Of all members of the Justice League, it’s The Flash that easily sets the mark as the speedy jokester of the team, adding his humor to the otherwise serious atmosphere of the world’s defenders. Nevertheless, The Flash fans would know that members of The Flash Family also have some of the most touching and serious stories across DC Comics, something the upcoming film should soon embody.
However, fans of DC Comics might want to check just what kind of The Flash stories are out there that can pique their interest. After all, while this Justice League member is possibly the wackiest of the bunch, his personal stories stand as some of the most captivating in the entire DC Universe.
10 Superman: Speed Kills! (1990)
Funnily enough, one of the best The Flash stories is one that comes from another title entirely. Speed Kills! comes from The Adventures of Superman #463, one where the Fifth Dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk beseeches the help of Superman and the Flash to get him back to his own dimension. In this single-issue story, the Flash and Superman have to test who truly is the fastest.
Although more of a short story than a bigger The Flash story, Speed Kills! is an entertaining way to see the powersets of both heroes put to the test. This is also the same comic referenced by the Justice League film in its ending, one where the Flash challenges Superman to a race sometime after defeating Darkseid.
9 The Flash: Nobody Dies (1991)
In speaking of single-issue wonders, The Flash: Nobody Dies is easily a great way of showcasing just how unique a Flash story gets without involving a grandiose design. Here, Wally West’s the Flash jumps out of an airplane in a bid to save a flight attendant who had been sucked out of the same aircraft. In this breathtaking issue, the Flash has to review his philosophy as a superhero as he finds a way of using his superspeed to help him and the flight attendant survive this fatal freefall.
Despite the simple premise, Nobody Dies is one of the comics that demonstrates some of the more creative ways of using the Speed Force. Moreover, this story also showcases just how creative and bold Wally West is as a character, especially now that he has to prove his mastery of the Speed Force to save the day.
8 The Flash: Rogue War (2006)
Sometimes, it’s a hero’s villains that often define them, and none would ever match the wacky power sets and equally-gripping motivations as that of the Flash’s rogues. And while not as cunning and manipulative as Batman’s villains, the Flash has quite an interesting relationship with his villains, one that The Flash: Rogue War intensifies.
In this story, Captain Cold unleashes all-out war amongst the Flash’s rogues’ gallery, especially after noticing some may have gone good instead of maintaining their villainous ways. It’s soon realized that the Flash and Zatanna may have been rehabilitating these villains in secret, with one of them possibly mind-controlling the others.
7 Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal (2020)
Despite its rather long name, Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal happens at the climax of the Dark Nights: Metal and Death Metal storylines, where the Dark Multiverse is seemingly on the crux of unifying with the mainstream timeline and annihilating all of existence. To top it all off, the Batman Who Laughs had just stolen the Mobius Chair, an all-power device previously used by Wally West to repair timelines.
Empowered by the Mobius Chair, the Batman Who Laughs now calls himself the Darkest Knight. Now determined to kill Wally West, the speedster has to try and outrun a nigh-omnipotent Darkest Knight, who had called his own horde of Dark Flashes to outrace them! While Wally gets help in the form of Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Kid Flash, they seem too slow with the power of a damaged Speed Force. However, it’s in these instances where all hope seems lost that the Flash proves there’s always a way out.
6 The Flash: Blitz (2004)
It’s not often that an entire superhero’s arc is dedicated not to a hero, but a villain, and this makes sense in the complex timeline of The Flash stories. In The Flash: Blitz, fans get a renewed take on the origins of Zoom, also known as Hunter Zolomon. When Zolomon, still his close friend, finds himself “unstuck” in time and crippled by a rampaging Gorilla Grodd, he realizes that Wally West hasn’t “earned” the mantle of a true hero due to the lack of a personal tragedy.
Long-time readers might feel as though Zolomon will be out to threaten - or even harm - Linda Park, who by then was Wally’s love interest. However, Zolomon finds a way to give Wally West a tragedy that both the speedster and the readers wouldn’t expect. And at the end of the day, Zoom once again proves why he’s Wally West’s greatest nemesis.
5 The Flash: The Death Of Iris West (1978)
Fans who were surprised at how personally motivated the Flash was with Flashpoint would understand his intentions by the time they read The Death Of Iris West, which probably stands as one of the darkest and most tragic among classic Flash stories. In here, Barry Allen attempts at solving the case of Iris West’s murder, a path that would have the Flash depressed, desperate, and out to do whatever it took to give justice to his wife.
As fans predicted, Barry discovers that it’s Reverse-Flash that actually kills Iris West. However, what makes this story memorable is how Reverse-Flash would set himself as one of the most pivotal - and most dangerous - enemies of the Flash, and perhaps the entire Flash family.
4 A Flash Of The Lightning (1985)
Fans already know of Crisis On Infinite Earths as one of the most pivotal stories in the DC Universe, especially now that the entire multiverse hangs in the balance. At its climax is A Flash Of The Lightning, the eighth issue of the stories, and sees Barry Allen making a final stand against the Anti-Monitor, whose immensely-powerful cannon will destroy each universe in existence.
It’s at this moment that Barry Allen embraces his fate and makes the ultimate decision, something that will help seal the fate and salvation of the DC Universe in the years to come. It’s also after A Flash Of The Lightning that Wally West takes on the mantle of the Flash, with Barry Allen’s decision echoing in future Flash stories.
3 The Flash: Rebirth (2010)
Not to be confused with the Rebirth series of reboots, The Flash: Rebirth follows in the footsteps of Green Lantern: Rebirth, the 2009 story that reintroduced Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern in the DC Universe. This time around, The Flash: Rebirth follows Barry Allen as he returns to a new DC Universe, one where his sidekick Wally West is currently inhabiting as the Flash in his place.
This comic gives a new take on origin stories, as Barry Allen already had an established life as a Silver Age superhero prior to his sacrifice in Crisis on Infinite Earths. And with his return becoming an extremely pivotal part of 2008’s Final Crisis, it’s important to see just how Barry will come to terms with a new life while still wanting to be the Flash.
2 The Return Of Wally West (2017)
In The Button, a mysterious incident will have Batman and the Flash discover a mysterious bloodied button, heralding the arrival of Doctor Manhattan in the DC Universe and something transpiring behind the scenes. Soon enough, Barry Allen will be surprised to hear a distant Wally West calling to him from the Speed Force, and Wally West eventually makes a full return to the DC Universe in the first volume of Titans, which told the story of the first generation of the Teen Titans.
A rather twisted version of 2010’s Rebirth, The Return Of Wally West would make the speedster a crucial figure to the events past The Button. It’s through his help that everyone will soon realize that a mysterious force has stolen ten years of their lives - something Wally West remembered as he was stuck outside the multiverse. A more personal take on the Speed Force’s time travel will be explored in The Return Of Wally West, something that fans would enjoy reading about.
1 The Flash: Flashpoint (2011)
Perhaps the most iconic of all modern timelines involving the Flash, its Flashpoint that truly explains the repercussions of the Flash’s most important ability - travelling through time. When Barry Allen tries to prevent the death of his mother through time travel, a disastrous chain of events will bring him back to a “present” unlike he’s ever seen before. Unfortunately for the Flash, it’s all up to him to find a means to repair the timeline. And even if he succeeds, the repercussions will never be the same.
It’s actually Flashpoint that brings about yet another DC Comics reboot in the form of the New 52, and it easily helps cement Flashpoint as both a pivotal story for the Flash and the DC Universe as a whole. It’s likely this story will become the basis of the upcoming The Flash film, which easily makes this an essential read.
The Flash film will premiere on November 4, 2022 in the United States.
