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FLASH GUNN

Real Name: "Flash" Gunn (first name unrevealed, assuming Flash is his nickname)

Identity/Class: Normal human (1950s era)

Occupation: High school student

Group Membership: Midville High student cohort

Affiliations: Butch Brown, Rita Dunn, Hedy, Helitrope, Harry Hooper, Homer Hooper, Mary Hooper, Jeanie, Noisy, Officer Patrick Q. O'Houlihan, Peaches, Punchy, Sassie the Wonder Dog, Shorty;
   Midville High staff (loose): Mr. Bunsen, Coach Fungo, Miss Hacksaw, Mr. Mopnot, Mr. Pillpot

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Father and mother (names unrevealed), Rachel (cousin)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed city in the USA (possibly in New York State)

First Appearance: Homer Hooper#1/1 (July, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: Flash Gunn is an average teen-aged high school student with no outstanding skills. He is athletic and studies moderately, but is easily distracted by romance and is highly competitive against his peers. He has basic driving skills and boating skills. Flash is able to draw on his family's considerable wealth.

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 145 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Homer Hooper#1/1) - High schooler Flash Gunn was teased by his casual girlfriend Rita when she saw her occasional rival Jeanie enjoying romantic canoodling with Flash's rival Homer Hooper outside the Midville High school dance. Flash and Homer soon berated each other. Tired of their constant bickering, friend Butch Brown challenged the duo to a task that required courage and smarts: have school principal Mr. Pillpot remove his jacket. Increasingly bizarre efforts by both students left Pillpot with a ripped jacket, so Butch set the challenge to who could sew the jacket fastest. Instead, Flash and Homer teamed up to thrash Butch for his suggestion.

(Homer Hooper#1/3) - Flash mocked Homer as he passed by with a bunch of flowers for a date, although Butch and Rita were happy for Homer.

(Homer Hooper#1/7) - Flash pulled up to the curb to show off his new fancy convertible car to Homer and their pals. Homer tried to warn Flash of an approaching policeman, but Flash dismissed him and the high schoolers left. Flash then got in trouble for parking in a No Parking zone.

(Homer Hooper#1/10) - The high school bulletin board revealed a Hollywood movie star was visiting the school and someone from Homer's class was asked to escort her around the school. Flash paid off the other males so they wouldn't volunteer and Homer didn't challenge him as he knew who the star was. The class laughed when it was revealed that the Hollywood star was canine Sassie the Wonder Dog and Flash was left looking foolish walking the dog around the school.

(Homer Hooper#2/1) - Standing on a curbside with a friend, Flash saw Homer driving a car and hoped for a lift, but Homer was forced by armed criminal "Killer" Klark to help him flee the area and Homer unintentionally(?) splashed Flash with mud as he sped by. Later, with the criminal apprehended, Flash stopped by Homer's house and discovered the truth, but still made a nasty joke.

(Homer Hooper#2/2) - Jeanie admired Flash as he readied for baseball practice in his uniform, and Homer and Flash traded jibes. Feeling pressure from Jeanie, Homer tried out for the team, but the coach gave him a uniform several sizes too large. Flash gave Homer a broken bat to sabotage his effort, but instead the coach was impressed when the bat shattered after hitting a ball, with one broken piece hitting Flash on the head. For the next test, Flash deliberately threw the ball too high for Homer to catch, but the ball hit roaming Principal Pillpot. The next day, Flash was reprimanded in the principal's office while Homer was appointed to the school's baseball team; Jeanie was impressed that Homer's uniform matched Flash's (it's implied that it actually was Flash's uniform).

(Homer Hooper#2/10) - Homer and Flash both approached Jeanie for a date, but she was soon to be busy with her cousin Helitrope. Jeanie suggested a double date, but her description of Helitrope as smart deterred both lads. A coin flip left Homer the assigned date for Helitrope, who turned out to be a svelte redhead, which left Flash jealous. Flash and Jeanie left them to go on a short drive, but returned concerned. Helitrope departed and said her sister Hedy would be in town the next night. Expecting a similar beauty, Flash immediately booked in the date only to be disappointed that Hedy wasn't his type at all.

(Homer Hooper#3/1) - As Homer and Flash walked together after class, Jeanie mentioned that she'd like to be taken to the country club dance, but the cost was too high for either lad. Jeanie made it a competition between them; whoever earned the money first would take her to the dance. But Homer and Flash spent as much time sabotaging each other's efforts to earn money as they did trying to earn it themselves. Defeated, they both realized they'd never earn enough money in time to take Jeanie to the dance and agreed to pool their money together and let Jeanie decide who to go with. Instead, Jeanie refused both of them, going with her father instead (who was a club member). Homer and Flash consoled each other, downing many sodas together in the soda shop.

(Homer Hooper#3/9) - Homer, Jeanie, Flash and Shorty attended a fair where Homer tried the high striker (strength tester) attraction and nearly hit the bell, impressing the others. Flash was keen to outdo Homer and bet him money, but Homer secretly bribed the operator to stifle the weight behind the board so that Homer would appear the best.

(Homer Hooper#3/10) - At Midville High, Flash and Homer were goading each other for a fight while Butch vainly tried to keep peace. But a fistfight broke out just as Principal Pillpot chanced upon them and sternly berated them. After Pillpot left, both Homer and Flash demanded that Butch side with one of them as to who started the fight, but instead Butch showed how they were fighting by punching and jabbing in the air. Pillpot arrived again and angrily took Butch away for detention. Relieved they had escaped Pillpot's wrath, Homer and Flash smugly walked away, smiling with an arm over each other's shoulder.

(Homer Hooper#4/3) - In his cellar, Flash showed off his sleek new speedboat to Rita, boasting how he had learnt the basics of its operations. Rita was impressed until Flash declared his frustration that he didn't know how to get it out of the cellar. (It's unclear, but it seems the wooden speedboat was built in the cellar as it's not mounted on a trailer).

(Homer Hooper#4/7 (fb) - BTS) - Flash invited Jeanie and Homer to attend his cousin Rachel's glamorous "coming out" party (as a debutante).

(Homer Hooper#4/7) - Homer was only able to afford a cheap rental tuxedo that once belonged to a magician, but still arrived with Jeanie at Rachel's big party. Homer made an unkind joke about Rachel being overweight; in response, Flash took Jeanie to the dance floor and pushed Homer into the arms of Rachel. However, Rachel unwittingly triggered a hidden mechanism that fired off various magician tricks from the jacket, drawing much attention and Flash's irritation. Jeanie felt humiliated and quickly left with Homer, although Flash's mother had quietly paid Homer for a repeat performance the following week.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer (likely Stan Lee) & Hy Rosen.

This comic has an obvious clear likeness with Archie Comics; Flash Gunn is similar to Archie's rival Reggie Mantle.

Is it Earth-616? Nothing to strike it out. Plus the Daily Bugle newspaper is mentioned in an amateur photography contest in issue #2.

The story featuring "Sassie the Wonder Dog" is, of course, a reference to canine multi-movie superstar Lassie.

Credits info from the Grand Comics Database. I suspect Stan Lee is the writer of issue #1 as well.

This profile was completed 09/10/2024, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Flash Gunn has no known connections to:

Sassie the Wonder Dog

Sassie the Wonder Dog was a canine movie star affiliated with Epic Studios and featured in many American movies. One day, she was brought to Midville High School preceded by a call for volunteers to escort a female movie star (with no reference to the star being a dog). Keen to be the one, Flash paid off other potential volunteers while Flash's rival Homer Hooper declined, as he had found out who the star was. Thrilled at being selected, Flash felt foolish when it was revealed the movie star was a dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Homer Hooper#1/10

images: (without ads)
Homer Hooper#, p, pan (main image)
Homer Hooper#4/3, p1, pan1 (headshot)
Homer Hooper#2/2, p1, pan1 (baseball uniform)
Homer Hooper#1/10, p3, pan6 (Sassie)

Appearances:
Homer Hooper#1/1, 1/3, 1/7, 1/10 (July, 1953) - uncredited writer, Hy Rosen (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Homer Hooper#2/1, 2/2, 2/10 (August, 1953) - Stan Lee (writer), Hy Rosen (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Homer Hooper#3/1, 3/9, 3/10 (September, 1953) - Stan Lee (writer), Hy Rosen (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Homer Hooper#4/3. 4/7 (December, 1953) - uncredited writer, Hy Rosen (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/22/2026
Last updated: 09/10/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.

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