Issue Description

Convinced that the Flash is really missing police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, defense attorney, Cecile Horton, unmasks the Flash, in open court. The face Horton reveals, however, is not that of Barry Allen. A tabloid reporter is quick to photograph the Flash's unmasked face, but the Flash is even quicker in pulling his mask back down. Fiona Webb, Allen's bride-to be, has an emotional collapse, during the unmasking, brought on by the belief that the long-missing Allen was present. Horton's epic blunder threatens to completely derail any chance the Flash has at an acquittal. Horton discuses her mistake with her assistant, Dwayne.

Horton had spied on the home of Allen's parents, Doctor Henry and Nora. Horton saw Mrs. Allen handing the Flash's costume to a man Horton presumed was Allen. It never occurred to Horton that the Flash might just be a close personal friend of the Allens. The Flash checks on Webb, at the Breedmore Mental Hospital. Despite her relapse at the courthouse, Webb seems to be recovering quickly. If the mere mention of Allen's name is enough to send Webb into another nervous breakdown, Webb's doctor hopes that the long missing Allen never appears again. During rounds, the Breedmore medical staff checks on their most famous patient, Hartley Rathaway, the notorious Pied Piper.

As part of his therapy, Rathaway has been asked to overhaul the hospital public address system. Rathaway's sonic "improvements" to the system, allow him to render the entire hospital staff, as well as all the patients, unconscious. Rathaway dons his costume, then departs the hospital.The Pied Piper's escape is stopped by Professor Zoom. The sight of the, supposedly, dead Reverse Flash shatters the Pied Piper's already fragile mind. The Breedmore medical staff awake to find the Pied Piper back in his cell, laughing hysterically. The Flash has a private conversation with Horton. The Flash reveals that Horton was, in fact, correct. The Flash is Barry Allen.

After an attack from Big Sir destroyed his face, the Flash ran to Gorilla City, where his injuries were treated, and he was given a new countenance. The Flash decided not to restore his original features, feeling that, for all intents and purposes, regardless of the outcome of the trial, his life as Barry Allen was over. The Flash asks Horton not to reveal his secret identity, regardless of whether or not said knowledge would win his court case. Wishing to spare Webb any further distress, the Flash deems it necessary to allow "Allen" to remain absent. A chartered bus, carrying the twelve jurors of the Flash's trial, is knocked into the river.

Only one juror, Nathan Newbury, doesn't panic. Newbury seems absolutely certain the jurors will not perish. The Flash rescues the jurors, without ever letting on that he was involved in saving them. A purse thief has the misfortune of stealing a woman's bag right in front of Police Captain, Darryl Frye. Captain Frye gives chase, cornering the thief in an alley. As Frye rounds the corner, he finds himself face to face with Professor Zoom. The Reverse Flash has beaten the thief into unconsciousness. Turning the crook over to Frye, Professor Zoom passes along a death threat, for the Flash.

Notes:

"Guest Meanwhile.." a tribute to Ben Oda by Andy Helfer.

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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