January 16, 2017 by jerrymcmullen - 5 Comments

Showcase Presents Showcase Vol. 1

First Published: July 2012

Contents: Showcase #1 (March-April 1956) to #21 (July-August 1959)

Key Creator Credits: Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Jack Kirby, John Broome, Otto Binder, Ruben Moreira, Al Plastino, Wayne Boring, Jerry Coleman, Dave Wood, Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, Jack Miller

Key First Appearances: Barry Allen/The Flash, Iris West, Challengers of the Unknown (Rocky Davis, Prof Haley, Ace Morgan, Red Ryan, June Robbins), Captain Cold, Mr. Element/Doctor Alchemy, Space Ranger, Cryll, Myra Mason, Adam Strange, Alanna, Sardath, Rip Hunter, Jeff Smith, Bonnie Baxter, Corky Baster

Overview: In 1956, DC introduced a brand new book that helped revolutionize the comic book industry. Following in the footsteps of The Brave and the Bold, the new comic Showcase promised to feature new characters each and every issue, based on the requests from the readers. That last part may have lasted for an issue or two before it quickly became a try-out book for new features and concepts that would become the foundation of the DC Universe.

The Flash was the first big character introduced in Showcase, which was a revitalization of the Golden Age Flash concept set in (then) modern times. Barry Allen is a police scientist who was bathed in chemicals during a lightning strike that imbued him with super-speed. The Flash made four appearances in Showcase before moving into his own title, and later becoming a founding member of the Justice League.
The Challengers of the Unknown are four adventurers that survive a plane crash and vow to work together now that they are living on borrowed time. The Challengers would have four appearances in Showcase before moving on to their own title.
Lois Lane had been a long-time member of the Superman supporting cast, but this was the first time she was featured in her own stories. These two appearances led to her own title, Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane.
Adam Strange is a man caught between two worlds, traveling between Earth and the far distant planet Rann. Adam Strange uses his science knowledge to help save Rann from multiple threats. After three appearances in Showcase, Adam Strange would become the lead feature in Mystery in Space.
Rip Hunter has built a time bubble which allows him to travel to any era in history. With a team of loyal friends, Rip leveraged four appearances in Showcase to graduate into his own title.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: This is a no-brainer. This is an absolute must read for any comic book historian, just to see the hit after hit coming out every other month in this title. Obviously, most of these issues are reprinted in other volumes, but this is a great collection to sample the early adventures of these heroes without having to buy the five other books.

If you like this volume, try: reading some more stories on Space Ranger, the one main character introduced in this volume that did not earn his own Showcase Presents collection. Track down some old issues of Tales of the Unexpected. From issues #40 (August 1959) to #82 (April-May 1964), the Space Ranger was featured in this book. Following that long run, he became a secondary character that would pop-up in random comics when a DC character needed to encounter a familiar face in deep space.

October 17, 2016 by jerrymcmullen - 2 Comments

Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 4

First Published: October 2012

Contents: The Flash #162 (June 1966) to #184 (December 1968)

Key Creator Credits: John Broome, Carmine Infantino, Gardner Fox, Ross Andru, Frank Robbins, Cary Bates, and others

Key First Appearances: Julie Schwartz

Story Continues From: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 3

Overview: DC Comics published 124 Showcase Presents volumes over the last 10+ years. These volumes covered much of the Silver Age and Bronze Age covering all aspects of the DC Universe. If I had to narrow down my reading adventures to just one volume that best represents the potential of DC Comics, it would be this volume, which has a little bit of everything in the collection. This is Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 4.

On the surface, this is a fast-paced (pun intended) superhero comic book. You have a true hero, in and out of the red tights, who fights a never-ending battle against a colorful assortment of costumed villains. But The Flash goes beyond the superhero concept. This is a great science fiction title, as the title hero can travel between dimensions. As always, the stories are filled with science facts, making it a learning tool for the reader. Finally, this may be a stretch, but the romance between Barry and Iris is true and would match up to the stories found in Young Love.

This volume contains so many memorable moments that helped shape the DC Universe. We get the wedding of Barry and Iris, which is nearly interrupted by Professor Zoom. We get one of the earliest races between the Flash and Superman, trying to determine who the fastest man alive is. Another Earth is visited, and we finally see a face to go with a familiar name from the credits page. As always, there are some Kid Flash short stories, we get a crossover appearance by Green Lantern, and so much more.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: I really like how this title was always moving forward when other titles were happy maintaining the status quo. This volume sees Barry and Iris finally tie the not, and Barry reveals his secret identity to his wife. Over in the Superman books, a Superman-Lois marriage would only be considered as an imaginary story. I do like these stories, even following the shake-up in the mid-1960s when Broome, Fox and Infantino left the title. Newcomer Cary Bates would have a long run with the Flash’s friends and foes.

Welcome to Earth-Prime!: The Flash comic helped re-introduce the Justice Society characters as still alive and well, but living in an alternate world designated as Earth-2. In issue #179, we are introduced to a new world that would become known as Earth-Prime. On this world, there are no superheroes. In fact, superheroes are only found in the comic books. The Flash travels to New York City to meet DC Comics Editor Julie Schwartz, who is the one person on this Earth most likely to believe the Flash’s story and help him return to Earth-1.

Footnotes: The Flash #169 and #178 are reprint issues. The covers are included in this collection.

If you like this volume, try: the Superman vs. The Flash trade paperback collection from 2005. DC fans for years had debated over which hero is the fastest man alive, Superman or the Flash. Beginning in 1967, we saw a pair of races in each of the characters’ main titles (Superman #199 and The Flash #175). Neither race was conclusive, so it led to future races across multiple books. This trade collects many of those race stories from the Silver and Bronze Ages. The book sports a spectacular Alex Ross cover. So want to know who is faster? Read this trade and find out for yourself.

May 23, 2016 by jerrymcmullen - 0 comments

Showcase Presents The Trial of the Flash

First Published: August 2011

Contents: The Flash #323 (July 1983) to #327 (November 1983), #329 (January 1984) to #336 (August 1984), and #340 (December 1984) to #350 (October 1985)

Key Creator Credits: Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino

Key First Appearances: Anton Harvey, Peter Farley, Nicholis Redik, Cecile Horton, Big Sur*, Nathan Newbury

Overview: Things never seem to go right for Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash. Years ago, Barry’s wife Iris West Allen was murdered by Professor Zoom, a longtime Flash foe. It took several years, but Barry finally overcame the loss of Iris, and found a new woman, Fiona Webb, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. On the day Barry and Fiona were to be married, Professor Zoom returned. Caught up in a worldwide chase, the Flash had to stop Professor Zoom from attempting to kill Fiona in the same way that he had killed Iris. In the fight, Flash ended up snapping Professor Zoom’s neck, killing him instantly.

In comes Anton Harvey, the Central City District Attorney looking to make a name for himself. He files murder charges against the Flash and has the hero arrested. The Flash is forced to abandon his Barry Allen identity, leading to a subplot of the police looking for their missing lab scientist.

As the case progresses, the Flash must still stop his infamous Rogue’s Gallery, who are trying to take advantage of a defenseless Central City while the Flash sits in court each day. In one battle with Big Sur, the Flash’s face is badly injured. He uses the last of his stamina to run to the hidden Gorilla City, where the advanced medical techniques not only heal Flash but give him a new face so he can start over someday with a new identity. This, of course, backfires on the Flash, as his defense attorney Cecile Horton had deduced that her client and Barry Allen are the same person, and unmasks the Flash in court trying to show that the Flash had reason to act as he did when saving Fiona Webb from Professor Zoom.

Eventually, the trial goes to the jury, which is tampered with by Abra Kadabra posing as a still living Professor Zoom. Eventually, the Flash is acquitted of all charges and disappears to live peacefully in the future with the first love of his life, Iris. At least until the next crisis occurs!

Why should these stories be Showcased?: I was honestly surprised by this volume. I have said numerous times that I am not a fan of Carmine Infantino’s art style. As he matured, his figures were less rounded and more angular in design. But with his return to the Flash title in this collection, it’s like he found a fountain of youth, perhaps inspired by working on the title he was most identified with from his career. The page layouts are truly intriguing, as he tries to avoid the traditional 4-, 6-, or 9-panel format for his pages. Panel order going left to right, or up to down, or diagonally across the page, making the story seem in constant motion on each page. I was very impressed with the art, and this Showcase should be given a look just for these layouts. The story was interesting but seemed to drag along until the final 11 issues. This was a nice wrap-up to the Barry Allen storyline in the DC Universe.

Footnotes: OK, I am getting on my soapbox here, so bear with me. This volume leaves out four issues during this run from #323 to #350. Flash #328 reprints Flash #165, which was the wedding issue of Barry Allen and Iris West. (This issue is reprinted in Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 4 if you want to give it a read.) While I can forgive leaving this issue out, DC should have at least included the cover to #328, as that was all new. Now, the bigger crime comes with the exclusion of Flash #337 to #339, with no explanation given to why they were omitted. These are key issues in this storyline, as Big Sur is introduced and we are shown why attorney Cecile Horton hates the Flash so much. In reading online forums, the general conclusion is these issues were omitted for page considerations, to keep the volume under the 600-page mark. Mind you, DC released Showcase Presents Booster Gold in 2008 at 624 pages; released Showcase Presents The Spectre in 2012 at 616 pages; and released Showcase Presents Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld in 2012 at 648 pages. This Flash volume came in at 592 pages, so there was at least some wiggle room to include at least one more story based on the Booster Gold precedent, and there were no concerns the following year with the Spectre and Amethyst volumes.

If you like this volume, try: the trade paperback collection of Flash: The Return of Barry Allen, by Mark Waid and Greg LaRocque. This collects issues #74 to #79 of the second Flash series, this one focused on Wally West as the Flash. Following the events of Crisis, Barry Allen had died and Wally had taken over the Flash identity. But in this story from 1993, a certain blonde-haired speedster shows up on Christmas Eve and throws everyone for a loop. Mark Waid had been on the Flash title for a year at this time, but this story line helped gain a lot of new eyes on the title. This is an excellent story worth your time to track down.

December 5, 2015 by jerrymcmullen - 2 Comments

Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 3

First Published: August 2009

Contents: The Flash #141 (December 1963) to #161 (May 1966)

Key Creator Credits: John Broome, Carmine Infantino, Gardner Fox, Joe Giella, Murphy Anderson, and others

Key First Appearances: Paul Gambi, T.O. Morrow

Story Continues From: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 2

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 4

Overview: The fastest man alive is back with another collection of his Silver Age adventures. Most of the title-building has been done in the first two volumes, so this volume continues on with what has been previously established, with incremental additions to the ongoing story. Welcome to Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 3.

As was common in this era at DC Comics, most issues feature two stories, although there is the occasional full-length story to be found. The Flash’s various Rogues rotate in and out from issue to issue, finding new ways to challenge him each time. We still get plenty of situations with fiancé Iris West complaining about how slow Barry is always, a still-ironic plot point in a book about a man who runs really fast. Barry’s circle of friends is still in place, with frequent appearances from Kid Flash, the Jay Garrick Flash, and Green Lantern. The Flash even has a team-up with Doctor Mid-Nite from Earth-2.

There are two notable additions to the DC Universe in this volume. The first is the introduction of the villain T.O. Morrow, an inventor and scientist. He has often gone up against the Justice League and Justice Society and is most known for creating the android Red Tornado. The other introduction found in this volume is Paul Gambi, a tailor in Central City. While mostly forgettable, he becomes to the tailor for all of the villains working in the city, repairing or replacing their costumes following a defeat at the hands of the Flash. Having all of the villains getting their costumes in one place brought the group together in The Flash #155, and led to the formation of the Rogues Gallery.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: The Flash ranks near the top of my list of favorite Silver Age titles from DC Comics. The stories generally hold up; the situations that set-up the stories maybe aren’t as believable, but they aren’t as absurd as those in other titles in this era. We have a rotating team of Broome, Infantino, and Fox that build a near seamless universe for Barry Allen and company. Kid Flash graduates into his own re-occurring feature, in a time when Robin was not. This is a solid collection of the era and should be part of your library with the increased popularity of the Flash in current media.

Footnotes: The Flash #160 is a reprint issue. The cover is included in this collection.

If you like this volume, watch: The Flash tv show on the CW, which began in the fall of 2014. Sure, this seems like a no-brainer pick, but I think there may still be a few hold-outs among you. Anyway, building on the success of the Arrow tv show, executives worked out a way to bring the Scarlet Speedster back to primetime. Grant Gustin plays Barry Allen, handling the role like he was born to play it. The best part of this show is that it borrows elements from so many different eras in the Flash’s history. The show uses parts of the original Silver Age origin from Showcase #4, as well as the revised origin from Geoff Johns in the 2000s. We have many of the supporting characters, such as Iris West, Jay Garrick, and the Rogues Gallery. There are even nods to the 1990s Flash show, with the inclusion of John Wesley Shipp and Mark Hamill. This is a family-friendly show that I enjoy watching with my kids each week.

January 10, 2015 by jerrymcmullen - 3 Comments

Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 2

First Published: June 2008

Contents: The Flash #120 (May 1961) to #140 (November 1963)

Key Creator Credits: John Broome, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Murphy Anderson, and others

Key First Appearances: the Top, Henry Allen, Nora Allen, Abra Kadabra, Professor Ira West, Dexter Myles, Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash, Heat Wave

Story Continues From: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 1

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 3

Overview: Moving like a bolt of lightning, Barry Allen protects Central City as the fastest man alive, the Flash! With one of the most intriguing rogues gallery of any hero, the Flash fights colorful foes on his Earth as well as other Earths! What, other Earths you ask? Yes, sit back and enjoy this read, as we will be crossing dimensions to other earths. Welcome to Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 2.

Picking up where we left things off with the last collection, the Flash still has to face off each month against the likes of Captain Boomerang, Gorilla Grodd, and the Mirror Master. But lets add some more names to his growing list of foes. The Top gives the Flash someone that can fight him with similar speeds; Heat Wave serves as a counterpart (and partner) to Captain Cold; and Abra Kadabra uses future science to become a modern day magician and thief. But the Flash’s greatest threat zooms into the picture as the Reverse Flash (a.k.a. Professor Zoom), an evil doppelganger to Barry Allen. Thankfully, Barry still gets some help from the Elongated Man and Kid Flash, who is sporting a new yellow costume which is totally lost on those of us reading these in the black & white Showcase Presents editions.

But the most important comic in this volume (and perhaps the most important comic published by DC Comics since Showcase #4) is The Flash #123. Barry Allen finds out that if he vibrates his body at a certain frequency, he can cross over to a parallel earth. Instead of being in Central City, the Flash finds himself in Keystone City, home to his favorite comic book hero, the Jay Garrick Flash. Locating his idol up in a phone book, Barry arrives on the Garrick doorstep and comes face to face with the Golden Age Flash. Barry appearance encourages Jay to dust off his helmet and get back into his fighting togs, and we now have Flashs on two Earths. Jay Garrick would appear in multiple issues, including a team-up with Barry where they rescue Jay’s teammates from the Justice Society of America. Though it is not named until Justice League of America #21, this is Earth-Two, and a new continuity is born in DC Comics.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: This is a must own volume, in my humble opinion. As entertaining as the Flash stories are during this period, the historical importance of Gardner Fox re-introducing Jay Garrick and subsequently the Justice Society had a huge impact on DC Comics. Fox started developing a continuity to the stories that had been superficial at best with the publisher in years past. The work started here became the framework for uniting the various DC comics into one shared universe.

Footnotes: The Elongated Man stories from The Flash #124, #130, #134, and #138 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Elongated Man Vol. 1.

While Joan Williams had been the steady girlfriend of Jay Garrick in the 1940s and 1950s, it was their appearance in The Flash #123 where we learned that the two had finally gotten married and settled down into a nice house in the suburbs.

If you like this volume, try: tracking down the Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups trade paperbacks from 2005 and 2007. With the success of the Jay Garrick Flash appearing with Barry Allen, the DC Universe books from Gardner Fox started teaming up the Silver Age characters with their Golden Age counterparts. Alan Scott appeared with Hal Jordan in the pages of Green Lantern, and Al Pratt teamed with Ray Palmer in The Atom. Other books featured Justice Society characters, such as Doctor Fate & Hourman or Starman & Black Canary teaming up in the pages of The Brave and the Bold before it became a Batman team-up title. While some of these issues can be found in other Showcase Presents Volumes, these two trades are a handy resource to put all of the these issues in two collections.

April 19, 2014 by jerrymcmullen - 3 Comments

Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 1

First Published: March 2007

Contents: Flash Comics #104 (February 1949); Showcase #4 (October 1956), #8 (June 1957), #13 (April 1958), and #14 (June 1958); and The Flash #105 (February-March 1959) to #119 (March 1961)

Key Creator Credits: Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, John Broome, Joe Giella, Frank Giacoia, and Murphy Anderson

Key First Appearances: Barry Allen/Flash, Iris West, Turtle Man, Captain Cold, Mr. Element/Doctor Alchemy, Mirror Master, Solovar, Gorilla Grodd, Gorilla City, Pied Piper, Weather Wizard, Wally West/Kid Flash, Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man, Trickster, Captain Boomerang, Sue Dibny

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents The Flash Vol. 2

Overview: Police scientist Barry Allen leads a pretty slow life. He has a girlfriend, reporter Iris West, but he constantly shows up to their dates late. When working late one night, a freak bolt of lightning strikes the police lab, and Barry Allen finds himself doused in a unique mix of chemicals. As a result, Barry finds that he can run and move at super speed. Barry develops a special suit and borrows the code name from his favorite comic book character, and a new Flash is born. So begins the Silver Age of comics!

In the 19 issues of Showcase and The Flash, we are treated to an incredible development of a character and his supporting cast. We are introduced to Iris’ nephew, Wally West, who happens to be the president of his local chapter of the Flash fan club. In a near duplication of the same unique accident, Wally finds himself covered in the same chemicals, making him the Kid Flash. Another hero is introduced when Julie Schwartz wanted a Plastic Man-type character, so John Broome and Carmine Infantino introduce the Elongated Man, who broke with tradition and embraced his celebrity by not having a secret identity.

More importantly, we meet the core group of villains which would torment Barry (and later Wally) for years to come. The Flash’s Rogues Gallery is just as great as those of Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man, with the majority of them introduced in this very volume.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: This is a great volume, and these stories should absolutely be showcased. Barry Allen’s Flash is truly a science fiction hero disguised in a super-hero comic. With his super-speed, he can travel anywhere in the world in a blink of an eye. Heck, he finds he can travel in time and between worlds just by altering his internal vibrations. His scientific knowledge is just as key to solving some cases as is his speed ability.

In addition, from a historical perspective, the debut of the Flash is considered to be the start of the Silver Age of comics. Gardner Fox dipped into the archive by resurrecting a character name and giving it a new story that would be appealing to the mid-1950s audience. Based on this success, DC would repeat this many times, with the new Silver Age debuts of Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom, and the Justice League of America. (Stan Lee would borrow this trick years later when he introduced a new Human Torch in Fantastic Four #1 in 1961.)

Flash Comics: This volume contains the Golden Age Flash story from Flash Comics #104. Even though the book was Flash Comics, it was an anthology title featuring stories featuring Hawkman, Black Canary, the Atom, Johnny Thunder, and other Golden Age heroes. Issue #104 was the final issue of Flash Comics. When DC decided to give Barry his own title in 1958, they named his book The Flash. The book took over the numbering from the defunct Flash Comics, so the first issue of the ongoing Barry Allen series is #105.

Footnotes: Showcase #4, #8, #13, and #14 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Showcase Vol. 1.

The Flash #112, #115, and #119 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Elongated Man Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: Tom Kater’s podcast series, Tom Vs. The Flash. Kater used to run a blog where he would write reviews of the original Justice League of America series. He switched formats midway through the JLA run, going away from the blog and doing the reviews as podcasts. When he finished Tom vs. the JLA podcasts, he then started the Tom vs The Flash podcasts. These podcasts reviewed the early Showcase issues, and then Flash #105 to #350. When he finished Flash, he moved over to Aquaman, and most recently Jimmy Olsen. His podcasts offer brilliantly witty reviews and observations on the comics, pointing out the plot holes and the absurdities of the comics. These podcasts can still be found as free downloads on the iTunes podcast store, so track them down and listen to the podcasts while reading this volume.