Issue Description

The Flash battles Abra Kadabra, and when Kid Flash traces a mysterious explosion to another dimension, he finds that they are being caused by the K-10 gang.

The Flash's Sensational Risk!

A violent explosion rocks Blue Valley. Wally West investigates, as Kid Flash. Discovering a massive crater on the edge of town, Kid Flash explores it's interior. Suddenly, Kid Flash is caught in powerful vortex, that draws him, ever deeper. into the crater. Word of West's disappearance makes headlines across the country. Mysterious explosions continue to occur across the world. The Flash comes to Blue Valley, to personally investigate his protege's disappearance. After spending the entire day searching, the Flash returns to his laboratory in Central City. There, he finds Kid Flash waiting for him. The vortex had drawn Kid Flash across dimensional space, to the alien world, Ikora. Kid Flash learned that a band of criminals, the K-10 Gang, had been using a new explosive to commit crimes.

While the explosive's effects were considerable on Ikora, the force, as it breached the dimensional barrier between Ikora and Earth, was exponentially more powerful. Kid Flash ran down the K-10 Gang, in the act of committing another crime. In hot pursuit of the fleeing criminals, Kiid Flash was winged by the their blaster fire. Though not seriously injured, it occurred to Kid Flash that, were he to be killed, no one on Earth would ever learn the truth about the mysterious explosions. Immediately, Kid Flash returned to Earth, to enlist the aid of his mentor, the Flash. Having finished his tale, Kid Flash suddenly passes out. When the Flash revives him, he finds Kid Flash suffering from amnesia, a delayed result of the hit he took on Ikora.

The Flash carries Kid Flash to the sites of some of their past adventures, but Kid Flash remembers nothing. Taking Kid Flash, as West, to see a doctor, the Flash learns that a sudden shock might cause West's memory to return. The Flash returns West to his parents. Taking note of the television show they are watching, the Flash races to the television studio, and then reveals his identity on live television. The shock of the Flash's unmasking restores West's memories. Rendezvousing with the Flash, West, as Kid Flash, leads his mentor to Ikora. Scouring Ikora, the Scarlet Speedsters run down the K-10 Gang. After disarming them, the Flash and Kid Flash beat them into unconsciousness, with a bit of super-speed maneuvering. With the authorities' assurance that the explosive will never be used again, the Scarlet Speedsters return to Earth.

Robberies By Magic!

Returning to Central City, the Flash feels a sharp tingle. Spying a gang of fleeing criminals, the Flash has no time to focus on the strange sensation. Racing after the crooks' getaway car, the Flash suddenly slips on a pool of oil. Resuming the chase, the Flash then runs headlong into a wall of Earth. By the time he recovers, the criminals have mad good their escape. At police headquarters, the Flash receives a note from his nemesis, Abra Kadabra. The magical miscreant taunts the Flash, daring him to stop his "one-a-day" robberies. Abra Kadabra even going so far as to tell the Flash where and when the next crime will take place. In his secret lair, Abra Kadabra instructs his criminal gang to leave another note for the Flash, at the scene of their next crime.

Once more the Flash engages the band of crooks. Every tactic he uses to catch them, though, completely backfires on him. Reading the note Abra Kadabra left for him, the Flash learns where he can find his foe. En route to Abra Kadabra's lair, the Flash soon finds himself beset by all manner of ills. First his legs sink into the road. Launching himself into the air, the Flash finds he cannot control his ascent. Then, he suddenly veers in the direction of Abra Kadabra's chateau. The Flash crashes into the room. Recovering quickly, he launches himself against Abra Kadabra. Every attack he makes, though, causes the Flash to suffer improbably. Finally, Abra Kadabra reveals the trick.

He has transferred his own magic into the Flash, but hexed it so that the Flash will always suffer bad luck when he uses his super-speed. Abra Kadabra offers to teach the Flash how to use magic to capture criminals, in exchange for the Flash's super-speed. The Flash refuses, then begins punching every square inch of space in the room. Though he ultimately knocks himself unconscious, his tactic does also bring down Abra Kadabra. Reviving quicker than his foe, the Flash uses Abra Kadabra's transference machine to transfer his magical powers out of the Flash, and into a lamp. Abra Kadabra is returned to prison, while the Flash ponders what to do with his magic lamp.

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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