Comic chemistry
For some it’s the source of their powers, for others their only weakness. Ben Valsler explores the chemical story at the heart of many comic book characters
Chemistry has played a role in western comics since their inception, with several characters from the ‘Golden age’ of comics (1930s-1950s) having chemistry in their origin stories. Jay Garrick, the first incarnation of DC’s The Flash, apparently gained the ability to run at super speeds by inhaling vapours of hard water. Although this was later altered to be heavy water, it still reveals a naivety – or perhaps indifference – towards the realities of chemistry.
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