Blue Valley (comics)

Blue Valley is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as the home town of the original Kid Flash. It was first mentioned in The Flash #110 (December 1959).

Location

Like many fictional cities, the "real world" location has not been specified. In the Flash story arc Year One: Born to Run, writer Mark Waid placed Blue Valley in Nebraska.^[1] According to Mayfair Games’ The Atlas of the DC Universe (1990) Blue Valley is "situated on the northeastern edge of Nebraska, twenty-five miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota." While this distance is not plausible (Nebraska is almost 60 miles from Sioux Falls),^[2] the general location would likely be near the real-life towns of St. Helena, Nebraska and Wynot, Nebraska

In the late 1990s, Blue Valley was used by writer Geoff Johns as a backdrop for the adventures of Courtney Whitmore at the start of her career as the second Star-Spangled Kid and her adoptive father, Pat "Stripesy" Dugan in the pages of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Johns narrowed down the location of Blue Valley to specify Douglas, Saunders and Lancaster Counties in JSA # 81 in 2006. This, however, would place Blue Valley near real-life Ashland, Nebraska, even farther from Sioux Falls than previously defined (about 175 miles).

Based on the rough location, city size, and the fact that the city had a college, the closest real-life representation of Blue Valley would be Wayne, Nebraska (92 miles south of Sioux Falls).

Fictional history and background

Blue Valley has a chapter of the official Flash Fan Club, with Wally West as its President. It also has its own college, which Wally West attends after resigning from the Teen Titans.

In JLA Secret Files #1 (September 1997), Blue Valley is the starting point for one of the many invasion attempts of Starro. In terms of the story, it is presented as the first time the JLA encounters Starro, though it takes place after the "current" JLA team is asked to leave their spaceship base.

The current JLA team, minus the Flash, who had been captured after Blue Valley asks him for help, plans to enter the town. A message from Starro shows property damage to Blue Valley, burning cars in the street and random small fires. The Spectre shows up to prevent the team from entering. The Spectre shows a vision of the future; if the super-powered JLA enter, Starro will take them, the first step in a plan that results in the conquering of known space and time. The JLA have the Spectre remove their powers and manage, with only the destruction of an office building, to destroy Starro's machinery, with the depowered heroes keeping the Starro-controlled civilians occupied while Batman sneaks into the base and turns up the air conditioning to basically freeze Starro into defeat.

Starro returns to Blue Valley in JLA #22 (September 1998), this time putting the entire American continent to sleep, except for those it had affected in its previous visit, namely the JLA and the residents of Blue Valley. The combined forces of the heroes, the dreams of a homeless Blue Valley man and Daniel of the Dreaming drive it away this time.

Two other superheroes, Pat Dugan and Courtney Whitmore, have lived in Blue Valley. It is unclear whether they are free from potential Starro brainwashing.

In Day of Judgement #1, Blue Valley suffers an invasion of "dead guys" as Captain Marvel puts it. Marvel, Pat, and Dugan assist in protecting the town.

Blue Valley is the site of the return of Wally West and his family from a stay in the far future. This was surprise to the Justice League.^[3]

References

1. ↑ The Flash (vol. 2) 62 (May 1992)
2. ↑ http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm?clat=43.542908908435564&clng=-96.69580772935956&r=96.56&lc=FFFFFF&lw=1&fc=00FF00
3. ↑ Justice League Of America (vol. 2) #10 (August 2007)