Editing The Flash (section)

===Silver Age===
In 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 (comic book)|Showcase]]'' #4 (October 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.<ref name="dc-ency"/> After several more appearances in ''Showcase'', Allen's character was given his own title, ''The Flash'', the first issue of which was #105 (resuming where ''Flash Comics'' had left off). Barry Allen and the new Flash were created by writers [[Robert Kanigher]] and [[John Broome (writer)|John Broome]] and cartoonist [[Carmine Infantino]].

The Silver Age Flash proved popular enough that several other Golden Age heroes were revived in new incarnations (see: [[Green Lantern]]). A new superhero team, the [[Justice League|Justice League of America]], was also created, with the Flash as a main, charter member.

Barry Allen's title also introduced a much-imitated plot device into superhero comics when it was revealed that Garrick and Allen existed on fictional [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel world]]s. Their powers allowed them to cross the dimensional boundary between worlds, and the men became good friends. ''[[Flash of Two Worlds]]'' (''The Flash'' #123) was the first crossover in which a Golden Age character met a Silver Age character. Soon, there were crossovers between the entire Justice League and the Justice Society; their respective teams began an annual get-together which endured from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s.

Allen's adventures continued in his own title until the event of ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]''. ''The Flash'' ended as a series with issue #350. Allen's life had become considerably confused in the early 1980s, and DC elected to end his adventures and pass the mantle on to another character. Allen died heroically in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #8 (1985). Thanks to his ability to travel through time, he would continue to appear occasionally in the years to come.