Keystone City
Encyclopedia
Keystone City is a fictional city
in the . Specifically, it is the home of both the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West
. Keystone City first appeared in the 1940s in the original Flash Comics
series.
Within the comics, Keystone has been described as being "the blue collar capital of the United States
" and a center of industry.
and Metropolis
, though most writers have shown it as being located in Pennsylvania
(likely due to Pennsylvania being nicknamed "the Keystone State"). Starting in the 1990s, however, Keystone has been treated as being located in Kansas
, near the Kansas
/Missouri
border, adjacent to Central City
. JSA
#16 (November 2000) explicitly states that Keystone City is in Ohio, but Flash (vol. 2) #188 (September 2002) states that it is in Kansas. In the latter, the Flash constructs a bridge that connects Keystone City and Central City. (His internal monologue reads, "Keystone City, Kansas. Central City, Missouri. Forever united, and under my protection.")
Under DC's Multiverse
system between the early 1960s and 1985–1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths
miniseries, Keystone City is located on Earth-Two
(home of the Justice Society and DC's Golden Age characters), in the same space as Earth-One
's Central City
(Earth-One being the home of the Silver Age
superheroes, and Central City being the home of the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen). With the changes rendered to DC's fictional reality due to Crisis, Keystone and Central become twin cities.
Three miles from Keystone is Iron Heights Penitentiary, the security prison which holds the supervillains when captured.
Besides heavy industry, Keystone is also the home of WKEY-TV, a television
station where Wally's girlfriend/wife Linda Park
works.
Jakeem Williams (also known as Jakeem Thunder
of the JSA) attends Wilson High School in Keystone, according to JSA: Classified #5.
, the Thinker
, Shade
, and Turtle
; coinciding with the real-world cancellation of All Star Comics
, the last venue in which Garrick's adventures were seen as part of the Justice Society of America
. Garrick goes into retirement in the early 1950s after the forced breakup of the original Justice Society due to McCarthyism
. In the early 1960s, Garrick is shown coming out of retirement in the classic story "Flash of Two Worlds
", published in The Flash #123 (September 1961), and resumes his duties as the protector of Keystone City.
Starting in the late 1980s, Keystone City becomes the home of Wally West, the current Flash. Most of Wally's "rogues gallery
", including the Weather Wizard
, Mirror Master
, Captain Boomerang
, and Gorilla Grodd
, also begin to plague Keystone instead of Central City. Over the years, many of these rogues have fluctuated between criminal acts and crimefighting. With the events of the Identity Crisis crossover, it has become apparent that this is due to the actions of the brainwashed supervillain known as the Top
.
season 8 episode "Hex", it is mentioned that Bart Allen
and Clark Kent
are dealing with a crisis in Keystone City.
In the Justice League Unlimited
episode "Flash and Substance", there is a reference to the "Central-Keystone" area, referring to Keystone and its twin city.
In the videogame Batman: Arkham Asylum
, Keystone City is referred to as a place where Amadeus Arkham
went to college. In the sequel "Batman: Arkham City" it is mentioned that a similar prison will soon be opening in Keystone City and Metropolis
(Please do not put the Star Trek Keystone City here. They are two different places.)
Fictional location
Fictional locations are places that exist only in fiction and not in reality. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as backdrop for their fictional works. Fictional locations are also created for use as settings in Role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons...
in the . Specifically, it is the home of both the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
. Keystone City first appeared in the 1940s in the original Flash Comics
Flash Comics
Flash Comics was an anthology comic book published by All-American Publications and later National Periodicals . The title ran for 104 issues between January 1940 to February 1949. Although the name of the comic book was Flash Comics, the Flash was only one of many different series featured in the...
series.
Within the comics, Keystone has been described as being "the blue collar capital of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
" and a center of industry.
Location
Keystone City's location over the years has been treated as vague, much like DC's other fictional cities such as Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
and Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
, though most writers have shown it as being located in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(likely due to Pennsylvania being nicknamed "the Keystone State"). Starting in the 1990s, however, Keystone has been treated as being located in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, near the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
/Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
border, adjacent to Central City
Central City (DC Comics)
Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and is the home of the Silver Age version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in Showcase #4 in September-October 1956.-Location:...
. JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
#16 (November 2000) explicitly states that Keystone City is in Ohio, but Flash (vol. 2) #188 (September 2002) states that it is in Kansas. In the latter, the Flash constructs a bridge that connects Keystone City and Central City. (His internal monologue reads, "Keystone City, Kansas. Central City, Missouri. Forever united, and under my protection.")
Under DC's Multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
system between the early 1960s and 1985–1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
miniseries, Keystone City is located on Earth-Two
Earth-Two
Earth-Two is a fictional universe appearing in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 , Earth-Two was created to explain how Silver-Age versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Golden Age counterparts...
(home of the Justice Society and DC's Golden Age characters), in the same space as Earth-One
Earth-One
Earth-One is a name given to two fictional universes that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics...
's Central City
Central City (DC Comics)
Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and is the home of the Silver Age version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in Showcase #4 in September-October 1956.-Location:...
(Earth-One being the home of the Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
superheroes, and Central City being the home of the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen). With the changes rendered to DC's fictional reality due to Crisis, Keystone and Central become twin cities.
Three miles from Keystone is Iron Heights Penitentiary, the security prison which holds the supervillains when captured.
Besides heavy industry, Keystone is also the home of WKEY-TV, a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station where Wally's girlfriend/wife Linda Park
Linda Park (comics)
Linda Park is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She first appeared in Flash #28. Linda is Korean-American...
works.
Jakeem Williams (also known as Jakeem Thunder
Jakeem Thunder
Jakeem Thunder , initially called J.J. Thunder, is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe, a member of the superhero team the Justice Society of America. Jakeem first appeared in Flash Jakeem Thunder (Jakeem Johnny Williams), initially called J.J. Thunder, is a fictional character in the...
of the JSA) attends Wilson High School in Keystone, according to JSA: Classified #5.
History
Originally, the city is defended in the 1940s by the original Flash, Jay Garrick, against such villains as the FiddlerFiddler (comics)
The Fiddler is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of the first Flash . He first appeared in All-Flash #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
, the Thinker
Thinker (DC Comics)
The Thinker is the name of four supervillains in the DC Comics universe.-Clifford DeVoe:Clifford DeVoe was a failed lawyer who bitterly ended his career in 1933. Realizing that many of the criminals he had encountered had the skills but not the brains to rule Gotham City's underworld, he started a...
, Shade
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
, and Turtle
Turtle (comics)
The Turtle is the name of two DC Comics supervillains who were primary enemies of The Flash.-Turtle :The original Turtle was a 1940s villain who used tricks of slowness in battle with the Golden Age Flash , but whose main weapon was slow, deliberate planning. After a few clashes with the Flash, the...
; coinciding with the real-world cancellation of All Star Comics
All Star Comics
All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the...
, the last venue in which Garrick's adventures were seen as part of the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
. Garrick goes into retirement in the early 1950s after the forced breakup of the original Justice Society due to McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
. In the early 1960s, Garrick is shown coming out of retirement in the classic story "Flash of Two Worlds
Flash of Two Worlds
"Flash of Two Worlds!" is a landmark comic book story that was published in The Flash #123 . It introduces Earth-Two, and more generally the concept of the multiverse, to DC Comics...
", published in The Flash #123 (September 1961), and resumes his duties as the protector of Keystone City.
Starting in the late 1980s, Keystone City becomes the home of Wally West, the current Flash. Most of Wally's "rogues gallery
Rogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
", including the Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .- Early life :...
, Mirror Master
Mirror Master
Mirror Master is a fictional character and a supervillain in the DC Universe. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Four individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master...
, Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang is a fictional character in the . A supervillain traditionally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash...
, and Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
, also begin to plague Keystone instead of Central City. Over the years, many of these rogues have fluctuated between criminal acts and crimefighting. With the events of the Identity Crisis crossover, it has become apparent that this is due to the actions of the brainwashed supervillain known as the Top
Top (comics)
The Top is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Universe. One of the earliest members of the Silver Age Flash's "Rogues' Gallery", the character debuted in The Flash #122 .-Fictional character biography:...
.
Other versions
- In the Teen Titans story arc, "Titans TomorrowTitans Tomorrow"Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from Teen Titans #17-19 , by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone...
", set ten years in the future, the whole of Keystone City is converted into a giant Flash MuseumFlash MuseumThe Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen...
.
- In the JLA/AvengersJLA/AvengersJLA/Avengers is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to May 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez...
crossover, the Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
version of Keystone City is a much smaller riverside town.
In other media
In the SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
season 8 episode "Hex", it is mentioned that Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
and Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
are dealing with a crisis in Keystone City.
In the Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "Flash and Substance", there is a reference to the "Central-Keystone" area, referring to Keystone and its twin city.
In the videogame Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment...
, Keystone City is referred to as a place where Amadeus Arkham
Amadeus Arkham
Amadeus Arkham is a fictional character in DC Comics' Batman comic books, in which he was the founder of Arkham Asylum, an institution for the criminally insane. He debuted in 1989 in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. The story is interspersed with flashbacks to Arkham founder...
went to college. In the sequel "Batman: Arkham City" it is mentioned that a similar prison will soon be opening in Keystone City and Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
(Please do not put the Star Trek Keystone City here. They are two different places.)
External links
- Information on Keystone City from the Flash fansite "Those Who Ride the Lightning"
- Crimson Lightning An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash