Issue Description

A criminal from the dimension of Korakar Lok intends to permanently steal Flash's speed.

Who Stole Flash's Super-Speed?

Police forensics scientist Barry Allen, receives word that his girlfriend, Picture News reporter Iris West, is interviewing the Flash. Allen changes into his Flash costume to confront the imposter. Allen has difficulty getting into costume, then knocks himself out, running into the wall. Dazed and sprawled on the floor, the Flash realizes he's lost his super-speed powers. The Flash decides to confront the imposter anyway, as Allen. Arriving at the offices of Picture News, Allen is introduced to the Flash by West. At West's request, the Flash completes three feats of super-speed. Allan is amazed to discover that this Flash's super-speed surpasses his own.

Back at police headquarters, Allen finds a mysterious woman waiting for him. It is Doralla Kon, an extra-dimensional alien from the planet Alkomar, a world where everyone possesses super-speed. It is Kon who has stolen Allen's super-speed. The man masquerading as the Flash is a criminal scientist from Alkomar, Korakar Lok. Using a device, called a Celeri-Nuller, Lok transferred the super-speed powers of Alkomar's entire populace into himself. The process, though, proved too much for Lok's muscles. Traveling to Earth, Lok took on the Flash's mantle to lure the real Flash to him. Lok intended to steal the Flash's super-speed to provide a stabilizer for the power he drew from the Alkomaran populace.

By preemptively stealing the Flash's super-speed before he encountered Lok, Kon has thwarted Lok. Kon convinces Allen to come back to Alkomar with her, to destroy Lok's Celeri-Nuller. After Kon has returned his super-speed powers, Allen, as the Flash, storms Lok's stronghold. Lok's sentries are momentarily caught off guard by the Flash, believing him to be Lok. After a pitched combat, the Flash triumphs over Lok's three guards. Using an Alkomar weapon, the Flash destroys the Celeri-Nuller, returning the stolen super-speed powers to the planet's populace. The Flash returns to Earth, with Kon, and learns from West, that Lok has cut a path of destruction across the Earth.

Lok is desperate to draw out the Flash, so that he can steal his super-speed, with the portable celeri-nuller, hidden behind his chest insignia. The Flash races to California, to confront Lok. Vibrating his molecules into an intangible state, the Flash hides inside a tree, then strikes as Lok passes. With his first strike, the Flash destroys Lok's portable celeri-nuller. Though Lok still possess greater speed, the Flash's greater experience allows him to outmaneuver and, eventually, overcome Lok. Kon draws out the rest of Lok's super-speed, and returns him to Alkomar. The Flash hopes that the next time he encounter Kon will be under happier circumstances.

The Day Flash Aged 100 Years!

Looking to forcibly retire the Flash in his prime, the Top steals a vial of a rapid aging serum. The next day, the Top steals one of the Mirror Master's looking glass weapons, from an exhibit at the Flash Museum. The Top leaves behind a taunting note, daring the Flash to stop his crime spree. The Top strikes again, at the Flash Museum, but this time the Flash is on hand to stop him. Quickly the Top detonates the top grenade filled with the rapid aging serum. In a matter of seconds, the Flash grows extremely old. After belting the aged Flash into unconsciousness, the Top escapes.

The Flash, though, actually vibrated his molecules into an intangible state, allowing the rapid aging serum to pass harmlessly through him. With the theatrical help of the Flash Museum's curator, Dexter Myles, the Flash used old age make-up to fake the transformation. Still pretending to be extremely old, the Flash tries, and fails, to stop the Top's next robbery. On their next encounter, though, the Flash turns the tables on the Top. The Flash undergoes a bizarre rapid evolution, seemingly brought on by the spinning vibrations of the Top's weapons.

With his newly evolved psychic abilities, the Flash thwarts the Top's robbery. Using a holographic Top projector, the Top flees. The Top is just about to expose himself to the rapid aging serum, to then evolve as the Flash has, when the Flash snags the vial from him. After beating down the Top, and carrying him off to jail, the Flash relays the secrets of his "evolved" powers to Myles. The Flash Museum curator now has a new Flash tale to share with his patrons.

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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