Issue Description

The Flash sits inside a specially designed prison cell, awaiting his trial for the murder of Abra Kadabra. The malevolent magician, however, is actually alive, having just materialized on Earth-2, in Keystone City, in the year 1976. Unaware of the existence of Earth-2, Abra Kadabra erroneously believes he has materialized on Earth-1, in Central City. His confusion only grows when he is drawn to a crowd of admirers, all of whom have gathered to praise the Golden Age Flash.

Meanwhile, in the year 6376, the Flash executes his 36th escape attempt from his cell. The walls and floor of the cell are outfitted with special plates that match the Flash's vibratory rate, preventing him from vibrating his molecules through the walls at super-speed. After being repelled yet again, the Flash switches tactics. This time the Flash allows his momentum to ricochet him off the walls, in the hopes that the response time of the plating will be off, just enough, to allow him to escape. The walls hold.

Ultimately, the Flash is rendered unconscious, from his multiple impacts with the walls, ceiling and floor of his cell. Abra Kadabra is at a loss to explain the changes in his surroundings, and in the Flash himself. In order to confirm that the Golden Age Flash is, in fact, his old foe, Abra Kadabra draws him out with an illusion. The Golden Age Flash recognizes Abra Kadabra, from pictures the Silver Age Flash has shown him. The Golden Age Flash races to confront Abra Kadabra.

The Golden Age Flash spins at super-human speed to repel the giant, solidified musical notes Abra Kadabra has hurled at him. Anticipating that particular super-speed tactic, Abra Kadabra tosses his cape at the Golden Age Flash's spinning form. The fabric wraps tightly around the Golden Age Flash, suffocating him. The Flash hurls the chair in his cell at the wall. While the plating is responding to the chair's vibratory rate, the Flash is able to slip through the walls of his cell.

The Flash is immediately attacked by a pair of security robots. The Flash shakes them to pieces, then flees. With the Golden Age Flash paralyzed, and levitating before him, Abra Kadabra conducts an interrogation. Realizing that Abra Kadabra is confused, the Golden Age Flash decides to play into Abra Kadabra's delusion, to garner information. Abra Kadabra reveals how he tricked the Golden Age Flash's counterpart into coming to the future, and "murdering" him.

Abra Kadabra was seemingly disintegrated by the Flash's high-velocity killing blow. In reality, Abra Kadabra's molecules were shunted back in time. Unbeknownst to Abra Kadabra, he was also shunted through dimensional space, arriving on Earth-2, instead of Earth-1. The Golden Age Flash keeps silent, prompting Abra Kadabra to level his wand at him, and blast the Golden Age Flash into oblivion. Using one of the security robots, the Flash recreates the murder of Abra Kadabra.

Matching vibratory rates with the robot, the Flash is drawn back through time, and across the dimensional gulf, to Earth-2. Instantly recognizing his surroundings, the Flash scours Keystone City, in search of his counterpart. The Flash rescues the Golden Age Flash, ferrying him away before Abra Kadrabra's wand can strike. The Flash breaks the Golden Age Flash's paralysis with a super-speed massage, then confronts Abra Kadabra. Abra Kadabra conures a giant banana peel in front of the Flash, causing him to go flying through the air.

The Golden Age Flash catches his Silver Age counterpart, then both men join forces against Abra Kadabra. Abra Kadabra is baffled at the existence of two Flashes. In his bewilderment, he is easy prey for the Scarlet Speedsters, who recreate Abra Kadabra's "murder" once more. Abra Kadabra is hurled back to the future, where he is picked up by the authorities. Abra Kadabra continually irritates his jailers, with a wild tale of two Flashes, two Earths, and two cities. All of which seemed to be one thing, but, were, in fact, different. Meanwhile, the two Flashes sit down with Joan Garrick, the wife of the Golden Age Flash, for a pot roast dinner.

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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