The Flash is a DC Comics superhero who has had several incarnations in comics dating back to 1940. His/their appearances in British comics have mostly been restricted to reprint anthologies such as Superadventure Annual and The Super Heroes Monthly and appearances in team titles such as Justice League Legends, but there have been occasional solo reprint series from publishers including Thorpe & Porter and Titan Comics. For character bios, scroll down.
See also Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, DC Comics (British Reprints)
History[]
Barry Allen was a police scientist infamous for always being late, until the day he was struck by lightning and simultaneously drenched in a mixture of chemicals from his lab. Oddly, instead of killing him, the freak accident gave him the ability to move at superhuman speed! Naming himself after his childhood hero, the Flash (Jay Garrick), Barry became a superhero, sworn to protect Central City and the world from a variety of bizarre menaces, notably including his arch foes, the Rogues (including Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heat Wave, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang, the Trickster, the Pied Piper and the Rainbow Raider) and others such as the Reverse Flash and Gorilla Grodd. He is a member of the Justice League of America.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Superhuman speed
Abilities
Can vibrate through solid objects and break the time barrier
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Cosmic Treadmill
Transportation
His feet
Links[]
- Appearances of The Flash
- Character Gallery: The Flash
- Images that feature The Flash
- Fan-Art Gallery: The Flash
- The Flash quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: The Flash · Barry Allen · The Flash
History[]
In 1940, chemist Jay Garrick inexplicably gained superhuman speed in a freak accident after he was knocked out in his lab and breathed in fumes from an experimental compound he referred to (for no apparent reason) as "hard water". He used his abilities to fight crime (and Nazis) as the Flash, both solo and with the Justice Society of America, and in the process began a superheroic legacy that continues to this day.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Superhuman speed.
Abilities
Can breach dimensional barriers
Paraphernalia[]
Transportation
His feet
Weapons
Doesn't feel the need for them, though he has been known to use his winged helmet as a throwing weapon.
Links[]
- Appearances of The Flash
- Character Gallery: The Flash
- Images that feature The Flash
- Fan-Art Gallery: The Flash
- The Flash quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: The Flash · Jay Garrick · The Flash
History[]
The nephew of Iris West, then the girlfriend of Barry Allen (who was secretly the Flash), Wally West was given a tour of Barry's lab at police headquarters. Predictably, in an amazing freak accident, young Wally was hit by a bolt of lightning and showered with exactly the same mix of chemicals that had transformed Barry into the Flash. Gaining suerhuman speed, Wally became Kid Flash, junior partner of the Flash and founding member of the Teen Titans. Later, after Barry's apparent death, Wally succeeded him as the Flash.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Superhuman speed (faster than any other Flash)
Abilities
Breaching dimensional barriers
Paraphernalia[]
Transportation
His feet
Notes[]
Wally West has made far fewer appearances in British comics than his mentor, Barry Allen.
Links[]
- Appearances of The Flash
- Character Gallery: The Flash
- Images that feature The Flash
- Fan-Art Gallery: The Flash
- The Flash quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: The Flash · Wally West · The Flash