Issue Description

"Death Rattle Of The 12-Hour Man!"

On a camping trip, young Wally West catches sight of a flying saucer. West investigates, as Kid Flash, encountering the Myrmitons. Out of revenge for a prior defeat, the Myrmitons unleash a doomsday machine on the Earth, in the form of a rapidly aging android. With a life expectancy of just 12 hours, the android's death will trigger the destruction of the entire planet. To delay Kid Flash in combating the android, the Myrmitons render him unconscious. Upon awakening, Kid Flash races for Central City, to garner the aid of his mentor, the Flash.

At that moment, Stacy Conwell, the daughter of murdered District Attorney candidate, Charles Conwell, pays a visit to Barry and Iris Allen. Having applied to Central State Junior College, Conwell is invited to stay with the Allens, until she hears back from the college. Upon seeing Kid Flash race into the room, Barry Allen shouts out loud, to cover his sidekick's words, before Conwell or West become aware of his presence. Kid Flash races backs out of the Allen household, quickly returning in his civilian garb. In private, West brings Allen up to speed on the threat from the Myrmitons.

Allen and West, as the Flash and Kid Flash, scour the streets of Central City for the android, known as "Bio-X". They encounter the android, now aged into a small child. Bio-X flees from the Scarlet Speedsters. By the time they catch up to it, it has aged into a teenager. Unexpectedly, Bio-X launches itself into the air, taking the Flash and Kid Flash with it. Turning their super-speed against them, the Scarlet Speedsters are spun like propellers, then released. By the time the Scarlet Speedsters have recovered and resumed the search for Bio-X, 6 hours have passed.

The Flash is the first to re-encounter Bio-X, now grown to adulthood. After a brief battle, wherein Bio-X proves to be just as fast as the Flash, if not faster, the Flash is rendered unconscious. By the time Kid Flash finds and revives him, another three and a half hours have elapsed. Two hours later, the Flash and Kid Flash, as Allen and West, pick up a hitchhiking Bio-X, now appearing as an elderly man, out on Highway 101. Gambling that Bio-X would not recognize them in their civilian identities, Allen and West seize Bio-X, and drag him over a geyser hole.

Without their super-speed to fuel him, Bio-X is helpless to resist as he is consumed in the blazing hot eruption. The blast, however, has no effect. Bio-X was engineered to be completely impervious to attack. The Scarlet Speedsters never had a chance of defeating it. With only seconds before the android's clock winds down, the Flash quickly places Bio-X in suspended animation, extending it's "life" forever. Conway is accepted at Central State Junior College. Allen reads a letter given to him by Conway's father, before he died. In the letter, the elder Conway requests the Allens look after his daughter, should she be accepted into college. Though it adds a complication in maintaining his secret identity, Allen agrees to Conway's last request.

Meet Kid Flash

A quick synopsis of who Wally West is, how he gained his super-speed powers, when the Flash revealed his identity to him, and how his costume was changed to it's current design.

The Duel Of The Super-Heroes!

This story was originally published in Green Lantern #13 (June, 1962). A plot synopsis for this story can be found at the link.

"The Images Of Doom"

This story was originally published in Flash Comics #94 (April,1948). A plot synopsis for this story can be found at the link.

"The 9th Wonder Of The World!"

This story was originally published in Adventure Comics #121 (October,1947). A plot synopsis for this story can be found at the link.

Vengeance Via Television!

This story was originally published in The Flash #124 (November, 1961). A plot synopsis for this story can be found at the link.

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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