Issue Description

The Fastest Man Alive can't outrun the death of the most important person in his life!

The Flash is under the uncontrollable compulsion to run to a mysterious, psychic teenager, named Melanie. Meanwhile, deranged murderer, Clive Yorkin, stands outside the bedroom window of the Flash's wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West. Spying a wedding portrait on the nightstand, Yorkin confirms that he has found the home of his hated enemy, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen. Fearing her husband is having an affair, West planted a homing device in his ring, and heads out to confront him. The Flash arrives at Melanie's motel room. After ogling the Flash's body, Melanie uses her psychic powers to force the Flash to unmask.

Upon seeing the Flash's face, Melanie is crushingly disappointed, Deeming his features to be "ordinary", Melanie storms out, leaving behind an incredibly baffled Flash. West arrives, as Melanie departs. West enters Melanie's motel room, and seemingly confirms her worst fears...her husband is having an affair. West storms out in tears. In her emotional state, she narrowly avoids a collision with one car, only to slam into a fuel truck. The Flash rescues West, as well as the driver of the truck, before it explodes. The Flash explains himself to West, revealing that there's nothing going on between himself and Melanie.

From his pained expression upon telling West that Melanie called him "ordinary", West believes his sincerity. Back at home, the Flash and West decide that it's time for them to start a family. Unbeknownst to the happy couple, they are being observed by Yorkin, who is still lurking outside their bedroom window, Yorkin sees the Flash unmask, revealing him to be his enemy, Allen. A hit is ordered on Allen, to be carried out at a philanthropist's masquerade party. Detective Frank Curtis arrives at the Allen household, dressed as the Flash, for the masquerade. Curtis, Allen and West all leave together. Unbeknownst to them, Yorkin is in the trunk of their car.

Allen is called away from the dance floor, to take a phone call from the Chief of Detectives, Harvey Paulson. Stepping out on a balcony to smoke a cigarette, Curtis is attacked by Yorkin. Yorkin tears the Flash mask from Curtis' face. Upon seeing that this Flash is not Allen, Yorkin throws Curtis over the balcony. While getting a glass of punch, Allen is accosted by another party-goer, dressed as the Golden Age Sandman, who presses the barrel of his gun into Allen's shoulder. When Allen returns to the dance floor, he sees West dancing with a man dressed as the Green Lantern. Witnessing the man kiss his wife, Allen angrily confronts him, only to discover that he truly is his old friend, the real Green Lantern.

After congratulating them on their plans to start a family, the Green Lantern departs. Allen and West decide to explore the rest of the mansion. Allen is suddenly stricken with a wave of dizziness, as his heart starts racing. West goes to fetch Allen a glass of water. Allen hears a commotion, followed by West's screams. Allen staggers into the room, to find Yorkin standing over his wife's body. Yorkin flees. Allen attempts to revive West. Failing that, he lifts her up, with intentions of getting her to a hospital. Allen collapses. Curtis rushes into the room. A party-goer, dressed as Batman, tells Curtis that there's still time to get Allen to the hospital, but West is dead.

Notes:

This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Superman "Meets the Orbitrons!"

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)

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