Issue Description

Mirror Master invents a mirror that allows him to see 20 seconds into the future.

The Case Of The Curious Costume

En route to his wedding, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, spies a turtle moving at super-human speed. Allen pursues the turtle, as the Flash. Astonishingly, the turtle outpaces the Flash. Pouring on the speed, the Flash feels himself tearing through inter-dimensional space. The Flash materializes on a strange world. One where all of it's inhabitants possess super-human speed. Returning to Earth, the Flash discovers that, while he was only on the alien world for two minutes, five hours have elapsed on Earth. His bride-to-be, Picture News reporter, Iris West, is furious that Allen has stood her up at the altar. West breaks up with Allen, vowing to never see him again. Allen's crushing heartbreak leaves him feeling lonely and despondent.

Allen blames his alter-ego, the Flash, for ruining his relationship with West. Allen nails his Flash costume to a tree, and leaves a sign declaring his intention to retire his Flash identity. As Allen walks away, tears seem to stream down the eye-holes of the costume's mask. Allen tracks down West, at an isolated mountain retreat. Seeing West menaced by a large bear, Allen intervenes. Refusing to use his super-speed, Allen is viciously beaten down by the bear. The bear turns out to be a retired, runaway circus performer, and thus Allen is not unduly injured. West is not happy to see Allen. Having transferred her affections to the Flash, Allen finds that he is his own rival. Allen's Flash costume is discovered, then placed on display at the Flash Museum.

Near closing time, Allen stands alone before his Flash costume. Incredibly, he seems to hear the costume speaking to him, begging him to resume his career as the Flash. Allen even believes he sees tears pouring from the eye-holes of the mask. Giving in to the inevitable, Allen dons his Flash costume once more. Suddenly, Allen realizes that he isn't alone, and turns to see West standing behind him. To make matters worse, a gang of thugs enters and takes West hostage. The Flash easily beats down the would-be thieves, planting a kiss on West's lips as he does so. West stands transfixed, believing herself hypnotized into thinking that Allen really was the Flash. Dismissing the evidence of her own eyes, West resumes her romance with Allen, still not knowing that he is, in fact, the Flash.

The Mirror With 20-20 Vision!

By accident, the Mirror Master creates a mirror that reflects 20 seconds into the future. Testing the reflection, the Mirror Master finds that no action can change the future reflected in the mirror. The Mirror Master steals Cleopatra's Mirror from the Petty Art Gallery. When the Flash inevitably arrives to capture the Mirror Master, he finds himself holding the fading remnants of a reflection. A second encounter goes no better. Once again the Mirror Master successfully completes a crime, and escapes, leaving behind another mirror image for the Flash.

Using his Cosmic Treadmill, the Flash races three days into the future. Discovering the Mirror Master's hideout, the Flash attacks the his old foe. The Mirror Master, though, has already seen the Flash coming, in his future reflecting mirror. The Mirror Master gets the drop on the Flash, and seemingly vaporizes him. The Mirror Master has barely any time to gloat over his victory, when he hears the Flash's voice behind him. The Scarlet Speedster quickly destroys the future reflecting mirror, then beats the living daylights out of the Mirror Master.

In an interview with Picture News reporter, Iris West, the Flash reveals how he triumphed over the Mirror Master. As the Mirror Master fired upon him, the Flash ceased the internal vibrations keeping him three days in the future, and immediately returned to the present. The Flash then waited the three days, to secretly return to the Mirror Master's lair. After watching himself seemingly be killed by the Mirror Master, the Flash stepped in and defeated his old foe. Back at the Petty Art Gallery, the Flash, as Allen, tells West that he can see a future image of himself, in Cleopatra's Mirror, kissing West. Before West can protest, Allen fulfills his future.

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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