Even if you’ve not read any comics, you’re probably aware that The Flash can run fast. Really, really fast. The name itself pretty much gives that away, but the character has also won its way into the public consciousness through a few mixed quality TV series over the years. Like most DC characters, my first comic experience with The Flash was the New 52 series a couple of years ago. I had a strange relationship with the 16 or so comics I read, never particularly looking forward to them, but enjoying them well enough once I started reading. I think my hesitation came not from an aversion to the character or the quality of the stories or art, but simply because other much darker series such as Animal Man, Batman and Swamp Thing were more to my tastes. I approached Bronze Age Flash with similar, perhaps unwarranted, reservations. Was I won over? Read on to find out…
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The Flash Issues #245 to #256
Like Green Lantern, The Flash name has been connected to more than one man over time. The original Golden Age version was named Jay Garrick, and was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert way back in Flash Comics #1, dated January 1940 (just two years after Superman kicked off the superhero craze). When Garrick, a college student, accidentally inhaled heavy water vapours in his laboratory, he gained superhuman speed. This early version of the character didn’t have the vast array of abilities that later Flash’s do, but he could vibrate his molecules in such a way that his face would be blurry in photographs, making it hard for anyone to prove his identity. The Flash proved very popular, and soon readers could follow his adventures in Flash Comics, All-Flash Quarterly, Comic Cavalcade and All-Star Comics. In the latter series, The Flash was a member of the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. Sadly, the Golden Age character suffered the same fate that befell the vast majority of superheroes in the post-war years. It was cancelled due to a lack of interest.
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Flash Comics #1: Fleeter than the rapidity of thought? That’s quick!
One of the things that The Flash is most famous for is ushering in the Silver Age of comic books. In the mid fifties, DC decided to relaunch some of their non-active Golden Age characters, albeit in a different form. The Flash was the first to be given the treatment, with Jay Garrick replaced by Barry Allen. This second version of The Flash first appeared in Showcase #4, dated October 1956. Allen, a police scientist, gained his super-speed when lightning struck a shelf containing chemicals in the lab he was working in. Rather uniquely, Allen called himself The Flash in tribute to his hero Jay Garrick, who he’d read about in comics as a child. A few Showcase issues later and this Silver Age Flash appeared in the revived Flash Comics, resuming the series with issue #105. DC followed their successful re-introduction of the character with other new incarnations, and a new superhero team, the Justice League of America, was formed (with The Flash once again playing a major role).
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Showcase #4: The origin of Barry Allen’s Flash
Issue #123 of The Flash (dated September 1961) is generally considered to be a landmark comic for DC. It was this comic that introduced the concept of a DC multiverse, separating Golden Age and Silver Age characters. For example, Golden Age Superman comics followed the adventures of the Earth Two Superman, whereas Silver Age Superman existed on Earth One. They’re both Superman, but they’re not the same person. This idea was introduced when Barry West performed a rope climbing trick whilst entertaining children in Issue #123. He vibrated his molecules in such a way that he accidentally crossed dimensions into Earth Two (it’s worth noting that it wasn’t called that in this story). Realising he was in Keystone City, which he recognised from reading Flash Comics, Barry got in touch with Jay Garrick, resulting in the first meeting between two DC character incarnations. The effects of this storyline by Gardner Fox were massive, and the multiverse concept is now a normal and often-used idea in the DC Universe.
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The Flash #123: Flash of Two Worlds
OK, so where did I jump onto the Flash series? The answer is Issue #245. Technically #246 was the first 1977 dated issue, but that would have meant starting halfway through a storyline. I was surprised to discover that both #245 and #246 included separate Flash and Green Lantern stories, particularly as I’d already RetroSmacked a Green Lantern series released at the same time. A little bit of research revealed that The Flash and Green Lantern had shared this title since Green Lantern was cancelled back in 1972. Now that Green Lantern had been given his own comic again, I just happened to jump onto Flash for its very last Green Lantern storyline. The thing that really struck me when reading these two issues was that I enjoyed the Green Lantern entries more than the headlining Flash. Denny O’Neil’s environmentally conscious tale of Green Lantern’s struggle with Jason Woodrue’s Floronic Man was intriguing, and the artwork by Dick Dillin and Terry Austin superior to the efforts of Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin on The Flash. I was actually quite disappointed when I realised the Scarlet Speedster (that’s Flash’s nickname) was going to have full billing for the remainder of the year.
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I’m not surprised that Denny O’Neil was given the opportunity to revive Green Lantern’s own series on the strength of his work in The Flash.
My disappointment was short-lived though, as the extra breathing space must have energised writer Cary Bates and the two aforementioned artists. I soon forgot Green Lantern altogether, being thoroughly entertained by Bates’ off the wall storylines and the much improved pencils of Novick. It quickly became apparent that Bates was a master of slowly developing subplots that gain impetus as soon as major storylines reach their conclusion. Characters are introduced seemingly at random, only to seamlessly play a critical role two or three issues later. It gives the series terrific continuity, but must have involved significant long term planning. During the ten standalone issues I read, The Flash was confronted by the Master Villain (a young boy’s illustration given life by a nasty alien visitor), the Golden Glider (the sister of Captain Cold seeking revenge for The Flash’s recent killing of her boyfriend The Top), The Molder (a disguised Elongated Man turned evil by drinking his power-giving liquid whilst moving at superspeed in the arms of The Flash), and Mazdan (an enemy from the future that has the ability to alter The Flash’s reality, causing him to fight villains that aren’t there…or are they?). Throughout all this, members of the longstanding Rogue’s Gallery move in and out, including Trickster, Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard and Pied Piper.
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Since the Master Villain has the mind of a child, he shouts insults as classic as “Poo-poo to you, Mr. Superspeed!”
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Apparently one of The Flash’s enemies, The Top, was killed shortly before I started reading. The effects of this event are felt throughout the 1977 run.
There were some truly memorable moments in this run that really caught me by surprise. In #249, The Flash was desperately trying to outrun the deadly fist of Master Villain. His solution? Run to Metropolis and find Clark Kent, vibrate his molecules to pass through him undetected, causing the fist to harmlessly collide with the back of Superman’s neck. Brilliant! Then in #254, The Flash is drawn to a remote location by Mirror Master, only to walk in on the “Rogue’s Gallery Convention ‘77”. The Rogues are a strange bunch, similar to the odd collection of villains found in Gotham City, with the main difference being that these guys have a moral code that doesn’t allow the taking of drugs or murder (it seems they would make an exception for The Flash mind you). I had to laugh when they stood up and applauded our hero, giving him a Roscoe Award in recognition of his continual harassment over the years. Of course it turned out to be a trick, but it was handled in such a funny way that the real applause should go to Cary Bates. It’s this sort of light hearted fun that makes it easy to forgive the outrageousness of it all, not to mention the atrocious use of science. In every issue there is some explanation that goes against the very laws of physics, but then The Flash himself is based on ideas so preposterous that taking it further seems almost logical. This run of comics was surprisingly enjoyable, and I’ll be back for more next year.
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I really, really enjoyed this moment, especially Superman’s reaction.
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Check out what Mazdan says in pane 4. Lines like this somehow make all the typical comic book tropes so much more acceptable.
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The Flash (1977) RetroCard has now been added to the RetroCard Shop. It’s an uncommon card, so therefore costs 30 smacks and has a limited release of 60.
Featured Image Credit: Wallpaper via Trendy Wallpapers (original source unknown)
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