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",
Alter Ego (magazine) the owner of the magazine and it is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. "Alter-Ego" supported the superhero revivals of the era that Jerry Bails dubbed "The Second Heroic Age of Comics", popularly known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz encouraged Bails and collaborator Roy Thomas, who would eventually become Marvel Comics editor-in-chief. Bails contacted readers whose letters had appeared in DC's "The Brave and the Bold" #35, the first comic book to print readers' full mailing addresses in its letter column. Some of those readers were active in other fandoms, and helped spread word-of-mouth about