Flash (Barry Allen) Heroes of DC Comics. Flash (Barry Allen) The Flash (Bartholomew Henry Allen) is a superhero who appears in comics published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in "Showcase" #4 (October 1956), created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciler Carmine Infantino. Barry Allen is a reinvention of a previous character called the Flash, who appeared in 1940s comic books as the character Jay Garrick. His power consists mainly of superhuman speed. Various other effects are also attributed to his ability to control the speed of molecular vibrations, including his ability to vibrate at speed to pass through objects. The Flash
Superhero This era saw the debut of first known female superhero, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's character Fantomah, an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House's "Jungle Comic" #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine, a