Issue Description

World-famous trial lawyer, N. D. Redik, picks up a copy of the National Penetrator. Redik continues to espouse his belief that without Redik representing him, the Flash will lose his trial for manslaughter. The Flash reflects on all the things that are going wrong in his life. High-priced hair stylist, J.J. Munro, is incapacitated by the Pied Piper. Posing as Munro's assistant, the Pied Piper keeps Munro's appointment to cut the Mayor's hair. Police Captain Darryl Frye's wife chastises him for bringing work home. Frye is informed of a hostage situation, and leaves the breakfast table. One of the Flash's costume rings, currently in Frye's possession, is batted off the counter, to the floor, by Frye's cat.

While cutting the Mayor's hair, the Pied Piper places a micro sonic device around the Mayor's ear, placing him under the Pied Piper's control. The Flash visits his former attorney, Peter Farley, in the hospital. The Flash questions Farley regarding his law partner, Cecile Horton, and her hatred for the Flash. Farley refuses to break his confidence with Horton. Mayor Gene Pinchot tours the Flash Museum, assessing the damage. Dexter Myles, the curator, asks the mayor for funding to restore the museum. Pinchot decides against it, shocking his city council members. Horton expresses her intent to get the case against the Flash dismissed, by showing the District Attorney, slides of the Flash's numerous rescues.

The District Attorney is certain the case will not be dismissed. Frye's cat triggers the hidden spring on the Flash costume ring, releasing the compressed costume. The cat drags the costume under the couch, to maul it. Myles receives word that Pinchot has refused to allocate funds to restore the Flash Museum. When word reaches the Flash, he becomes deeply distraught, to the chagrin of his attorney, Horton. The editor of the National Penetrator tells his top reporter to keep the Flash's story on the front page. The Flash rescues a pair of falling window washers. Despite citizen outcry, Pinchot defends his decision to deny the Flash Museum the necessary restoration funds.

The Flash angrily confronts Pinchot. A police officer flags the Flash down, with an urgent radio message for him. The caller informs the Flash that a bomb had been planted under the desk of anchorman, Rick Trent. The bomb is set to go off, at that very moment. The Flash races across town, to the television news stuidios. With Trent on the air, the Flash rushes in, and hammers the news desk to splinters. When no bomb is found, the Flash realizes that he's been played for a fool, in front of millions, on network television. Unbeknownst to the Flash, the man who has played him for a fool, is his arch-nemesis, the Pied Piper.

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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