Flash Comics Vol. 1 (Imruer's DCU)

**Flash Comics Vol. 1** is a 2017 renumbering of the DC Comics title, *Flash Comics*. The stories feature superheroes Jay Garrick and Wally West and their adventures throughout time and space with the rest of the Flash Family. It is a part of Imruer's DCU.

*Note: the following stories are a part of my (Imruer's) personal DC Universe, based on the characters, concepts, and stories published in DC Comics. Any inconsistencies with the mainstream DC Universe's actual timeline are to be considered irrelevant, as the timeline here is, though based on the actual mainstream universe, very much still my own. While in many ways I try to base my stories off of the canon, I also find it useful to "bend" the timeline to fit in characters or concepts that may have previously been retconned, altered, or simply take place in a different part of DC's multiverse (for example: a character or story idea originally created for the New 52 appearing in this universe, despite it being heavily based on Pre-Flashpoint). Also, though I will definitely try to make the lore of these stories similar to that of the lore in the Pre-Flashpoint continuity, there are times when I feel it necessary to remove parts of DC's history to allow the canon to match up with any ideas I want to incorporate here (for example: I'm removing anything that happened during or after Final Crisis and replacing it with this alternate set of events, as well as removing anything happening during Infinite Crisis and One Year Later ~~so basically, Bart will have never been The Flash here and Wally will have never disappeared to the alien world with Linda and his kids~~). Finally, any mainstream story arcs that alter the timeline or multiverse (such as Convergence or Flashpoint) are to be considered non-canon, as they cause too much trouble when trying to place all of the events of previous stories in order. If you have any questions about this universe's history/timeline, ask away, and I'll be happy to fill you in on anything you feel doesn't match up with the mainstream universe (because it probably doesn't).*

## Stories

### **An Old Rival!** (#1-5)

In Keystone City, two speedsters arrive at S.T.A.R. Labs to fend off a nuclear-powered supervillain known as Manfred Mota. The younger of the two speedsters, Wally West, attempts to deactivate Mota's suit, but upon doing do, he initiates a meltdown sequence which threatens to engulf the city in a nuclear blast. The older speedster, Jay Garrick, manages to get the suit off of Mota, and Wally, being the faster of the two, takes the suit out of the city's range, where it detonates safely.

When Wally returns home, his wife, Linda Park, yells furiously at him for being so reckless. Despite this, she hugs him, thankful that he's okay. Wally, only slightly embarrassed to have his wife yelling at him in front of Jay, proceeds with the event that the speedsters had planned: a Flash Family reunion! Together, Wally, Linda, Irey, and Jai West, along with the Garricks and Iris Allen, all celebrate what seems as an eternity of Flash crime-fighting action. The team was expecting one more guest, however: the young superhero named Kid Flash. Meanwhile, an old enemy of The Flash watches as the celebration goes on.

Jay starts to worry about the whereabouts of Kid Flash, and briefly leaves to Titans Tower to find Bart. However, when he arrives, Red Robin tells Jay that Bart said he went to Wally's house an hour ago. Jay thanks the young team for their help, then heads off.

Back at the celebration, Joan and Iris step out of the house for a moment to get some fresh air. The two discuss the relationship between Wally and Linda, Joan stating that it reminds her of her and Jay's relationship when they were younger. Iris speaks about her relationship with the late Barry Allen, explaining that, while it wasn't quite like the bond Linda and her nephew share, it was definitely something amazing. Iris then begins speaking about her time in the future with Barry, how they would live a simple life together, but it was cut short when Barry had to travel back to the 20th Century to save the multiverse. She expresses her discomfort with the fact that they never got to raise their kids together, and knowing that the Tornado Twins would die in the future without ever knowing their father was something she blamed herself for. When Iris turns around, Joan is frozen in shock--staring at the face of none other than Jay's old foe, The Rival.

Inside the house, Jai tries to sneak a cookie from a jar, but Linda catches him. She tells him he can have it anyway, and Irey asks if she can have one as well. As she does, the lights go out, and Irey states that she had nothing to do with it. Wally tells his family to stay where they are, and looks outside to try and find the others. When he finds that they aren't there, he goes back inside, but his family appears to be gone as well. Finally, a familiar voice calls to Wally's attention from behind. When Wally turns, he's alarmed to find a once-believed to be reformed villain standing lone at the doorstep: The Shade. Wally comments on his return to a life of villainy, and Shade replies, telling Flash that he never actually left. The two begin a brawl, and Shade manipulates the light around them, engulfing himself and Flash in pure darkness. Shade reveals himself, knocking Wally down, and proceeds to fight Flash in this "now-you-see-me" manner. Wally finally manages to catch him before Shade can once again disappear, and he pulls him out of the cloud of darkness, which dissipates when his (Shade's) concentration is cut off. When Wally isn't paying attention, however, a demon approaches him from behind and cloaks him in a second cloud.

Elsewhere, Jay races through the streets of Keystone City, making his way slowly back to the West family home. In a sudden moment, a rapid surge of electrical energy flurries around Jay. Not wasting any time, Jay reaches his hand into the swirl of lightning, grabbing the figure. Greeting Jay politely, The Rival breaks from Flash's grip and begins to run back to the West home. Jay follows, and when they arrive, he finds that all of them are gone. Rival comes from behind, his fists hitting so fast that time seems not to recognize the impact of each blow until a moment later. Jay gets up to fight, but he, too, is brought into the darkness by Shade.

A moment later, Jay is woken up by Wally. The team, including Bart, appears to be stuck in a demonic realm of pure black. Irey begins vibrating her body to try and phase out of the dimension, unknowingly giving Wally an idea. The energy that is given off as she moves repels the darkness. Though the vibrations irritate Irey's twin brother, who tells her to quit, Wally has her continue, and the team realizes their way out. Together, Jay, Wally, and Bart run in a circle, generating enough light energy to send them from the Dark Zone and back into Keystone City.

## Appearing In This Volume

### Characters

* **Flash Family**
	+ The Flash/Wally West
	+ The Flash/Jay Garrick
	+ Kid Flash/Bart Allen
	+ Future Flash/John Fox
	+ Jesse Quick/Jesse Chambers
	+ Fastback/Timmy Terrapin
* **Flash Allies**
	+ Pied Piper/Hartley Rathaway
	+ Cyborg/Victor Stone
	+ Irey West
	+ Jai West
	+ Linda Park-West
	+ Iris West-Allen
	+ Joan Williams-Garrick
* **The Rogues**
	+ Captain Cold/Leonard Snart
	+ Heat Wave/Mick Rory
	+ Weather Wizard/Mark Mardon
	+ The Trickster/Axel Walker
	+ Girder/Anthony Woodward
	+ Tar Pit/Joseph Monteleone
* **Other Villains**
	+ Zoom/Hunter Zolomon
	+ The Rival/Edward Clariss
	+ The Shade/Richard Swift
	+ Savitar
	+ Manfred Mota
	+ Abra Kadabra/Citizen Abra
	+ Gorilla Grodd
	+ Johnny Quick