Issue Description

"A Deadly Shade of Peril!"

Police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, races out, as the Flash, before Captain Daryl Frye, and Patty Spivot, enter the forensics laboratory. Allen's father, Henry, is accosted in the hospital parking lot, by the young man that, accidentally, ran the Allen's off the road, putting Henry's wife into a coma. The Flash, as Allen, meets with his father. The doctor informs them that there has been no change in Mrs. Allen's condition. Suddenly, all the color drains from the room. Allen investigates, as the Flash.

The whole of Central City is affected by the strange phenomena. The Flash prevents several traffic accidents, caused by driver's lack of depth perception, due to the strange "Black and White Out". The Flash saves a group of children, playing in the park, from being hit by a broken helicopter rotor. As suddenly as it began, the phenomena ends. The Flash, as Allen, returns to work, where he is accosted by Frye. Expecting to be dressed down, Allen is surprised when Frye shows sympathy for Allen's situation.

Allen looks in on the current whereabouts of Roy G. Bivolo, the notorious Rainbow Raider. Allen, as the Flash, checks in on Bivolo, at a minimum security installation, just outside of Central City. The Flash is assured that Bivolo had nothing to do with the strange color draining phenomena. Unable to sleep, Allen is wide awake when the phenomena resumes. Allen investigates, again, as the Flash. A bolt of ebony lightning heralds the arrival of the Shade in Central City.

The Flash charges the Shade, only to be trapped within a swirling portal of abject darkness. Playing for time, the Flash inquires as to why the Shade has made the trip, between dimensions, to Earth-1. The Shade was about to embark on another crime spree, in Keystone City, when his weaponry was neutralized by intense bands of color, manifesting throughout the city. The Shade tracked the phenomena back to Earth-1. While the Shade has been talking, the Flash has been vibrating his molecules, at super-human speed, to work out an escape from the portal.

The Flash launches the Shade across Central City, like a missile. By the time the Flash catches up with the Shade, only his Ebony Cane remains. The Shade's voice emanates from the Ebony Cane. The Shade proposes that he and the Flash team-up, to resolve the issues created by the strange phenomena, as they affect them both. Bivolo reveals himself to be the culprit behind the phenomena. Allen's father plots his own son's death.

The Multiplex Complex

Inexplicably, Professor Martin Stein is in control of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, with Ronald Raymond acting as his subconscious. Stein has little time to consider the situation, as he is under attack from Multiplex. Firestorm flees from his old enemy. Raymond reminds Steins that Multiplex is out to steal the prototype for a new radar guidance system. Reluctantly, Stein, as Firestorm, returns to the battle. Firestorm uses his nuclear-powered blasts to pop Mulitiplex's duplicates like soap bubbles.

While Firestorm is distracted with one group of duplicates, a second group ambushes him from behind, rendering him unconscious. Multiplex succeeds in taking the prototype, while also taking Firestorm captive. Firestorm uses his power to re-arrange molecules to easily escape his bonds. Firestorm binds Multiplex with power cables, that drain the energy from him, forcing him to recombine. With Multiplex subdued, Stein states his preference for Raymond being in control of Firestorm, with Stein as the subconscious guide.

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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