Jason Garrick (New Earth)



Real Name: Jason Peter Garrick Nicknames: Fastest Man Alive Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Occupation: retired research scientist Legal Status: Legal status unknown Identity: Public Marital Status: Married Group Affiliation: Justice Society of America Base of Operations: Keystone City

Origin
Jay Garrick was working on an experiment during his junior year of college, attempting to purify hard water without any residual radiation in a cyclotron. When a test tube of the hard water was accidentally spilled, the fumes knocked him out. His friend Elliot Shapiro dragged him from the lab. After a week of unconsciousness, during which Jay's metabolism increased and his body rejected nutrients, he discovered that he had been given superhuman speed by the accident, and he used this speed as the superhero, Flash.

Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown Known Relatives: Joan Garrick (wife) First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January, 1940)

History
As a boy, Jay Garrick used to read pulp magazine stories of the turn-of-the-century super-hero, Whip Whirlwind. Little did he know that he would be granted the same powers of super speed.

Jay would go to Midwestern University in Keystone City. He was double-majoring in chemistry and physics. An experiment he was working on during his junior year was to purify hard water without any residual radiation in a cyclotron. When a test tube of the hard water was accidentally spilled, the fumes knocked him out. His friend Elliot Shapiro dragged him from the lab. After a week of unconsciousness, during which Jay's metabolism increased and his body rejected nutrients, he discovered that he had been given superhuman speed by the accident, and he used this speed as the superhero, Flash.

Jay was an active member of the Justice Society of America. Like the rest of his comrades, certain spells kept him from aging much as the years went by.

Three of Jay's enemies, the Fiddler, the Thinker, and the Shade, built a resonator that vibrated Keystone City out of real space, putting its citizens in suspended animation, and causing the rest of the world to forget the city's existence. However, much later, Barry Allen discovered the lost city when he vibrated at a certain frequency. After waking up Jay, the two Flashes were able to beat the villains and save the city. After this event, Jay retired, leaving Barry to continue the mantle. However, Jay would fluctuate in and out of retirement, helping Barry or Wally West out if needed.

Jay eventually disappeared, along with the rest of the JSA, and Joan believed him to be dead. He returned, however, and soon was back in action with Wally.

When Professor Zoom arrived at Jay's doorstep on Christmas Eve, genuinely believing to be Barry Allen and convincing everyone else, Jay and Joan let him stay with them. Soon, however, it became obvious of this Barry's malevolent intent. After it was falsely revealed that Wally had died in a Combine trap, Jay rounded up his old cronies Johnny Quick and Max Mercury, and together they went after Barry. They were defeated quite handily. In a subsequent fight with Barry, whose identity had been revealed by Wally as Professor Zoom, at the state penitentiary, Jay's leg was broken.

During Zero Hour, all the members of the JSA were aged to their normal ages by the villan Extant, including Jay. He stripped himself of his Flash symbol, giving up. Soon, however, he was back in action with Wally West.

Wally brought in Jay to help teach Bart the ways of super-speed, an adventure that soon transformed into a fight against Kobra. Jay was unable to participate for long, however, because of sheer fatigue.

Characteristics
Height: 5'11" Weight: 179 lbs (81 kg) Eyes: blue Hair: brown, greying Unusual Features: No unusual features

Powers
Known Powers: Superspeed. Known Abilities: No known abilities. Strength Level: Strength level unknown

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons.

Recommended Readings

 * Flash (2nd series) #35 (February, 1990) flashback
 * Flash #73-79 (February-August, 1993)
 * Flash #87 (February, 1994)
 * Flash #89-90 (April-May, 1994)
 * Flash #92 (July, 1994) on television monitor
 * Flash #95-97 (November, 1994-January, 1995)
 * Flash #100 (April, 1995)
 * Flash #108 (December, 1995)
 * Flash Secret Files #1 (November, 1997)
 * The Life Story of the Flash