Issue Description

Dead Reckoning

Picture News reporter, Sue Stanton, reports on the death of Professor Zoom, the notorious Reverse Flash. Stanton interviews several guesst of the Allen-Webb wedding party, all witnesses to Professor Zoom's untimely demise. Away from reporters, inside the wedding chapel, the Flash tries to console the former bride-to-be, Fiona Webb. The Flash, as police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, had been forced to leave Webb standing at the altar, while he confronted his nemesis, Professor Zoom. Detective Frank Curtis confiscates the wedding video, as police evidence. The emotional toll of the day bears down heavily upon Webb. The Flash races her to a nearby hospital, where she suffers a complete emotional collapse.

Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang steal Professor Zoom's body from the police morgue. The Trickster steals Professor Zoom's costume from the police evidence lockup. The Rogues escape police pursuit in a giant flying boomerang. District Attorney, Anton Harvey, reviews the tape of Professor Zoom's death, at the hands of the Flash. To assuage his guilty conscience over being forced to kill Professor Zoom, the Flash steps up his lifesaving efforts in Central City. Kid Flash aids the Flash in stopping an experimental jet from crashing. Kid Flash convinces the Flash to take a respite. The Flash, as Allen, calls the hospital to check on Webb's condition. The Pied Piper, and the Weather Wizard, join the other Rogues in paying their last respects to Professor Zoom.

The Rogues are outraged that Professor Zoom would allow himself to be slain at the hands of the Flash, in full view of the public. The Rogues vent their rage on Professor Zoom's corpse, and costume, by unleashing all their myriad weapons upon it, in unison. Harvey decides to bring criminal charges against the Flash. Moving faster than the eye can see, the Flash visits Webb. The Flash, as Allen, assures a revived Webb that his desire to marry Webb is true. Webb falls back asleep. Allen, as the Flash, responds to an urgent summons from the police. Webb awakes to find the doctor standing over her. He assures her that no one has been to see her. The Flash is placed under arrest for manslaughter.

"Warning: Danger Ahead!"

Wally West awaits the arrival of Jill Manners. The copter shuttle's landing struts buckle, upon landing, tilting it's rotor blades towards the crowd. Moving faster than the naked eye can see, West spins the blades so fast, centrifugal force launch them into the sky. The intense friction heat of the spinning blades reduces them to ash. Manners, it turns out, was not on the copter shuttle. West and Manners retire to a coffee shop, where Manners reveals she has developed the power of precognition. Manners suddenly bolts from the coffee shop. West follows, as Kid Flash.

A stolen car comes barreling around the corner, jeopardizing people on the street. Kid Flash generates a wall of compressed air, at super-human speed, directly in front of the car. Kid Flash, as West, catches up with Manners. West takes Manners to Inferno, a local Punk Rock club. When Manners refuses to enter, West, as Kid Flash heads in to discern the problem. Suddenly, the ceiling begins to collapse. Kid Flash protects the crowds from the falling debris, given them time to evacuate without injury. Kid Flash, as West, promises to help Manners develop her newfound abilities.

The Flash (1959)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

The Flash Volume 1, (continued from Flash Comics).

House Ad

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)

Please first Sign In before leaving a review.

Status: Not in Collection