Flash (comics)
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The Flash is a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940).
Once nicknamed the Scarlet Speedster, the Flash possesses "super-speed", which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and violate certain laws of physics. Thus far, four different characters, each of whom somehow gained the power of "super-speed", have assumed the identity of the Flash: Jay Garrick (1940-Present), Barry Allen (1956-1986), Wally West (1986-2006), and Bart Allen (2006-present).
The second incarnation of the Flash is generally considered the first hero of the Silver Age of comic books and the superhero has remained one of DC‘s most popular ever since. Each version of the Flash has been a key member of either the Justice Society of America or the Justice League, DC’s all-star teams, although it has yet to be seen what kind of role Bart Allen will play in either the Justice League or Justice Society, given how recently he assumed his role as the current Flash, alongside Jay Garrick.
The Barry Allen version of the character was featured in a live action television series in 1990, starring John Wesley Shipp. The Wally West version of the Flash is featured in the animated series Justice League, voiced by Michael Rosenbaum, who is now the face of Lex Luthor on Smallville.
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[edit] Publication history
[edit] Golden Age
The Flash first appeared in the Golden Age Flash Comics #1 (1940), from All-American Publications, one of three companies that would eventually merge to form DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, this Flash was Jay Garrick, a college student who gained his speed through the inhalation of hard water vapors (later retconned into heavy water vapors), and who wore a winged metal helmet reminiscent of the mythological Roman god Mercury. He is notable as the first super-speedster in comics, and one of the first to have a single super-power as opposed to the multi-powered Superman.
Garrick was a popular character in the 1940s, supporting both Flash Comics and All-Flash Quarterly (later published bi-monthly as simply All-Flash); co-starring in Comic Cavalcade; and being a charter member of the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team, whose adventures ran in All Star Comics. With superheroers' post-war decline in popularity, Flash Comics was cancelled with issue #104 (1949). The Justice Society's final Golden Age story ran in All Star Comics #57 (1951; the title itself continued, as All Star Western).
[edit] Silver Age
In 1956, DC Comics successfully revived superheroes, ushering in what became known as the Silver Age of comic books. Rather than bringing back the same Golden Age heroes, as Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics, unsuccessfully tried to do, DC reimagined them as new characters for the modern age. The Flash was the first revival, in the aptly named tryout comic book Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956).
This new Flash was Barry Allen, a police scientist who gained super-speed when bathed by chemicals after a shelf of them was struck by lightning. He adopted the name The Flash after reading a comic book featuring the Golden Age Flash. After several more appearances in Showcase, Allen's character was given his own title, The Flash, the first issue of which was #105 (resuming where Flash Comics had left off).
The Silver Age Flash proved popular enough that several other Golden Age heroes were revived in new incarnations. A new superhero team, the Justice League of America, was also created, with the Flash as a charter member.
[edit] The Flashes of two worlds
The Flash also introduced a much-imitated plot device into superhero comics when it was revealed that Garrick and Allen existed on fictional parallel worlds. Their powers allowed them to cross the dimensional boundary between worlds, and the men became good friends. The Flash of Two Worlds was the first crossover in which a Golden Age character met a Silver Age character. Soon, there were crossovers between the entire Justice League and the Justice Society; their respective teams began an annual get-together which endured from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s.
Allen's adventures continued in his own title until the advent of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Flash ended as a series with #350. Allen's life had become considerably confused in the early 1980s, and DC elected to end his adventures and pass the mantle on to another character. Allen died heroically in the issue #8 of the Crisis (1986). Thanks to his ability to travel through time, he would continue to appear occasionally in the years to come.
[edit] Modern Age
The third Flash was Wally West, who was introduced in Flash #110 (1959) as Kid Flash. West, Allen's nephew by marriage, gained the Flash's powers through an accident identical to Allen's. Adopting the identity of Kid Flash, he maintained membership in the Teen Titans for years. Following Allen's death, West adopted the Flash identity in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 and was given his own series, beginning with The Flash (2nd series) #1 in 1987. Many issues began Flash with the simultaneously glad and rueful catchphrase: "My name is Wally West, I'm the fastest man alive, I'm the Flash".
Due to the Infinite Crisis miniseries and the "One Year Later" jump in time in the DC Universe, DC cancelled The Flash (2nd series) in January 2006 at #230. A new series, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, began on June 21 2006. Written by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo and drawn by Ken Lashley, this series reveals Barry's grandson Bart Allen to be the heir to the Flash mantle.
[edit] Fictional biographies
While several other individuals have used the name Flash, these have lived either on other parallel worlds, or in the future. Garrick, Allen and West are the best-known exemplars of the identity.
[edit] Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick was a college student in January 1940 who accidentally inhaled heavy water vapors after falling asleep in his laboratory where he had been smoking. As a result, he found that he could run at superhuman speed and had similarly fast reflexes. After a brief career as a college football star, he donned a red shirt with a lightning bolt and a stylized metal helmet with wings (based on images of the Roman god Mercury), and began to fight crime as the Flash. His first case involved battling the "Faultless Four", a group of blackmailers. Jay kept his identity secret for years without a mask by continually vibrating his body while in public so that any photograph of his face would be blurred. He is still active as the Flash, and operates out of Keystone City.
[edit] Barry Allen
Barry Allen was a police scientist with a reputation for being very slow, deliberate, and frequently late, which frustrated his fiancée, Iris West. One night, as he was preparing to leave work, a lightning bolt shattered a case full of chemicals and spilled them all over Allen. As a result, Allen found that he could run extremely fast and had matching reflexes. He donned a set of red tights sporting a lightning bolt (reminiscent of the original Captain Marvel), dubbed himself the Flash (after his childhood hero in the comic books, Jay Garrick), and became a crimefighter. In his civilian identity, he stored the costume in his ring, which could eject the compressed clothing when Allen needed it and suck it back in with the aid of a special gas that shrinks the suit.
[edit] Wally West
Wally West was the nephew of Iris West and Barry Allen by marriage, and was introduced in The Flash (1st series) #110 (1959). When West was about ten years old, he was visiting his uncle's police laboratory, and the freak accident that gave Allen his powers repeated itself, bathing West in electrically charged chemicals. Now possessing the same powers as his uncle, West donned a copy of his uncle's outfit and became the young crimefighter Kid Flash. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Barry Allen was killed, Wally took over as the fastest man alive. Following the events of Infinite Crisis, Wally, his wife Linda, and their twins left Earth for an unknown dimension.
[edit] Bart Allen
Bart Allen was the grandson of Barry Allen and his wife Iris. Bart suffered from accelerated aging and, as a result, was raised in a virtual reality machine until Iris took him back in time in order to get help from the then current Flash, Wally West. With Wally's help, Bart's aging slowed and he took the name Impulse. After his kneecap was shot while working with the Teen Titans, Bart changed both his attitude and his costume, taking the mantle of Kid Flash. During the events of Infinite Crisis, the Speed Force vanished, taking with it all the speedsters, save Jay Garrick. Bart returned, four years older, and for a year claimed that he was depowered from the event. However the Speed Force had not disappeared completely, and was absorbed into Bart's body, making it such that Bart is the Speed Force. Bart's costume is a "cloned" Flash suit from Barry Allen.
[edit] Powers and abilities
All incarnations of the Flash can run and move their limbs at superhuman speeds, and possess superhuman reflexes. All possess an aura that prevents air friction from affecting their bodies and clothes while moving.
Barry Allen was believed to be the fastest of all known Flashes, and was known to have travelled faster than the "speed of thought". However, when Barry Allen pushed himself further (while imploding the Anti-Monitor's chief weapon during the Crisis on Infinite Earths) he appeared to waste away as he was converted into pure speed energy, travelled back in time, and was revealed to be the very bolt of lightning that gave him his powers. Barry Allen possessed several other abilities that Jay Garrick and Wally West have not always been able to duplicate. He could run on thick snow clouds. Most unusual was Allen's complete control of his molecules, allowing him to vibrate through solid matter and, on one occasion when transformed into a mirror, "melt" himself and reform as a human to defeat his foe the Mirror Master.
Wally West has said more than once that Barry Allen was the Flash most experienced with time travel. However, Wally has been shown to have a connection to the Speed Force, an extradimensional energy source, which provides his powers and gives him several other abilities. While all speedsters are powered by the force, West mainlines the power from the force itself and cannot be cut off from the source, unlike the others. Wally has, on several occasions, sped faster than light and been pulled into and exited the Speed Force by his own volition. He can create his costume out of pure speed energy, and can either impart his high velocities to other people and objects already in motion or steal the velocity they possess. Jay Garrick also possesses this ability to some degree; he stole speed from Black Adam in order to defeat the villainous Johnny Sorrow, and he has threatened to steal Bart Allen's (formerly Impulse and Kid Flash II, now the new Flash) speed on at least one occasion when he was misbehaving. West can vibrate through objects; in the past, West would cause whatever he vibrated through to explode, but has recently shown this to be a controlled ability as he can pass through objects without any ensuing explosion. Although not nearly as precise as Allen when he used his cosmic treadmill, West has shown to be able to traverse time and dimensions with his own powers, like Allen in Showcase #4 in 1956. However, Wally now accelerates to the point that he is skirting the very edge of the Speed Force dimension, and can traverse along the timestream to specific points as they become visible, much like watching a movie in fast forward or reverse (however he must have a particular speedster's vibratory signature to search for and lock onto, or be very familiar with the vibration of that time period).
Occasionally, the top speeds of the Flashes are light speed, although Barry Allen and Wally West have been shown to have sped faster than light (as mentioned previously). On several occasions, the Flash has been shown in various races against Superman to determine which one is faster (or as part of a mutual effort to thwart some type of threat); these races, however, often resulted in ties (or indeterminate results). However, in recent races between Wally and Superman, West has been shown to be the faster of the two. It should, however, be noted that the Silver Age Superman was much faster than the current one.
Speedsters may at times use the ability to speed-read at incredible rates and in doing so, process vast amounts of information. Whatever knowledge they acquire in this manner is usually temporary, although the current Flash seems to be the exception, though in earlier years, Max Mercury believed that Bart's speed learning would not stick.
Flashes and other super-speedsters also have the ability to speak to one another at a highly accelerated rate. This is often done to have private conversations in front of non-fast people (as when Flash speaks to Superman about his ability to serve both the Titans and the JLA in The Titans #2).
[edit] Awards
The comics and characters have been nominated for and won several awards over the years, including:
- 1961 Alley Award for Best Cover (Flash #123)
- 1961 Alley Award for Best Single Comic (Flash #123 by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino)
- 1963 Alley Award for Cross-Over of DC Heroes for The Brave and the Bold (with Hawkman)
- 1964 Alley Award for Best Short Story ("Doorway to the Unknown" in Flash #148 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino).
[edit] Appearances in other media
[edit] Early appearances
A version of the Flash guest-starred in the animated series, The Adventures of Aquaman in 1968. Flash appeared off and on in the animated series Super Friends throughout its run from 1973 to 1985.
In 1977 he appeared in the live-action Legends of the Superheroes specials, played by actor Rod Haase.
[edit] The Flash 1990 series
The Flash was a live action CBS television series that starred John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays. The Flash featured in the series was an amalgamation of the silver-age Flash, Barry Allen, and the modern-age Wally West. The only resemblances between the TV Barry Allen Flash and the comic book Barry Allen Flash were his name, his profession as a forensic scientist, and his love interest Iris (who is very short lived as a love interest in the television series). Most of the elements in the television show were taken directly from the main story line in the first Wally West Flash comic books: The STAR labs researcher Tina McGee, her and her husband's research into speed, her husband's allegedly fatal accident with their speed research, the Flash's ravenous appetite, heat problems (which were mitigated by the TV show Flash suit), and speed limit on the order of the speed of sound were all elements from the main Wally West comic book storyline.
The Flash's most famous villain in the series was the Trickster, played by Mark Hamill, which oddly foreshadowed Hamill's subsequent success at voicing the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and, later, the Trickster in Justice League Unlimited . Captain Cold, played by Michael Champion, and Mirror Master, played by David Cassidy, also appeared in their own episodes. The complete series was released as a DVD set by Warner Bros. in 2006.
[edit] Justice League of America pilot
The Flash was in a CBS live-action pilot called Justice League of America, portrayed by Kenny Johnston. The pilot did not air in the United States.
[edit] DC Animated Universe
The Flash appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, voiced by Charlie Schlatter, in the second-season episode "Speed Demons". As in the traditional comic book storylines, the Flash and Superman race to find out who is faster, but the Weather Wizard gets in the way, which causes the two to work together. He also appears in Batman Gotham Adventures #25 due to a theft in Central City leading him to Gotham.
The Flash in the Justice League animated series is voiced by Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville). This Flash is Wally West; however he is an amalgamation of Barry Allen and Wally (in Justice League Unlimited, Wally is a forensic scientist, which was Barry's profession. Wally in the comics is an auto mechanic.) Michael Rosenbaum also voiced Kid Flash for a Fall 2005 episode of Teen Titans animated series entitled "Lightspeed". He later appeared in a cameo in the episode "Calling all Titans" and then he reappeared fully in the episode "Titans Together".
Some fans criticized the Justice League animated series characterization of the Flash, mainly due to the chauvinistic dialogue in early episodes. However, others argued that he provided a needed foil to the other characters; his humorous attitude and setting reflects Silver Age roots. The importance of the Flash as the "heart" of the Justice League was shown in the episode "A Better World", when his death in an alternate timeline triggered a series of events which turned that alternate League (the "Justice Lords") into virtual dictators of Earth. He has also proven key in saving the day in a few episodes, such as Divided We Fall, in which he defeated the fused Brainiac/Lex Luthor when all the other six founding Justice League members could not. In the process, he was drawn into the Speed Force (the first explicit use of the concept in the DCAU), and barely managed to escape. The episode Flash and Substance is centered on the opening of the Flash Museum. Many of the Flash's rogues make cameos in this episode, while focusing on Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Captain Cold, and The Trickster (voiced by Mark Hamill). Linda Park also appears as a reporter covering the museum opening.
[edit] Smallville
The Flash made a guest appearance in the television series Smallville, in the fourth-season episode "Run" (first aired October 20, 2004) played by Kyle Gallner. He is portrayed as a self-centered teenager who uses his powers for personal gain. He goes by the name Bart Allen, but is shown to be carrying multiple ID cards also identifying him as Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West. His speed in the episode seemed to surpass Clark Kent's and they apparently became friends towards the end, with allusions being made to forming a "league" one day. Since in Smallville Clark Kent has not yet become Superman, it is not clear if this version of The Flash will grow up to become Jay Garrick (Flash 1), Barry Allen (Flash 2), Wally West (Flash 3), Bart Allen (Flash 4), or some other Flash entirely.
Additionally. Kyle Gallner has been confirmed to reprise his role in the Sixth season episode "Justice". <ref>http://tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Ausiello/default.aspx?posting={1FB5E5D6-7FD4-4987-B948-1CE8D8DA8781}</ref>
[edit] Movie
In December 2004, David Goyer (writer of the Blade trilogy and Batman Begins) announced plans to write and direct a major motion picture about The Flash. There are rumors that Ryan Reynolds will play The Flash, but very little since has been announced. David Goyer has recently announced that a first draft of the movie's script is in refinement stages.
[edit] Other appearances
- Barry Allen appeared in one episode of the first season of Super Friends.
- The Flash appeared in the live action, 2 part TV show Legends of the Superheroes in 1979. He was played by Rod Haase
- Barry Allen appeared in the comic strip The World's Greatest Superheroes.
- Wally West appeared in the Justice League Task Force Super Nintendo fighting game.
- Wally West appeared in a novel Stop Motion, written by Mark Schultz.
- The Flash was a video game that was released on the Sega Master System in 1993. A Game Boy version was also released.
- The Flash will be a featured playable character in the upcoming video game, Justice League Heroes. In addition, there is a spinoff for Game Boy Advance with The Flash as the main hero.
- The Flash will have a guest appearance in Season 4 of The Batman. It is not known which Flash this will be (either Wally West, Barry Allen, or Bart Allen).
[edit] References in popular culture
- In "Marge vs. the Monorail", a 1993 episode of The Simpsons, one of Lisa's schoolmates asks salesman Lyle Lanley about the monorail: "Can it outrun the Flash?!" After Lanley (voiced by Phil Hartman) answers yes, the student asks, "Can Superman outrun the Flash?" Lanley replies "Sure, why not."
- "The Ballad of Barry Allen" is a song by Jim's Big Ego featured on They're Everywhere and released through Creative Commons. The song portrays Barry Allen's ability to move at super-speed from an alternate viewpoint: namely, that to him the entire world is moving excruciatingly slowly ("I've got time to think / about the beauty of / the thousand variations of / the beating of the wings of / the hummingbird suspended in / the aspic of the world / moving slower than molasses, / as I'm off to catch the girl / who's falling off the bridge"). Jim's Big Ego is fronted by Jim Infantino, nephew of legendary Flash artist Carmine Infantino.
- In 2002, the lead con-man character in the movie Catch Me If You Can played by Leonardo DiCaprio used the alias "Barry Allen" to elude G-man Tom Hanks in reference to his love for the comic book.
- In the 2003 movie Daddy Day Care, Jimmy Bennett plays a boy who thinks he is the Flash and refuses to take off his costume, plus a sugar rush actually allows him to go super speed for a while.
- In 2004, NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal gave his teammate, Dwyane Wade the nickname "Flash" (one of O'Neal's nicknames was "Superman").
- In Season 5 of the TV series Angel, Illyria is able to escape from the group by slowing down time. They believe she has super speed. Gunn comments: "So she did a Barry Allen on us?" When the others give him a blank look: "Jay Garrick? Wally We... . She was moving really fast."
- Beginning with the 1980-1981 season of The Dukes of Hazzard, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane owns a slow-looking basset hound which he called "Flash".
[edit] Related characters
While the Flash had a number of speedy predecessors in mythology, he was the first super-speed hero in comic books.
[edit] Rogues
Like Batman, the Flash has a reputation for having fought a distinctive and memorable rogues gallery of supervillains. In the Flash's case, some of these villains have adopted the term "Flash's Rogues Gallery" as an official title, and insist on being called "Rogues" rather than "supervillains" or similar names. At times, various combinations of the Rogues have banded together in order to commit crimes or take revenge on the Flash, usually under the leadership of Captain Cold.
[edit] References
- a Dan Didio on the New Flash Team (newsarama.com)
- b The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 (dccomics.com)
[edit] External links
- The Flash at Internet Movie Database
- Crimson Lightning - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Modern Age Flash.
- Alan Kistler's Profile On: The Flash - An analysis of the history of the Flash by comic book historian Alan Kistler.
- Golden Age Flash Toonopedia entry
- Silver Age Flash Toonopedia entry
- Alan Kistler's Guide To The Crisis
- The Flash: Those Who Ride The Lightning - Fan site with information about the super-speed characters of the DC Universe.
- Index to Barry Allen's Earth-One adventures
- Comic Book Awards Almanac
- comicfoundry.com Conversation with new Flash writers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo about Bart Allen as the new Flash
- Tutorial: Buying Comics On-line How to find the best deals and avoid some of the pitfallsde:Roter Blitz
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