The Flash Museum

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Less than a year into Barry Allen’s career as the Flash, the grateful citizens of Central City raised the money to establish the Flash Museum. The museum would celebrate the career of the city’s resident champion, at first housing mainly mementos from his cases, but over time expanding into more and more types of exhibits.

Much of the museum’s popularity can be attributed to its curator Dexter Myles. The retired actor started as a guide, but his stirring renditions of the stories behind the exhibits were so popular that he quickly became its curator—a job he holds to this day.

Meanwhile, the museum was expanding, collecting the Rogues’ costumes and weapons and displaying the adventures of both Flash and Kid Flash. With the reappearance of Keystone City, an exhibit dedicated to the original scarlet speedster was added, and after his successor’s death, it was decided to follow the careers of all the speedsters.

Targets

The Flash Museum has been nearly destroyed on several occasions, each time being rebuilt. The Pied Piper hypnotized three people into vandalizing it during the lead-up to the Flash’s trial (Flash v1 #333, 1984). It was later severely damaged in a battle between Green Lantern, Darkstar and a disguised Professor Zoom (Green Lantern #40, 1993/The Return of Barry Allen). Cobalt Blue completely leveled the building in his debut attack on all things Barry (Flash v2 #143, 1998/Chain Lightning). And most recently it was destroyed in an accident when Hunter Zolomon attempted to activate the Cosmic Treadmill (Flash v2 #197, 2003/Blitz). The twin cities have become very adept at rebuilding, though after this last collapse it was rebuilt on a new site in Keystone* (Flash v2 #208, 2004).

In fact, the Cosmic Treadmill is one of the museum’s most significant exhibits. Barry Allen used the treadmill to travel through time and to other dimensions. Because only speedsters can use it, it was made an exhibit after his death. It does, however, serve as a focal point—or rather, it will.

Since his death, a wing of the museum has been dedicated to a Bart Allen Memorial (All-Flash #1, 2007).

The Flash Legacy

In at least one possible future, the entire city of Keystone will be transformed into a Flash Museum, just ten years from now. This seems unlikely to occur in the main timeline for two reasons: First, the Titans’ knowledge of this future is likely to alter it. Second, what is known of even more distant eras suggests a combined Central/Keystone City, with the Flash Museum as a single building.

It is clear that the Flash Museum will still be around at least through the late 30^th Century, as it and the treadmill will play a significant part in the fight against Cobalt Blue. By then the plaza in front will have acquired statues of dozens of Flashes, and guided tours will be provided by a pair of robots named... Dexter and Myles.

Text by Kelson Vibber. Do not copy without permission.

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• Art Credits
• Profiles in Print
• Silver-Age Appearances
• Legacy-Era Appearances
• One Year Later Appearances
• Further Notes

Art

• Classical Museum: Flash (second series) #208 (May 2004) - Howard Porter and Livesay
• Space-Age Museum: Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997) - Todd Nauck and Larry Stucker
• Dexter Myles: Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997) - Todd Nauck and Larry Stucker
• 25^th Century Museum: Flash (second series) #147 (April 1999) - Paul Pelletier and Vince Russell
• Cosmic Treadmill: Flash (first series) #125 (December 1961) - Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
• Museum City: Teen Titans (third series) #18 (January 2005) - Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza
• 30^th Century Museum: Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997) - Kenny Martinez and Anibal Rodriguez

Profiles

• Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997): “A Guided Tour of the Flash Museum”
• JLA–Z #1 (November 2003)
• Flash #208 (May 2004): “The Red Carpet,” Geoff Johns

Silver-Age Appearances

• Flash #154 (August 1965): “Gangsters’ Masquerade!” John Broome
• Flash #157 (December 1965): “The Day Flash Aged 100 Years!” Gardner Fox
• Flash #171 (June 1967): “Here Lies the Flash—Dead and Unburied,” Gardner Fox
• Flash #190 (August 1969): “Ten Years to Live—One Second to Die!” John Broome
• Flash #199 (August 1970): “Flash?—Death Calling!” Robert Kanigher
• Flash #234 (June 1975): “I’m Going to Kill You, Flash—But Not Till I’m Good and Ready!” Cary Bates
• Flash #241 (May 1976): “Steal, Flash, Steal!” Cary Bates
• Flash #244 (September 1976): “The Last Day of June is the Last Day of Central City!” Cary Bates
• Flash #264 (August 1978): “The Golden Glider’s Final Fling!” Cary Bates
• Flash #322 (June 1983): “Burning a Speedster at Both Ends!” Cary Bates
• Flash #333–335 (May–July 1984): “Down With The Flash,” “Flash Freak-Out!” and “How To Trash a Flash!” Cary Bates
• Flash #337 (September 1984): “Beware the Speed-Demons!” Cary Bates
• Flash #349–350 (September–October 1985): “...And the Truth Shall Set Him Free!” and “Flash Flees,” Cary Bates

Significant Legacy-Era Appearances

• Flash 50^th Anniversary Special (1990), Mark Waid
• Green Lantern #40 (Late May 1993): “A Flash of Evil” (Return of Barry Allen tie-in), Gerard Jones
• Flash #79 (August 1993): “The Once and Future Flash” (Return of Barry Allen conclusion), Mark Waid
• Flash Annual 8 (1995): “Growing Up Fast,” Mark Waid
• The Life Story of the Flash (1997): “Life in the Fast Lane,” Mark Waid
• Flash Secret Files #1 (November 1997): “A Run of Luck,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #143 (December 1998): “Like Wildfire,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash 80-Page Giant #2 (April 1999): “A Flash of Hope,” Tom Peyer
• Impulse: Bart Saves the Universe (1999): Christopher Priest
• Flash #147–150 (April–July 1999): “Chain Lightning parts 3–6,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #152 (September 1999): “New Kid In Town,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #154 (November 1999): “Dimensionally Challenged,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #155 (December 1999): “Payback Unlimited,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #157 (February 2000): “Setting the Stage,” Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
• Flash #186 (July 2002): “Crossfire Part 3: The Thinking Man,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #196–197 (May–June 2003): “Helpless” and “Rogue Profile: Zoom,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #208 (May 2004): “The Red Carpet,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #210–211 (July–August 2004): “Reconnected” and “Animal House,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #214 (November 2004): “The Secret of Barry Allen, Part One,” Geoff Johns
• Teen Titans/Legion Special (November 2004): “Superboy and the Legion, Part Two,” Mark Waid & Geoff Johns
• Teen Titans (third series) #18 (January 2005): “Titans Tomorrow Part 2: Tales of the Titans,” Geoff Johns
• Flash #228 (January 2006): “Finish Line, Part 2: The Summoner,” Joey Cavalieri

Significant One-Year-Later Flash Appearances

• 52 #33 (December 20, 2006): “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
• The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #4 (November 2006): “Lightning in a Bottle Part 4: Fast in the Life Lane,” Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo
• The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #7 (February 2007): “Speedquest Chapter 1: Angel City,” Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo (cameo)
• The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 (August 2007): “Full Throttle: Fastest Man Alive,” Marc Guggenheim (cameo)
• Countdown #43 (July 4, 2007): “The Funeral,” Paul Dini with Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray (cameo)
• All-Flash #1 (September 2007): “Justice, Like Lightning,” Mark Waid
• Flash #241 (August 2008): “Fast Money Part 4: Flash Mob,” Tom Peyer
• Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1 (September 2008), Geoff Johns

Notes

* Flash v.2 #208 (2004) and the next few issues make it clear that the new Flash Museum was built in Keystone City. Captioning in 52 #33 (2006) indicates that it is in Central City. This could be an error in 52, or it could be a change resulting from the “New Earth” created in Infinite Crisis.

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Last modified August 18, 2008 - Kelson Vibber