Issue Description

While searching through historical records, Eric Russell discovers a startling revelation, concerning his own family line. Exactly one century ago, in the year 1978, Russell's ancestor, Philip, as the costumed criminal, the Viper, battled the Flash. An event that would seem to be impossible, as Philip's obituary had been posted that morning. Stranger still, Philip's wedding, to Cynthia Ross, occurred that evening. As luck would have it, Russell's daughter, Picture News reporter, Iris West, was visiting from the 20th Century, with her husband, who happens to be the Flash.

Russell proposes a visit to West's era, with his wife, Fran. The Flash agrees, and draws West and the Russells back to the 20th Century. En route, Russell thinks back to the day he sent his infant daughter, West, back in time, to save her from nuclear annihilation, to be raised by Professor Ira West. The time traveling party arrives to find burglars in the house. The Flash quickly grabs the thieves in his slipstream, and runs them over to police headquarters. West takes her mother on a shopping spree. The Flash, as police forensic scientist, Barry Allen, makes plans to spend the day with his father-in-law.

Russell, though, has other plans. While Allen is gathering more era-appropriate garments for his father-in-law, Russell teleports to San Francisco. Activating his uniform's invisibility aura, Russel begins his investigation into his ancestor's strange past. Moving at super-human speed, Allen, as the Flash, attunes his vibratory energy to the same frequency as Russell's teleporter, tracking him to San Francisco. Russell visits the morgue, only to find that Philip's body has disappeared. Russell's investigation carries him to Philip's office, where he works as a private investigator.

Philip's last casebook entry strongly suggests he murdered his arch-nemesis, the Viper. Arriving in San Francisco, the Flash is drawn to a robbery in progress, perpetrated by the Viper. The Flash confronts the Viper, easily dodging his opening attack. To protect the innocent bystanders behind him, the Flash uses a slab of sidewalk to block the Viper's acidic blast. The Viper switches tactics, attempting to gas the Flash. The Flash windmills the toxic vapors back at the Viper. The Viper feigns distress, in order to get close enough to expose the Flash to his paralytic toxin.

Russell discovers the Viper's journals in Philip's office, along with a large sum of stolen money and gems. Russell confirms that Philip is the Viper. His ancestor suffers from a split personality. References in the casebook to destroying the Viper indicate that Philip thought he had suppressed his Viper identity forever. The Viper side of his personality, however, willed Philip into a deathlike coma, allowing the Viper personality to become dominant. The man that walked out of the morgue was not Philip Russell. It was the Viper. The Viper drops the paralyzed body of the Flash off a cliff, and into the ocean.

The Flash shakes off the paralysis. Moving at super-human speed, the Flash generates a waterspout, that he rides back up the cliff face. Seconds later, the Flash has beaten the Viper into unconsciousness. Russell arrives, and fills the Flash in on his findings. Using 20th century materials, the Flash helps Russell cobble together a "Psycho-Healer". Russell uses the device to remove the Viper personality from Philip. The Flash returns all of the Viper's ill-gotton gains, leaving Philip to keep his appointment at the church. The Flash rushes Russell home, arriving just ahead of West, and her mother.

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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