Issue Description

Police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, answers a pay phone, thinking it might be a criminal informant. The caller is actually the Golden Glider, who Allen has, somehow not noticed is calling from the adjacent pay phone. The Golden Glider taunts Allen with her knowledge if his secret identity. Knowing that he won't jeopardize his secret identity, on the street, in broad daylight, the Golden Glider blasts Allen. Allen rides the momentum generated by the Golden Glider's blast, through a hedge wall, where he dons his costume.

The Flash races to engage the Golden Glider, only to be blasted from above. While the Flash is dazed, the Golden Glider slips a pair of special ice-skates on his feet. Attempting to run, the Flash is carried into the air by the skates. Latching onto a building spire, the Flash spins around, at high velocity, until the skates are torn from his feet by centrifugal force. The Flash leaps down to the Golden Glider's ice-trail, in pursuit of his adversary. The Flash is just about to catch the Golden Glider, when an errantly thrown frisbee strikes him.

At the velocity the Flash was moving, the frisbee is able to knock him from the ice-trail, casting him down to the ground. The Golden Glider skates away to freedom. Returning home in a heavily soiled uniform, the Flash's wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West, is none to thrilled that her husband has ruined their couch, by sitting down on it in his filthy costume. The Flash, as Allen, awakes the next morning to a note from his wife. West has gone into work early, to conduct an interview with Central City's newest defender, the Ringmaster. Allen has never heard of the Ringmaster.

At police headquarters, Allen is surprised to see the Golden Glider in custody, apparently brought in by the Ringmaster. Allen, along with several other officers, watch a film reel of the Ringmaster's battle against the Golden Glider. Allen is somewhat perturbed over his fellow officers fawning admiration of the Ringmaster, seemingly dismissing all Allen has done for Central City, in his guise, as the Flash. Allen arrives for his lunch date with West, only to learn that she is, at that very moment, interviewing the Ringmaster. West asks the Ringmaster for a demonstration of his amazing rings.

The Ringmaster pelts West with four rings, knocking her off the rooftop. Seeing his wife falling to her death, Allen responds as the Flash. The rings, though, enlarge and lock around West's wrists and ankles, levitating her back up to the roof. The Flash reaches the rooftop just in time to see West walk off with the Ringmaster. The Flash clearly sees the Ringmaster make a play for West. In her cell, the Golden Glider contemplates her current scheme to drive the Flash and West apart, with her pawn, the Ringmaster.

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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