Who's This? A figure skater.
The facts: Captain Cold's sister, Lisa Snart, becomes a supervillain in her own right in Flash #250 (June 1977) after her lover, the Top, is killed fighting the Scarlet Speedster. She semi-retires after Barry Allen's death, but starts committing crimes with Chillblaine in the Wally West era, but she's killed by the very weapon she gave her partner in Flash vol.2 #113 (May 1996). Chillblaine is then killed by Captain Cold in revenge. She was revived as a Black Lantern during Blackest Night, but it's the New52/Rebirth that returns her to proper life, as a member of the Rogues. Despite her looking a bit ridiculous (a supervillainous figure skater?!), she was part of ongoing Flash storylines in four separate volumes of the book, and has logged a surprising number of appearances.How you could have heard of her: On the Flash TV show, she is played by Peyton List. Lisa Snart is also a recurring character - dating Kite-Man - on the Harley Quinn animated series.
Example story: Flash #257 (January 1978) "The Golden Glider's Triple Play" by Cary Bates, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin
Iris and Barry are driving down to Fallville to visit his folks, but the Golden Glider is riding a trail of aerial ice in his blind spot. You can't make this stuff up unless you're a comic book writer.
But perhaps Barry won't reach his parents' Golden Anniversary celebration as trees start randomly falling across the road. Flash powers activate, but costume stays in ring. Still, Lisa Snart feels the car's vibratory escape and some of Iris's dialog is confirmation that Barry Allen IS the Flash. She only had suspicions before, but she just eliminated the possibility that Iris was two-timing her husband with the Flash that time she witnessed some kissing-facing.
It's kind of nice to see Barry's folks old and in love... unless you're Geoff Johns, then you just want to burn the whole house down. Down the hall, in the guest room, Barry and Iris suddenly see a giant diamond hovering above the bed. When the Allens run up to see what's the ruckus is about, Barry's gone and Iris has to make up a story about him seeing a UFO and jumping out the window. Maybe it's time to let your parents in on your secret, Barry? In any case, what's important to us now is that the Flash races after the flying jewel, which leads him right to the Golden Glider. And he's shocked to hear her call him Barry!
While I do question the practicality of using such tiny weapons (so easily dropped!), the gems can do pretty much anything in this comic. Once the Flash vibrates himself above ground, a remote opal starts talking to him...
Not a hoax! Not a hypnotic suggestion! She's actually given his family a fever somehow! And created a force wall that prevents medical personnel from entering the house or them from leaving (the Flash can, of course, vibrate in).
It's all part of a plan to take revenge on the Flash for the Top's death. The comic is also reminding me that gems - diamonds specifically - are sometimes called "ice", and here I thought they were part of the shtick because figure skaters have rhinestones on their costumes. Or that it was just a "girly" thing - you know how comics are. Like, pearls are never called "ice", are they?
But what she is BEST known for is the skating thing. And whatever other tricks she pulls, the Flash already knows how to counter THAT:
Flash threatens to ram her through the force wall, which would kill her while he passed through harmless unless she spills the beans about the virus. She calls her bluff. Well, fine, but wait a minute, everything she's been able to do has been caused by a jewel, so how about you look for those, Barry? Not for the first time, a villain is hoisted on their own thematic petard! He takes everything even remotely like a jewel out of the house and though well hidden, the culprits are eventually destroyed and the family is saved. She escapes, but leaves a calling card.
Thematic villains gonna theme. The Golden Glider is dangerous, but I don't think even at her MOST dangerous can she overcome the silliness of her shtick. A Who's Editing? veteran might reimagine her as more of a speed skater, visually, but the gems would still have to go, which would turn her into more of a female Captain Cold. At which point you'd wonder why we needed the two Snarts around (I'd pick her, though, because she also has a speed element). Maybe I have yet to read THE definitive Golden Glider story.
Who's Next? A man with precious skin.
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