Issue Description

The Flash scours the streets of Central City, searching for his friend, Al Desmond. Captain Darryl Frye brings the officers of the Central City Police Department up to date on Desmond's criminal alter-ego, Doctor Alchemy. The Flash, as police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, joins them to discuss Doctor Alchemy's weapon, the Philosopher's Stone. After work, Allen calls on his neighbor, the mysterious beauty, Fiona Webb. Refusing to open the door for Allen, Webb informs him that she has filed a formal complaint with the police, regarding his continued harassment. Allen is called away from Webb's door by Troy Nathan, the son of another of Allen's neighbors, Mack Nathan.

Troy draws Allen's attention to a television newscast. The S.T.A.R Labs facility that Troy's father works at has undergone a terrifying transformation. Allen investigates, as the Flash. Arriving on the scene, the Flash batters down the sealed doors, allowing the scientists to evacuate the building. The Flash aids in the evacuation, clearing the skyscraper, floor by floor. Finally, the Flash comes across Nathan, and his laboratory assistant, on the top floor. Nathan informs the Flash that the building's steel skeleton has been transformed into industrial rubber. With the building clear, the Flash races around and around the facility, creating a powerful updraft, that keeps the structure erect.

After over a quarter of an hour has passed, the building's infrastructure reverts to normal. An exhausted Flash learns that Doctor Alchemy conducted a robbery, a mere three blocks away, during the crisis. In a cave on the outskirts of Central City, a paralyzed Desmond listens to the words of the new Doctor Alchemy. This man, too, is also named Al Desmond. Astonishingly, the two Desmonds are astral twins. Though thousands of miles apart, both men were born on the same day, at the same time, to parents with the exact same names. Both men grew up with a deep fascination for chemistry. Both men were plagued by powerful criminal urges.

While Desmond channeled his criminal desires into two costumed alter-egos, first as Mister Element, then later as Doctor Alchemy, Desmond's twin sought therapy. The two Desmonds were also strangely connected by their criminal impulses. When Desmond was acting as either Mister Element, or Doctor Alchemy, his twin found it easy to walk the straight and narrow. During the periods of time when Desmond was considered to be rehabilitated, his twin was overwhelmed with the need to commit criminal acts. When at last the therapy and pharmaceuticals failed to keep his criminal urges in check, Desmond's twin used their psychic link to unearth the Philosopher Stone's hiding place.

Donning the guise of Doctor Alchemy, Desmond's twin set out to frame him for the new crimes of Doctor Alchemy. Even going so far as to hypnotize Desmond's wife, Rita, so that she would not back up Desmond's alibi. A mound of sulfur appears in Central City Park. The Flash arrives to investigate the situation. Having drawn the Flash out, Doctor Alchemy uses the Philosopher's Stone to transform the water molecules making up the Flash's body into water vapor. As the Flash begins to rapidly evaporate, Doctor Alchemy reveals his true face to the Flash. Using his complete molecular control of his body, the Flash begins agitating his molecules to generate heat.

The Flash collides with another cloud. The Flash's warm mass coupled with the cold mass of the cloud, generates a storm cloud, that pulls the Flash's molecules together. Then, astoundingly, it literally rains the Flash. Now knowing that his friend is actually innocent, the Flash sets out to track down Doctor Alchemy. Doctor Alchemy returns to his hidden cave lair to find Desmond gone. In a seedy hotel, Desmond suits up in his old Mister Element costume. His intentions... unknown.

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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