Professor Ezra Gill
was obsessed with unlocking the secrets of the fundamental forces of nature.
In that pursuit he followed modern science but also searched records of
ancient civilizations for inspiration. Amongst the relics from the tomb of
the Pharaoh Amon he discovered a magical incantation that granted the user
freedom from gravity and dynamical friction. Gill refined the incantation
into a mathematical formula that allowed the speaker to visualize the
necessary mental constructs to unlock the power. It can be theorized that
the formula, "3X2(9YZ)4A", is actually a description of the Speed Force.
Shortly after his discovery Gill found that he was dying and taught the
formula to his orphaned ward, Johnny Chambers.
Chambers was devastated by the loss of the Professor and sought to
rebuild his life by taking up a career in photography. He started out as a
stills photographer and rapidly progressed to moving film as a newsreel
cameraman with his partner Tubby Watts. They worked well together and built
up a reputation by filming various mystery men in action. Seeing the Flash
in action prompted Johnny to consider using the formula to create a costumed
identity of his own. He got his chance when he saw a lion about to kill its
trainer at the circus. Johnny moved so fast that he was able to save the
trainer without being seen. Afterwards he created the costumed identity of
Johnny Quick so that people would not suspect that he was really Johnny
Chambers.
Johnny Quick fought various hoods and criminals with the help of Tubby
Watts (the only non-costumed person who knew about the connection between
Quick and Chambers). When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor the US entered
the War and the President created the All-Star Squadron. Johnny became a
founding member and it was there that he first encountered its chairwoman,
Liberty Belle. The two became a couple and were married in 1942. After the
War Johnny progressed from being a cameraman to being an editor and
producer. He also kept up his adventuring and helped Max Mercury defeat the
evil speedster Savitar.
Eventually Johnny and Libby settled down and had a daughter, Jesse.
Johnny began researching the background of Professor Gill's formula. He
consulted physicists and meta-physicists and discovered that the formula
acted as a mantra that unlocked his full potential as a metahuman. He
started a lecture course about self-improvement and personal empowerment. He
then founded a company called Quickstart Enterprises to spread the word and
help people. The stress of the company launch put a strain on his marriage
and Libby left him. He carried on alone building up the company and becoming
a TV health guru with his own TV show and product endorsements.
Johnny only put his costume back on to pay a visit to the Flash and the
JSA (who had recently returned from Limbo) and found himself drawn into a
case involving the Ultra-Humanite. During that case he was proud to see his
daughter take up the superspeed mantle as Jesse Quick. After that Johnny
began adventuring again and was one of the speedsters who initially trained
Bart Allen (Impulse). During the training exercises he was told of the
existence of the Speed Force, but he refused to accept the notion of a
mystical "energy field".
Johnny would only accept the existence of the Speed Force when he brushed
up against it while saving Jesse from Savitar's Ninjas. In that instant he
was moving at lightspeed and merged with the Speed Force (just like Barry
Allen had done). Jesse was devastated by the loss of her father and Wally
feared that she would blame him for her loss. Several months later Johnny's
spirit was able to manifest on the extreme edge of the Speed Force and pass
on his love to Jesse. He then returned to the Valhalla of the Speed Force.
It is unlikely that he will ever be seen again.
