Issue Description

Can Barry escape from a deadly trap set by the Reverse-Flash? Plus, can the future hold the key to Iris' death?

Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash, has encased the Flash's feet in a pair of heavy matter boots, which are dragging the Flash to the Earth's core. As the Flash sinks from view, Professor Zoom taunts him with his knowledge of the identity of the Flash's wife's murderer. By vibrating his body at super-human speed, into intangibility, the Flash is able to survive the molten heat of the Earth's depths. The heat reaches such a high degree, that the heavy matter boots literally melt off the Flash's feet. The Flash allows himself to be swept along in the magma stream, until he is violently ejected to the surface.

Having tracked him by his Justice League of America signal device, the Green Lantern returns the Flash to Central City.Realizing that the identity of his wife's murderer is a matter of historical record, in Professor Zoom's time, the Flash uses his Cosmic Treadmill to travel to the 25th Century. His arrival causes a kind of traffic accident, one that the Flash is quick to resolve before anyone is injured. After consulting with the local authorities, the Flash visits the historical archives. Accessing the library's data banks, the Flash discovers that, even 500 years in the future, his wife's murder case remains unsolved.

Professor Zoom lied about his knowledge, sending the Flash off on a wild goose chase through time. On the run, for his role in a heroin smuggling operation, Central City police chief, Harvey Paulson, has taken his family to South America. Though San Velga has no extradition treaty with the United States of America, it offers no protection for Paulson from the Flash. The Scarlet Speedster forcibly grabs Paulson, in front of his family, and races him back to Central City. Though Paulson admits to his role in the heroin smuggling ring, he points the finger at another man, known only as "ZYX", as the true ringleader. At the precinct house, the Flash turns Paulson over to the authorities.

Paulson denies the Flash's accusations, but the Flash is quick to offer up a recording of his conversation with Paulson, while they were en route to Central City. Paulson erupts in fury, as he is led away in handcuffs. The Green Lantern checks in on the Flash, as he is leaving police headquarters. The Flash rudely brushes the Green Lantern off. Fearing that the Flash is suffering from another drug-fueled bout of insanity, the Green Lantern uses his ring to cage the Flash. The Flash easily steps through the bars of the power ring constructed prison, then reveals himself to be Professor Zoom. After belting the Green Lantern to the ground, Professor Zoom flees. The Flash races back through time, returning to the present day. The second the Flash materializes into his own era, the Cosmic Treadmill explodes.

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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