Flash (Barry Allen) First Appearance: Showcase #4 and How to Identify It

Flash (Barry Allen) first appeared in Showcase #4 (cover date September-October 1956), published by DC, by Robert Kanigher, John Broome, Carmine Infantino. The source puts it this way: "Showcase #4 graded CGC 9.2, with the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen)".

• Cover date / publisher on CGC census record: CGC's census record lists the cover date as 9-10/56.
• Original creative team: the original issue was written by Robert Kanigher and John Broome, with art by Carmine Infantino.

Several later editions reproduce this issue. They are easy to mistake for the original at a glance:

• DC Facsimile Edition: Showcase #4: Modern DC Facsimile Edition reprint with its own separate on-sale date, distinct from the 1956 original printing; also issued with foil and blank-sketch variant covers not present on the original.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.