Flash comics. Pictures, back issues and more about Flash

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he Flash is a DC Comics superhero possessing super-speed. Created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940).
Thus far, three different people have assumed the identity of the Flash: Jay Garrick (1940-present), Barry Allen (1956-86), and Wally West (1987-present) Each of these individuals somehow gained the power of super-speed, which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes, and violate certain laws of physics.
The second incarnation of the Flash was among the first heroes of the Silver Age of comic books in 1956. The character featured in a short-lived live action television series in 1990. The Flash is also featured in the animated series Justice League.

Publication history
The Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940). This Flash was Jay Garrick, a college student who gained his speed through the inhalation of hard water vapors, and who wore a winged metal helmet. He is notable for being the first speedster in comics, and one of the first to have a singular super-power as opposed to the multi-talented Superman. He was created by writer Gardner Fox.
Garrick was a popular character in the 1940s, supporting two different titles and being a charter and long-time member of the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team. Garrick's adventures in the Golden Age of comic books came to an end when Flash Comics was cancelled with the publication of issue #104 (1949), and the subsequent end of the Justice Society's adventures with All-Star Comics #57 (1951). Superheroes (and the entire comic book industry) had fallen on hard times in the 1950s, and the Flash was only one casualty.

Left to right: Wally West, Bart Allen as Impulse, Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury (background), from Flash #97. Art by Mike Wieringo.
A few years later, DC Comics decided the time was right to reintroduce some superheroes. Rather than bring back the Golden Age heroes unchanged, DC decided to recreate them as new, more modern characters. The Flash was the first such hero to be revived in a new incarnation. Showcase #4 (1956) introduced Barry Allen, a police scientist who gained super-speed when he was bathed by chemicals after a shelf full of them was struck by lightning. 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 prominent member.
The Flash also introduced a long-standing 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; 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 Crisis #8 (1986), though thanks to his ability to travel through time, he would continue to appear occasionally in the years to come.
The third Flash is 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 (this acquisition of powers has been criticized heavily by some fans), and adopted the Kid Flash identity and maintained membership in the Teen Titans for years. Following Allen's death, West adopted the Flash identity in Crisis #12 and was given his own series, beginning with The Flash vol 2 #1 (1987). As of 2005, he is the current holder of the title.

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List of the Final Pre-Flashpoint DC Universe Trade Collections
16 Dec 2011 at 3:02pm

Shortly after DC comicbooks announced their New 52 relaunch initiative, we published "Trade Waiting at the End of the Universe", a speculative list of what the last trade paperback collections would be of the DC Universe series before they restarted with new #1 issues.

Six months later, not only do we know how the New 52 will be collected, we also know how DC plans to collect (or not collect) all the final issues of their previous series, with more "complete" series than I expected. Bookmark this list and please share it with the following URL -- http://bit.ly/v2o6KT -- and I'll update this if DC's collection plans change. Here's the list:

Action comicbooks (Superman: Reign of Doomsday)
Complete
Reign of Doomsday collects all the final Action comicbooks issues. The Return of Doomsday trade collects all the issues leading up to Reign of Doomsday, including Steel #1.

Adventure comicbooks (Legion of Super-Heroes: When Evil Calls)
Complete
When Evil Calls collects the final issues of Adventure comicbooks and Legion of Super-Heroes before the relaunch.

Batgirl (Batgirl: The Lesson)
Complete
Batgirl: The Lesson collects all the final issues of that series, #15-24. All Batgirl issues are collected.

Batman (Batman: Eye of the Beholder)
Incomplete
Batman: Eye of the Beholder collects through issue #712 of Batman (skipping issues that will be collected in the Batman: Gotham Shall Be Judged crossover trade), and ends without collecting Batman #713, a closing tribute issue (not well-regarded) by Fabian Nicieza.

Batman and Robin (Batman and Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight)
Incomplete
Batman and Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight collects the stories by Peter Tomasi and Judd Winick that follow Grant Morrison's run, but not the book's final fill-in issue by David Hine, #26.

Batman Beyond (Batman Beyond: Industrial Revolution)
Complete
Batman Beyond: Industrial Revolution collects all eight issues of the Batman Beyond series, though not the Superman Beyond special (maybe there's hope it'll be collected with the new Batman Beyond/Justice League Beyond series. We give this one a tentative "complete."

Batman Inc. (Batman Inc. Vol. 1 Deluxe)
Complete
DC will collect all eight issues of the initial Batman Inc. series plus the Leviathan Strikes special (containing the originally-solicited issues #9 and #10) in 2012.

Batman: The Dark Knight (Batman: The Dark Knight: Golden Dawn Deluxe
Complete
DC is collecting the entire original Batman: The Dark Knight series along with other samples of David Finch's artwork.

Batman: Streets of Gotham (Batman: Streets of Gotham: House of Hush
Complete
Collects the final issues of Streets of Gotham short of one fill-in issue, #15. We'll call this one "complete."

Birds of Prey (Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle)
Complete
Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle collects all the final issues of Birds of Prey, both Gail Simone's last issues and the fill-in issues by Marc Andreyko.

Booster Gold (Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Superman)
Incomplete
Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Superman collects Booster Gold #44-47, a Flashpoint tie-in by Dan Jurgens. These are the last issues of the series, though not collected between the Booster Gold: Past Imperfect collection and the finale are Booster Gold #39-43. That's enough to make this "incomplete."

Detective comicbooks (Batman: The Black Mirror)
Complete
The sleeper hit collection Batman: The Black Mirror collects all the final Detective comicbooks issues, picking up with the issues just after Batman: Imposters through to the end.

Doom Patrol (Doom Patrol: Fire Away)
Incomplete
DC cancelled Doom Patrol: Fire Away, leaving the end of Keith Giffen's Doom Patrol series uncollected.

Flash (Flash: The Road to Flashpoint)
Complete
As mentioned before, Flash: Road to Flashpoint collects Flash #8-12, ending just before the reboot.

Freedom Fighters
Incomplete
As mentioned before, this title was never collected. Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti now write the miniseries The Ray, a character of the same name but unrelated to the Freedom Fighters character; remains to be seen if that will be collected.

Gotham City Sirens (Gotham City Sirens: Division)
Complete
Gotham City Sirens: Division is currently scheduled to collect all the final issues of this title, through #26.

Green Arrow (Green Arrow: Salvation)
Complete
This collection, which ties directly into the end of Brightest Day, collects the final issues of Green Arrow, completing writer J. T. Krul's run. (Side note: no collections so far that include Brightest Day: Aftermath, I notice.)

Green Lantern (Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns)
Complete
War of the Green Lanterns collects the final issues of the Green Lantern series.

Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors (War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath)
Complete
The War Aftermath collection includes both the final issues of Green Lantern Corps and Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors.

JSA All-Stars (JSA All-Stars: The Puzzle Men)
Incomplete
DC cancelled JSA All-Stars: Puzzle Men, leaving the end of this series uncollected.

Jonah Hex (Jonah Hex: Bury Me in Hell)
Complete
Thanks to commenter Michael; the full Jonah Hex series has been completed. Becomes All-Star Western in the DC New 52.

Justice League of America (Justice League of America: The Rise of Eclipso)
Complete
Rise of Eclipso collects the final issues of James Robinson's Justice League run, plus a previously uncollected issue of Justice Society written by Robinson.

Justice Society of America (Justice Society of America: Monument Point)
Complete
Monument Point collects the final issues of this Justice Society series. With this (plus one issue collected in Justice League: Rise of Eclipso) all issues of this series have been collected.

Legion of Super-Heroes (Legion of Super-Heroes: When Evil Calls)
Complete
As mentioned above, When Evil Calls collects the final issues of Adventure comicbooks and Legion of Super-Heroes before the relaunch.

Outsiders (Outsiders: The Great Divide)
Complete
Outsiders: The Great Divide collects all the final issues of the series, through issue #40.

Power Girl (Power Girl: Old Friends)
Complete
Power Girl: Old Friends is solicited to collect all the final issues of the series.

REBELS (REBELS: Starstruck)
Incomplete
DC cancelled REBELS: Starstruck, leaving the end of this series uncollcted.

Red Robin (Red Robin:Seven Days of Death)
Complete
This collection includes the final issues of Red Robin; every issue of this series has been collected.

Secret Six (Secret Six: The Darkest House)
Complete
Darkest House collects the final issues of this series; all are collected.

Superboy (Superboy: Smallville Attacks)
Complete
DC modified the original contents of Superboy: Smallville Attacks to include all eleven issues of this series.

Supergirl (Supergirl: Good Looking Corpse)
Incomplete
DC cancelled the Supergirl: Good Looking Corpse trade that would have collected the Supergirl series's final issues. Supergirl: Bizarrogirl ends at issue #59; at least they got all of Sterling Gates's stories.

Superman (Superman: Grounded Vol. 2)
Complete
The second volume of Grounded collects the final issues of Superman, aside from one fill-in issue. We'll call this "complete."

Superman/Batman (Superman/Batman: Sorcerer Kings)
Incomplete
Sorcerer Kings collects Cullen Bunn's story of the same name, Joe Kelly's single Final Crisis-related issue, and Chris Roberson's DC One Million story "World's Finest" from issues #79-80. It stops short, however, of Joshua Hale's story "The Secret" that ended Superman/Batman, issues #85-87.

Teen Titans (Teen Titans: Prime of Life)
Complete
This trade collects Teen Titans up to issue #100, completing the series.

THUNDER Agents (THUNDER Agents Vol. 1)
Complete
DC has solicited a collection of Nick Spencer's THUNDER Agents that collects the entire ten issues of the pre-relaunch series.

Titans (Titans: Broken Promises)
Complete Incomplete
Broken Promises collects to the end of Eric Wallace's Titans run, plus the Titans annual. Broken Promises has been subsequently cancelled by DC, leaving the end of Eric Wallace's Titans run uncollected. The final trade of Titans is now Family Reunion.

Weird Worlds (Weird Worlds)
Incomplete
DC cancelled the collection of this series, despite that they're publishing a sequel miniseries.

Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman: Odyssey Vol. 2)
Complete
The second volume of Odyssey collects the final issues of this series.

Xombi (Xombi)
Complete
The Xombi collection is scheduled to include all six issues of the pre-relaunch series.

Zatanna (Zatanna: Shades of the Past)
Complete
Zatanna: Shades of the Past collects through issue #16, completing this series.
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