Issue Description

Sargon the Sorcerer has apparently killed Flash.

Picture News reporter, Iris West, convinces her husband, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, to take a vacation. Allen, as the Flash, uses his Cosmic Treadmill to travel to the 23rd Century. Returning seconds later, the Flash seems noticeably well-rested. Then he collapses. West gets the Flash, as Allen, to a hospital. Allen slips into a coma, leaving the doctors baffled as to the cause of his condition. Meanwhile, in the 25th Century, Eobard Thawne, the notorious Professor Zoom, sits in his cell, watching old gangster movies. Thawne is contacted by Sargon The Sorcerer, and offered a chance at escape. Sargon draws Thawne back in time, to the 20th Century.

After handing Thawne his Reverse-Flash costume, Sargon reveals that, after spending the last two decades fighting crime, he wishes to pursue a more villainous path. Sargon asks Professor Zoom to reveal the secrets of time travel to him. Professor Zoom refuses, and races away at super-human speed. With the power of his Ruby of Life, Sargon pulls the bones of the Flash from some future grave, into the present. The Flash's skeleton is found in a hole by a trio of young boys. Sargon reveals to Professor Zoom that he has slain the Flash, thinking that, without purpose, Professor Zoom will teach him the ways of time travel. Professor Zoom again refuses, and speeds away.

Moving faster than the human eye can see, Professor Zoom trails West to the coroner's office. When West identifies the bones as actually belonging to the Flash, she breaks down in tears. Convinced of the Flash's death, Professor Zoom returns to Sargon. Instead of revealing the secret to traveling in time, Professor Zoom tricks the sorcerer into condemning himself to the netherworld, Chimano. With the Flash no longer a threat, Professor Zoom embarks on a crime spree that will span five centuries, and cover the entire globe. Allen awakes from his come, and departs the hospital. Donning his Flash costume, Allen is just about to race for home, when he collapses again.

Upon regaining consciousness, the Flash hails a taxi, to carry him home. Overhearing that Professor Zoom is at large, the Flash exits the cab, and races off after his evil counterpart, only to suddenly disappear. Sargon the Sorcerer, using his Ruby of Life, has called the Flash to him. With the Flash holding onto the Ruby of Life, the Scarlet Speedster is able to align his, and Sargon's, vibrational frequencies with that of the mortal realm, allowing them to escape Chimano, and return to Central City. Sargon passes out from the effort. The Flash tracks down Professor Zoom, outside the Flash Museum.

The Reverse Flash hurls the loot, that he's gathered from around the planet, at the Flash. Using a shrink ray, Professor Zoom miniaturizes the Flash. With the Flash his prisoner, Professor Zoom continues his centuries spanning crime spree, ending in the 25th Century. Using the Ruby of Life, which he's been holding onto the entire time, the Flash escapes. After quickly defeating the Reverse-Flash, the Flash regains his normal stature, and returns to his proper century. Sargon vows to take back the Ruby of Life from the Flash. Having been cured of the disease he picked up, on vacation in the 23rd Century, an exhausted Flash, as Allen, returns home, and collapses into bed. Much to the chagrin of West, who is ready to start her vacation.

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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