Issue Description

While in his laboratory, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, is approached by one of the Guardians of The Universe. The Green Lantern is missing. Allen is asked to investigate his disappearance, as the Flash. Meanwhile, the brilliant Hjalmer Helms, a scientist obsessed with traveling in time, fails, again to create a time machine. Unbeknownst to Helms, he has fallen on the radar of two lowlifes, Ace and Stubble. After rendering Helms unconscious and locking him away, the two men take possession of Helms' astonishing inventions.

Armed with a Paralysis Pistol, and a Sleep Gun, the two men begin a crime spree across Central City. Outfitting themselves in garish "futuristic" costumes, Ace and Stubble, along with their friends, Doubler and the Fixer, begin their careers as super-criminals. On their first outing to rob a bank, the gang runs afoul of the Flash. Despite their super-weapons, the gang is all but defeated by the Flash, in a matter of seconds. Only a lucky, stray shot from the Sleep Gun, allows them to triumph over the Flash, and flee the scene. Back at home, the Flash, as Allen enjoys brunch with his wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West.

Allen turns on the television, in the hopes of hearing some news about the criminal gang. West spies Hal Jordan, on a fishing boat, in the background of an interview with Stelo Pantagolis, a local fisherman. Unbeknownst to West, Jordan is the Green Lantern. Allen, as the Flash, races down to the docks to meet up with Jordan. There, the Flash discovers that Jordan is suffering from amnesia. Backtracking to Jordan's hotel, the Flash vibrates at super-human speed, until he matches the wavelength of Jordan's invisible power battery.

Guiding Jordan's ring hand into the power battery, the Flash has Jordan repeat after him, the oath of the Green Lantern Corps. At once, Jordan's memories return to him. Jordan had been in the midst of recharging his ring, when a backfire of extraordinary energy overwhelmed him. When Jordan awoke he had no memory of who, or where he was. He wandered the streets of Central City, until Pantagolis discovered him, and took him on as a deckhand. A police bulletin is caught on the Flash's wrist-radio. Ace's gang is attacking the Central City Speedway.The Flash and The Green Lantern team-up to take down Ace's gang.In short order, Ace's gang is beat down until only Stubble remains standing.

Seeing the futility of continuing the fight, Stubble turns his Sleep Gun on himself. After turning the crooks over to the police, the two heroes, through interrogation, learn of Helms' fate. After freeing Helms, the Green Lantern learns that it was one of Helms' time travel experiments that tapped into the energy of the power battery, causing the violent expulsion of power that erased his memory. The Green Lantern, as Jordan, invites Allen and West out, for a fishing expedition, on Pantagolis' boat. Unbeknownst to the group, they are watched over by a very pleased Guardian of Oa, happy that the Green Lantern has been found.

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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