Issue Description

The Mystery Of The Elongated Man!

The Flash races to rescue a falling kitten, when he is beaten to the punch by the Elongated Man. Reporters quickly swarm Central City's newest super-hero, completely ignoring the Flash. Later that same week, the Elongated Man saves a potential drowning victim, beating out the Flash again. At home, in his civilian identity of Barry Allen, a police forensics scientist, the Flash is awash with questions concerning the Elongated Man. What Allen can't possibly know is that the Elongated Man is really a man named Ralph Dibny. As a boy, Dibny had been brought to a traveling sideshow by his parents. Dibny was enthralled by the India Rubber Man's ability to twist his body into knots. Dibny stole away behind the curtain to ask the India Rubber Man how he could do the things he did. The India Rubber Man, however, refused to divulge his secret.

Dibny became obsessed with learning the secret. As an adult, Dibny traveled the country seeking out India Rubber Men at every sideshow, circus, and fair. None would reveal the tricks of their trade. Despondent, Dibny suddenly remembered that all the India Rubber Men he met were fond of a soft drink called Gingold. Dibny researched the Gingold, learning that it was flavored with the juice of a rare tropical fruit. Dibny chemically drew the essence of the fruit into a liquid compound that he then consumed. To Dibny's dismay, nothing happened. Wandering the street, Dibny noticed a flower pot falling towards him. Instinctively he raised his arm to shield himself, only to find the limb stretching out to grasp the flower pot. The Gingold extract had given him the ability to elongate his entire body, an ability he decided to use to help people.

Jealous over all the media attention the Elongated Man has been receiving. Allen wonders if the Elongated Man might, in fact, be responsible for a series of robberies. At that moment, Allen's girlfriend, reporter Iris West, calls to inform him that the Elongated Man may beat out the Flash for Central City's "Man Of The Year" award. Allen changes into his Flash costume and sets out to prove that the Elongated Man is actually a crook. The Flash convinces an Asian import company to display their collection of priceless vases at a nearby exhibition hall. Personally guaranteeing the safety of the vases, the Flash begins a security sweep of the hall. Suddenly, the owner of the import company bursts into the hall, and informs the Flash that the vases have been stolen from the warehouse they were stored in.

The Flash races to the scene of the crime, to find the Elongated Man exiting the warehouse. The Flash quickly nabs the Elongated Man, who reveals that he did, indeed, take the vases, to move them to a secure location. When the real thieves arrived to steal the vases, the Elongated Man took them down. The Elongated Man was on his way to inform the police, when the Flash captured him. Recognizing the criminal gang, the Flash notices that their ringleader, notorious criminal Perry Veto, isn't among them. The Elongated Man reveals that one man got away from him. The Flash tracks Veto by tire marks, left on the road in Veto's haste. Disabling Veto's car, the Flash ushers Veto to jail. At the "Man Of The Year" banquet, the Flash and The Elongated Man share the honor.

Danger On Wheels!

Schoolteacher, Linda Grant, informs her students that they will be attending school in a new building next year. Picking up on Grant's subtle distress, young Wally West lingers after class, and sees Grant crying. At West's inquiry, Grant reveals that her boyfriend, youth adviser Ralph Parker, lost the bid on the construction job for the new school. West visits the construction site of the new school, and sees two thugs beating up Parker. West changes into his Kid Flash costume, faster than the eye can see, and chases the thugs away.

At first, Parker believes he was assaulted for concerns he had raised regarding motorized "Go-Mobiles" being sold to children. Kid Flash reveals that he, himself, recently rescued two boys in Go-Mobiles who had crashed into one another. Parker and Kid Flash wander over to the Go-Mobile store, only to find that the agency has left Blue Valley. Parker surmises that the thugs may have been working for the Big Ace Construction Company. Parker had come to the new school's construction site to learn the methods by which Big Ace Construction could afford to build the new school so cheaply, and so quickly.

Suspecting that Big Ace Construction may be using substandard materials, Kid Flash puts the floors and gym equipment through the equivalent of a year's worth of wear and tear in a matter of seconds. Sure enough, the building materials prove to be shoddy. Big Ace Construction's swindling scheme revealed, the two thugs return and corner Parker and Kid Flash. The Fastest Boy On Earth easily takes down the two goons. Parker is awarded the building contract. With the help of the students, and Kid Flash, Parker is on schedule for completing the new school in time for classes in the Fall.

The Flash (1959)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

The Flash Volume 1, (continued from Flash Comics).

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Starring Barry Allen as the Flash and Wally West as Kid Flash. After 4 try-out issues of "Show case" - the first being #4, which is widely accepted as being the comic that launched the Silver Age - the Flash returned to star in his own title with #105 in 1959. The numbering of the title continued from the Golden Age "Flash Comics," which had come to an end as Super Heroes went out of fashion in the early 1950's. When Police scientist Barry Allen was doused with a variety of chemicals along with a bolt of lightning, the accident endowed him with Super Speed, and he donned the famous red Flash uniform we are all familiar with. Barry was seeing reporter Iris Allen, and to ensure he kept his identity as the Flash a secret from his girlfriend, he always turned up late for their dates. During his Showcase appearances, the Flash had battled the first of what was to become his rogues gallery when he clashed with Captain Cold, and his range of costumed opponents was about expand almost as rapidly as his uniform expanded from his ring when it came into contact with air. In his opening issue, the Flash battled the Mirror Master, and in the following issue, readers were introduced to Gorilla Grodd, Solovar, and the inhabitants of Gorilla City in a trilogy of tales that ran through issues #106 - 108. Also starring in #106 was another costumed villain, the Pied Piper. The Mirror Master obviously proved a hit with fans as he was back in #109 for a re-match and in #110 the Flash encountered the Weather Wizard for the first time. The Trickster brought his tricks to Central City in Flash #113, while Captain Cold returned in #114 and another Captain - this time Captain Boomerang debuted in #117.

However, it wasn't just super villains the Flash was encountering in the early issues of his own series. In #110, Kid Flash made his debut, when Wally West was caught in a freak duplicate of the accident that had given Barry his super speed. Wally's original costume was a duplicate of Barry's (only smaller of course) but sidekicks were "in" at the time and Wally would often feature in back up stories in the Flash as well as sometimes teaming up with his mentor - such as in #120. Later (#135) Wally would receive his more familiar yellow and red costume, which would serve him for the best part of two decades. Shortly after the introduction of Kid Flash, the Flash encountered Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man in #112. At first, Barry thought the Elongated Man was a criminal, but by the end of the lead story in this issue, Ralph was exonerated, and the two men became firm friends. Editor Julius Schwartz was developing a number of friendships across the books he edited and chief among them was a friendship between Green Lantern and the Flash. The two first teamed up in Green Lantern #13 and the friendship was cemented during several shared adventures including the ones in Flash #131 and #143.

The most far reaching team -up of Barry's career was to come about in the classic Flash #123, "Flash of Two Worlds" in which the Scarlet Speedster met his "hero" Jay Garrick, the original Flash from the Golden Age of comics, and the concept of Earth Two was launched. Subsequent team ups between the two Flashes included the reintroduction of the Justice Society of America in #137's "Vengeance of the Immortal Villain," as the heroes pitted their wits against Vandal Savage. In the meantime, the villains just kept coming, as Abra Kadabra - a magician from the future made his debut in #128, Heat Wave made things hot for the Flash in #140, and the Top put him in a spin in # 141. However, it was the introduction of Eobard Thawne - the Reverse Flash (or Professor Zoom) in #140 that would have the most far reaching and long lasting effect upon Barry Allen's future.

When Barry and Iris finally got around to tying the knot, (#165), the Reverse Flash tried to take his place at the altar. Although Barry foiled his arch -foe on this occasion, history would repeat itself later in the series. After the death of Iris (accidentally shot at a costume ball), Barry was about to get re-married. Thawne was about to kill his fiance, but in order to prevent that happening, Barry snapped the neck of his enemy - an event which led to the two-year plus "Trial of the Flash," which concluded the series and led to the seeming demise of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

With science-based stories by the likes of Gardner Fox, John Broome, and Robert Kanigher, and the sleek angular artistic lines provided by Carmine Infantino, the Flash became one of the most popular and attractive books in the DC line throughout the Silver Age and indeed its impressive 246 issue run. The series ended with issue 350 and was continued a little more over a year into The Flash Volume 2.

Collected EditionsFlash Archives Vol. 1 (#105-108)Flash Omnibus (#105-132)Showcase Presents: The Flash vol. 1 (#105-111)Flash Archives Vol. 2 (#109-116)Flash Archives Vol. 3 (#117-124)Showcase Presents: The Flash vol. 2 (#120-140)Flash Archives Vol. 4 (#125-132)Flash Archives Vol. 5 (#133-141)Showcase Presents: The Flash vol. 3 (#141-161)Flash Archives Vol. 6 (#142-150)Showcase Presents: The Flash vol. 4 (#162-184)Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow (#217-219 & 226)Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash (#323-7, 329-336, 340-350)

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