Issue Description

Klkan, an alien from the planet Gyr, materializes before the assembled body of the United Nations. Klkan demands the Flash be turned over to him, or the Earth will be destroyed. As a demonstration of his power, Klkan transforms everything into gold, and evolves a common house fly into a horrific creature. The Flash astonishes the entire world by refusing to surrender to the aliens. Klkan reveals the Flash's secret identity to the world, then gives the nations' governments 48 hours to produce the Flash. Wally West, as Kid Flash, travels from Blue Valley to Central City, to seek out his mentor. Kid Flash encounters Picture News reporter, Iris West, and tries to comfort her.

While Kid Flash scours Central City for the Flash, West returns home. She finds her fiancee, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, waiting for her. West is both relieved to see Allen, and furious that he has kept the secret of his Flash identity from her. Allen, as the Flash, catches up with Kid Flash. The Flash reveals the reason behind Klkan's presence on Earth. Klkan is a member of the aristocratic class on Gyr, known as a Drdon. Recently, the tyranny of the Drdons had been overthrown, by the populace, in a decisive confrontation, known as the "Battle Of Gyr City". Klkan proposed to travel back in time, to refight the "Battle Of Gyr City", and correct the mistakes that cost them the battle.

Klkan's time machine, however, needed an individual capable of achieving light speed velocity to power it. Klkan penetrates the Flash's mind with a single atom that contains the entire history of Gyr within it, as well as an overwhelming evil impulse to aid the Drdons. The Flash quickly learns that the Drdons' power of suggestion weakens the slower he runs. The Flash leads Kid Flash to a hidden laboratory where the Flash has been working on a neutralizing agent for the Drdons' atom-based mental dominance. With the deadline for Earth fast approaching, the Flash leaves the completion of the work to Kid Flash, then turns himself over to Klkan.

The Flash is teleported to Gyr, then installed as the power source for Klkan's time machine. The faster the Flash runs, the stronger his desire to aid the Drdons grows. Finally, Klkan, and his fellow Drdons, have returned to the "Battle Of Gyr City". The Flash watches helplessly as the Drdans. slowly but surely, begin to turn the tide of battle in their favor. Kid Flash completes the work on the Flash's nullifying device, and activates it. The Drdon atom in the Flash's brain is destroyed. Once again able to move at his highest velocity, without turning evil, the Flash routs Klkan's forces. The Drdons lose the "Battle Of Gyr City" again.

The Flash learns, from the ruling council of Gyr, that Earth is still in jeopardy. The moment the Flash was teleported off Earth, a chain reaction began that, left unchecked, will destroy the Earth. The Flash is given a chemical compound to stifle the chain reaction, then teleported back to Earth. Rendezvousing with Kid Flash, the Scarlet Speedsters crisscross the entire globe, coating it with the chemical compound. The crisis past, the Flash is left with one loose thread to address, the revelation of his secret identity to the world. Conferring with his fiancee, the Flash proposes to use Gyr technology to turn time back on Earth, to the point just prior to Klkan's revelation.

Though West is reluctant to lose the knowledge of Allen's dual life, she supports his intentions, agreeing that it's for the greater good. The Flash builds a planet size cosmic treadmill, and runs the world back in time, erasing all knowledge of his dual identity. The confirmation that his plan has worked comes at his next dinner date with West. Chastising him from being late, West goes on a mini-tirade about Allen's laziness and lack of ambition, dramatically re-enforcing that the status quo of their relationship has not changed.

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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