The Many Faces Of... The Flash
Written by Russ Dimino

There is trouble brewing somewhere in the streets.  Suddenly, there is a gust of wind, and a red and yellow blur streaks by, racing off to save the day.  No, that wasn't the tail end of Superman's cape that you just caught a glimpse of.  Any self respecting citizen of Central City will tell you that was their own resident scarlet speedster, The Flash, the one guy around who can give even Superman a literal "run" for his money.
 
In this edition of "The Many Faces Of..." we'll take a look at just how The Flash has been portrayed on screen, and who has been beneath the mask.
 
There have been several versions of the Flash character in the comic books.  The original, "Golden Age" Flash was named Jay Garrick, and first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in January 1940.  His successor, Barry Allen, debuted in Showcase #4 in 1956.  The current comic book Flash is Barry's nephew, Wally West, who first appeared as Barry's sidekick, Kid Flash, in Flash #110 in December 1959 (he didn't assume the role of The Flash until Barry died in "The Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline in 1986). 
 
The first time The Flash got animated, it was alongside our favorite Boyscout in Blue.  He made several guest appearances on "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure" in 1967.  This Flash was the Barry Allen version, and his voice was supplied by Cliff Owens.  He was often accompanied by Kid Flash, a.k.a. Wally West, who was voiced by Tommy Cook.
 
The next time Flash made the airwaves, he was joined by a few friends... Super Friends, that is.  Throughout the various incarnations of the show from 1977 - 1986, including "The All New Super Friends Hour," "The Challenge of the Super Friends," and "Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show," Jack Angel lent his voice to The Flash.  Angel was also the voices of Hawkman and Samurai, and went on to provide voice work for shows like "Darkwing Duck," "Tale Spin" and "Peter Pan and the Pirates."  He was also the voice of Teddy in the movie "A.I."
 
In 1979, The Flash appeared in a two part live-action TV special called "Legends of the Superheroes," which featured characters like Batman and Robin, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, Hawkman, The Black Canary, and more.  It was done in a campy, tongue-in-cheek style reminiscent of the Adam West "Batman" series of the 1960's, and, in fact, Adam West and Burt Ward reprise their roles as Batman and Robin.  In part one, the heroes team up to save the world from a group of villains.  In part two, the heroes pay tribute to Batman and Robin in the form of a roast.  This movie has pretty much been relegated to the realm of bootleg copies sold at comic book conventions.  The Flash is played by Rod Haase.
 
The next time around, The Flash was taken a little more seriously, and finally got the spotlight all to himself instead of sharing it with other heroes.  The TV series "The Flash" ran on CBS from 1990-91, and starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash.  The series had several notable guest stars, including Richard Burgi, Jeri Ryan and Denise Crosby, and villains like David Cassidy as The Mirror Master and Mark Hamill as The Trickster.  Shipp is most likely best known to today's audiences as Dawson's father, Mitch Leery, on "Dawson's Creek."
 
In 1997, The Flash once again found himself alongside other superheroes in a pilot for a live-action "Justice League of America" series.  This pilot featured Kenny Johnston as The Flash.  Green Lantern, The Atom, Martian Manhunter, and Fire and Ice rounded out the team.  The pilot was not well received, never aired in the US, and a series never followed.
 
In that same year, The Flash made a guest appearance on "Superman The Animated Series," in the episode "Speed Demons."  In this episode, Superman and The Flash take part in a race around the world for charity.  Charlie Schlatter voices Flash, and though it is not specifically stated in the episode, this is the Wally West version of the character, making this the first time Wally has been the Flash on TV (excluding his Kid Flash appearances in the 60's).  Schlatter played Ferris Bueller in the short-lived "Ferris Bueller" TV series, based on the popular Matthew Broderick movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
 
Four years later, in 2001, The Flash sped over to Cartoon Network to join the animated "Justice League."  This version united The Flash with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter.  The Flash's voice should be very familiar to "Smallville" fans, as he is voiced by none other than Michael Rosenbaum.  Michael is, of course, famous for his role as Lex Luthor on "Smallville," but he's also no stranger to voice acting.  He's also done voices for "The Zeta Project," "The Wild Thornberrys," and "Jackie Chan Adventures."  The "Justice League" series has recently spun off into "Justice League Unlimited," expanding the League's roster to include nearly 60 heroes.
 
In late 2003, the WB considered picking up a live-action series about a young Flash, similar in style to "Smallville."  The proposed series would have had a "no costume" approach, similar to the "no tights, no flights" rule on "Smallville."  This version of the character was intended to live in Gotham City (Batman's hometown!), and his powers would have enabled him to run fast enough to travel through time.  Unfortunately, the WB ultimately passed on the show.
 
Despite this, it seems scarlet speedster was destined to make it to the WB after all!  The October 20th "Smallville" episode, "Run," features a guest appearance by the future Flash.  Here, the character is named Bart Allen.  The name is taken from the comic book character known as Impulse, who is the grandson of the Barry Allen Flash.  Bart is played by Kyle Gallner, whose other credits include roles on "Touched by an Angel," "Law and Order," and "Third Watch."
 
As we have seen, The Flash is often found alongside his fellow members of the Justice League, particularly Superman.  This has led to much debate among fans as to just which one of them is faster.  The two have raced multiple times, and, though many of their races have ended in a draw, The Flash has edged out The Man of Steel on several occasions.  In a recent issue of The Flash comic book, he and Superman teamed up to try to find Wally's missing wife, Linda.  Even flying, Superman had to struggle just to keep up with Flash.  Superman may have super speed, but it is the hero known as The Flash who has earned the title of "The Fastest Man Alive."