Issue Description

The Flash feels guilty when he believes he's responsible for paralyzing a young basketball star's legs. Finale for a Fiddler!

"Million-Dollar Dream!"

The Flash encourages a crippled Hispanic boy, Pablo Hernandez, into walking. Hernandez stands up from his wheelchair, but falls as he takes his first step. Hernandez curses the Flash, blaming the Scarlet Speedster for putting him in the wheelchair. As the Flash exits the hospital, Hernandez's doctor informs him that Hernandez's paralysis is trauma-based. Hernandez could walk, if he only had the will to do so. The Flash's guilt paralyzes him into inactivity, when a group of crooks try to run him over.

Picture News reporter, Iris West, pulls the Flash to safety. Exiting their car, the crooks attack West and the Flash. The Scarlet Speedster still does nothing to defend himself. Only when he hears West's cries of distress is the Flash moved to action. Within a matter of seconds, the Flash has beaten all of his attackers into unconsciousness. The Flash, and West, continue to wander the streets of Hernandez's neighborhood. The Flash is treated with scorn everywhere he walks.

A month earlier, West had been assigned to write an article about Hernandez, known as "El Flash Espanol"( The Spanish Flash), for his lightning swiftness on the basketball court. The Flash joined West, to meet his namesake. The hopes and dreams of Hernandez's family lay with the likely success of Hernandez, on the basketball court. The Flash offered to take Hernandez to see his grandparents, in Puerto Rico. Enroute, the Flash encountered a burning ship.

Setting Hernandez on the ship's bow, the Flash set to putting out the blaze. While the Flash was fighting the fire, the ship's mast fell upon Hernandez, pinning his legs. By the time the Flash had returned to Hernandez, the boy had been traumatized into believing his legs were crushed. The Flash tries to distract himself from his despair, by fighting crime. In combat with a helicopter gunship, the Flash catches a stray bullet to the temple, temporarily robbing him of his locomotive abilities.

While the Flash and Hernandez are waiting to see the same doctor, an explosion from the chemical laboratory sets the hospital ablaze. The Flash begs Hernandez to save himself. Slowly, the boy rises from his wheelchair. Still unsteady on his feet, Hernandez drags the Flash away from the fire, to the rooftop. Still trapped by the fire, it falls on the Flash to overcome his own immobility, as Hernandez has done, to save them both. A triumphant Hernandez is re-united with his family, including his grandparents, who West brought in from Puerto Rico.

Finale For A Fiddler!

Responding to a police bulletin, the Golden Age Flash confronts his old nemesis, the Turtle. Though the Golden Age Flash is able to triumph over his old foe, he finds himself completely winded afterwards. The Golden Age Flash takes his wife to a rock festival, little realizing that his old nemesis, the Fiddler, intends to crash the scene.

The Fiddler leaps on stage, and begins playing his fiddle. A powerful wave of vibratory energy begins to forcibly repel the audience, including the Golden Age Flash. Laughing uproariously, the Fiddler momentarily ceases playing, giving the Golden Age Flash all the time he needs to round up the Fiddler's men, before apprehending the Fiddler himself.

The Man With Future-Vision!

This story was originally published in Strange Adventures #73 (October 1956). A plot summary for this story can be found on that issue page.

The Flash (1959)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

The Flash Volume 1, (continued from Flash Comics).

House Ad

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)

Please first Sign In before leaving a review.

Status: Not in Collection