Issue Description

Flash is ambushed by a group of crooks from his past but is saved by a mystery dog. "Fugitive From Blind Justice" (Part Two); Flash saves Lightning from being put to sleep after Lighting is accused of killing his master. "I Open My Mouth...But I Can't Scream"!

"Fugitive From Blind Justice"

The Flash signs autographs, outside of the Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy. Racing home through Central City Park, the Flash poses for a photograph. Blinded by the intensity of the flash, the Flash is an easy target for a gang of thugs. The Flash flails about blindly, until he crashes, hard, into a statue of blind justice. The crooks are about to murder the Flash, when a dog enters the fray, and chases the crooks away. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the dog runs away.

The next morning, the Flash, as police forensic scientist, Barry Allen, reads a headline about how the same dog butchered it's owner, millionaire Philip Bentley. Allen, as the Flash, heads over to the animal detention center, to plead the dog's case. There, the Flash hears a firsthand account, from Bentley's brother, Lee, about how the dog, Lightning, killed his brother. The Flash speaks to the good nature of Lightning's character, citing how Lighting saved his life, on the night of the slaying.

Unfortunately, because the Flash was blinded at the time, he can produce no corroborating witnesses to the occurrence. The Flash is given 24 hours to prove the dog's good character. The Flash, however, fails to locate either the photographer who blinded him, or the criminals who tried to kill him. In desperation, the Flash frees Lightning from the detention center, and races off with the dog. An hour later, the Flash can see no alternative but to turn Lightning back in for execution.

Responding to the distress cries of a blind man, the Flash and Lightning save the man from drowning. The Flash leaves Lightning with the blind man, then races to the Bentley Estate, to investigate the scene of the crime. There, the Flash hears the same crook's laughter from the night before. The Flash finds Lee Bentley and notorious mobster Victor Torrance, holding guns on one another. Having conspired to slay his brother with Torrance, Bentley is now refusing to pay Torrance's blackmail demands.

As the Flash enters the Greenhouse, Bentley fires into a glass display case, releasing the choking poison of the plant housed inside it. Torrance calls for his hired guns. Though fighting incapacitation, the Flash fights valiantly against his attackers. Once again, Lightning comes to the Flash's rescue. During the melee, a dogtooth fringed glove falls out of Torrance's pocket, which is all the evidence the Flash needs to clear Lightning. Lightning is awarded Bentley's entire estate. After providing for the dog's care for life, the Flash, as Allen, donates the rest of the money to muscular dystrophy research. Allen takes over ownership of Lightning.

I Open My Mouth... But I Can't Scream!

Traumatized during his teenage years, police forensic scientist, Barry Allen, is terrified of riding roller coasters. Despite the many harrowing feats he's been called upon to do, as the Flash, Allen still breaks out in a cold sweat at the thought of riding a roller coaster. Allen's wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West, gets Allen on a roller coaster, as part of a charity function for the Police Athletic League. Allen immediately goes into a panic attack, made worse when he sees that part of the track has sprung. With his wife's life at a stake, Allen overcomes his fear, with a bloodcurdling scream, and repairs the track, as the Flash. Moving faster than the eye can see, the Flash is able to effect the repairs and return to the roller coaster car without anyone realizing that Allen ever left.

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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