Who should be faster, superman or the flash?

[Kal Kent 853]

This has changed over the years. Most recent versions have shown the flash much faster than superman. I'm quite biased when it comes to this, but who should be faster?

[Kal Kent 853]

Anyone? I really want to  get the point of it? Who?

[Great Rao]

I've certainly got my opinion - but I'm curious - how did this play out in the various "Flash vs. Superman" issues?

[India Ink]

In the old stories whenever this came up there was no resolution. We were left to believe that they were about the same speed. In more recent continuity, I imagine The Flash must be faster.

If the new discovery about neutrinos proves to be true, then we will have to throw out all the textbooks and consider the possibility that an object could travel faster than the speed of light and even break the time barrier.

I like to think that Superman is analogous to the neutrino discovery. Writers shouldn't try to make him fit the conventional wisdom of the time--because for all we know some great discovery will cause us to rethink everything we believe about the science of the universe. So in the fiction Superman is a challenge to conventional science. Once he arrives on the scene, scientists (including Luthor) have to go take another look at all their formulas and consider that they have been wrong in their assumptions.

[superboy]

I think in the old stories they ( pre crisis ) had the same speed, even though the flash could barely get up to ten times the speed of light yet supes could go at 1000 times with ease , in most new races, the flash is muuuuuch faster than superman.Most of the races leave superman struggling to even keep up with the flash whistling and walking backwards. If anyone is really interesred I reccomend the trade paperback, SUPERMAN VS THE FLASH.  To be honest, I think the flash needs ONE advantage over clark, I liked John Byrne's superman vs the flash race 1990, with superman and the flash tying but on the way back, both exhausted, the flash wins by inches.

[India Ink]

While I agree that it would be nice if The Flash had one advantage over Superman, as the Fastest Man Alive, in terms of the Silver Age Superman I never could logically see that working--without making Flash in fact even more Super than Superman himself.

Because Superman is so strong and invulnerable--it seems like he could push his body far past the limits of any other mortal. For Barry to do the same would mean that his body is so strong and his aura is so fantastic that he is also a superhuman far beyond even his peers in the superhuman community.

In fact, Geoff Johns has built up the capabilities of The Flash so much that maybe he really is more Super than Superman now.

[superboy]

I agree with that. Originally he could just run fast, now he can vibrate through gravity, he can draw speed and energy from any being, he can tear through meatal with speed,and can move so fast he can become energy.
Why doesnt' he call himself superman?

[Shazam!]

Simple , the names already taken.   I'm not that fast, but I hold my own.  I like Flash's costume, but mine isn't made from some old Soviet material.