Issue Description

One More Blip... and You're Dead!

Police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, attends young Troy Nathan's birthday party. Allen gives Nathan a "Captain Computron" toy. Willard Wiggins, the owner of the Wiggins Toy Corporation, awards the toy's designer, Basil Nerblin, a cash bonus. Nerblin's wife, Francine, is outraged that Nerblin has been given, and accepted, such a paltry sum for his brilliance. That night, a digital being exits Nathan's "Captain Computron" toy. Alerted to the noise, Nathan's father, Mack, confronts the strange being, and is subdued. The sound of an explosion brings Allen running, as the Flash.

After dousing the flames in Nathan's apartment, the Flash takes off after the digital intruder.The Flash loses the trail, at a street lamp, where the strange creature converted itself into pure electricity, to escape. Allen is asked to fix the "Captain Computron" toy, as it has ceased to function. Allen discovers a cluster of micro-components that seem to serve no function in the toy. Allen receives a call from the toy's seller. The toy purchased for Nathan was actually a special model, meant for Wiggins' son. Allen agrees to bring the toy back.

His suspicions raised, Allen decides to investigate the matter, as the Flash. Wiggins discovers Colonel Computron waiting for him, in his den. Wiggins is abducted. The Flash discovers the break-in at Wiggins. and tracks him back to the International Toy Symposium. Colonel Computron brings Wiggins before a gigantic video game screen. Colonel Computron levels a strange weapon at Wiggins, only to have the Flash take the shot. The Flash is digitized, reappearing on the video screen.

Transformed into living electronic impulses, the Flash is bereft of his super-human speed, and under assault from Colonel Computron's digital minions. Using his complete control over his own molecular structure, the Flash is able to escape from the video screen, and rematerialize back into flesh and blood. Colonel Computron flees. The Flash frees Wiggins. Nerblin jokingly accuses his wife of being Colonel Computron, when, in all likelihood, Nerblin, himself, is the Flash's newest adversary.

The Heart is the Hunter

Doreen Day is accosted by the Hyena, in her sister's bedroom. Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, tackles the Hyena, and the two begin fighting. At the sound of Day's parents, outside the bedroom door, the Hyena flees. Firestorm hands Summer Day's diary over to her father, then takes off in pursuit of the Hyena. Reading Summer's diary, the Day family learn that Summer, is, in fact, the Hyena. Summer's father, Bert, had always resented Summer, simply for the fact that she was not a boy. Summer excelled in many activities trying to win her father's love, eventually following him into the police force.

When Summer failed the academy, the disappointment in her father's eyes drove her into a rage. After destroying all of her trophies, Summer joined the Peace Corps, ending up in Africa. One night, Summer was drawn to a native's distress. Investigating, Summer was bitten by the man. Responding to her screams, the camp guide discovered a were-hyena standing over Summer, and gunned it down. Shortly after returning to the states, Summer suffered her first transformation into the Hyena. Summer tried to exercise self-control over her bestial mind by attacking criminals. Her hatred for her father, though, transferred her rage to all police officers, too.

As the Hyena, Summer was just as likely to attack cops, as she was crooks. The Days had Summer committed to a psychiatric facility in Arizona, but the doctors believed her stories of transforming into a were -hyena to be delusions. The Day family is horrified at the revelations brought to light in Summer's diary. Firestorm engages the Hyena in combat, near Central Park. Using his atomic restructuring powers, Firestorm uses a bit of psychological warfare, to convince the Hyena that her family loves her. With her rage abated, the Hyena transforms back into Summer, who is taken to a hospital, her future...uncertain.

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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