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T H E S C A R L E T S P E E D S T E RTHEY HAVE BEEN CALLED the Fastest Men Alive—three generations of super heroes granted the powerto tap into the extradimensional energy field calledthe Speed Force by a scientific experiment goneawry. Each hero named himself the Flash andbecame the progenitor of an age of champions,perpetuating a legacy of courage and valor thatextends to the 853rd century and beyond.

BARRY ALLENSlowpoke police chemist Barry Allen idolized Jay Garrick,the super hero Flash. During a late, stormy night at thepolice station laboratory, a bolt of lightning crashedthrough the window and shattered the vials of chemicalssurrounding Allen. Suddenly imbued with the power tomove at near lightspeed, Barry took on the name of hisGolden Age idol, the Flash, and, along with GREENLANTERN Hal Jordan and AQUAMAN, helped usher in theSilver Age of heroes.

As the Flash,Allen was one of the founders of theJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA.When his fiancée, Iris (seeALLEN, IRIS), was apparently slain by the REVERSE-FLASH,

Allen killed his hated foe.Aftera lengthy trial, the Flashretired to the 30th century,where he sired the Tornadotwins.Tragically,Allen diedsaving the Earth from thenihilistic Anti-Monitor (seeGreat Battles, pp. 320–1) bydestroying his antimattercannon, aimed directly atthe planet.

WALLY WESTThe young nephew of Barry Allen,WallyWest was visiting his uncle’s laboratorywhen a bolt of lightning shattered a rack of chemicals in the room.Thechemicals spilled on the boy, and duplicated the same accident thatcreated the second Flash.West became the first KID FLASH, the juniorpartner of the Flash, and founded the TEEN TITANS with the first ROBIN

(see NIGHTWING),Aqualad (see TEMPEST),Speedy (see ARSENAL), and WONDER GIRL.

After Barry Allen died saving the universe, KidFlash assumed his costume and identity.

THE SPEED FORCEAs the Flash,Wally discovered his link to the

Speed Force, an energy source thatgives all speedsters their power.Tapping into the Force made Wallythe fastest Flash of them all, able torun at the speed of light. One of thefounders of the current and mostpowerful incarnation of the JLA,Westhas garnered a lethal Rogues Galleryas the champion of Keystone City.The Flash revealed his secretidentity to the world and, after several failed romances, fell in lovewith and married reporter Linda Park (see PARK, LINDA).After abattle with the villain Zoom ended in the miscarriage of their

unborn twins,West asked the SPECTRE to remove all memories of his identityfrom the public consciousness— including Linda— to protect those he lovedfrom the dangers hecontinues to face as theFastest Man Alive. PJ

JAY GARRICKA failed college football player in the1930s, Jay Garrick became a researchscientist. By accidentally inhaling thehyper-charged atoms of a radioactive liquid, Garrick gained

incredible superspeed. Garbed in a red and blue uniform,Garrick became the Flash and helped form the legendary

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA and the wartime ALL-STAR SQUADRON. Forced into retirement during theMcCarthy era in the 1950s, Garrick was placed insuspended animation by the villainous Fiddler butwas rescued by Barry Allen, the second Flash. Spared

the ravages of old age, Garrick married his girlfriend,Joan Williams, and briefly retired, but he returned to

active duty with the most recent incarnation of the JSA.

KEY STORYLINES• GOLDEN AGE FLASH ARCHIVES: The original adventures of JayGarrick, the first Flash, during the 1940s.• THE FLASH (1ST SERIES) #123 (SEPTEMBER 1961): Barry Allen meetshis Golden Age namesake for the first time.• CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS (P/B, 2000): Barry Allen makes thegreatest sacrifice to save the universe from the marauding Anti-Monitor, and Wally West becomes the third Flash!•TERMINAL VELOCITY (P/B, 1995): The Flashes learn that they areattached to the Speed Force, an ancient power.

JASON PETER “JAY” GARRICK (FLASH I)FIRST APPEARANCE FLASH COMICS #1 (January 1940)STATUS Hero OCCUPATION Research scientist BASE Keystone City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 178 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown, with gray templesSPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Can run at near lightspeed; can vibratehis molecules and pass right through objects; ages at a far slowerpace than most human beings.

BARTHOLOMEW “BARRY” ALLEN (FLASH II)FIRST APPEARANCE SHOWCASE #4 (October 1956)STATUS Hero (deceased) OCCUPATION Police chemist BASE Central City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 179 lbsEYES Blue HAIR BlondSPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Could run at near lightspeed; could alsopass through objects or phase into other dimensions.

WALLACE “WALLY” WEST (FLASH III)FIRST APPEARANCE (as Kid Flash) THE FLASH (1st series) #110(January 1960); (as the Flash) CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12(March 1986) STATUS Hero OCCUPATION Adventurer BASE Keystone CityHEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Green HAIR RedSPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Can run at lightspeed; can vibrate throughsolid objects causing them to explode; can lend his speed tomoving objects or people by touch; can form a protective costumefrom “living” Speed Force; traveling faster than lightspeed willhurl him across interdimensional timespace.

ROGUES GALLERYThe Flash has long had one of the mostimpressive collection of foes of any hero, andeasily the most deadly.

SLOW POKE Police chemist BarryAllen was a notoriously methodical,plodding scientist known for beingconstantly late.When he was dousedby chemicals, however, he gained thepower of superspeed, becoming thesecond Flash.

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FLASHES FROM THE FUTUREJohn Fox was a speedster from the27th century who traveled backto the 21st century to take overthe Flash legacy when Wally Westdisappeared.After West’s return,Fox leapt back into thetimestream and resettled in the853rd century.The third KidFlash is the future daughter ofWally West, who inherited herfather’s heroic legacy whenher slacker brother refused todo so.Walter West, the Flashfrom an alternate timeline

whose wife Linda was slain byKOBRA, briefly replaced the Flash in ourtimeline, before entering Hypertime torediscover his own.And Sela Allen, asentient manifestation of the SpeedForce, is the Flash of the 23rd century.

ZOOM The name of Zoom haslong haunted the Flash family.Recently, Zoom was responsiblefor Flash’s wife, Linda Park,miscarrying their twins.

FLASH OF LIGHT As theFlash, Barry Allen, GreenLantern Hal Jordan, andseveral other heroes foundedthe legendary Justice League

of America. Despite Allenand Jordan’s differences—Allen was a quietscientist and Jordan anadventurous hothead—the two became close

friends.Their friendshipwould last for years, untileach met their own tragic end.

NO TIME TO LOSEThe Flash andDr. Flura mustthwart StarSapphire’s deadlyschemes or theEarth has onlytwo minutes to live!

T H E F L A S H

FUGITIVE Fox, responsible fortransplanting Iris Allen acrossthe centuries, became afugitive for violating the TimeInstitute’s laws of time travel.

FASTER THAN A... Jay Garrickmakes his debut as the Flash,the fastest hero of World War II.

THE DEATH OF BARRY ALLENLearning that his wife, Iris, was savedfrom death at the hands of ProfessorZOOM by a “psychic transplant” inthe future into another body, theFlash traveled forward in time to bewith her.Tragically, their happinessended when the Flash was kidnapped by theAnti-Monitor, who planned to use a giantantimatter cannon to destroy the universe.Running faster than ever before, theFlash escaped the Anti-Monitor’s bondsand destroyed the cannon.Allen’s bodydisintegrated, but his energies rocketedback in time and became the lightningbolt that shattered the chemicals thatoriginally gave Allen his superspeed.

GENERATIONS Wearing a costumesimilar to his mentor, Barry Allen,teenaged Wally West learned to usehis powers just as well—evenvibrating through solid objects.

LOVELY LINDA Wally West ismarried to TV journalist turnedmedical student Linda Park.

MAGIC RING Like hispredecessor,Wally West keepshis Flash costume in aspecial ring.The costume ismade of the Speed Force

itself, covering Wally ina protective sheath.