The Pied Piper


	Who is he? A former villain, he's reformed and is now one of the current Flash's best friends. Basically he's a gadget guy, a genius who specializes in Sonics. He can use sounds and music to do anything from knocking down a wall to putting a person to sleep. He's a good friend to the Flash and has a slightly sarcastic sense of humour, good for gently knocking down Wally's often inflated ego. Piper's also known as the Pied Piper or by his actual name, Hartley Rathaway. Why is he cool? Lots of reasons! He's passionate about what he believes in. He's got a great sense of humour. He's got that whole "former criminal" thing going for him, which adds a dash of spice to things. He's gay, and it's refreshing to see a few minority groups in comics. Generally though, he's just the kind of guy that you could really imagine having as a friend. And he can kick butt too :-).
	A Little History… Hartley Rathaway was born deaf to ridiculously wealthy parents. It took a few years of throwing money at the problem, but eventually his parents found a solution and he had an operation that restored his hearing. Understandably sound and music fascinated him after this. As he grew up he tinkered with electronics and musical instruments and eventually discovered how to use music to hypnotize and manipulate. Bored and rebellious he turned to crime and as the Pied Piper he repeatedly gave Barry Allen, the second Flash, quite the runaround. He also joined up with some Barry's other enemies at times to form the Rouge's Gallery.
	After getting put into jail one time too many, Piper began to realise that his life had gotten pretty pointless and he decided to go straight. He got out on good behaviour and took to the streets, dedicating himself to helping the homeless. That's where he met Wally West, the third and current Flash. After helping each other out on a few cases the two became firm friends, and to this day they continue to hang out together and lend each other a hand when needed. Currently poor Piper's in a large amount of trouble, having been jailed for the murder of his parents. He confessed to the crimes, albeit sounding rather confused about it all, so who knows what's really going on. It's doubtful that committed the crime without at least some kind of coercion. He had actually been getting along fairly well with his parents up until that point, and they had been understandably relived that he had quit his criminal ways. Currently in: The Flash, where he's involved in a rather fascinating ongoing subplot. Best storylines include: *Flash #53* He doesn't actually appear in much of this story but I have to include it because it includes what must be Piper's most remembered and quoted scene: his coming out to the Flash. Wally acts hilariously badly at first by remembering a sudden appointment and running like hell (and then congratulating himself for being so slick that Piper didn't notice he was uncomfortable!). By the end though, he's obviously decided that Piper's friendship is important to him, and he accepts everything rather gracefully from then on. Onya, Wally :-).
	*Flash #56 - 57* A refreshing change from the usual heroics, this was a two-part murder mystery that was rather entertaining. Wally finds that he's been named in the will of the Icicle (an old villain who's recently died), and he turns up to the reading with friends in tow. Unfortunately, some of the Icicle's family and in-laws are also there and are not at all happy to find that they are losing out on the money. Some may even be willing to kill for it… Piper's mainly in the first issue, where he tags along to the reading for moral support, making cutting jokes at the expense of he rest of the guests and generally making Wally sorry he took him :-). The second issue is actually rather interesting as well though, because it contains the letter column showing peoples' reactions to Piper's coming out a few issues before. Some people's comments were rather sad, others rather refreshing. One of the most interesting letter columns I've read though, I have to say.
	*Flash# 120-121* After lurking in the background for some time, Piper was thrust into the limelight for this two-partner. It's set against the background of the Presidential Elections and has Piper going up against an old rogue whom he's convinced is tied up in a scheme to get elected. Since he has no actual proof of this, Wally, Linda and James (his partner at the time) are legitimately sceptical. Someone's being played here… *Flash Annual #10* It's a 'Young Romance' themed annual and the back-up stars Piper and James with narry a Flash in sight. Piper has to deal with an old partner in crime who's just a little ticked off at him, while looking at his own feelings on his former life and trying to reassure his partner that he's not at all tempted to go back. Nope, not in the slightest… *Flash# 179* A sub-plot that's been boiling for a while comes to a head. Osgood and Rachel Rathaway are dead, found lying in their own home with their eardrums blown out. And the security tapes show who did it - their apparently reformed son, Hartley. The Flash is astounded, even more so when Piper… confesses? What the heck's going on there? Beats me! Wally and Linda visit him in custody to try and sort things out, just in time for a bunch of lunatics infected by specialised Joker venom to come knocking. This may well be poor Piper's most horrendous day… A Tiny Gallery of Piper: Fan Fiction The Freedom Fighters Written for the GayLeague web site, this is a bunch of stories featuring a team of DC Superheroes who happen to all be gay. Think that's a bit silly? Don't worry, so do they, and some of them take a large amount of convincing to even join. I have to say, I really didn't expect this to be as good as it is, and I was pleasantly surprised. There's some cool writing here, and some wonderfully well thought out plots. Great stuff, and recommended. Shattered Harmonies - Notes Intrigued by the sub-plot involving Piper that has been winding gradually through The Flash of late, Carmen Williams has written a series of fiction centred around Piper's arrest and people's reactions to that. It's fascinating reading and highly recommended! Shattered Harmonies - Reentry Written from the viewpoint of Piper's ex, James. He's just heard the news and can't believe his ears. Yes, he promised himself he wasn't going to get involved with Hartley's crazy life any more, but how can he stay away now? Shattered Harmonies - Silent Scream Piper's in a world of hurt. He's been beaten, drugged and locked away, but the worst punishment is having to sit alone with his tangled memories. Shattered Harmonies - Dark Tidings Argus drops by on Linda and brings her some nasty news... Telling James, Piper's one-time partner, makes a phone call to his Mum. He's got something rather important to tell her before he brings Hartley over for dinner… A Brief Conversation Between Friends Trickster comes around to cheer his friend up after the horrors of the current storyline. And it's really difficult to convince the Trickster that you're not interested in being cheered up… A Longer Conversation Between Friends The long(?) awaited sequel to the above fic. Therapy, Trickster style! It's just like normal therapy, but ten times more annoying! Places on the Web Unfortunately there aren't any sites totally devoted to Piper, but these two do give nice little profiles. For Those Who Ride The Lightning A very cool Flash site, quite probably the best on the web. And they were nice enough to let me use a picture or two of theirs :-). Flash: The Fastest Man Alive A newer site, this is updated thoroughly and regularly and is a great place to keep up on current plotlines. Also have a look at Alvaro's Flash Board and the DC Flash Board if you want to do a little talking about Piper. Go back to Second Bananas…