Issue Description

"Colonel Computron Strikes Back--With A Vengeance"

Police Captain Darryl Frye, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, and Detective Frank Curtis, are in attendance at W.W. Wiggins' son's birthday party. As Willard, Jr. attempts to blow out the candles on his monstrous birthday cake, it suddenly splits open, revealing Colonel Computron. Curtis fires on Colonel Computron, while Frye radios for back-up. Colonel Computron grabs Wiggins. Allen, as the Flash, steals Wiggins away from Colonel Computron.

Colonel Computron grabs the Flash, who immediately begins vibrating their molecules at super-human speed. Colonel Computron retaliates by releasing computer-generated pulse missiles. Only by maintaining his super-speed vibrations, is the Flash able to survive the steady barrage, from the pulse missiles. After fleeing proves futile, the Flash uses a spinning maneuver to force the pulse missiles to collide with one another. By the time the Flash returns to Wiggins' estate, as Allen, Colonel Computron is gone.

At home, watching a news reports on Colonel Computron's latest attack, Basil and Francine Nurblin continue to accuse one another of being Colonel Computron. Their argument is interrupted by their daughter, Luna, returning home from college. Allen discovers a crystalline residue in the grass, that only he can see, due to his super-speed enhanced perception. Analyzing the substance in the police laboratory, Allen believes he may have found a way to track Colonel Computron.

Digger Harkness, the notorious Captain Boomerang, arrives in Central City. Wiggins is addressing the crowds at the New Toy Symposium, when he is attacked by remote-controlled, flying "General Computron" toys. The Flash arrives to discover Wiggins being carried away, inside of a stasis field, generated by the "General Computron" toys. Before the Flash can reach him, Wiggins is rescued by Captain Boomerang. The Flash is attacked by the "General Computron" toys.

Captain Boomerang offers to protect Wiggins from Colonel Computron, to honor a debt he feels he owes to Wiggins. The Flash destroys the "General Computron" toys. The Flash attacks Captain Boomerang. Captain Boomerang uses the centrifugal force of the Flash's spinning attack to launch himself into the air. The Flash reveals to Wiggins that Colonel Computron is one of Wiggins employees. Colonel Computron attacks Captain Boomerang. Colonel Computron offers to kill the Flash, in exchange for Captain Boomerang's betrayal of Wiggins.

American Gothic

Kent Nelson, staring into the Orb of Nabu, sees a series of cataclysms, occurring across the Earth. Nelson determines that the source of the potential crisis to come can be found in Iowa. Despite his wife Inza's protestations, Nelson goes to investigate, as Doctor Fate. Vern Copeland, the curator of the Boston Museum of Natural History, seeks to get in contact with Nelson. In an Iowa cornfield, Doctor Fate is drawn to a single ear of corn, embedded with a scarlet gemstone. Doctor Fate is floored by a powerful burst of mystic energy from the gem.

Upon recovery, he is accosted by the owner of the cornfield, who levels a shotgun on Doctor Fate. Doctor Fate paralyzes the farmer with a spell of immobility. Surprisingly, as soon as Doctor Fate turns away from the farmer, he is shot in the back. The mystic force blasting forth from the barrel of the shotgun, overwhelms all of Doctor Fate's mystic defenses. hurling Doctor Fate into another dimension. Inza takes the call from Copeland, and agrees to meet with him, regarding giving a lecture at the museum. The farmer reveals himself to be something more than human, as Doctor Fate plummets through dimensions.

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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