriend is The Flash, and having him always late, could make you a bit testy, I guess. On the other hand, if she knew the history of The Flash, it seems like she would know that what he was doing while being late was much more important than dating her.

I do not usually have a "critic" mentality, especially not about comics, but I think another problem might have been just lack of consideration on the part of the writers.

They were more worried about the "Flash" part of the comic, and the "Barry Allen" part was just filler, so they didn't bother to give any reasons as to why Iris was such a b**** until later in the series.

They may have known themselves what the problem was, but by not telling us, it just made her look obnoxious.

 

It is kind of funny, though.

I was just teasing about the "dominatrix" part, but there is one of the "Showcase" issues that I read recently, where Barry ends up going around the world in 80 minutes.

Each place he goes, some beautiful woman he rescues wants to kiss him.

But Barry wants to be on time for his date with Iris, so he keeps running away.

He seems to prefer Iris' verbal (and I really hope that it is just verbal) abuse, to other women who really admire him.

 

Just kidding,

And thanks for the great information!

 

KA.

[JmOz]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

You know, a case could be made that any of the spandex set had Sadist/Dominatrix issues...

[Enforcer84]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

That's a big Iron-Agey for my blood there, Jason.

[JmOz]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

I was actualy thinking GOLDEN Age (old Wonder Woman comics specificaly)

[KA.]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

You know' date=' a case could be made that any of the spandex set had Sadist/Dominatrix issues...[/quote']

 

You may be right. After all, remember what happened when Sue Richards showed what was lurking in her subconscious?

 

 

KA.

[Battlestaff]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

Knowing that your boyfriend is The Flash' date=' and having him always late, could make you a bit testy, I guess. On the other hand, if she knew the history of The Flash, it seems like she would know that what he was doing while being late was much more important than dating her.[/quote']

 

She could also be mad at the fact that Barry hasn't told her he's The Flash. She might think he doesn't trust her, etc.

 

Just a thought.

[dbsousa]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

I think this just a superhero version of a cliche of the era. I suspect the shrewish wife and henpecked husband was considered grand comedy in the 30's and 40's. I can't site an example from then, but Alice Kramden is an heir to the throne...

[caris]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

I think this just a superhero version of a cliche of the era. I suspect the shrewish wife and henpecked husband was considered grand comedy in the 30's and 40's. I can't site an example from then' date=' but Alice Kramden is an heir to the throne...[/quote']

Except Barry and Iris are from the Silver Age, post 1960, I think.

 

I think it all comes down to the simple fact that Iris was just frustrated at Barry's inability to be anywhere on time.

 

I doubt that the original writers had decided Iris was from the future. I suspect that was something that was decided much later in the series.

[assault]

Re: Silver Age Flash - Any Explanation for Iris West?

 

The Flash we are talking about first appeared in 1956, and his appearance marks the beginning of the Silver Age.

 

At that point Iris West had no idea that Barry was the Flash. The idea that she did came decades later.

 

The idea that the Fastest Man Alive was also the Slowest Man Alive was part of the character's conception. Iris wasn't supposed to be horrible - just frustrated about Barry always being late.

 

Eventually, of course, she was killed off. And then resurrected, and generally twinked around with by writers and editors with nothing better to do. But she was originally a bog-standard superhero's girlfriend (DNPC).