The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years

DC Anniversary Celebrations

by Geoff Johns, Gardner Francis Fox, John Broome

Introduced in 1940, The Flash burst onto the comic book scene with an explosive debut akin to his super-speed powers. He was an instant smash-hit success, as the lightning bolt insignia upon his chest became synonymous with the term "superhero". Even as seven decades have passed, The Flash is still a vibrant part of the DC Comics lore and an integral part of the genre.

THE FLASH: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS collects a wide range of stories featuring the Scarlet Speedster, ranging his seven decades as a mainstay in the DC Comics universe. From the original Flash, Jay Garrick, to his successors Barry Allen and Wally West, the mantle of this beloved hero has made him burst beyond the printed page into a pop culture symbol. This anthology graphic novel collects stories from the industry's legendary talents, including Gardner Fox, John Broome and Geoff Johns.


This volume collects:

“Origin of the Flash”
FLASH COMICS #1 (1940)
Writer: Gardner Fox, Artist: Harry Lampert
Cover by Sheldon Moldoff
 
“The Secret City”
ALL-FLASH COMICS #31 (1947)
Writer: Robert Kanigher, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Frank Giacoia
Cover by Evertt E. Hibbard
 
“The Planet of Sport”
ALL-FLASH COMICS #31 (1947)
Writer: Robert Kanigher, Artist: Evertt E. Hibbard
 
“The Rival Flash!”
FLASH COMICS #104 (1949)
Writer: John Broome, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Bernard Sachs
 
“Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!”
SHOWCASE #4 (1956)
Writer: Robert Kanigher, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Joe Kubert
Cover by Carmine Infantino & Joe Kubert
 
“Meet Kid Flash!”
THE FLASH #110 (December 1959-Jnaurary 1960)
Writer: John Broome, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Joe Giella
 
“Flash of Two Worlds!”
THE FLASH #123 (1961)
Writer: Gardner Fox, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Joe Giella
Cover by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson
 
“The Conquerors of Time!”
THE FLASH #125 (1961)
Writer: John Broome, Penciller: Carmine Infantino, Inker: Joe Giella
Cover by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella
 
“Superman’s Race With the Flash!”
SUPERMAN #199 (1967)
Writer: Jim Shooter, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: George Klein
Cover by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson
 
“Stupendous Triumph of the Six Super-Villains!”
THE FLASH #174 (1967)
Writer: John Broome, Penciller: Carmine Infantio, Inker: Sid Greene
Cover by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson
 
“Death of an Immortal!”
THE FLASH #215 (1972)
Writer: Len Wein, Penciller: Irv Novick, Inker: Dick Giordano
Cover by Neal Adams
 
“Deadly Secret of the Flash!”
THE FLASH #233 (1975)
Writer: Cary Bates, Penciller: Irv Novick, Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Cover by Dick Giordano
 
“The Last Dance!”
THE FLASH #275 (1979)
Writer: Cary Bates, Penciller: Alex Savuik, Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Cover by Dick Giordano
 
“A Flash of the Lightning!”
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8 (1985)
Writer: Marv Wolfman, Penciller: George Perez, Inker: Jerry Ordway
Cover by George Perez
 
 
“Happy Birthday Wally”
THE FLASH #1 (1987)
Writer; Mike Baron, Penciller: Butch Guice, Inker: Larry Mahlstedt
Cover by Butch Guice & Larry Mahlstedt
 
“The Unforgiving Minute”
SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #2 (1988)
Writer: William Messner-Loebs, Penciller: Mike Collins, Inkers: Frank McLaughlin & Donald Simpson
Cover by Carmine Infantino, Mike Collins & Murphy Anderson
 
“Flashing Back!”
FLASH #0 (1994)
Writer: Mark Waid, Penciller: Mike Wieringo, Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Cover by Mike Wieringo & Jose Marzan, Jr.
 
“Rogue War: Conclusion”
FLASH #225 (2005)
Writer; Geoff Johns, Penciller: Howard Porter, Inker: John Livesay
Cover by Howard Porter & John Livesay
 
“Lighting in a Bottle Part One: Flashback”
FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #1 (2006)
Writers: Danny Bilson & Paul Demeo, Penciller: Ken Lashley, Inkers: Kwl Studio; Norm Rapmund; Marlo Alquiza; Jay Leisten
Cover by Ken Lashley & Greg Parkin
 
“Lightning Strikes Twice”
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #1 (2009)
Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
Cover by Ethan Van Sciver
 
“Flashpoint Part Five”
FLASHPOINT #5 (2011)
Writer: Geoff Johns, Penciller: Andy Kubert, Inkers: Sandra Hope & Jesse Delpergang
Cover by Andy Kubert & Sandra Hope
 
“Fear”
THE FLASH #9 (2012)
Writers: Francis Manupal & Brian Buccellato, Artist: Francis Manapul
Cover by Francis Manupal

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Anthologies

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2015

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

These 75-year celebrations are proving to be great volumes overall. My quibble with this one is that the stories selected to illustrate The Flash's career start off strong, then get muddled/confusing in the middle. The last one that made complete sense to me was the one where Wally West begrudgingly delivers a heart to Seattle and spends some quality time with his therapist (boy's got issues, for certain).

I think part of the problem here is that so many of the contemporary Flash storylines rely on time travel and multiple Flashes going backwards and forwards, altering continuity, etc. That's difficult to follow when you've got all the issues in order. Now try plucking some out of the time stream, as it were. I got a sense of who the various Flashes are, and what their personalities are like, but as far as the storylines go, I'm pretty much hopelessly lost now.

All that being said, I liked the first half of this volume, with the Jay Garrick Flash. His origin story was simple, as were the plots, and there weren't 500 different characters to keep straight. I probably won't explore Flash more closely, but I'm glad I got this overview.

[Feyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Macht Lust, wieder mit der Serie anzufangen!
Einige Comics in der Sammlung fand ich spitze, andere eher nicht, insgesamt aber eine bunte Mischung, bei der der Spaß überwiegt.

[Jon Shanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

To paraphrase: "His name is Barry Allen, and he is the fastest man alive" except when it's Jay Garrick or Wally West. While Barry may be the best known Scarlet Speedster, Jay was the first, in 1940, and for me, reading JLA in the 1990's, it was Wally as Barry was busy being dead at the time (he got better!). This book fully acknowledges all these incarnations, taking us from the first All-American Publications (which was to become DC Comics) right up to the present day "New 52", including the first appearances of all three titular heroes (Wally originally being "Kid Flash"), the first meeting of Barry & Jay (issue #123 "The Flash of Two Worlds"), the fist Flash/Superman race, Crisis of Infinite Earths, Flashpoint and more. However, even with 480 pages, there's only so much you can fit in, so there are only single issues from ongoing stories, leaving only part of the story. Most frustrating of these is The Flash 275 which ends in the middle of a crucial point in a murder mystery story where Barry and his wife Iris are on the floor, one dead and the other in critical condition, plus the "murderer" (I doubt either was actually dead) was unrevealed! But this is just a taster from 75 years of stories and undoubtedly a run (Sorry, couldn't resist!) of many more years to come.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book!!

[Mateicee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Als jemand, der bisher kaum Berührungspunkte mit "The Flash" hatte, war ich neugierig, was die Figur über das bloße „Er ist schnell“ hinaus zu bieten hat. Die FLASH Anthologie – 75 Jahre Abenteuer im Zeitraffer liefert dazu einen umfangreichen Überblick und beleuchtet die Entwicklung des Scarlet Speedster durch die Jahrzehnte.

Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat, sind die Zeichnungen: Von den klassischen Panels der frühen Jahre bis hin zu modernen, dynamischen Artworks ist visuell wirklich viel geboten. Auch die grafische und stilistische Entwicklung des Charakters über die Zeit hinweg zu verfolgen, war spannend und gut kuratiert.

Inhaltlich hat mich die Anthologie jedoch nicht ganz überzeugt. Die Stories wirkten nach einer Weile redundant – oft läuft es auf ähnliche Muster hinaus, was vermutlich auch dem Thema "Supergeschwindigkeit" geschuldet ist, das erzählerisch begrenzt zu sein scheint. Für mich persönlich wurde es schnell eintönig.

Besonders das Zeitreiseelement, das in mehreren Geschichten eine Rolle spielt, hat mir gar nicht gefallen. Es wirkt häufig konstruiert und verkompliziert die Handlung unnötig, anstatt wirklich interessante neue Aspekte zu eröffnen.

Flash bleibt für mich also auch nach der Lektüre ein eher durchschnittlicher Superheld. Die Anthologie ist gut gemacht und für Fans sicher ein Muss – als Neueinsteigerin hat sie mich aber nicht komplett abgeholt.

[Lovrenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was amazing. It was a gift from my girlfriend. It's a collection of comics since 1940 to 2011 and beyond as the last chapter states.
You have see the evolution of the hero that goes by the name " The Flash".
I has all the main stories with references to other comics numbers. You get to know Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West and all the heroes, and villains, that the Flash encounter through the decades.
You can see the evolution of stories and graphics. Stories themselfs are devided by chapters, eras if you like and by the explaintion of the character.

If you are a comics fan or TV series (both of them) I definitely suggest you to read it 💪📚

[Lateef Amodu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collects standout/important moments in the Flash comic book history.

- It starts with issues from the 40s-50s (with the original Flash, Jay Garrick).
- The 50s-70s (introducing new Flash, Barry Allen, along with sidekick, Wally West).
- The 70s-80s (involves battle with Professor Zoom and death of the Flash).
- The 80s -2011 (where Wally West becomes the Flash and the Crisis event).
- Finally 2011 to beyond (with the Flashpoint story arc and the New 52).

I enjoyed reading this. I wasn't familiar with the The Flash enough and reading this really helped put his character into context for me. The artwork various from different time periods, but I generally liked it, even the rudimentary 40s-50s illustrations.

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really know anything about The Flash before starting this collection, but it does give a nice, basic overview of The Flash's history. The problem that you have here, unlike the Batman/Superman 75 year celebration collections, is that more than one person has taken the Flash name so you have to showcase the best/most important moments of at least three different characters. I think it weakens the collection.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to remember these stories.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great collection. Whether you're interested in seeing the evolution of comics as whole or the evolution of the highlighted character, you are going to find a lot to enjoy. Add into that some interesting commentary, and you've got a must-read if you're a comic fan. If there is one downside, it's that I read the origin story of Kid Flash about three times...but it was nice seeing the original comic, and the other two times it came up were: (1) A nice psychoanalytical story about Wally, and (2) A part of a much larger story.
My favorite story was probably the Flash v. Superman race. It was just fun and nostalgic. I also really enjoyed seeing how Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West all differed in their roles as the Flash. I've not read a ton of Flash outside of the New 52... but having said that, apparently "complexity" is just a staple with this character. The Flash comes with time-travel, alternate realities, etc. As such, reading just one story out of an entire series meant grabbing on and just going for the ride. The New 52 had its confusing moments, but if you were there from the beginning, you were able to follow what was happening. And I could tell from the way these stories were written, that was also the case with them. That meant that I wasn't reading so much for the story as I was for the character and the writing--which is, of course, what these collections are really about. However, the inherent nature of these stories meant that, unlike other "Celebration of 75 Years" stories, figuring out the overarching plot just wasn't a priority. But the good news? Now I know what other stories to read!
And, some thoughts on the other stories in this collection:
(1) I was surprised by, not necessarily how dark, but how sad Barry Allen's death was. I mean, he's an iconic character...of course, it's going be sad. But... dang! That was depressing.
(2) The issue "Happy Birthday, Wally" definitely reminded me of a certain episode of "Young Justice"...which was just too cool! The plot of that episode is that Wally (as Kid Flash) has to deliver a heart to a patient, and he gets sidetracked by Vandal Savage. And in this comic--that same basic story line. (It is even Wally's birthday in both stories!) The details are changed slightly, and the TV show makes adjustments to fit with the larger plot its creating, but still... the fact that the show was obviously paying homage to that comic just makes me like it even more. (Which is saying something, because that is easily one of my all-time favorite shows.)
(3) The story that psychoanalyzed Wally almost felt a little too dark. Comics went through a period where they couldn't have a character be happy or optimistic (the same seemed to also happen to Barry, what with Iris' death and, later, his murder trial), and I don't personally love that. I mean, I like complicated and dark plots, but I also like having some heroes who are... fun. Come on, we don't need every superhero to be Batman. That said... the Flash still definitely isn't Batman. But I like when that hero (whether Barry or Wally) is written with a bit more levity.
(4) I need to read "Flashpoint." I've seen the movie, but I've not had the time to actually read the comic. However, reading the final installment of that arc in this collection...yeah, I just need to make the time for it. The art was amazing, and I love the scene when Barry gives Bruce the letter from his dad. That is some solid emotion, some solid storytelling, and some solid artwork that all equals one thing: One of the best comic book moments I've come across. Period.
In short, these collections, as always, are great for both fans of comics as a medium and for fans of the character it highlights. You'll definitely take something away from this book--whether it's a little bit of extra knowledge about the Scarlet Speedster or a few more books to add to your reading list.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years is a compilation of some of the best representative the Flash stories over the years to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary debut of one of the most iconic comic characters (2015). Over the years, there were many incarnations and depictions of the Scarlet Speedsters: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen and this collection explore them all rather well.

This anthology is divided into five sections or more precisely comic era. The first section depicts one of the Flashes in the Golden Age of Comics, then Silver, Bronze, Modern, and Rebirth Ages follow with each successive section.

It is very interesting to see the evolution of The Flashes throughout the years from his humble beginnings to the powerful speedsters that they become that could literally change the fabric of the universe – of existence.

As a whole, The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years is a rather balanced book – era wise. It shows each section rather evenly and not placing any favoritism in any of the eras. It gives us a nice perception of the era in which these stories were produced – a reflection of the times. However, I wished the anthology was also fair in representing all four Flashes that were mentioned in this anthology. Granted when someone thinks of the Flash they think Barry Allen more than the other three, but it would have been nice to see a well-balanced anthology.

Story selection must have been rather difficult – The Flash had starred and appeared over many titles and it is no easy feat to pick out the best or favorites from the masses. Furthermore, there were four people who took up the mantle of The Flash and that just complicate matter even further. The thing is those measuring sticks are subjective and will never reach perfect consensus.

We all can all possibly agree with the first issues that either Speedster appears and probably their first issue as the Flash: Jay Garrick (Flash Comics #1), Barry Allen (Showcase #4), Wally West (Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (sadly not included)), and Bart Allen (The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1) – the rest is debatable.

Despite the difficulties, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection, would I swapped some stories out for others – sure I have my favorites, but it is difficult if not impossible to please everyone, since everyone is different. So overall, I was really happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years is a wonderful selection of stories over the three-quarters of a century that the Flash has been around. It is a good anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike. However, for the newly initiated I would recommend a collection that is more substantial and cohesive as there are a lot of issues that started, ended, or was in the middle of a story arc.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I ended up getting an overdose of graphic novels recently so I never really finished- nor plan to finish- this substantial tome. It's a hefty book, solid and chock full of Flash cartoons from the beginning to the present day. Lots of color, action, and the perspective of seeing so much change from decades over the course of one sitting. Yes, you can accurately trace the downfall of DC as they become so obsessed with nihilism in its candy form that it's a wonder their own artists and writers weren't found passed out on the floor in fetal positions. Way to deprive us of heroes, guys!
Well, maybe there's hope for them.
In the meantime, I still wouldn't mind seeing another one of these excellently organized compendiums. From silly to serious, from doofy to dreary, DC's got it all! They'll even throw in an Edgar Allan Poe-ish heart in a box just in case you want to see that. Not that I want to, no. But maybe I can get my hands on the Aquaman compendium just to see how he turned out. I want to know. I think.

[Beau Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first encounter with the Flash was in the Justice League cartoons of the late 70s and early 80s. He spoke way too quick, and only purpose in the show was to run around really fast. Even as a child I could see a lot of wasted potential on the screen. The Justice League cartoons of the early 2000s set things right.

I'd never read a Flash comic before, so just about everything between the front and back cover was new to me. It is a great compilation covering mostly the Golden Age and Silver age Flash, but the others get a mention or two as well.

There were one or two slow stories, but it is a great place to start if you want to know more about the Flash

[John Desmarais]

Similar to the other DC "A Celebration of XX Years" retrospectives, although a bit different in that there have been multiple characters in the DCU who have sed the name "The Flash". The comic era breakdown of the stories also serves to separate them by character (Golden Age: Jay Garrick, Silver and Bronze Ages: Barry Allen, Post-Crisis: mostly Wally West, and then back to Barry Allen for Flashpoint and New52). Fans of the Wally West Flash will probably feel that the book shortchanges that character (but old fans like myself will probably feel that the Silver Age is not represented heavily enough). Alas, you can't please everyone.

[Al Gritten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because this is a compendium of stories from across the life span of the character it is quite varied in both writing and artwork. Some of them were outstanding, others were just okay. Some stories were well done but the art wasn't as good and for others the art was excellent but the story line was just okay. Overall, it is a very good look at the development and changes that have taken place for the Flash and even includes part of the new '52' rebirth story, "Flashpoint." I enjoyed it and if you are a fan of the fastest man alive, it is well worth the read.

[Flavio · Rating 5 out of 5]

While other volumes in this collection have the same character being the focus, the mantle of “The Flash” was donned by four different characters, and they all have their moment to shine, even though the focus is clearly Barry Allen, the most famous of them all.

I grew up reading Wally West as the Flash, and always understood the importance of “legacy” when it’s about this specific character, so I couldn’t be happier with the selection of stories... It’s perfect, a good compilation that shows all the key moments in the history of the different characters.

[Ettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are someone who is curious about the history of the Flash, or wants to get into the comics but doesn't know where to start, I highly recommend picking up this collection. Through the selected comics that are sectioned by decades, this book provides a great look at the depth and history behind The Flash. It details the different characters who took on the role, as well as defining their impact on the DC Universe as a whole. This is a great starting point for new fans!

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good cover of the Flash over the years. I enjoyed seeing classic stories like the origin stories of Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West, the Flash of Two Worlds story where Jay and Barry first met and many more.

[Tammy]

the Flash deserves better

This 75th anniversary celebration of The Flash is marred by a lame and unimaginative selection of stories. More attention should have been paid to making the book readable and without redundancy.

[Gonzalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que recolecta 75 años de comics y un buen punto de partida en su mundo

[Chris W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little collection of various parts of flash history giving you scope and perspective of the character's change over time

[Brandon Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome.

[Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

este recopilatorio es buenísimo para conocer al personaje pero falta sobre el flash de wally west, igual está muy bueno

[Chantelle J.]

A fantastic read

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this book has me excited for Wonder Woman's own celebration hardcover. Over the span of 480 pages I learned a great deal about the history of The Flash: from Jay Garrick, through Barry Allen, to Wally West, and back to Allen again!

I suppose hardcore fans of The Flash may not find this volume quite as amazing as I did. No doubt they would have chosen other stories to tell or maybe added a few. My knowledge of the character was (and still is) rather limited to begin with but was sparked by the recent The Flash TV series. Perhaps that is why I found these stories so interesting, as they covered everything I could've expected and more: Jay Garrick facing The Rival and then meeting Barry Allen in a crossover, The Flash's race against Superman (also kinda featured in the Supergirl TV show) and his dealings with Zoom, the birth of Kid Flash and his struggle to follow in his hero's footsteps, among many others.


The comic's is more fun.

All in all, there are 21 stories in this volume (some of them sadly cut short because of their length, like Crisis on Infinite Earths) covering each of The Flash's tenures, though Barry is featured in most of them. Bart Allen is also present in the "Lightning in a Bottle" story as well as in "Rebirth" and I'm curious to know more about him.

In fact, something I noticed while reading these stories was the marked difference before and after the 70s. Before the 70s the stories seemed more carefree and self-contained, our heroes were more concerned with catching the villain of the week than their everyday problems (of which they had few, if any). However, during/after the 70s, the stories started becoming more, should I say, grounded? Heroes had debts and marital problems, villains became more ruthless and targeted the heroes' spouses, more sacrifices were demanded of our heroes and it was not unusual to see some of them die or, worse, turn evil (I'm looking at you, Parallax).


Crisis on Infinite Earths, ladies and gents.

While reading these stories I often got hooked wondering what came next, how The Flash dealt with a particular tragedy or a certain aspect of his life, what happened to the Speed Force, or how exactly Barry Allen came back. Of course, all of this took place in the past for me so I can look at it with a certain detachment. No doubt the fans' reaction at the time was part curiosity, part anger, part surprise, and part delight, as is our reaction nowadays when DC toys with our favourite heroes. Still, I found it fascinating to witness how the styles have changed over time, something I also witnessed recently when I read The Little Book of Wonder Woman. The 70s clearly influenced her wardrobe unlike The Flash's.

This Celebration volume even manages to cover the New 52's take on the character with the "Fear" story, from The Flash #9. Personally, I would've ended it with Flashpoint myself as there are few stories that can top that ending. That and Flashpoint is one of my personal favourites.



In the end, I think this volume is an excellent starting point for newcomers like me who want to get a sense of the character's evolution without having to buy every comic published since the 1940s. Could it have been better? Possibly. I myself found a few stories worth including after some research (like Wally's fight against Doctor Alchemy), and I'm sure hardcore fans have many more. Still, I hold the view that The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years is great value for newcomers and I daresay longtime Flash fans as well. I'm rather excited about the Wonder Woman and Green Lantern Celebration hardcovers now.

How about you? What are your favourite Flash stories?

[Bryson Kopf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice collection representative of important milestones for all 4 Flashes, and by far the best of these 75th Anniversary collections I have read so far. That said, I far prefer the older collection of The Greatest Flash Stories every told (the one from 1991) as a representation of the best Flash tales around, particularly for the Jay Garrick & Barry Allen eras. Along with that volume, the 75th collection will give the reader a really nice overview of one of DC's best legacy characters. There are stories here that have been reprint ad-nauseam like Flash of Two Worlds! and Jay & Barry's origin stories, but I was happy to see a few more unusual tales pop up like Stupendous Triumph of the Six Super-Villains!, Death of an Immortal!, Deadly Secret of the Flash!, and The Last Dance! Bronze age DC books are often not collected these days, so it is a treat to see some some very important Flash lore reprinted!

So why 3 stars? The collection does a terrible job representing arguably the best Flash, Wally West, with a measly 3 tales, which are mixed at best. Flash #1 is a really weird pick for representing early Wally, especially since there are so many great stories by William Messner-Loebs & Mark Waid in this period (I do really like the inclusion of The Unforgiving Minute for Wally in this collection) that could have been easily been included instead of say, Crisis #8 or other Barry Allen stories. This plus the really poor Bart Allen installment take this collection down a peg. Overall, mild recommendation for casual readers, but fans of the character should take it for a spin!

[Victor Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.

I feel like I've been invited to a banquet and realize they are serving nothing but appetizers. Only this is quite a tasty selection of appetizers. This collection is like that, a banquet of appetizers. In 75 years Flash has has proven to be a mainstay in the DC Comics Universe. From Jay Garrick to Barry Allen to Wally West and back to Barry Allen. DC collects a brief set of some of the Flash’s most interesting battles.

Separated into several series of chapters from the beginning in the 1940's all the way to the present day. Stories that stand out are of course is the origin stories of Jay Garrick, Barry as well as Wally Wests. Involving most of their enemies but also their friends and family. Plenty of great villains from Thinker, Rival, Captain Cold and the rest of the Rogues.

As well as the fateful encounters with the Reverse Flash – Thawne and Zolomon, to their phenomenal participation in the Justice League. With Barry Allen’s sacrifice from Crisis on Infinite Earths recounted here. A brief look at Flash Rebith, Flashpoint and the New 52. Making it more than clear that Flash is a vital component in the DC Universe.

Brief but pretty good all things considered. B-

[Brini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely learned quite a bit about The Flash-- or better Jay Garrick and Wally West (Barry Allen is my man). The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years contains a quite good cross section of everything you need to know about The Flash. It was a little frustrating that a few stories end in the middle of a crucial point and I for one didn't have the right comic issue to continue reading.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to find out some quick information about The Flash but it only really covers the major stuff which I already knew.

If you know nothing this is a great starting point and has some excellent suggestions for other good Flash reads. As someone who has already been dabbling though it hasn't provided much further insight and I think I'll just stick with the New 52 Flash for now.

[Cameron Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never really understood the story of the Flash, but have always enjoyed seeing him in other comics and his animation. This volume shows the changes and developments the character has gone through the years. My favorite parts were the Jay Garrick/Barry Allen team ups and the end of the Flashpoint series.