Issue Description

Cover by Carmine Infantino and Klaus Janson."Warday!" written by Cary Bates, penciled by Carmine Infantino, inked by Frank McLaughlin, colored by Carl Gafford and lettered by Ben Oda.

The Flash's Rogues Gallery have abducted a mentally-handicapped monster of a man, and outfitted him with armor and armaments. The Rogues dub him "Big Sir". The Trickster, using the Flash's boots, stolen from the Flash Museum, sets up a false trail, seemingly left by the Flash. Upon waking, Big Sir sees the five Rogues laid out, unconscious, before him. Defense Attorney, Cecile Horton, interviews Doctor Henry and Nora Allen. The Allens recount their perception of the series of events that led up to the Flash killing Professor Zoom, the notorious Reverse Flash.

At the Breedmore Mental Hospital, the Flash speaks with Hartley Rathaway's doctor. Rathaway, as the Pied Piper, suffered a complete nervous breakdown, during his last confrontation with the Flash. The doctor assures the Flash, that the Scarlet Speedster had nothing to do with Rathaway's condition. Rathaway was, clearly, a ticking time bomb.The Flash inquires about the hospital escapee, Dufus P. Ratchet. Unbeknownst to the Flash, Ratchet was abducted by Captain Cold, and cast in the role of Big Sir, by the Rogues. The Rogues explain the situation to Big Sir.

The Rogues had been in battle with the Flash, when Big Sir came to their rescue. The Flash got the better of Big Sir, then took down the Rogues. Upon leaving the battlefield, the Flash trampled a small mouse. The death of the tiny rodent enrages Big Sir. After burying the mouse, Big Sir vows to punish the Flash for his callous actions. A psychic, Norris Dreed, using a ring, once worn by long-missing police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, believes he can find Allen. Dreed calls Police Captain, Darryl Frye, to report on his progress.

The Rogues scour Central City, in search of the Flash. The Weather Wizard keeps Big Sir obscured, by a torrential rainstorm, to maintain the element of surprise. On board the Monitor's satellite, Lyla, and the Monitor, discuss the Rogues' novel usage of the armor, and armaments, provided to them, by the Monitor. Horton, and the District Attorney, begin selecting jurors, for the Flash's upcoming manslaughter trial. The Flash confronts Captain Cold. The Rogues rush to get Big Sir into the fight. To fuel Big Sir's fury, and hatred for the Flash, the Weather Wizard shows Big Sir a photograph.

The picture shows the Flash "grave robbing" the mouse's corpse from Big Sir's burial mound. Just as the Flash punches Captain Cold into unconsciousness, Big Sir arrives on the scene. Big Sir floors the Flash with a spiked energy ball. Unable to vibrate away from the spiked energy balls, the Flash takes refuge behind a wall. Big Sir punches through the wall, knocking the Flash unconscious. The Rogues watch, gleefully, as Big Sir leaps into the air with the Flash's body. Big Sir intends to take the Flash somewhere private, where he can punish the Flash with no interruptions.

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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