This is part 1 of a two-part exploration of the history of The Flash, a comic book character returning to television screens tonight at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT on The CW.
With 74 years of history behind him, The Flash is racing onto television for a new show on The CW. The new series has piqued the interest of many and is sure to score high numbers for the network. The Flash has captured so much attention because it promises to be something unique to television, even though The Flash has already had his own series on the air. While Arrow and Gotham are built around gritty, realistic characters, and Constantine promises to focus on demons and the often-explored supernatural, The Flash will be the first series in the modern era of strong visual effects to focus on a true superhero in the starring role.
Superheroes are already dominant on the big screen, but if The Flash proves to be a success, we will likely see an influx of super-powered heroes on the small screen as well. This would be very much in line with the hero’s legacy: the Fastest Man Alive has always led the way for comic book protagonists, his story often paralleling that of the comic book industry at large, from the escapist days of Jay Garrick, to the high energy days of Barry Allen, to the all-too-real days of Wally West, and beyond.
The Flash was not the first superhero, but he was the first with a specialized power, even if his original design would be unrecognizable to many fans today. In 1938, Superman was introduced to the world by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the pages of Action Comics #1. The issue, demonstrating the Man of Steel hoisting a car over his head, sold immensely well, and a new genre was born. What followed was a boom in superhero titles, with every publisher trying to get in on the lucrative action.
Most companies simply tried to copy the Superman formula, with Wonder Man, Flash Lightning, Dynamic Man, and Fawcett Comics’ incredibly popular Captain Marvel all gracing the pages of comic books. Each hero operated in the same way as the Man of Tomorrow, possessing a laundry list of superpowers that made it impossible for any villain to stand up against them. It was All-American Comics, with the writer/artist team of Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert, that eventually bucked the trend by creating a superhero, The Flash, with only one power — and a power that every kid running around a playground could understand. The Flash was the first specialized hero, starting a new trend that persists to this day.
Fox and Lampert likely never believed they would go down in history for creating a beloved superhero. The Great Depression had left many looking for ways to supplement their income. The low-cost medium of the comic book was one of the few business that thrived during the economic downturn. Fox, a lawyer whose business was struggling, saw an opportunity in the new market and began selling scripts for extra money. Fox did work on early Batman stories, even introducing many of the vigilante’s greatest weapons, including the utility belt.
The lack of history and prestige associated with the comic book industry in its infancy meant that no one went into the business thinking they’d attained a dream job. And not everyone’s background was as far removed from entertainment media as Fox’s. The comic book artists of the day had more related professional backgrounds, including Lampert, who worked as a cartoonist and comic book strip artist. He had worked with Max Fleischer on some of Fleischer’s studio’s famous works, including Betty Boop and Popeye. Lampert began working on comics in 1938, including doing touch-up work on the aforementioned Action Comics #1 to get it ready for print.
Lampert enjoyed writing comedic material for the strips and considered himself to be miscast as an artist for superheroes, but his work in the field ultimately made him famous. In 1940, All-American Comics introduced Lampert and Fox’s creation, The Flash, to the world. Inspired by the Roman god Mercury, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, debuted in Flash Comics #1, which despite its name, was not a solo title. The issue told The Flash’s origin story in a tale that would make any modern critic scratch his or her head.
That first issue explained that Garrick gained his powers from inhaling “hard water” in a laboratory, which is as impossible to explain as you would guess. Garrick immediately used his lighting-fast skills as many young men would: by trying to impress a girl on the football field.
Garrick’s Flash was a huge success and would not be limited to his role in Flash Comics. Like Superman and Batman before him, The Flash gained his own solo title, All-Flash, in 1941. The Flash’s success throughout the 1940s was linked directly to World War II, with soldiers loving the books for their escapism and children loving the simple stories of good triumphing over evil in a world where evil seemed to be winning. The Flash’s popularity was also used to help other heroes with notably less prestige.
Today, superhero team-ups are so common that you can pick up any Marvel title and expect to see any other Marvel character in it. But in 1940, such an idea was unheard of — until All-Star Comics #3, with the first appearance of the Justice Society of America.
The JSA included many Golden Age heroes from both DC and All-American Comics, such as The Spectre, Hawkman, The Atom, the original Green Lantern, and, of course, The Flash. The team-up concept was very popular, and the group kept its adventures going throughout the decade, though the roster changed many times. The Flash himself left the book after issue #6, due to his new role as star of All-Flash.
Like Superman before him, The Flash, as the first specialized superhero, saw many imitators. Quality Comics had Quicksilver, who is today known as Max Mercury; DC introduced Johnny Quick, in 1941; and Marvel got in the game as well, creating the Whizzer. While these characters still exist in one form or another, none was able to match the success of The Flash.
As the popularity of comics grew, The Flash was one of its strongest victors, but when the medium’s popularity faded as the ’40s drew to a close, so did the marketability of The Fastest Man Alive. All-Flash was cancelled in 1948 after 32 issues, Flash Comics ended in 1949, and All-Star Comics ceased production in 1951, ending the Flash’s Golden-Age run. The character would not appear again for 10 years, but the name “The Flash” would be recognized again soon enough, in the beginning of a new era in the comic books.
The Flash will return next week in “Nerd/Wise: History of The Flash, Part II: The Silver Age and Beyond”!