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89-500: A forensic chemist, Barry accidentally gains superpowers following a lightning strike in his laboratory. Like other heroes who go by the Flash, Barry is a " speedster ", with powers that derive mainly from his superhuman speed. He wears a distinct red and gold costume treated to resist friction and wind, traditionally storing the costume compressed inside a ring. Created as a reimagining of the popular 1940s superhero The Flash (Jay Garrick) ,

178-476: A 6-issue miniseries bringing Barry Allen back to a leading role in the DC Universe as the Flash, much in the same vein as Green Lantern: Rebirth . When asked what Flashes would appear in the series, Johns and Van Sciver said, "All of them." The series begins with the cities of Central and Keystone celebrating the return of, "Central City's Flash", Wonder Woman having used her government contacts to create

267-479: A crossover story involving Clock King fighting a series of temporal dopplegangers during "Zero Hour" while trying to obtain a powerful time travel artifact. With the 1995-1996 Showcase series, the focus switched from Batman centric characters to Superman centric characters. This included a story involving the Matrix Supergirl that led into her ongoing series written by Peter David ( Showcase '96 #8) and

356-399: A few issues, and then went away. [DC] decided to create Showcase for the very same reason it was originally created, to have a place to experiment, and if [the feature] sold, great . If not, they were already on to the next idea".[emphasis in original] The revived Showcase , using the original numbering, began with issue #94 and published the first appearance of the new Doom Patrol and

445-588: A parallel universe ( Earth-Two ), which allowed the character to exist without any continuity conflicts with Barry Allen (who existed on Earth-One ), yet allowed him to make guest appearances in Silver Age books. Barry Allen and Iris West were shown to get married in 1966 in Flash #165 "One Bridegroom Too Many!" Barry Allen is a forensic chemist with a reputation for being very slow, and frequently late, which frustrates his fiancée, Iris West . One night, as he

534-428: A previously untold story from earlier in the "Knightfall" storyline where Batman fought Two-Face. Showcase '94 #4-5 were part of a crossover with Robin, involving Tim Drake and Huntress fighting a masked priest/vigilante attempting to eliminate his evil mob boss sister's criminal empire. Showcase '94 #8-9 featured a prelude to "Zero Hour Crisis In Time" that featured Monarch's transformation into Extant and #10 featured

623-518: A prologue to the July company crossover. At the grave of Bruce Wayne in Gotham City , Hal and Barry reflect on Batman's death and how the hero community is avoiding linking Wayne and Batman. This reflection turns to the pair looking at their deaths, comparing the sadness Barry's death engendered in others while Hal's death produced anger. Hal sums it up by telling Barry, "I died a sinner. You died

712-523: A relationship because he feels his real love is Iris West, whom he ultimately marries. Allen also becomes a good friend of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) , which would later be the subject of the limited series Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold . In The Flash #123—" Flash of Two Worlds "—Allen is transported to Earth-Two where he meets Jay Garrick, the original Flash in DC Continuity; it

801-608: A representation of "our" universe, where he seeks the aid of the Flash comic book's editor Julius Schwartz to build a cosmic treadmill so that he can return home. He also gains a sidekick and protégé in Iris' nephew, Wally West , who gains super-speed in an accident similar to that which gave Allen his powers. In time, Barry marries his girlfriend Iris West, who learns of his double identity because Allen talks in his sleep. She keeps this secret, and he eventually reveals his identity to her of his own free will with Moreno's persuasion. Iris

890-585: A saint." (though he admits he is not and reflects on his past sins.) The conversation moves on to the world becoming "more dangerous" after Barry's death and observing that the deaths of Arthur Curry and Martian Manhunter cost the Justice League its "heart and soul." As they leave the cemetery, Barry expresses hope that their dead comrades will be returned to them. He specifically cites Batman noting, "If there's an escape, you can bet Batman's already planning it." Speedster (fiction) A speedster

979-476: A short time by Sal Amendola ), the series gave new writers and artists their first professional opportunity in the comics industry. Notable creators who made their DC debuts with New Talent Showcase include Mark Beachum, Norm Breyfogle , Tom Grindberg , Steve Lightle , Mindy Newell , and Stan Woch . Per editorial policy, the series featured only new characters. DC revived the Showcase title in 1993 when

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1068-451: A special gas that shrinks the suit. In addition, Allen invents the cosmic treadmill , a device that allows for precise time travel . Allen is warmly received by his superhero colleagues, so much so, that nearly all speedsters that come after him are often compared to him. Batman eventually says "Barry is the kind of man that I would've hoped to become if my parents had not been murdered." As presented in Justice League of America #9, when

1157-567: A treadmill to pass the ship through the dimensional barrier. With the Wasp , he is ordered by Captain America to find ways through Krona's defences, and alerts the group to a probably lethal force field. During the final battle, Barry saves Hawkeye from being killed when the Absorbing Man breaks the ground beneath him, but both of them are blasted and apparently killed by Dreamslayer . At

1246-454: A way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring untested characters in their own ongoing titles. Showcase is regarded as the most successful of such tryout series, having been published continuously for more than 14 years, launching numerous popular titles, and maintaining a considerable readership of its own. The series ran from March–April 1956 to September 1970, suspending publication with issue #93, and then

1335-689: Is a character, primarily in superhero comics , whose powers primarily relate to superhuman speed (also known as superspeed ). Primary abilities shared by all speedsters include running at speeds far in excess of human capability (to varying degrees) and resistance to the side effects of such velocities (air resistance, inability to breathe, dynamic shock resulting from contact with objects at high speed, etc.). In almost all cases, speedsters can physically attack opponents by striking them at high speed, imparting great kinetic energy without themselves being harmed or at times even affected at all. A variety of other powers have been attributed to speedsters, depending on

1424-668: Is declared to be the "fastest man alive", a title he believes feels "right", though he never recovers his memory during his time in the universe. He later adopts the alias "FastForward", before being returned to his original universe with Makkari's assistance. Iris is pregnant and has two children who have super-speed powers, the Tornado Twins, who later meet the Legion of Super-Heroes . In the multiversal variant known as Earth-247, each of her children themselves have children with speed-based abilities. One, Jenni Ognats, grows up to become

1513-425: Is eventually revealed to have been sent as a child from the 30th century and adopted. In the 1980s, Flash's life begins to collapse. Iris is murdered by Zoom (a supervillain from the 25th century who had long loved her and been jealous of Allen), and when Allen prepares to marry another woman, Zoom tries the same trick again. Allen stops him, killing Zoom in the process by breaking his neck. Unfortunately, when Barry

1602-600: Is foreshadowed during Grant Morrison 's crossover story Final Crisis #2 (June 2008), preceding his full return in Geoff Johns ' accompanying The Flash: Rebirth (June 2009) limited series . He has since played a pivotal role in the crossover stories like Blackest Night (2009), Flashpoint (2011), Convergence (2015), DC Rebirth (2016), Doomsday Clock (2017-2019), Infinite Frontier (2021), and Absolute Power (2024). Barry Allen has been featured in several media, first appearing in animated form in

1691-542: Is now alive after being dead for so long. It is then that Barry and Wally are confronted by Wonder Woman , Batwoman , Catwoman , and Giganta , who have all been transformed into the new Female Furies following the release of the Anti-Life Equation . Despite the fact that this new version of the Female Furies is equipped with the ability to track down speedsters, perceived by Libra and Darkseid as

1780-649: Is one of the heroes whose spirit Deadman helps to enter Heaven, and the Green Arrow storyline "Quiver" depicts Barry Allen in Heaven. His spirit seems to still be alive within the Speed Force, along with Max Mercury and other speedsters. In Quasar by Marvel Comics , released between December 1990 and May 1994, an amnesiac Barry Allen, misremembering his name as "Buried Alien" and the Speed Force as

1869-549: Is revealed that Jay Garrick's adventures were captured in comic book form on Earth-One . This storyline initiates DC's multiverse and is continued in issues of Flash and in team-ups between the Justice League of America of Earth-One and the Justice Society of America of Earth-Two. In the story from Flash #179—"The Flash – Fact or Fiction?"—Allen is thrown into the universe eventually called Earth Prime ,

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1958-424: Is still the only one able to see "the shadow falling over everything", in the form of Darkseid . On the final page, the moon appears in front of a red sky, as a yellow lightning bolt strikes in front of it creating the logo of the Flash, as he remarks "and now I remember". A Daily News story released on the same day proclaims that Barry Allen has returned to life, with issue co-writer Geoff Johns stating, "When

2047-402: Is then attacked by Reverse-Flash, and realizes that the answers to this mystery, and restoring his good name, lie in the future, so Newbury uses a time device to send them forward. They discover that Abra Kadabra was disguised as Reverse-Flash to ruin the Flash's good name. Defeating Kadabra, he retreats to the future to be reunited with Iris, having learned that Iris' spirit was in fact drawn to

2136-409: Is unable to make an appearance at his own wedding, his fiancée eventually descends into madness. Placed on trial for murder in connection with Zoom's death, Allen is found guilty by the jury. When he is told by a juror Nathan Newbury, who is being possessed by a mind from the future, that Reverse-Flash (whom Allen knows to be dead) brainwashed the jury into this verdict, Flash flees his trial. The Flash

2225-488: Is working late on a new case, a lightning bolt strikes and shatters a case full of unspecified chemicals, drenching Barry, and temporarily knocking him out. As a result, Allen later finds that he can run at super-human speeds and possesses equally enhanced reflexes, senses, and healing. He later dons a red bodysuit, sporting a lightning bolt in the chest (reminiscent of the original Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel ), dubs himself

2314-501: The Grandmaster shows the heroes how reality should be but nevertheless resolves to help restore the timeline as it is not his place to play God. He talks with Hal Jordan over the similarity of their situation, stating that dying could not be so bad so long as they have left a legacy for others (Wally West and Kyle Rayner , in their cases) to fight for what they believe. He helps the team get into Krona 's base by using his running on

2403-673: The Negative Speed Force was created by Eobard Thawne to manipulate time as the Reverse-Flash and additionally corrupted Fast Track as the Negative Flash, and the Forever Force has the power to manipulate time which Hunter Zolomon used to control the flow of time while appearing as the speedster Zoom. Speedster characters appear in other media such as film , video games , anime and manga ,

2492-1326: The Silver Age Flash , the Challengers of the Unknown , Space Ranger , Adam Strange , Rip Hunter , the Silver Age Green Lantern , the Sea Devils , the Silver Age Atom , the Metal Men , the Inferior Five , the Creeper , Anthro , Hawk and Dove , Angel and the Ape , the Silver Age Spectre , and Bat Lash . In 1962, DC purchased an adaptation of the James Bond novel and film Dr. No , which had been published in British Classics Illustrated , and published it as an issue of Showcase . It

2581-565: The "Hyperforce", and surprised to have "form" again, enters the Marvel Universe in the middle of the great race to be the "Fastest Man Alive" after the players had passed the first warp junction, where he is discovered by the Runner co-ordinating it and invited to participate in his race. Beating several other speedsters ( Quicksilver , Quasar , The Whizzer , Captain Marvel , Speed Demon , Black Racer , Super Sabre , and Makkari ), he

2670-438: The 1950s retailer reluctance to order new, untested series had largely vanished, and was replaced in the 1990s with reader enthusiasm for the "#1" issues of new series. The new series was published as Showcase '93 , a monthly 12-issue miniseries , replaced yearly by Showcase '94 , '95 and '96 , each one also a miniseries lasting 12 issues. For the first two years (1993–1994), Showcase featured characters and concepts from

2759-470: The 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and then in the related Super Friends program. Since then he has appeared in several DC Universe Animated Original Movies . Actor John Wesley Shipp portrayed the character in the live-action 1990s television show The Flash and the Arrowverse . The character was portrayed by Grant Gustin in the Arrowverse shows in a main capacity, especially

Flash (Barry Allen) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-604: The 2014 television series The Flash , while Ezra Miller portrayed the character in the DC Extended Universe films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Suicide Squad , Justice League , the director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League , the Arrowverse event Crisis on Infinite Earths , the HBO Max series Peacemaker , and the 2023 film The Flash . While the fictional "in world" history of

2937-414: The 30th century, and given a new body (and was in fact the mind inhabiting Newbury). The final issue of The Flash ends with Flash and Iris kissing passionately and the caption "And they lived happily ever after... for a while". There are a few references in the final issue ( The Flash #350) to the upcoming events, and Flash's impending death. In the controversial storyline Identity Crisis (sets within

3026-512: The Anti-Monitor's plan to destroy the Earth with an anti-matter cannon, creating a speed vortex to draw the power in, but dies in the process as the power becomes too much for his body. It has been said that Allen travels back through time and becomes the very same lightning bolt that gives him his powers, but later it is also strongly implied that the soul of Barry resides in the Speed Force ,

3115-542: The Batman family of titles with an emphasis on villain-centric one-off stories. The 1994 Azrael series launched out of Showcase '94 with #10 while a prototype story for what became the Birds of Prey ongoing appeared in Showcase '96 #3. The series also had a series of crossover tie-ins. Showcase '93 had a two-part crossover with the "Knightfall Saga" set while Batman recovered from having his back broken by Bane, which revealed

3204-474: The Earth is infiltrated by alien warriors sent to conquer the planet, some of the world's greatest heroes join forces, Allen among them. While the superheroes individually defeat most of the invaders, they fall prey to a single alien and only by working together are able to defeat the warrior. Afterwards, they decide to establish the Justice League . During the years, Barry is depicted as feeling slightly attracted to Black Canary and Zatanna but never pursues

3293-539: The Equation. The Allens and Wally West are left to fend in a conquered world. In the seventh and final issue of Final Crisis , Barry and Wally lead the Black Racer to Darkseid , dealing the cosmic tyrant a blow that, coupled with Batman shooting him in the shoulder with the god-bullet, would facilitate his ultimate defeat. In 2009, writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver created The Flash: Rebirth ,

3382-403: The Flash (after his childhood comic book hero, Jay Garrick ), and becomes Central City 's resident costumed crime fighter and protector. Central City University professor Ira West (Iris's adoptive father) designed Allen's costume and the ring which stores it while Allen is in his civilian identity. The ring can eject the compressed clothing when Allen needs it and suck it back in with the aid of

3471-524: The Legionnaire XS , while the other, Bart Allen , is born with an accelerated metabolism that rapidly ages him, and is sent back to the 20th century where he is cured by Wally West. He remains there as the superhero Impulse under the tutelage of Max Mercury , and later becomes the second Kid Flash as a member of the Teen Titans . One year after the events of Infinite Crisis , Bart becomes

3560-491: The Marvel Universe states that the character Nova maintains speeds which can be considered "modest", especially when carrying a passenger. It also concedes that a solid object moving in the Earth's atmosphere at several times the speed of sound or faster would wreak havoc on the planet, and that moving at such speeds would prohibit Northstar from breathing, while the generated wind/friction would ravage his body. On

3649-618: The Speed Force, the real culprit reveals himself: Professor Zoom . Zoom reveals his plan: after Barry briefly aided Kid Flash against Superboy-Prime during the Infinite Crisis , Thawne was able to send a subliminal pulse into the Speed Force to draw back what was left of Barry's self-awareness. This led to the hero's reappearance during the Final Crisis . Afterward, Zoom transformed himself into "a new kind of speedster" and created his negative Speed Force to contaminate Barry and

Flash (Barry Allen) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-467: The Time Barrier!" parallels the groundbreaking achievement of breaking the sound barrier, exploring the potential of time travel influenced by Einstein's theories, and highlighting the fascination with overcoming natural limits through science. Also introduced at this time was Iris West, Barry Allen's then love interest (and later wife), and "Lois Lane" to his "Clark Kent". Like Lois Lane, Iris West

3827-476: The battle against Superboy-Prime. After Superboy escapes, Barry suggests that someone has to absorb the whole Speed Force and cross the dimensional bridge back to Post-Crisis Earth. As Bart volunteers, Barry gives him his suit as a last gift, to keep the Force contained, and stays behind. Wally West did not go because of his wife and kids. Bart says he knows Barry would go if he could, but why Barry Allen could not make

3916-409: The bullet which kills Orion , outrunning the Black Racer and shouting to Jay and Wally to "Run!" During Final Crisis #3, Jay Garrick speaks to Barry's wife, Iris, and tells her that her husband is alive. Meanwhile, Wally and Barry run a few weeks into the future. When they come to rest, Wally asks Barry if it is really him. Lamenting on Orion's death, which he was unable to stop, Barry wonders why he

4005-554: The case on his mother's death and opts to take all the other cold cases they had after his death. Barry spends some time with Iris before racing to Washington to celebrate his return with the Justice League, apologizing for being late. Barry Allen is one of the main characters in Blackest Night alongside Hal Jordan. Allen appears alongside Jordan in the Free Comic Book Day issue Blackest Night #0 which acts as

4094-473: The character known as "The Flash" has been written and rewritten many times as DC Comics rebooted their fictional worlds again and again, the publication history of the character has followed a different path, not (quite) so prone to rewriting. The Flash, Barry Allen, (the name "Bartholomew" was not used until much later) first appeared in print in Showcase #4 (October 1956). The creative team on Showcase #4

4183-587: The concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics, which has played a large part in DC's many continuity reboots over the years. As a result, the Flash has traditionally always had a significant role in DC's major company-wide crossover stories, and in the crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985), Barry Allen died saving the Multiverse and would not appear again for 23 years. His return to regular comics

4272-518: The damage dealt by Zoom, also allowing Wally to save his twins, and returns to his proper time, dragging his Zoom with him and later breaking his enemy's neck. In the fourth issue of Infinite Crisis , Barry Allen comes out from the Speed Force, along with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury , to help his grandson Bart deal with Superboy-Prime , taking the villainous teen with him in the Speed Force. Bart Allen appears wearing Barry Allen's costume in Tokyo near

4361-631: The end of Infinite Crisis #5 to tell the heroes that Superboy-Prime has escaped the Speed Force. Bart again reappears in Infinite Crisis #7 in Barry Allen's costume to combat Superboy-Prime once more. In Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #6 (2006) (with a portion taking place shortly before Infinite Crisis #5) it is told how Barry spent four years in an alternate Keystone City along with Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, and an alternate Jay Garrick, until he met Bart and Wally West, joining him after

4450-421: The end, it is revealed that Barry got the two of them out alive and at Captain America's suggestion they laid low. Because of this, Hawkeye is able to destroy Krona's machine with a TNT arrow while Barry distracts him and takes the twelve items of power. As a result, reality is restored, Barry disappears and Wally returns. Wally West, wrecked by grief for the loss of his unborn twins at the hands of Zoom , regrets

4539-575: The fourth Flash until he is abruptly killed by his clone Inertia and the Rogues . Wally then retakes the identity of the Flash. Bart is later resurrected as Kid Flash by the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century to combat Superboy-Prime . Barry Allen appears in issue 3 as the Flash in the JLA when the two realities start changing, along with Hal Jordan. When the two teams see their real futures, Barry witnesses his death during Crisis on Infinite Earths as

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4628-472: The greatest evil comes back to the DC Universe, the greatest hero needed to return." Barry makes his corporeal return in Final Crisis #2. On the second to last page, Jay Garrick and Wally West feel vibrations to which Jay remarks, "but, don't you recognize those vibrations? It can't be... Not after all these years... Not after all this time." On the final page, Barry Allen is seen in hot pursuit of

4717-454: The ground at speeds over 100 miles an hour, and a brain that can process information fast enough for him to react to his surroundings at high speed. Writer John Byrne maintained modest abilities for the speedster character Danny Hilltop in his series John Byrne's Next Men . Although Danny can keep pace with a race car, the friction generated by his speed melts any foot wear he wears, burning his feet. Thus he runs bare foot, having toughened

4806-577: The heroes while Batman loses trust and faith in his allies. Following the trial, Allen retires and joins Iris in the 30th century. After only a few weeks of happiness, the Crisis on Infinite Earths intervenes, and Allen is captured by the Anti-Monitor and brought to 1985; according to the Anti-Monitor, the Flash is the only being capable of traveling to other universes at will, so the Anti-Monitor could not allow him to stay free. Allen escapes and foils

4895-505: The in-universe representation of reality in motion, being the very cosmic force that pushes space and time forward. However, the Speed Force is not the source from which all DC characters with superspeed get their powers. For example, Superman runs and flies quickly owing to his alien physiology, while Captain Marvel/Shazam and Wonder Woman are empowered by the gods. Other writers choose not to offer any scientific explanations for

4984-540: The introduction of a new version of DC Comics' The Flash in Showcase #4 (October 1956). In 1956, DC Comics reinvented the Flash character, giving him a new costume, name, and background. Carmine Infantino alleged the character design was from a Captain Marvel homage he created earlier dubbed Captain Whiz. This new Flash, named Barry Allen, was completely unrelated to Jay Garrick. In fact, Garrick had never existed, as far as

5073-576: The journey himself is not stated. Twenty three years after his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8, Barry Allen's essence makes a return to the present DC Universe proper in DC Universe #0, preceding his full-time return in the pages of Final Crisis . DC Universe #0 features an unnamed narrator who initially associates himself with "everything". He begins to recall his past and association with Justice League members, particularly Hal Jordan and Superman . The lettering in which he speaks to

5162-409: The loophole in his introduction to the original Crisis collected edition hardcover, and later then fully explained on his website. This loophole would allow a writer to pull Barry out of his desperate run to annihilate the anti-matter cannon. However, Barry would know he must someday finish his death run, and would become more determined to use his speed to help others. In Deadman: Dead Again , Barry

5251-619: The man in the costume (he wore no mask) was named Jay Garrick. He rose in popularity and appeared in three comic book titles. After World War II, superheroes declined in popularity, causing many of the Flash's comic book series to be canceled. All-Flash was canceled in 1948 after 32 issues. Flash Comics was canceled in 1949 after 104 issues. All-Star Comics was canceled in 1951 after 57 issues, marking Garrick's last Golden Age appearance. The popularity and circulation of comic books about superheroes had declined following World War II, and comic books about horror, crime and romance took larger shares of

5340-486: The market. However, controversy arose over alleged links between comic books and juvenile delinquency, focusing in particular on crime, horror, and certain elements of superheroes. In 1954, publishers implemented the Comics Code Authority to regulate comic content. In the wake of these changes, publishers began introducing superhero stories again (as preferable to crime and horror), a change that began with

5429-598: The most notable being the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog and supporting characters , and Looney Tunes characters Speedy Gonzales and the Road Runner . Others include: Two versions of the Speed Force appear in The Flash (2014). Showcase (comics) Showcase is a comic anthology series published by DC Comics . The general theme of the series was to feature new and minor characters as

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5518-440: The murder of Barry's mother, was caused by Zoom. Zoom then decides to destroy everything by killing Barry's wife, Iris, before they met. Barry chases after Zoom, and is joined by Wally, who tells Barry to push as hard as he can to break the time barrier. They reach Thawne, and their lightnings turn Barry's past self into the Flash in the altered timeline (preserving Barry's destiny) as they are able to stop Zoom from killing Iris. As

5607-446: The mystical source and Valhalla open to all dead speedsters, and from which the living ones draw their powers. After Allen's death, Kid Flash Wally West , his nephew and sidekick, takes up the mantle of the Flash. Marv Wolfman , scribe for the Crisis on Infinite Earths , has repeatedly stated he left a loophole in the script allowing Barry Allen to be reintroduced, without a retcon , into DC Universe continuity. Wolfman first hinted at

5696-521: The new books were concerned. Barry Allen's first appearance shows him reading a copy of Flash Comics, lamenting that Garrick was "just a character some writer dreamed up". Readers welcomed the new Flash, but still had an interest in the old one. 1956's Showcase #4 featured two Flash stories, "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!", and "The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!". During an era marked by rapid scientific advancements and Cold War anxieties,

5785-461: The only obstacle left between them and world domination, Barry's expertise allows him to overcome their foes and run through the ruined Earth. Barry stops to see his wife Iris and save her from the slavery of the Anti-Life Equation . Seeing his wife again for the first time in years, Barry is overcome with emotion and gives his brainwashed wife a deep kiss. While kissing her, the Speed Force sparkles out of his body, enveloping Iris and freeing her from

5874-460: The original Showcase series. Several other issues were included in other reprint collections. In August 1977, Showcase was revived for 11 issues after the cancellation of 1st Issue Special , which ran from 1975 to 1976. Writer Paul Kupperberg reminisced: "1977 was an expansionary time at DC, and Jenette Kahn was supportive of trying new things. There were a lot of new ideas being thrown around at that time. A lot of books came around, lasted

5963-401: The other hand, it states that the character Quicksilver was born with adaptations that make high speeds possible, such as enhanced cardiovascular , respiratory , musculature , and digestive systems, a more efficient metabolism , better lubricated joints, tendons with the tensile strength of spring steel, unidentified bone composition that can withstand the dynamic shock of his touching

6052-666: The other heroic speedsters. Before Barry can fight any further, Zoom fades away. Wally enters the Speed Force to retrieve his uncle, and after venturing deeper into the Speed Force, Max reveals to Barry that it was Allen himself who created the Speed Force. Meanwhile, Wally manages to reach Barry and Max, and the three begin their escape. As the heroic speedsters are recharged with energy, Barry, Wally, Jay, Max, and Bart charge towards Zoom. The seven speedsters (the 5 men plus Jesse Chambers and Iris West-Park) battle against Zoom, and despite being outnumbered, Zoom pulls Barry away. He reveals that everything horrible that happened to Barry, including

6141-533: The post- Zero Hour continuity), it is revealed that six months after Iris' death, Barry and four other members of the Justice League voted to allow Zatanna to edit Doctor Light 's mind, essentially lobotomizing him. When Batman discovers what the League was doing, the League has his memories edited as well despite the objection of Green Arrow . Both Doctor Light and Batman eventually recover from their respective mindwipes; Doctor Light vows to get his revenge against

6230-495: The public knowledge of his identity. Barry appears from somewhere in time—stating that he is from a period shortly before his death—counseling his nephew, and talking the Spectre into granting his wish, erasing all public knowledge of Wally and Barry's identities as the Flash (Although Wally himself also loses his memory of his identity for a time). Barry then disappears, telling his nephew that he will come to his aid three times, on

6319-460: The questions raised by the actual use of such abilities. Peter David , whose run on the series Young Justice included the junior speedster Impulse , has opined that speedsters are inherently difficult to write: "Speedsters make me nervous, because if you play them accurately, they're impossible to beat ... I could deal with Impulse because he was easily distracted." Additionally, there are alternative velocity-based power sources for speedsters:

6408-408: The reader is yellow on backgrounds that are initially black. As the story moves forward, the background slowly begins turning red. In the final pages, the narration boxes feature a yellow lightning bolt. Over time, as he recalls friendships and connections with other people, his mind begins to narrow, remarking "I...know him. I am no longer everything. I am a shaft of light split through a prism". Yet he

6497-541: The rest of the world needs me for." It is then revealed that Flash's mother was murdered when he was a child, and his father was arrested for the crime (this is pointedly contrary to previous Flash stories, in which both his parents appear alive). Flash describes this as "the only one open case I left behind." Before he can contemplate this any further, the speedster villain Savitar escapes the Speed Force through Flash. When Flash manages to put his hand on Savitar's shoulder,

6586-400: The soles of his feet through a regimen of pounding increasingly harder materials. In DC Comics , the Flash family of speedsters derive their abilities from an extradimensional energy source known as the Speed Force , which grants them superspeed and various other abilities required to use it, such as durability. The Speed Force is a cosmic force based around velocity and movement and is

6675-511: The solo adventures of Power Girl . Issue #100 (May 1978) had a cameo by almost every character that had premiered in the original run of Showcase in a story co-written by Paul Kupperberg and Paul Levitz and drawn by Joe Staton . The series was cancelled again after issue #104 (September 1978), as part of what is commonly called the " DC Implosion ". Issues #105 and #106 saw print in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade and #105

6764-499: The speedsters, though Wally West manages to catch a glimpse of Allen directly afterwards, and sees him as the new Black Flash . When he realizes that his presence could damage or kill other innocents, Barry flees back into the Speed Force, where he encounters old friends Johnny Quick and Max Mercury . Max attempts to tell Allen that his becoming the Black Flash is not his fault. When Max and Barry are pulled into another pocket of

6853-460: The stories in "Showcase #4" reflect contemporary themes of technological triumph and societal stability. "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!" introduces Barry Allen, a police scientist who gains super-speed powers, symbolizing the era's optimism about scientific progress and the need for heroes who embody justice. The inclusion of a bank robber as a villain resonated with readers due to prevalent fears about financial security and crime. "The Man Who Broke

6942-478: The story that Barry was in witness protection to account for his resurrection. Avoiding the parades, parties, and other celebrations of his return, Barry instead contemplates why he is alive again. A visit to the Flash Museum and from his friend Hal Jordan is not enough to put his mind at ease as he runs off as the Flash. "I can't be late," he says. When asked by Hal late for what, Flash replies, "For whatever

7031-557: The story, their power's origin, and their universe's established continuity and rules. The use of speedsters in fiction requires artistic license due to the laws of physics that would prohibit such abilities. Moving at the speed of sound , for example, would create sonic booms that are usually not heard in such stories, and generate substantial heat. An enormous amount of energy would also be required to achieve such speeds, and speedsters would need to consume massive amounts of calories to sustain their energy. The Official Handbook of

7120-693: The success of Barry Allen's Flash comic book helped to bring about the Silver Age of Comic Books and contributed to a large growth in DC Comics' stable of science fiction comics and characters. During popular early volumes as the Flash, Barry established his own Rogues Gallery of colorful villains and sci-fi concepts like Gorilla City. Through crossovers with popular characters like Superman , Wonder Woman , and Batman , Barry Allen's Flash also helped establish DC's flagship Justice League title, whose success would define its publishing strategy for decades to come. Barry Allen's classic stories also introduced

7209-419: The three most difficult days of his life of which this is the first. In fact, when Zoom enlists the aid of the original Professor Zoom to make Wally relive the loss of his beloved twins, Barry is already there, trying to stop his "own" Reverse-Flash; Zoom apparently retrieved Eobard Thawne from the day that he attempted to kill Fiona Webb, with Barry following his nemesis. For the second time, he helps Wally undo

7298-418: The time of the cancellation there were still no Huntress stories in production, and the slated content for Showcase #107–109 was Gerry Conway 's Western adventure The Deserter . DC published New Talent Showcase , which ran for 15 issues (Jan. 1984 – March 1985), briefly changed its title to Talent Showcase , and then ended with issue #19 (Oct. 1985). For the most part edited by Karen Berger (and for

7387-566: The two Flashes push Zoom back through time to the present, they see that the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Outsiders have built a device specifically for Thawne. Barry tosses him in and activates the device, severing his connection to the negative Speed Force. The Flashes tie Zoom up to stop him from running. With the threat ended, everyone celebrates by welcoming Barry back and the speedsters in general. Later, Barry closes

7476-471: The villain screams in agony and crumbles into dust, not before telling Flash, "...You were the beginning, Allen...and you're the end." At that moment, Wally West , West's children Iris and Jai, Liberty Belle , Jay Garrick , and Kid Flash all experience painful convulsions and are engulfed in lightning. Barry's conflict with the speed cult culminates in the death of their new leader who was attempting to avenge Savitar's death. It causes pain once again to all

7565-542: Was Julie Schwartz , editor; Robert Kanigher , writer, Carmine Infantino , penciler (illustrator); Joe Kubert, inker (assistant illustrator). Robert Kanigher is on record as saying he still considers Gardner Fox as "the creator of The Flash" and his creation of Barry Allen is a reworking of that original work. As a result, no one name is easily identifiable as the character's creator. Fox's superhero, "The Flash" first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in 1940. In this story

7654-422: Was a reporter, in this case for Picture News. Wally West, the nephew of Iris West Allen, first appeared in Flash #110 (1959), which depicted his transformation into Kid Flash, the "Robin" to the Flash's "Batman". Wally West would later go on to become the new Flash many years later. Jay Garrick made a guest appearance in 1961 in Flash #123 " Flash of Two Worlds ". In this issue, Garrick was treated as residing in

7743-594: Was later published in Adventure Comics . Issue #106 was included in The Creeper by Steve Ditko hardcover collection published by DC in 2010. Two other series were announced before the series cancellation: The Huntress , which would have spun out of her feature in Batman Family ; and World of Krypton , which was published as DC's first miniseries in 1979. According to editor Paul Levitz, at

7832-455: Was revived for eleven issues from August 1977 to September 1978. Showcase featured characters in either one-shot appearances or brief two- or three-issue runs as a way to determine reader interest, without the financial risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing titles. The series began in March–April 1956 and saw the first appearance of several major characters including

7921-593: Was the first American comic book appearance of the character. Showcase stood out from other tryout series in that it maintained its own readership; readers who liked a feature would buy the series when it came out, but would often continue buying Showcase as well. The series was canceled in 1970 with issue #93, featuring Manhunter 2070 . In 1992, DC Comics published a trade paperback reprint collection titled The Essential Showcase: 1956–1959 ( ISBN   978-1563890796 ). This collection reprints selected stories/characters from issues #1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, and 17 of

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