Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #134 Flash #268 (December, 1978) "Riddle of the Runaway Comic" Writer - Cary Bates Pencils - Irv Novick Inks - Frank McLaughlin Letters - Mike Stevens Colors - Gene D'Angelo Edits - Julius Schwartz Cover Price: $0.40 From DC Comics Episode Published March 31, 2019 One of our oft-used taglines was that we put 40-hours of research into every episode of the Cosmic Treadmill. Welp, I'm going to somewhat shatter that illusion here, and suggest that a time or two, what it actually took was one of us to handcuff ourselves to our computer for an 8-10 hour stint. This was one of those times.
Flash #268 (December, 1978) "Riddle of the Runaway Comic" Story - Cary Bates Penciller - Irv Novick Inker - Frank McLaughlin Letterer - Mike Stevens Colorist - Gene D'Angelo Editor - Julius Schwartz Cover Price: $0.40 There's a cover that just jumps out atcha, right? The Flash carrying a copy of Flash Comics #26... while being attacked by Golden Agers Alan Scott and Wildcat! Can't go wrong with that... or can we? Let's find out together. --
We open in the bedroom of Barry Allen's 12-year old neighbor Barney Sands, who at this time is rifling through his bedroom looking for... something. Okay, okay... the title of the issue kinda gives it away... he's looking for a comic book. At that same time, across town, the Flash is also looking for... something. A bit less obvious, he's trying to find a runaway bear named Griselda.
When he finds Griselda, it's not much of a fight... just the bear catching Barry unawares, and the Flash retaliating by zipping around it several times, forming a sort of sinkhole in the ground to hold her until the zoo can come pick her up. Job well done, Barry heads home, zooming right past young Barney in the process.
As it would happen, young Master Sands was just headed over to chat up his friend (and fellow comics enthusiast) Barry Allen. He laments the fact that he lost a rare collector's issue... yup, that was comics parlance even in the 1970's! This comic is from the Golden Age and in Good Condition, to boot! Barry's sympathetic, and asks if Barney wants to help him sort his new issues... that sorta feels like rubbing it in, doesn't it? Anyhoo, Barney agrees... and just so happens to find his missing issue! It's Flash Comics #26 (1942)... and, not only that... he can tell that it's his copy!
Barry confirms that the mag isn't his... even being the "Flash fanatic" that he is... Flash Comics #26 has always eluded him. He makes sure to say he has "rarer" issues though... dude, you're competing with a twelve-year old. Anyhoo... Barney heads home, and at Barry's request, leaves the comic with him. Later on, right before Barry's eyes the comic... vanishes!
Noticing an "ultra-faint radiation trail" drifting in the wake of the vanished comic, Barry "Flashes" up, and follows it... right to the First Annual Central City Comicon! Inside, we overhear some movers and shakers discussing a potential comic-trade (if ya can imagine it... some All-Star Comics for More Fun). This kinda thing makes my stomach hurt... I get trading doubles and whatnot... but oi, this gives me agita.
The potential trade hits sort of a roadblock... ya see, More Fun Comics #52 is the issue in question... and that just happens to be the first appearance of the Spectre! The would-be barterer then notices a copy of Flash Comics #26 on the table... and offers that same threesome of All-Star Comics for it. Oddly enough, the other fella knows he's never owned that issue... but, has always wanted it! Must've really wanted to know how the Johnny's Messenger Service serial played out! Their chat is interrupted by Barry Allen... who offers, not a trade, but cold hard cash for the mag.
The wheeling and dealing is short-lived, however, as a pair of cosplayers (dressed like the Golden Age Green Lantern and Wildcat... the theme of the convention is "Heroes of the Golden Age" by the way) arrive and make nuisances of themselves. They demand the kid hand over Flash Comics #26... then force "Flash fanatic" Barry Allen to come along with them.
In the hallway outside the ballroom, Barry manages to slip away... and into an elevator, where a couple of kids are comparing their comic hauls from the show. Thinking fast, Barry shifts into his Flash costume... which only gets him mocked for "missing the memo" on the Golden Age theme.
Flash zips out and chases down the cab carrying the Golden Age Geeks. He vibrates inside and slams the bothuvem out the side windows... and snags them both before they hit the pavement. Inside the ride, the cabbie notices they left behind Flash Comics #26... and decides to leaf through it. His read is unfortunately interrupted when he notices there's a gun jammed in his face. Man, I hope he was at least able to read the The Whip Plays Santa six-pager!
We shift elsewhere where we finally get the skinny on what's so special about Flash Comics #26 (it's probably not Les Sparks: Radio Amateur in The Dynamited Dam)... in fact, this particular copy has been treated with Formula XCV-4... which has something to do with telepathic transportation... so basically, you think of something that's been treated by the stuff... and it'll appear before you. The reason it's on a random Golden Age issue of the Flash is because the fella who concocted it used his son as a test subject... and needed something he could focus on to test the transportability.
The baddies have been hunting this issue down for some time now, hopeful that they could recreate the XCV-4 via the residue on the mag. This would obviously be advantageous to a gaggle of thieves, right? So this fella's going to put it up in auction to the underworld! To find the thing, he even went so far as to take out ads in the fanzines... willing to pay inflated prices for any and all copies of Flash Comics #26 out there in the world.
Just as the bids are about to begin... the comic book vanishes... again! Moments later, the Flash zooms in... holding the comic! Guess he cracked the code... anyhoo, the baddies unload their guns at him... which never really works when you're dealing with the Flash.
He makes quick work of the baddies... like seriously, he takes them out in a single panel. Our story concludes with Barry Allen returning home with not one, but two copies of Flash Comics #26! One for his buddy Barney, and one for his own library... courtesy of the scores of non-XCV-4 treated copies the bad guys had collected over the past little while. All's well that ends well!
-- What a weird issue! It's sometimes hard to believe that our fandom vernacular has been around for such a long time. Hearing Barry and Barney discuss collector's items and issue grades was pretty wild! I think that's a phenomenon we (at least folks of my generation) attribute to 1990's speculation... so, seeing that it was already a thing in the mid-late 70's is pretty surreal! If you're anything like me, you take pause anytime you see a comic book show up in a television show... like on a coffee table, or like the characters walk past a newsstand or something... and you pick out ones you have/want. Also, if you're like me... you've never watched that Big Bang show, so comics popping up on shows is still something of a novelty. That's how I felt seeing the comics enthusiasts in this issue sifting through their favorites. Of course, these were Golden Age books of which I have few... er, none... but still, so much fun to see! Now, before we get into the "story"... because, there really isn't much there... let's take a look at Flash Comics #26 from 1942.
Pretty standard Golden Age fare... big fat issue, lotsa content! Really unsure why this issue in particular was chosen to be so important... perhaps it was of particular significance to Cary Bates... or maybe its cover made it easier to identify at a glance. Whatever the reason, it sure is a fun idea. For the story itself... it's Bronze-Age Flash... which, can be kinda corny. I mean, I had a lot of fun reading this, and would recommend seeking it out... but there really isn't a whole lot of "meat" here. The cover is a bit bait-and-switchy, but that's hardly unique to this book. I always like Barry Allen being something of a gatekeeper to the Golden Age of DC Comics... his whole shtick was taking the name of his favorite comic book character, and making it his own... plus, it was in his book that the multiverse started to take shape. It stands to reason that the kind of story we just read would only work with Barry. Overall... like I said, a ton of fun... however, if you're looking for a standard superhero tale, it might not rock your socks. I snagged this from a 75-cent bin, and certainly feel like I got my money's worth... I probably wouldn't have paid a premium though. It doesn't look like it's been collected, nor has it been made available digitally... so, single-issue (not floppy) is the way to go. If you see it for a few bucks and are (like Barry and Barney) a Flash fanatic, I'd say give it a go! -- Letters Page:
Flash #184 (December, 1968) "Executioner of Central City!" Writer - Frank Robbins Penciller - Ross Andru Inker - Mike Esposito Cover Price: #0.12 Another one from the Iconic Cover Collection... least I think so anyway. Will that help or hinder our enjoyment of the issue inside? Let's find out... --
We open with Iris Allen visiting the Mount Vista Ionospheric Observatory for Picture News. A Dr. Clark informs her that this might not have been the most opportune time for her to pop in as they'd just received word from their Mt. Everest station that a neutron-star pulsar-source has been picked up by their scanners... and threatens to collide with Earth, with Central City being Ground-Zero!
As the geeks begin to panic (one is literally banging his head against the computer equipment!), Iris heads out to her... adorable rotary car-phone (which I'm tickled to learn were actually a thing) to call her husband Barry. After hearing the news, Barry informs an officer to set up road blocks keeping all out-of-town travelers from entering Central City.
Once suited-up, Flash decides a good defense might serve as the best offense, and whips up a "cosmic force shield" by circling the city at incredible speed. While he's running, Iris returns to the outskirts of the city (that observatory mustn't have been all that far away!) where she is met by the police barricade. She exits her car and ducks into Central City anyway... just in time for the neutron thingamabob to hit... and bounce off the Flash's "force shield".
The day saved, Flash leans up against a car... and takes a breather. Upon opening his eyes, he realizes that... welp, Central City's gone! His circling the city at great speed must have created an ionic vacuum which ultimately vaporized it! Barry Allen... the Flash is a(n unwitting) Mass-Murderer! Hope there's no trial!
As the Flash sobs, he turns to look at the car he'd been leaning on... and wouldn'tcha know it, it belonged to Iris! Before he can properly mourn, he hears the sorta-mechanical sound of a transmission. From the muck rises... well, more muck, a humanoid muck. The mud-monster refers to the Flash as an "alien" (hey, that's pronounced Allen!), and a fight is on.
Flash quickly learns that the baddie can read his thoughts, and so he takes to spinning, drilling himself into the Earth... creating a sort of quicksand to capture the beast. With the muck-monster in a prone position, Flash wipes it's face revealing... a woman?
When the dust (and muck) settles, Flash learns that this woman is called Zoral... who hails from the Planet Terra-I... which is to say, what they call the Earth in the year 4005. To follow, we get some clumsy dialogue which amounts to... she's from the future... the Flash's sonic-vacuum brought her to 1968... at the same time that Central City was pulled into 4005 to be placed into the Grand Canyon Preserve so future-folks can observe and study life in the mid 20th century. Ya follow?
Suddenly Zoral begins to vibrate as she is pulled back to the future. Using her as a "human cosmic treadmill" Barry decides to tag along. During the "trip", Zoral informs the Flash that people in the year 4005 are programmed "not to kill"... and the gun she carries is actually an "anti-violence emitter", to quell any violent or murderous urges. Still with me?
Okay, so finally... or maybe instantaneously... Flash and Zoral arrive back in the 41st Century. In the distance, Barry can see Central City,.. safe and sound in the Grand Canyon. Before he can head over, however, they find themselves surrounded by the Terra-I Patrol. Believing Zoral to be dead, they assume this gal is an imposter... and as for the dude in red... they don't know what his deal is, but they're sure they don't like it!
And so, a fight breaks out. Flash holds his own well against most of the gaggle, before entering into a struggle with the last one standing. Zoral takes aim with her "anti-violence emitter" and turns out to be a pretty poor shot, nailing Barry in the back. The Patroller then blasts her so they can both be delivered to their leader.
It's here that we meet (via satellite) Dr. Yom... who is introducing, thanks to his "Quantum-Time-Shift-Resolver", the delivery of Central City circa 1968 to the Grand Canyon Preserve. Flash thinks Yom's a bit of a pompous jerk... and he's right!
Yom shares some scenes of what's going on in Central City... including one in particular involving Iris. She's about the only city-zen keeping a level head... so sure she is that the Flash and/or Barry will save the day.
After some more bluster, the Flash and Zoral are finally stood before Yom in the flesh. The Doc recognizes Flash as a famous hero of yesteryear... and thinks to himself that he may prove to be his greatest threat. When addressed, Flash suggests that Yom's Quantum-Time-Shift-Resolver is not actually responsible for the procurement of Central City... but instead, it was a result of the ionic vacuum he created. Dr. Yom doesn't dig that one bit.
Giving credit where it's due, however, Flash suggests that while Yom's invention wasn't responsible for bringing Central City to the future... it might just be responsible for keeping it there. He asks that Yom switch off the Quantum-Beam Machine to see if it will send the city back to the past. Yom now realizes that Flash was only playing along with the effects of the "play nice pistol".
Deciding the Flash must be liquidated... Yom unleashes a barrage of beams (ya see, Yom never had his violence-level augmented)... which Barry manages to outrun... until, now this is where it gets even weirder... Barry realizes that he's gona about this the wrong way. He needs to slow down... to the point where he can go... ugh... backwards in time a few minutes. Why didn't he just do that in the first place???
Anyhoo... this time Barry still defies Yom, however, grabs Zoral's "play nice pistol" and blasts the baddie in the head with it. Now, a compliant Dr. Yom is more than happy to switch off the Quantum Beam and send Central City back to the swingin' sixties.
We wrap up with a Barry and Iris reunion... and all's right with the world.
-- Maybe I just had my expectations too high, but... woof... this one dragged on. I really can't hold my expectations against a book, but... I really thought this was going to be a "bigger" issue. I mean, it's just a Barry goes to the future story... which, feels like... ya know, Tuesday. Not sure why it warrants the "Tragic Day" cover treatment any more than the last... or next time Barry time-travels to "undo" things. Plus, and I know... this is a Silver-Age comic book... and things were different back then, but we really don't get much time to process the events here. Not that I'm looking for this to be the "six-part story" that it would be today, but maybe more than a panel for Barry to consider that, because of his actions, his wife and everyone he cares about are dead might've been nice. I'm really not a fan of the fast and loose use of time like we saw toward the end. If Barry can, at any point, slow down and make time move backwards... what happens to the stakes? I mean, we'v got Barry nailed by a ray... and about to be taken out by Dr. Yom... when he just decides "nuh-uh" and reverses time? That's awfully convenient... and feels like such a cop out. I will say that I thought Iris came across really cool here... and I love that rotary dial car phone. Also, Ross Andru's art was pretty great too! Love the image of the Central City crater... made me think of what happened to Coast City during The Reign of the Supermen. Overall... I dunno. I suppose it's worth reading, though I'd recommend not breaking the bank for it. It is available digitally, and (for more bang for your buck) has been collected as part of SHOWCASE Presents: The Flash, Volume 4. It's a neat one to have in my collection, regardless of my feeling a bit let down by my own inflated expectations. -- Silly trying too hard "lenticular":
Flash #268 (December, 1978)
