Flash (comics) 1956, DC Comics successfully revived superheroes, ushering in what became known as the Silver Age of comic books. Rather than bringing back the same Golden Age heroes, DC rethought them as new characters for the modern age. The Flash was the first revival, in the tryout comic book "Showcase" #4 (Oct. 1956). This new Flash was (Barry Allen), a police scientist who gained super-speed when bathed by chemicals after a shelf of them was struck by lightning. He adopted the name "The Scarlet Speedster" after reading a comic book featuring the Golden Age Flash. After several more appearances in "Showcase",
Comic Book Artist a single publisher's comics and the creators responsible within, by way of multiple interviews and oral histories to form overall impressions of a specific era. The first five issues sported a "flip-side" magazine that revived the fondly remembered 1960s fanzine "Alter Ego", founded by Dr. Jerry Bails and devoted to superhero comics. Former Marvel Comics writer and editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, who in the '60s had succeeded Bails as editor and subsequently purchased the magazine's rights, returned as editor of this new version, dubbed Volume Two. In 1999, "Alter Ego" again became its own magazine, which has continued past 100 issues.