DC decided that the new Silver Age Flash was a success in his Showcase try-outs and gives him his own magazine in Flash #105 (December 1958). This happens to be exactly 10 years after the Golden Age Flash magazine was cancelled, and DC decided to keep the series numbering. This issue marks the debut of […]
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The Flash gains another rogue villain in Showcase #13 (January 1958): Mr. Element. In his youth, Albert Desmond became obsessed with elements, so naturally he turned to a life of crime. In order to beat the flash he designed a costume with the emblem of the carbon atom, and an atmosphere filter to only breathe […]
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In Showcase #8 (March 1957), the Flash returns and his “rogues gallery” begins with the introduction of Captain Cold. Len Snart, an “ambitious crook”, wants a weapon capable of defeating the Flash. By using a cyclotron, he turns his gun into a cold weapon and after abandoning several names (Mr Arctic, The Cold Wave, Sub-Zero, […]
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Comic book historians like to call the appearance of the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen) in Showcase #4 (July 1956) the beginning of the Silver Age of Comic Books. From my standpoint, having gone through the first twenty years of superhero comic books, I don’t think there is single defining moment. I believe the Silver […]
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January 1956 brings a new DC mag called “Showcase” to the stands. Showcase’s ostensible concept was to feature requested stories from readers in a “try-out” period. This first issue features stories about a regular fireman called “Fireman Farrell”. Later, of course, Showcase very soon would be used to feature new superheroes like the Challengers of […]
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In Adventure Comics #207 (October 1954), Johnny Quick has his last adventure of the 1950s, making him the last Golden Age superhero DC retires in this tail end of the superhero decline. It’s a forgettable tale (other than force-feeding his sidekick Tubby Watts hamburgers to drown his heartache), but it does mean that DC will […]
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The last appearance of the Justice Society for more than ten years occurs in All-Star Comics #57 (December 1950) with “The Mystery of the Vanishing Detectives”. It’s mostly a bland story about a crime syndicate boss named The Key, but I did find it interesting that a panel featuring Wonder Woman’s invisible plane describes it […]
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In All-Star Comics #50 (October 1949), it is established for the first time that the members of the Justice Society of America know each other’s secret identities. Jay Garrick (The Flash) and his college classmates had written down their ambitions a decade before with their professor, and one of the classmates had decided to become […]
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In Flash Comics #104 (December 1948), the Rival makes his first appearance. Though he is not the first evil speedster, he is the first recurring evil speedster and the first to style himself after The Flash. Dr. Edward Clariss worked on a chemical formula to give himself temporary superspeed after learning that the Flash was […]
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In All-Flash #32 (October 1947), two new Golden Age villains are introduced in two different stories: The Fiddler and Star Sapphire. This brings the number of enduring DC villains introduced in 1947 to at least eight. The Fiddler was a criminal who was imprisoned in India and learned the mysteries of Indian music from a […]
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