Issue Description

The Real Origin of the Flash!

The Flash is seconds away from bringing down a ring of smugglers, when his protective aura vanishes, causing him to burst into flames. The Flash dives into the river to douse himself. Upon surfacing, he is confronted by Mopee, Initiate Tenth Class Of The Heavenly Help-Mates. Mopee reveals that the laboratory accident that gave the Flash his super-speed powers was, in fact, no accident. In reality, it was Mopee who was charged, by his superiors, to bestow upon him the gift of super-speed. Some years passed before Mopee came back to his home dimension, having gotten lost on the return journey. Upon arrival, Mopee learned that he failed to follow the rules and regulations for bestowing power on others, and thus, is obliged to remove the Flash's powers. For several moments, the Flash favorably considers a life without his powers.

Ultimately, though, the Flash realizes that he has a responsibility to uphold, and asks to make a deal. Reviewing the rules of his people, Mopee finds that, having made a mistake the first time, he is allowed to try again, provided all the pertinent criteria is met. In this case, the Flash must purchase the laboratory chemicals used in his transformation, to be eligible to receive Mopee's gift. The Flash has only 24 hours to earn the money to buy the chemicals. He must also earn that money as the Flash. Mopee temporarily returns the Flash's super-speed powers to him, so that he may proceed with winning them back permanently. Placing an advertisement in the local paper, seeking employment, the Flash receives a multitude of job offers. The Flash opts for a delivery position at a local plastics factory.

Despite the tremendous amount of work required of him, the Flash is only willing to work for the exact amount of money he needs, and not a penny more. Delivering the last of the packages, the Flash's protective aura cuts out on him again, once more setting him ablaze. After dousing the flames, the Flash notices that the package, which also caught fire, holds the very diamonds the ring of smugglers had stolen. After Mopee has, once again, restored his super-speed, the Flash races to the delivery address on the package. Sure enough, he finds the ring of smugglers. After the Flash has taken down the entire ring, Mopee recreates the accident that bestowed upon the Flash his super-human speed. The gift of super-human speed successfully... and properly... given, Mopee returns to his home dimension.

The Hypnotic Super-Speedster

Doctor Erik Darren, master hypnotist, performs before an assemblage of students, at Blue Valley High School. Darren takes the student's requests, demonstrating his amazing power of suggestion. When the students ask Darren to make the overweight Chubby Jones run around the world, as fast as Kid Flash, Darren balks. Darren cannot hypnotize someone into possessing super-powers. However, Darren relents to the students' pressure, and hypnotizes Jones.

Suddenly, to the astonishment of all involved, Jones takes off like a streak of lightning. Unbeknownst to Darren, and the audience, Kid Flash, himself, has decided to intervene, and invisibly carries Jones around the world. On his return trip to the auditorium, Kid Flash spies the school's custodian, being assaulted by a group of thugs. Returning Jones to the stage, Kid Flash, still unseen, races back to rescue the custodian. Kid Flash has all but beaten down the gang of crooks, when he misjudges the speed of a descending crowbar, and takes a grazing blow to the temple.

Upon recovering, Kid Flash learns, from the custodian, that the thugs stole the necessary tools to perform a "loft job". Kid Flash runs down the all the likely locations the thieves could be targeting. Kid Flash finds them looting a fur warehouse. In no time at all, the Fastest Boy Alive brings the criminals to justice. Afterwards, Kid Flash reveals his prank to Darren, setting the man's mind at ease.

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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