DC Comics is built on legacy, and The Flash has one of the longest running legacies ever. The Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick passed the baton to Barry Allen in the Silver Age who was surpassed by his sidekick, Wally West. There has always been a Flash to hold the title of “Fastest Man Alive.”
The Flash doesn’t run alone, and many legacies exist within the Flash family itself. Multiple heroes have called themselves “Kid Flash” or “Impulse.” Members of the Flash family exist throughout time and on other Earths, and they always find each other. A single speedster can do a lot, so most DC stories avoid having a massive team up. However, some epics require the entire Flash Family.
10 Doomward Flight Of The Flashes
The Flash (Vol. 1) #173 by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Sid Greene
The Flash Family began with Barry Allen. He ran side by side with his sidekick Wally West, aka Kid Flash, and sometimes visited Jay Garrick on Earth-2 to adventure with him. The Flash Family was small during the Silver Age, but all of them coming together was a notable occurrence.
A powerful villain named the Golden Man captured Barry, and Jay and Wally had to work together for the first time. Wally took an instant liking to Jay, even if it was weird to call Jay “Flash.” Golden Man had powerful telekinesis, and it took all three Flashes strategizing together to take him down.
9 The Return Of Barry Allen
The Flash (Vol. 2) #74-79 by Mark Waid, Greg LaRocque, Roy Richardson, Matt Hollingsworth, and Tim Harkins
When Wally West stepped into the role of the Flash, he was plagued by doubt and insecurity. Jay Garrick was there to advise him, but things got worse for Wally when Barry Allen seemingly returned. Barry was actually a time traveling Eobard Thawne who believed he was the real Barry Allen.
“The Return of Barry Allen” wasn’t just a solid tale of Wally’s development. It also reintroduced older speedsters. Johnny Quick, a Golden Age character who used a speed formula, was an old friend of Jay’s. Jay also looked up to the speedster who would take the name Max Mercury. Both came out of retirement and began working alongside Wally West.
8 Terminal Velocity
The Flash (Vol. 2) #95-100 by Mark Waid, Salvador Larroca, Jose Marzan Jr., Gina Going, Tom McCraw, and Gaspar Saladino
The Speed Force wasn’t always part of the Flash’s history. Terminal Velocity introduced it as an outside force that grants speedsters their power. Terminal Velocity was a monumental event because of the Speed Force and the fact that it introduced the next generation of young speedsters.
Wally West discovered the Speed Force but feared his impending death. Bart Allen, Barry Allen’s grandson, was sent to the present to get a handle on his powers. As Impulse, Bart was difficult to deal with, and he didn’t listen to Wally. Wally also encouraged Jesse Quick, the daughter of Johnny Quick, to step into a more active hero role. Wally didn’t die, but became the leader the Flash Family needed.
7 Chain Lightning
The Flash (Vol. 2) #145-150 by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Paul Pelletier, Vince Russell, Tom McCraw, and Gaspar Saladino
The Allen/Thawne feud received a new backstory in Chain Lightning. Barry had a twin who was taken in by another family. Called Malcolm Thawne, he gained the ability to steal speed and called himself Cobalt Blue. He waged war on all those who called themselves Flash.
It was Wally West who encountered Cobalt Blue, he needed the help of the entire Flash Family. That included the present day Flashes and Flashes across the centuries. XS, Barry’s speedster granddaughter of the Legion of Superheroes, teamed up with the Flash Family along with many new speedsters.
6 The Flash: Rebirth
The Flash: Rebirth #1-6 by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Alex Sinclair, Brian Miller, and Rob Leigh
The Flash family had grown during Wally’s time as the Flash. Barry Allen returned to life in Final Crisis, but it was Flash: Rebirth that reintroduced Barry to the modern world. Barry Allen became the origin of the Speed Force and had to deal with the corrupting power of the Reverse Flash.
Barry met all active speedsters, and he even teamed up with dead speedsters whose souls resided in the Speed Force. Flash: Rebirth was a tribute to all speedsters who ever allied themselves with the Flash. Despite having similar powers, every member of the Flash Family remained unique. Ethan Van Sciver’s art depicting the Speed Force as a realm of lightning and motion helped emphasize all those notes.
5 Flash War
The Flash (Vol. 5) #47-50 by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi Design, and Steve Wands
New continuity created in the New 52 simplified the Flash Family. Barry Allen got a new Kid Flash in Wallace West. The history of the Flashes had been rebooted, and Wally West was gone. Flash War restored some history and brought back Wally.
The Flashes have always been at the center of every Crisis and reboot, and Wally returning for Flash War changed things for the better. Barry was the head of the Flash Family, but Wally bridged previous Flash continuities with his reappearance. The story is great for those nostalgic about Wally’s days as Flash. The event also restored the better parts of the Flash mythos, like Bart Allen as Impulse.
4 The Flash Annual (Vol. 5) #2
By Joshua Williamson, Scott Kollins, Luis Guerrero, and Wes Abbott
The Flash Family is connected by more than just the Speed Force. They are a family joined by blood and history. When one Flash feels pain, so do the others. The whole Flash Family comes together to face enormous threats, but Wally West’s death brought them together for a different reason.
Wally West died in Heroes in Crisis, prompting Barry to deliver the news to the other speedsters. Kid Flash and Avery Ho had to face the possibility of dying an early death. Impulse played a significant role in the story as well. He represented the youth and optimism of the Flash Family while Barry carried the weight of it.
3 Finish Line
The Flash (Vol. 1) #762-756 by Joshua Williamson, Christian Duce, Howard Porter, Luis Guerrero, Hi-Fi Design, and Steve Wands
Modern Flash stories that pit Flash against Reverse-Flash tend to focus on DC’s other talented speedsters. The conclusion of Joshua Williamson’s Flash run, Finish Line, brought in a lot of history and crafted a new story with Flash and Reverse-Flash.
Thawne took over Barry’s body while Barry was trapped in the Speed Force. The Flash Family came together to fight Thawne’s Legion of Zoom. Barry talked to Max and Jesse in the Speed Force, Kid Flash reacted to Impulse, and Impulse met his father. There were even cameos from alternate and long forgotten speedsters like the future Flash John Fox and the Tangent Flash.
2 Perfect Storm
The Flash (Vol. 5) #39-44 by Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Steve Wands
Gorilla Grodd is one of the Flash’s smartest and most vicious enemies. He gathered together Negative Speed Force villains, such as Godspeed and Fast Track, and stripped Barry Allen of his speed. Barry needed Wally West to lead the attack on Grodd.
Even with Barry around, Wally proved he could lead other Flashes. Kid Flash and Avery Ho were inspired by Barry, but still looked up to Wally. Grodd took command of the good speedsters and left Barry alone against all the other speedsters. “Perfect Storm” had one of the biggest clashes between good and evil speedsters while letting Barry and Wally share the leadership role.
By Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, and Steve Wands
Wally West was just as fast as Barry Allen, and they were both considered the Flash. However, Wally had difficulty adjusting to a reality that had forgotten him. There was tension between him and Barry. Wally felt he hadn’t escaped from Barry’s shadow, and Barry believed Wally was reckless. The Batman Who Laughs targeted Wally’s power, and he and Barry argued over what to do.
Despite the rift between the two Flashes, the story was about family and hope. Wally wasn’t forced to return to his exile in the Speed Force. The entire Flash family reached out to him, and Wally was finally reunited with his wife and children.
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