Issue Description

Flash saves a trailer park from being wiped out by a tornado, but breaks his leg in the process. Ten Years to Live—One Second to Die!

Super-Speed Agent Of The Flash

Alerted to the threat of a tornado, on the outskirts of Central City, the Flash generates a counter-whilrwind, to dissipate the tornado. Though the Flash's gambit proves successful, he suffers a career crippling injury. Though his broken leg will, eventually, heal, the doctor tells the Flash he will never run again. Picture News reporter, Iris West, offers to drive the Flash to police headquarters. En route, a deep depression overcomes the Flash, who asks West to just take him home. In the weeks that follow, the Flash, as police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, recuperates in solitude, as a massive crime wave sweeps over Central City.

Finally, West forces Allen to listen to the latest police bulletins. Hearing that the Muscle Men Mob is back in Central City, Allen decides to bring them in. Allen has West sew his Flash costume airtight, while he builds a series of miniature transmitters to be laced throughout the suit. Inflating the suit with a portion of the speed force, Allen is able to create a radio-controlled automaton, out of his costume. Vibrating faster than the eye can see, Allen scours the city in search of the Muscle Man Mob. Discovering them looting a jewelry store, Allen directs the Flash automaton into confronting them.

The battle is going well until a stray gunshot punctures the airtight costume, releasing Allen's speed force. Allen orders the costume to return to him. It is just able to reach him, before it collapses. The Muscle Man Mob surround the "Flash". Allen, still vibrating invisibly, is able to effect repairs on the costume, and reanimate it, before the gang can reach them. With the Muscle Man Mob put out of action, Allen's confidence as a crime fighter is restored. The doctor informs the Flash that, thanks to his super-speed vibrations, his leg is healing properly, and that he will, in fact, be able to run again.

"Ten Years To Live-- One Second To Die!"

The Flash donates his crutches, wheelchair, and cast to the Flash Museum. The curator of the Flash Museum, Dexter Myles, asks the Flash for help with a new employee, Joel Travis. Seems Travis has fallen in with a bad bunch, called the "Far-Outers". When Travis bragged about his close personal friendship with the Flash, the Far-Outers asked for Travis to get the Flash to appear at one of their meetings. Wanting to save face, Travis stole one of the Flash's costumes from the museum, and went to attend the meeting, as the Flash.

Knowing how dangerous it is to impersonate him, the Flash races to the Far-Outers' meeting place. Moving faster than the eye can see, the Flash discovers that the Far-Outers, believing that Travis is the Flash, have taken him prisoner. Still moving invisibly, the Flash spirits Travis to safety, then takes his place. The Far-Outers carry the Flash's "unconscious" body to the estate of "Blue Chip" Chipman, a white collar criminal the Flash put away for 10 years. After the Flash has "recovered", Chipman directs his attention to an old hotel, visible through the Flash's cell window.

The entire top of the hill the hotel rests upon explodes. Chipman has planted 10 explosive devices throughout Central City, all of which will detonate if the Flash steps one foot outside of his cell. Moving faster than he ever has before, the Flash tracks down Chipman's explosive devices, by following the electronic signal of his detonator. The Flash locates and deactivates all of Chipman's bombs, then beats the man himself, into unconsciousness, all within the span of a single second. After lecturing Travis on the foolishness of his actions, the Flash recommends to Myles that Travis keep his job at the Flash Museum.

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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