Issue Description

Professor Zoom returns after fooling prison officials and passing an electronic psychological examination, ensuring his release.

After a year in prison, Eobard Thawne, the notorious Professor Zoom, is released. A psychic scan has indicated that Thawne is completely reformed. In truth, Thawne tampered with the test to get the desired results. While in prison, Thawne envisioned an entirely new branch of science, one dedicated to the study of Ultra-Speed. The first device Thawne creates, using the principles of Ultra-Speed, is a machine that causes the evil side of one's nature to become dominant. Having successfully tested the machine on laboratory animals, Thawne sets his sights on Al Desmond. A brilliant chemist, Desmond was once the notorious Mister Element.

Having served his time, Desmond tried to put his past behind him. Thawne tried, once before, to set Demond back down the path towards evil. Now, Thawne intends to try again. Thawne projects the machine's radiation, 500 years into the past. Desmond is in his supervisor's office, about to accept a promotion, when he feels the effects of the radiation. Immediately, he calls his friend, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, and asks him to dinner. Desmond begs Allen to contact the Flash. Allen exits the restaurant, then returns, as the Flash. Desmond tries to rob the restaurant, but the Flash hauls him out before the crime can really get started.

The Flash offers to aid Desmond, but Desmond turns on him. Taking the Flash by surprise, Desmond punches the Flash unconscious. Desmond returns to his old criminal lair, and puts on his Mister Element costume. All it once, Desmond shakes off the irresistible criminal urges that overcame him. Thawne is unable to keep the machine's radiation focused on Desmond. As it passes through time, the radiation begins to spread out. Suddenly, Central City is awash in criminal activity. The Flash rounds up the would-be criminals, handing them off to the police. Unable to narrow the radiation beam to just Desmond, Thawne travels back in time, himself, along with his Ultra Speed machines.

Using a Cosmic Treadmill of his own design, Thawne returns to the Central City of 1965, as Professor Zoom. Using his ability to dominate the minds of men, Professor Zoom forces Central City's Municipal Council to outlaw super-speed travel within city limits. So steadfast is his belief in the law, the Flash refuses to run at super-speed, despite Professor Zoom's taunting. Professor Zoom even goes so far as to rob a bank right before the Flash's eyes, but the Flash makes no super-speed move to stop him. Vibrating his molecules into intangibility, the Flash slips below the streets of Central City.

Professor Zoom tracks the Flash down, just as he exits a tunnel, leading up from Central City's underground. Suddenly, the Flash lunges at Professor Zoom, once more using his super-speed powers. The Flash directs Professor Zooms's eyes over to the city limits sign. Professor Zoom, spinning at high velocity, breaks free of the Flash's grip, and races back across the city line. The Flash builds up a battering ram of compressed air, that floors Professor Zoom. The Reverse Flash recovers, though, too quickly for the Flash to take advantage of the situation. Desmond watches their battle, desperate to help the Flash, but still wrestling with Professor Zoom's evil impulses.

Professor Zoom defeats the Flash, and renders him helpless with ultra-radiation. From a monitor screen in his hidden lair, Professor Zoom forces the Flash to watch Desmond, as Mister Element, resume his criminal career. Professor Zoom leads Mister Element to his secret lair, then offers him the opportunity to murder the Flash. Mister Element takes aim, then fires at Professor Zoom's Ultra-Speed machine, freeing the Flash. Before Professor Zoom can react, the Flash knocks him unconscious. No longer consciously able to maintain his internal vibrations, Professor Zoom is drawn back to his own time. The Flash turns to thank Mister Element, only to have his former foe turn on him.

Prior to succumbing to Professor Zoom's evil impulses, Desmond had planted a post-hypnotic suggestion upon himself to aid the Flash on sight. Having done so, Desmond, as Mister Element, was now free to murder the Flash himself. Moving his arms at super-speed, the Flash blocks Mister Element's attack, while also knocking him unconscious. Using his own Cosmic Treadmill, the Flash carries Mister Element 500 years into the future. After learning that Professor Zoom has already been incarcerated, the Flash asks the scientists of the day to use their technology to reform Desmond. Cured of his criminal inclinations at last, Desmond accepts his promotion at work, and moves forward with his marriage plans, with his fiancee, Rita.

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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