Issue Description

A Stab In The Black!

Police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, watches a television news broadcast, on the Flash's recent battle with the Shade. Allen's father, Henry, returns home. The condition of Allen's comatose mother has not changed. Roy G. Bivolo, the notorious Rainbow Raider, literally paints himself invisible, to escape from prison. Allen's father holds a gun to his son's head, while Allen sleeps. Though it would be a simple matter to murder his son, Allan's father stays his hand, opting instead to make Allen suffer.

Allen's father rouses Allen from slumber. Another "Black & White Out" phenomena is occurring. Allen investigates, as the Flash. Bivolo steals a car. The Flash journeys to Keystone City, on Earth-2. There the "Black and White Out" phenomena manifests as bands of intense color, saturating the city. Having confirmed the Shade's story, the Flash returns to Central City, and Earth-1. The Flash agrees to team-up with the Shade, to solve the crisis. The Rainbow Raider stands upon a hillside, overlooking Central City.

Having absorbed all the color waves from Central City into an enormous prism, the Rainbow Raider bombards himself with the color waves. The Flash, with the Shade, discover the Rainbow Raider's Color Shifter, and Chromacolor Prism. The Rainbow Raider ambushes the Flash, hitting the Scarlet Speedster with a red beam that causes his molecules to start imploding. The Rainbow Raider reveals that he has succeeded in restoring his color vision.

The Flash uses the complete molecular control he holds over his own atoms, to reverse the effects of the Rainbow Raider's red beam. The Flash removes the Rainbow Raider's goggles, only to quickly learn that the Rainbow Raider no longer needs them to use his powers. The Flash is hit with an emerald hued beam, infusing his body with enormous, uncontrollable kinetic energy. While the Flash tries to burn the energy out of his system, the Shade takes the opportunity to strike.

The Flash suddenly becomes a living silhouette. The Rainbow Raider bathes the Flash in yellow energy, then switches to blue. The Shade's darkness field, however, protects the Flash from all of the Rainbow Raider's color wavelengths. The Flash beats the Rainbow Raider into unconsciousness, then shatters the Chromacolor Prism. The Shade, however, has escaped back to Earth-2. Allen's father receives a phone call from Police Captain Darryl Frye, inquiring as to Allen's whereabouts. Unbeknownst to either man, Allen, wrapped from head to toes in bandages, has, inexplicably, become a patient at the Morningside Clinic.

The Robbery

Bennie breaks into a wealthy couple's bedroom. Acting on information garnered from the maid, Bennie finds the safe, behind a picture, and opens it. Immediately, an alarm sounds. Bennie flees the scene, leaping into the getaway van. The driver, Sybil, tears off, with the police in hot pursuit. Sybil manages to lose the police, on the Triboro Bridge, when she veers off towards the East River Islands. At a toxic waste dumpsite, Bennie and Sybil steal one of the canisters, intending to extort money from the city for it.

Bennie feels the plan is somewhat outside of their wheelhouse, but Sybil convinces him to go through with it. Suddenly, their van begins floating in the air. Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, has transformed the van into a helium balloon. Firestrom delivers the two thieves to the nearest police precinct house. Firestorm then disposes of the canister of toxic waste. Had the two thieves not taken such a dangerous item, Firestorm would not have gotten involved. Bennie's fears, it seems, were justified.

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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