Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
, and is the home of the
Silver AgeThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and the interregnum the Atomic Age, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from...
version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in
ShowcaseShowcase has been the title of several anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing titles...
#4 in September-October 1956.
Central City's location has been vaguely defined over the years, similar to DC's other fictional cities such as
Gotham CityGotham City, another name for New York city appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 .- Origin of name :...
and
MetropolisMetropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16, in 1939....
. In the 1970s, Central City was stated as being located in
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
, where the real-world city of
Athens, OhioAthens is a city in and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio, United States. A historic college town in the southeastern part of the state, Athens is home to Ohio University and the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area...
would be (as shown in
Flash #228 in 1974).
Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
, and is the home of the
Silver AgeThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and the interregnum the Atomic Age, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from...
version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in
ShowcaseShowcase has been the title of several anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing titles...
#4 in September-October 1956.
Location
Central City's location has been vaguely defined over the years, similar to DC's other fictional cities such as
Gotham CityGotham City, another name for New York city appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 .- Origin of name :...
and
MetropolisMetropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16, in 1939....
. In the 1970s, Central City was stated as being located in
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
, where the real-world city of
Athens, OhioAthens is a city in and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio, United States. A historic college town in the southeastern part of the state, Athens is home to Ohio University and the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area...
would be (as shown in
Flash #228 in 1974). In 1987's
Flash (volume 2) #2, published just after the reality-altering storyline
Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their then-50-year-old continuity...
, Central City was shown as being in
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. In the 1990s, Central City was shown as being located in
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
, near the
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
/Missouri border, adjacent to
Keystone CityKeystone City is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. Specifically, it is the home of both the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West...
. In
DC: The New FrontierDC: The New Frontier is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning six-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, published by DC Comics 2003-2004, then collected from two trade paperback volumes from 2004-2005 and then an Absolute Edition in 2006...
Barry Allen is called the "
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
Flash" by
Hal JordanHarold "Hal" Jordan is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. He is DC Comics' second Green Lantern and the first earthman ever inducted into the Green Lantern Corps and founding member of the Justice League of America...
, insinuating that Central City, the Flash's home, is in that state.
Statistics
Central City's population was given in
Flash v2, #2 as being 290,000, but 1990s
Atlas of the DC Universe lists it as being 750,000.
Notable Residents
From 1956 until approximately 1985 (in publishing years), Central City was defended by the Flash (police scientist
Barry AllenThe Flash The Flash The Flash (Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956), created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler...
) against a myriad of foes, including
Gorilla GroddGorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
,
Captain ColdCaptain Cold, also known as Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of The Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
, the
Weather WizardWeather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .-Fictional character biography:...
, the
Mirror MasterMirror Master is a fictional character and a supervillain in the DC Universe. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Four individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master. In 2009, Mirror Master was ranked as IGN's 79th...
, and
Professor ZoomProfessor Zoom is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the . He is primarily associated with the superhero Barry Allen, the second Flash, and is the second of the Reverse-Flashes. He first appeared in The Flash Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne) is a fictional character, a comic book...
, the "Reverse-Flash".
After Barry's death in
Crisis, most of his foes, as well as Barry's successor (and former
sidekickA sidekick is a stock character, a close companion who assists a partner in a superior position. Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, Batman's companion Robin, and Xena's partner, Gabrielle are some well-known sidekicks in fiction....
)
Wally WestThe Flash is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash.-Kid Flash:...
moved to
Keystone CityKeystone City is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. Specifically, it is the home of both the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West...
, which thanks to the reality-altering effects of
Crisis, was now Central City's twin city (pre-
Crisis, Keystone City was located on the parallel Earth known as Earth-Two, in approximately the same space as Central City). Currently, Central City is a relatively quiet place, and doesn't appear in the comics very often.
Internal Geography, Institutions and Landmarks
During the years in which the second
Flash series was written by
Cary BatesCary Bates is an American comic book, animation television and film writer.-Biography:Bates began submitting ideas for comic book covers to DC Comics at the age of 13, and a number of them were bought and published, the first as the cover to Superman #167...
, Central City was apparently divided into Upper and Lower East and West Sides, as well as a "downtown" region.
Central City is the home of the
Flash MuseumThe Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in stories published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen. It first appears in Flash vol...
, a
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
dedicated to the exploits and memorabilia of the city's hero.
Central City's main
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
is the
Picture-News, for which Barry's wife Iris Allen once worked as a reporter.
External links