Flash Facts: The Communication of Science

Knowledge—one of the greatest strengths of mankind. The human brain has evolved to be curious, hungry for information, and motivated to learn. This has allowed for many great innovations throughout humanity's existence—including technology, literature, mathematics, and many, many more. Every day we discover even more groundbreaking information—the average person today knows and understands what people from a hundred, fifty, even just twenty years ago was thought impossible. As more and more information becomes available (and even required to survive in our ever changing world), we stumble upon the problem of effectively communicating that information to others. One way we have found is through comics.

Science in Comics

It may seem strange to think of comics—what most think of as an entertaining but unsubstantial form of media—as being a vessel for accurate information, but a closer examination reveals that comics might be a more appropriate medium than meets the eye. For one, many superhero comics already have stories based in science, such as Superman, The Flash, and Spider-man. Although they may not be entirely scientifically sound—spider-like abilities from a single radioactive arachnid bite?—they do at least attempt to provide somewhat realistic scientific reasoning for how their world works. In earlier comics, science was often a backdrop or a tool for the authors to be imaginative with and to write creative, compelling, and novel stories. Little did these authors know that these inclusions would help pave the way for the spread of relevant information and inspire new innovations.

Flash Facts

While it is true that comics have and still do contain meaningful and interesting information, they have not always been looked upon that way. For young children wanting to aquire early comics—because, come on, they do look pretty cool—they often faced a dreaded "no" from a parental figure who was afraid they were nothing but non educational, brain-rotting nonsense (or something of the sort). Now, most people today know that children are one of the most profitable audiences to target (just look at "child-friendly" YouTube channels or the ever-growing sweet, sugary cereal isle). The trick is often with getting the parents—the children's prime sponsors—convinced that their child wants or needs their product enough to make a purchase. Perhaps if comics could be seen as educational, more parents would be willing to shell out some cash to entertain their kid for the afternoon (because at least they would be learning!). Thus, the birth of flash facts—a sprinkling of initially unrelated facts covering a myriad of topics. A page or two would typically be included per issue, ranging from the mildly interesting to the actually useful.

Flash Facts from "The Flash No. 105"

Overtime these facts would become more relevant, accurate, and integrated into the plot and construction of the story, to the point where many comics today revolve entirely around their scientific explanations! 

Modern Flash Fact