Dear Editor: Flashing in Public

In the dawning years of comics fandom, the comic book letters page was a popular place for fans to share their opinions and ask questions about their favorite heroes.  While most letters dealt with the usual topics...praising or panning an issue, story suggestions, or nit-picking minor errors...there were occasionally letters that defied classification. Sure, you could probably file the Flash-Grams letter from England's Bruce MacTwaine under a fairly common heading: questions about the Flash's powers or mode of operation...but Bruce took things in a rather unexpected direction (especially for 1961)...

from Flash #120 (May, 1961)

A pretty smooth recovery from editor Julius Schwartz there...especially with the volatile words "female" and "sex" in such shockingly close proximity (it's 1961, people).  However, even though Julie artfully directed the discussion away from Barry Allen speedily stripping down in front of the ladies, the explanation doesn't quite add up, does it?

But then again, we're talking about the topsy-turvy world of superheroes here....so I guess it makes perfect sense that a man who could run faster than light and kept his costume inside of his ring could also wear that costume over his suit coat, slacks, street shoes and bow tie...yet somehow get it to appear skin tight.

Comments

[zieglarf]

Not to mention, his wrinkle free suit after removing the costume!

[Mark Engblom]

Maybe his street clothes were also treated with a "special chemical". Speaking of his steet clothes, check out the panel at the top of this post....so what did Barry do with the overcoat hanging over his right arm? Was thas somehow covered up by the costume, too? ;)

[Brian Hughes]

So Barry Allen was a "never-nude"?

[Mark Engblom]

Well, considering he could move faster than the human eye could register, we may never know for sure.

[Rich]

Re: the overcoat, I'm guessing that in the span of that single panel he ran home and hung it neatly in the closet. This is The Flash we're talking about.

[zieglarf]

If he runs home to hang up his overcoat, then he could change there. In the privacy of his very own dark, non-lighted closet; so he doesn't accidentally see himself in the shall we say 'birthday suit'.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, like most of this superhero stuff, it all starts to fall apart the more you think about it....which is why it's best to enjoy it for what it is: a whimsical flight of fancy providing a few minutes of escape from absolute logic and, for that matter, physics.