Flash: 10 Things Every Fan Should Know About Johnny Quick | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

In the DC Universe, there's one name that comes to mind where speed is concerned; Flash. The legacy of the Fastest Man Alive, from Jay Garrick in the 1940s to John Fox in the 853rd century, runs throughout all of DC's history. But the Flash isn't the only speedster legacy in the DC Universe. Not long after Jay Garrick put on his helmet and went for a run, another hero, Johnny Quick, made his debut.

Johnny Quick has never gotten the attention that his faster friends have. He was never the fastest speedster, although he did have the added ability to fly, and he was never interested in being a leader. Johnny was more than happy to be an uncle in the speedster community that is so often referred to as the Flash Family. But that doesn't mean Johnny Quick doesn't have a legacy of his own.

10 Newsman

Born during the First World War, Johnny Chambers was raised by Professor Ezra Gill, a mathematical genius with a love for Ancient Egypt. Johnny grew up to become a cameraman for Sees All Tells All News, working alongside his best pal, Tubby Watts.

Johnny loved his work, but with a new war looming in the distance, he wondered if he could do more than just film the world around. As superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern started to pop up, Johnny became engrossed in their wild adventures, dreaming of joining them one day.

9 Mathematical Mantra

On an excursion in Egypt, Professor Gill discovered a special papyrus in the ancient tomb of King Amen that had a strange mathematical formula written on it. Professor Gill translated the formula as 3x2(9yz)4a and found that by reciting it, he could tap into a higher dimension.

Before his death, Professor Gill shared his finding with Johnny. When Johnny used the formula, it gave him the ability to run and fly at amazing speeds. Almost instantly, Johnny knew what he had to do, but it was one man above all others who helped him make his choice.

8 Inspiration

To Johnny Chambers, the greatest hero of them all was Flash. Johnny decided that if he was going to become a hero, he would model himself on the Fastest Man Alive. He designed his own costume using the same colors as Flash but placing more attention on yellow rather than red, and took on the superhero name Johnny Quick.

Ready to do his part to make the world a better place, Johnny Quick raced into the streets and protected the people of Philidelphia from the likes of Black Knight, Dr. Clever, and the Maestro of Murder, who killed people by playing death songs on an accordion.

7 All-Star

On December 6, 1941, the Justice Society of America was defeated by a number of their enemies, with many members of the team vanishing in the fight. The next day, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, bringing the United States into the Second World War.

That very evening, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the country's superheroes - including Johnny Quick - to the White House. Under the orders of the President of the United States, the assembled heroes were to become a new team of heroes, the All-Star Squadron. Along with Johnny Quick, the team consisted of almost every hero of DC's Golden Age, including Robotman, Plastic Man, and Johnny's future wife, Liberty Belle.

6 Forced Retirement

The All-Star Squadron kept the American shores safe all throughout World War II, fighting off attacks from the Injustice Society and other outside threats. Once the Nazi threat was defeated, the US Government disbanded the All-Star Squadron and Johnny Quick went back to being a solo hero for a time before accepting an offer to join the Justice Society of America when the Flash decided to go into semi-retirement.

Not long after Johnny Quick joined the JSA, the team was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. The United States was in the midst of the "Red Scare" - a fear that communism would overtake the land - and some Senators believed that the masked heroes were part of the problem. The members of the JSA were ordered to reveal their identities to the world. The team refused, with each hero choosing to retire instead of giving in to the outlandish demands of the Senate.

5 The Crisis

It was while Johnny Quick was retired that he would learn that his onetime idol turned friend the Flash met his counterpart from another reality. Johnny discovered that he lived on what was deemed "Earth-Two" of the Multiverse, and on the rare occasion he would power up and help save the day, but for the most part, he lived a quiet life. He and Libby Lawrence - better known as Liberty Belle, even spent their honeymoon on Earth-S.

That all changed when the Anti-Monitor threatened to destroy the Multiverse during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Johnny Quick fought alongside the heroes of a dozen worlds. While he and the other heroes were unable to save the Multiverse, their work did save four Earths, combining them into one planet in a new reality.

4 Savitar

In this new reality, pieces of Johnny Quick's past changed. He never fought alongside heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman because they would not come into being until years after his retirement. One hero he did still meet during his own adventures was Max Mercury, the Zen Master of Speed. The two speedsters came into contact while tracking down an evil speedster called Savitar.

During their search for Savitar, Johnny Quick and Max Mercury came to odds about the source of their powers. Because of his mathematical formula, Johnny believed the power came from science, but Max believed it was something more spiritual and that the formula was just a mantra. Before they could finish their argument, the two heroes battled Savitar. Both Max Mercury and Savitar would vanish in the fight.

3 Family Life

DC Heroes Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle

Not long after he faced off against Savitar, the JSA was pulled into Ragnarok and Johnny Quick once again retired from playing superhero. He and Libby were expecting their first and only child, who they would name Jesse, and he didn't want to risk missing out on her life.

Johnny and Libby were older than most first time parents - they were in their late fifties, but Johnny's connection to the Speed Force and the special device Libby used to become Liberty Belle had slowed their aging, making them appear to be much younger.

2 Quickstart

Out of the superhero game, Johnny Chambers focused on ensuring that his family could live a comfortable life. He started to give lectures about his time as a hero, which led to lectures about achieving your dreams. The story of Johnny Quick became so popular that people wanted to be just like him.

When jogging became popular, Johnny saw a market made just for him and started Quickstart Enterprises, a company that sold vitamins, nutrition bars, and power shakes. Soon enough, Quickstart was the number one name in the supplements game.

1 The Sacrifice

Max Mercury is there as Johnny Quick joins the Speed Force

When the JSA returned from Ragnarok, Johnny Quick came out of retirement to join them. Not only was he running around again, but his daughter joined him as Jesse Quick, much to her mother's dismay. Johnny and Jesse Quick became part of the now forming Flash Family, consisting of Jay Garrick, the third Flash Wally West, Max Mercury, and Impulse, the grandson of the second Flash.

When Savitar reappeared, the Flash Family headed into action to stop his diabolical plans. During the fight, Impulse, living up to his name, was put in a no-win scenario. Hoping to save the young hero, Johnny Quick ran faster than he had ever run before. He saved Impulse, but by pushing himself past his limits, Johnny Quick was pulled into the Speed Force. Unlike other speedsters, he has yet to come back.

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About The Author

Derek Faraci (287 Articles Published)

Born and raised in New York, Derek Faraci moved to Los Angeles in 2001 where he worked as a freelance writer before taking a position at Activision where he worked on many successful franchises including Spider-Man, Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero. In October 2009, Derek left Activision to join Scientifically Proven Entertainment. Since joining SPE, Derek has worked on Man vs. Wild: The Game and the film Sucker directed by Michael Manasseri. Given the option, Derek would spend all of his time watching movies and reading comics.