Issue Description

Police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, solves a classic "locked door" murder mystery. By chance, the murderer is struck down, by a hit-and-run driver. As he lies dying in the street, the murderer confesses to the crime. Allen's crime-solving brilliance is lauded by the local media. Allen's wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West, is somewhat surprised at Allen's sudden penchant for egotism. Unbeknownst to Allen, he has been exposed to a mutagenic radiation, by his arch-nemesis, the Trickster. Much to the Trickster's chagrin, the Flash has been keeping a low profile of late, while Allen hogs the spotlight from his costumed alter-ego.

The Trickster is desperate to be on hand when his radiation treatment slays the Flash. En route to a charity appearance at Central City's Grand Prix, Allen, as the Flash, takes time out to apprehend some jewel thieves. During his takedown of the crooks, the Flash begins experiencing terrible headaches. With the thieves unconscious, the Flash turns to face the crowd, only to see them recoil in horror from him. It is at that moment that the Flash notices that his cranium has expanded to freakish proportions. The Flash contacts his wife to explain the situation to her, then holes up in a laboratory, desperately seeking a cure for his condition.

His headaches become so great that the Flash bolts from the laboratory, to try to clear his head. When the Trickster finds the Flash, he immediately hits him with sneezing powder. Racing in tight circles on the surface of a lake, the Flash generates a waterspout, that brings the Trickster down to Earth. The Trickster retaliates with explosive peas. As the Trickster once more ascends to the sky, the Flash spins his arms about, like helicopter blades, and pursues his old foe. Ultimately, the Trickster gets the better of his nemesis, and carries his unconscious foe to his secret lair.

The Trickster takes credit for the Flash's horrifically swollen skull. Blowing up a "Flash" balloon, the Trickster demonstrates what will soon happen to the Flash, as his cranium continues to swell. The Flash, though, notices that, ever since the Trickster brought him to his lair, his headaches have stopped. The Flash lunges at the Trickster. A telescoping fist rams forth from the Trickster's chest, pinning the Flash against the wall. Jets of scalding hot water open up on the Flash's head. Vibrating at super-human speed, the Flash passes through the fist, then begins pelting the Trickster with dishes.

After bashing the Trickster with a recliner, the Flash pummels his foe into unconsciousness. The Flash realizes that residual radiation from the mutagen's antidote lingered on the mynah bird that the Trickster had experimented on. This residue was alleviating the Flash's headaches. Reverse engineering the antidote from the mynah bird, the Flash is able to restore his cranium to it's normal proportions. West writes the article on the Flash's latest adventure, while the Trickster punishes himself, for his failure, behind bars.

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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