Flash Facts: The Last Crossover

Seems a good enough time to pull out the last Flash crossover that Barry Allen and Jay Garrick would have before the Crisis on Infinite Earths....

....and it sure looks like it was going to spell doom for Jay's wife Joan!


Let's see how this event played out in this meeting of the greatest Flashes of Earth-1 and Earth-2 in Flash #305 (January, 1982), by Cary Bates, Carmine Infantino and Robert Allen Smith (with cover by Carmine Infantino and Mike DeCarlo)!

Don't Take My Wife -- Please!

The tale started on Earth-2, where Joan Garrick was sleeping at home while her Flash, Jay Garrick was patrolling Keystone City....and she was taken by a mysterious force.  Meanwhile, on Earth-1, relatively recently widowed Barry Allen was dreaming about Joan (not like that...but a dream where she was running on a cliff....then falling to her death; leading Barry to feel worried Jay would lose his wife like he lost his).

This dream unnerved Barry enough to send him across the dimensional divide from Earth-1 to Earth-2, where, ending up at the Garrick's home, he found Jay....who was searching for his missing wife!  Having revealed his identity to the world, Jay felt he was the target of a terrorist group, the Ravagers, who were attacking Keystone City.  As Jay went into a drawer to show Barry proof, he triggered a device they had set...blowing up Jay's home!

The two speeders were to fast to fall for the unplanned explosion, with Jay saving the note of theirs, and Barry saving the fuse from the explosive, which he would use to track the villains.  But, who is the mysterious figure watching the pair?

The two speedsters track the terrorists to their mountain hideout, but do not find Joan there.  Instead, the mysterious figure appears....it is Doctor Fate, a JSA teammate of Jay Flash (who worked with the duo before)....and he tells the duo that he was responsible for Joan disappearing.

Seems an extradimensional villain was able to access the magic orb in Dr. Fate's Salem tower, and send a bolt of mystic energy to draw Joan into his dimension....that evil being known as the Lord of Limbo (who was the menace faced by Barry at the end of his quest dealing with the death of Iris).

Barry barely escaped limbo before, and was unable to return to free the other inhabitants, but, working with Dr. Fate, the two speedsters worked their way back....found Joan, faced the Lord of Limbo, freed the inhabitants, and still got back home without freeing the Lord of Limbo from his prison!

A special issue dedicated to Gardner Fox, who co-created the original Flash and Dr. Fate, as well as starting the two Flashes on their meetings from multiple Earths, as well as kicking off the Crisis with the earliest of the JLA/JSA meetings (including their first).

Jay Flash and Dr. Fate appeared here after the nineteenth JLA/JSA team-up (against the Secret Society of Super-Villains, coverage coming soon), with Jay appearing next with the JSA in an issue of Wonder Woman, and Dr. Fate starting a run as a back-up feature in the very next issue of the Flash!  An oddly prophetic issue as well, as Barry was worried Joan would die (but didn't), like Iris...who was dead (or was she?).

Flash Facts: Tradepaperbacks We Need Fast

While DC Comics is getting better about collecting old stories, Flash has been running behind in that race (at least as far as his later Silver Age and Bronze Age stories...as well as the earlier stories of the time when Wally West was the Flash).

So, to help out, a few ideas for collections that would get the hearts of fans of the CW's Flash show racing!

Flash Vs. Reverse-Flash

One of the biggest battles of the Flash's first season was his fight against the Reverse-Flash.  While his origin tale from Flash #139 (September, 1963 by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella) has been reprinted, only a few of his later appearances have been collected in color (most notably, his participation in Superman-Flash races in Flash #175 and DC Comics Presents #1 and #2, and his appearances as a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains in Secret Society of Super Villains #12-15 and Justice League of America #166-168 facing the Justice League of America, though only available in hardcover, so a softcover companion like Secret Society of Super Villains Volume 1 had would be nice).

If you collected Flash #139, Flash #147, Flash #153, Flash #165, Flash #186, Flash #225, Flash #233, Flash #237, Flash #281-283, Flash #323 and Flash #324, you'd collect the beginning to end of Eobard Thawne in 275 pages including covers,  (well, more or less, missing a few one page appearances, and the results of his end in Flash #325), and have a book Flash TV show fans would like, as they could see Thawne's Silver Age life unfold!

Flash Team-Ups

Before Batman had a lock on Brave and the Bold, Flash teamed up with a few heroes in that title, with the Atom in Brave and the Bold #53, Martian Manhunter in Brave and the Bold #56, the Doom Patrol in Brave and the Bold #65, and Spectre in Brave and the Bold #72.  Flash also worked with Hawkman in Super-Team Family #3, and the New Gods in Super-Team Family #15.

While that's only 157 pages, additional pages could be found from Flash #198 (a back-up story meeting Zatanna), Brave and the Bold #99 (the only Batman/Flash team-up not reprinted in color), Action Comics #437 (with Superman, Green Arrow and Green Lantern as well, following up on a Superman/Green Arrow team-up from World's Finest Comics #210, and maybe Superman/Green Arrow team-ups could be collected), and Showcase #100 (which has Flash working with, well, everyone who premiered in Showcase, a title which introduced Barry Allen to the world as well!), which would get you over 240 pages with covers!

Atom's Wedding

Regular readers might realize that we left out Super-Team Family #11, with Flash, Supergirl and the Atom vs. T.O. Morrow....and as all of those characters have appeared in live action TV shows, it would be a shame not to see this collected....but, that could be collected with Super-Team Family #12-14, which is a mini-Atom saga, looking for his missing wife, Jean Loring....

....and add Secret Society of Super-Villains #10, and Justice League of America #154-157, to see the saga completely through, ending in the Atom's wedding (which Supergirl and Captain Comet also guest star in!

You even get a lot of action with Superman, Batman, Green Arrow Black Canary, and even Grodd and Captain Cold) all right round 300 pages.

Wally Settles As Flash

When Barry Allen disappeared for a while, Wally West took over as Flash (previously being Kid Flash, the Flash's sidekick). 

It took a while for Wally to get use to being the Flash, and he even wore the same outfit as Barry Allen did for a time.

But, in a story running from Flash #42 to Flash #50 (all by William Messner-Loebs, Greg LaRocque and Jose Marzan Jr., Wally comes to terms with Barry's legacy, gets closer to girlfriend, Linda Park, faces his own foe of Kilg%re, fights Grodd alongside Vixen and Rex the Wonder Dog, and then deals with Vandal Savage, all the while protecting his friends including Elongated Man, Tina McGee and Chunk.  Throw in the epilogue of Flash #51 (with Flash helping the new Lady Flash and the Kapitalist Kouriers, written and drawn by the same team, but inked by Roy Richardson), and you'd have about 250 pages of super-speed fun!

Flash Vs. Demonic Rogues

Last, but not least, a little dive into Mark Waid's run of writing the Flash, also with Wally West as the Flash.  By this point, Jay Garrick had returned, Wally also worked with new heroes like Argus, and also was growing quite close to Linda Park....but, he was also having problems living in Keystone City....

...but, starting with Flash #120, written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, pencilled by Paul Ryan and inked by John Nyberg all the way through Flash #129, Wally dealt with a rogue in the Presidential race, becoming a bi-coastal super-hero, new foe Mr. Frost, old upgraded foe Major Disaster....as well as the return of the Rogues' Gallery, whom had been assumed dead from their dealings with the demon, Neron, in Underworld Unleashed (and Argus, Jay Garrick and the Justice League of America guest-star to help with this!)...all in 230 pages, including covers (and, throw in Flash Annual #10 from 1997, to get the collection up to 283 pages...and see Wally fight Rainbow Raider, as well as a Pied Piper solo story...).

By no means is this a complete coverage of the Flash, but if we could see these collections, and maybe a few others (like Flash/Green Lantern team-ups, or a third Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups collection, both of which will likely be covered later....and both have been teased at here), Flash's history wouldn't be left in the dust.....

Guide to Golden Age Flash Reprints

Jay Garrick first picked up the hat of the Flash in Flash Comics #1 (January, 1940) by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert...and that series lasted 104 issues, as well as spinning off into All-Flash comics (starting with All-Flash Quarterly #1 in Summer of 1941, which lasted 32 issues), as well as appearing in All-Star Comics with the Justice Society of America (and in Comic Cavalcade with Green Lantern and Wonder Woman), all in the Golden Age...

...so, how do you find those Golden Age tales now?

Flash Comics

Jay first appeared in Flash Comics, so that's where we'll start running...with Flash Comics #1 (January, 1940) with "The Origin of the Flash" by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert, this is where college student Jay Garrick accidentally inhales some "hard water" and wakes up out of a coma with the ability to move and think at super-speed!  Later, Jay moves to New York, being an assistant professor, and taking up the mantle of the Flash to save the life of the father of his girlfriend, Joan Williams, from Sieur Satan and his Faultless Four!

This tale has been reprinted many times, first in The Great Comic Book Heroes of 1965, then in the Famous First Edition F-8 of August-September, 1975, in the Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes of 1976 (in both hardcover and soft cover), in the Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told (hardcover in 1991 and softcover in 1992), in the Millennium Edition: Flash Comics #1 of September, 2000, and in the Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years of 2015.

Flash's next solo reprint from Flash Comics is from Flash Comics #66 (August-September, 1945), with "The Flash and the Black Widow" by Robert Bloch and Everett Hibbard, with Jay, Joan and the Three Dimwits (Winky, Blinky and Noddy) facing off against Princess Helene and her transforming formula.

This tale is reprinted in the Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told hardcover of 1991, and in the Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told soft cover of 1992, both having covers by Carmine Infantino (who would be better known for his art with Barry Allen Flash!).

These two Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told collections also have the next Flash Comics story, that of Flash Comics #86 (August, 1947) with Jay and Joan facing dinosaurs in the "Stone Age Menace" by Robert Kanigher, Lee Elias and Joe Kubert.



This story was also reprinted in the Flash: Greatest Stories Ever Told tradepaperback of 2007, with an Alex Ross cover (though, again, the focus is on Barry Allen Flash, there are a couple of Jay stories in there!).

Flash Comics #90 (December, 1947) is the next Flash Comics issue to be reprinted, with the story of "Nine Empty Uniforms" by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, where the Flash helps a baseball team, the Bobtails, who are on a losing steak, and defeat a gambler who was betting against them (though this wasn't THE Gambler, a Green Lantern foe...).


This tale was reprinted in the 80-Page Giant #4 (October, 1964), under a cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, with a collection of odd Barry Allen Flash stories!

Dig the expressions on Barry Allen's face!

Flash Comics #94 (April, 1948) is the next treat reprinted, featuring the tale of Dr. Maria Flura, who ended up waking up on death's row....with no idea how she got there, being convicted of the murder of Professor Lexon!  All this in the tale "The Images of Doom", by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, in a follow up to her appearance in All-Flash Comics #31.


This tale found itself reprinted in Flash #232 (March-April, 1974) under a Nick Cardy cover (who drew a lot of covers that reprinted Golden Age DC tales)...

...and along with a couple of Barry Allen team-up stories, featured a Golden Age Johnny Quick story!

The last of the Flash Comics stories to be found alone is the last published solo Golden Age Flash story, Flash Comics #104 (February, 1949) with "The Rival Flash" by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, with Flash facing a foe who was his rival...and had super-speed equal to the Flash's own!  Nothing worse than a villainous speedster...

This tale has been reprinted many times, starting with Flash #211 (December, 1971) under a cover by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano, in the Flash Archives #1 of 1996 (which then reprints Barry Allen's earliest appearances including all 4 of his Showcase appearances), in the Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told tradepaperback of 2007 and in the Flash Omnibus #1 of 2014.   

All-Flash

Flash's solo title ended up producing a few reprints.... starting with All-Flash #13 (Winter, 1943) by Gardner Fox and Everett Hibbard and the "Campaign Against The Flash", with Jay, Joan the Three Dimwits dealing with Flash being labeled a criminal, and a new hero rising, called Muscleman...all while having to deal with the mobster, Dapper Don Dolan.

This story was reprinted in the 100-Page Super-Spectacular DC-22 of November, 1973 under a cover by Nick Cardy, and also has a Golden Age Johnny Quick reprint...


...as well as a story involving the change of Kid Flash's costume and another with Captain Cold and the Elongated Man!

Next up is a great Jay Flash reprint from All-Flash #14 (Spring, 1944) with "The Rise and Fall of the Norman Empire" by Gardner Fox and Everett Hibbard.  Norman Empire is a card shark, that forces Deuces Wilde (a friend of the Flash) to play for a lady's life!  

This story was reprinted in the Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told hardcover of 1990, which featured a stunning cover by Jerry Ordway, and many Golden Age stories that were, well, just great, and featured a few other JSAers like Hawkman, Wildcat, Sandman, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Black Canary and the Spectre as well!

Sadly, only this Flash tale has been reprinted from this issue (the other features Flash foe, the Thinker, and hasn't been reprinted).

All-Flash #22 (April-May, 1946) had two stories redone, one "Deal Me From The Bottom" by Gardner Fox and Martin Naydel, with Jay dealing with Deuces Wilde and his exploiting a boy who could pitch playing cards, and the story of "The City of Shifting Sand" by John Broome and Martin Naydel, with Flash dealing with a liar's club and telling a tall tale....

....the Deuces Wild story ended up in DC Super-Stars #5 (July, 1976, under a cover by Dick Giordano), redrawn by Rico Rival, and that sand story was kind of reprinted in Four-Star Spectacular #1 (March-April, 1976, under a cover by Ernie Chan)...as while the story was the same, it was redrawn by artist Edgar Bercasio from Broome's script.

So, do above qualify as a reprints?


No confusion with the next story, as All-Flash #30 (August-September, 1947) has one of its three stories reprinted, that of "Anything Can Happen" by John Broome and Lee Elias...

...with the Flash finding a murdered man dumped off a bridge, and this continuing to happen repeatedly with Jay arrested!


This tale found itself in Flash #216 (June, 1972) under a cover by Nick Cardy, where Barry Allen Flash faces his foe, Mr. Element!

The story of "The Secret City" by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino from All-Flash #31 (October-November, 1947) is up next and has Jay facing off (as the Flash) against the soldiers of the Secret City for the life of Dr. Maria Flura, who went searching for a reporter friend of hers lost in the jungle and how Jay dealt with all of that (and this sets up Dr. Flura's appearance in the Flash Comics story mentioned above!).

This tale was reprinted in Flash #229 (September-October, 1974), under a cover by Nick Cardy, and along with the old Golden Age Flash story, features a new team-up of the Golden Age and Silver Age Flash (vs. Golden Age villains Rag Doll and the Thinker), as well as Silver Age Green Lantern, Kid Flash and Flash reprints, and a Golden Age Johnny Quick Flash reprint as well!

"The Planet Of Sport" from All-Flash #31 (October-November, 1947) by Robert Kanigher and Everett Hibbard is also reprinted, and features Jay and Joan competing in an alien Olympic games after being taken off Earth to the alien world of Strobos along with two other athletes, which they had to compete in to return home, of course, keeping their wars there a secret, as that's what super-heroes do, even when they face a marvel such as alien competition!


This tale was reprinted in the Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years of 2015, along with Jay, Barry and Wally West's first appearances, with a few other interesting tales as well, including Jay and Barry's first meeting, and the first Superman-Flash race!    

The last issue of All-Flash was All-Flash #32 (December-January, 1947/1948), and it has two tales reprinted...first, "The Amazing Star Sapphire" by Robert Kanigher and Lee Elias, with Jay and Dr. Flura being found dead....and having to fight the alien empress, the Star Sapphire in their dreams to save Earth from alien invasion!

This tale was reprinted in the first Flash Annual from Summer, 1963, with a cover by Carmine Infantino, and it also reprints the first appearances of Katmos, Mr. Element, Elongated Man, Gorilla Grodd and Kid Flash....and is so incredible, that DC reprinted the reprint in the Flash Annual Replica Edition in 2001!

The second story from All-Flash #32 (December-January, 1947/1948) to be reprinted is the first appearance of Flash foe, the Fiddler, entitled "Duet Of Danger", wherein Flash battles his musical foe for the first time (but the Fiddler will return again and again, including during the first meeting of Jay and Barry).


The Fiddler story is reprinted in Flash #160 (April, 1966) under a cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, and is also known as 80 Page Giant #G-21, with a few other quick reprints as well.  Sadly, the third All-Flash #32 story, featuring the Thinker, has not been reprinted as of yet.

Comic Cavalcade

Flash had one story from Comic Cavalcade reprinted separately, that of Comic Cavalcade #24 (December-January, 1947-1948), with "The Slow-Motion Crimes" by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, and has Jay facing his foe, the Turtle, again, and gets help from Joan and a junior JSA member!

This tale is reprinted in the Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told hardcover of 1991, and in the Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told soft cover of 1992, both having covers by Carmine Infantino (who would be better known for his art with Barry Allen Flash...

...and this turtle isn't really related to the Turtle Barry Allen faced in his first appearance!).

Flash also found his first 3 Comic Cavalcade stories reprinted in the Comic Cavalcade Archives #1 of 2005, which also Golden Age stories of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Wildcat, Sargon and more!  Flash also found his solo tales from All-Star Comics #1 and #2 reprinted in the All-Star Archives #0 of 2006, and his story from the Big All-American Comic Book reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archive #1 of 2005.  Would that we could get more Archives from DC!

Flash Archives

With this talk of Archives, Flash did have two volumes all to himself!

The first Golden Age Flash Archive from 1999 featured the first 17 Flash Comics stories, covering Jay's first appearance until Flash Comics #17 (May, 1941), and the second Golden Age Flash Archive from 2006 covered Flash's stories from Flash Comics #18 to #24 from 1941, and All-Flash Quarterly #1 and #2 (Fall, 1941)!

Unpublished Golden Age Flash Tales

Flash had three tales from the Golden Age that went unpublished....

The first is called "Journey Into Danger" by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, and was printed in Flash #205 (April-May, 1971, under a Dick Giordano cover) where Flash deals with other things that were suddenly sped up, and the man who wanted to take advantage of that!


There's also some Barry Allen, Wally West and Johnny Quick reprints in the issue as well...but the oldest story in the book was also the only one previous unseen!

The second is titled "A Tale of Three Tokens" and is also by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, and deals with a battle between the Flash and the Thinker, and the Thinker's plot to take a time machine, and this story ended up in Flash #214 (April, 1972) under a Nick Cardy wrap-around cover featuring many members of Flash' family, foes and a few extra!

The third is an even odder case, as it features Rose and the Thorn (the original version, who faced Jay in multiple issues...and would have again, had this story been printed).  The splash page and first two pages can be found in Alter Ego #4 (with a Joe Kubert cover), and the last two pages of this 10 page story were published by DC Comics in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #113 (September-October, 1971, under a Dick Giordano cover), (with Flash handing over the defeated Thorn to Green Lantern (Alan Scott) to be taken to Transformation Island (the place where Wonder Woman reformed her criminals).  This story was later expanded upon by Roy Thomas during his Infinity, Inc. series, especially in the first Infinity, Inc. Annual (and it also involved another Robert Kanigher creation, that of the original Harlequin, with more on those women here!).

So, it might take the skills of a police scientist...

...but you can go back and find Golden Age Flash adventures! 

Flashback Pre-Crisis For Flashes

With the Flash CW TV series, there's been a little bit of talk about a "Crisis", and that would be a problem for the Flash.

So, where did this Crisis begin?

Flash of Two Worlds

In Flash #123 (September, 1961), Barry Allen met the Flash.  Jay Garrick, that is, the original Flash, who premiered in Flash Comics #1 (and Barry had been reading his adventures in comic books for years, check in Barry's first appearance, and the time he became the Flash in Showcase #4).

This story by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino introduced the idea that the previous Flash (who had his own series for 104 issues) existed in a parallel world from the current comic Flash, and expanded the idea of what the DC Universe really was.

While helping Iris West at a fundraiser in Central City, Barry-Flash suddenly finds himself elsewhere....in Keystone City, the home of Jay-Flash.  Barry goes in search of Jay, finding him (now slightly older than the comics Barry use to read, which were written by Gardner Fox, and married to Joan Williams, Jay's girlfriend in the comics Barry read).  Barry convinces Jay to come out of retirement and the pair of Flashes face off against some of Jay's old foes (the Fiddler, the Shade and the Thinker - more on these villains coming in later articles on the Injustice Society of the World), defeating them, and then eventually returning Barry to his home world.

Barry's world had a lot going on at that time, the Atom (Ray Palmer) was premiering in Showcase #34, Superman was facing off against Brainiac with the help of Congorilla in Action Comics #280, Rip Hunter was continuing to travel in time with his fourth issue, the Sea Devils (a group of divers led by Dane Dorrance) were getting their first issue after a three-issue run in Showcase, and even Batman was busy fighting alien menaces like in Detective Comics #295.

Flash #123 was also reprinted on its own quite a few times...

...most notably in 80 Page Giant #9 in April, 1965 (along with a few other Flash tales), and in the Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told (presented in both hard cover and tradepaperback forms in 1990...the year of CBS' Flash TV show!).

Double Danger On Earth

Jay Garrick returned in Flash #129 (June, 1962), ending up on Barry's world, and fighting a few of his foes (Captain Cold and the Trickster) as Jay was there to get a meteorite to save his world from a deadly radiation.

Barry proved a good host to his new friend, helping Jay get the meteor (and Jay helped Barry defeat the two villains as well) in this story by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino.

The two Earths still had not been named at this point, but an important difference between the Flashes was introduced...Barry was a member of the Justice League of America, and Jay had been a member of the Justice Society of America (and a reference to their last published case of All-Star Comics #57 of February-March, 1951) was made getting the current comic reading world a possible glimpse into more events in Jay's world.

Back in Barry's world, Barry was teaming up with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) in Green Lantern's own title (Green Lantern #13), as well as in Justice League of America #12 (facing Dr. Light, and also dealing with the JLA's newest member, Green Arrow), Atom was just moving up to his first issue and facing Jason Woodrue the Plant-Master, Batman was having troubles with the Joker in Batman #148, and Superman, well, he had his hands full with many cases (including the one in Action Comics #289).

Flash #129 was reprinted a few times....

...Flash #178 (April-May, 1968) contains the story (or most of it, two pages didn't make it), along with a Flash/Kid Flash story and the second Flash-Green Lantern individual team-up, and, Showcase Presents: The Flash #2, has this story (as well as Flash #123 and the next story), but in black and white.

Vengeance of The Immortal Villain

Flash #137 (June, 1963) starts with Barry seeing lights over six cities on his Earth, and, being a comic fan, puts together the fact that these lights correspond to the home cities of six members of the Justice Society of America, and thus travels to Jay's Earth and Keystone City.

In Keystone City, Jay-Flash finds a light there, and is captured in a stasis cube (which Barry helps free him from in this story by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino).  The pair of Flashes then fought Vandal Savage (an immortal cave man who had been fighting the original Green Lantern and the Justice Society of America, who last appeared in All-Star Comics #37 of October, 1947, as member of the Injustice Society of the World, and that issue is shown owned by Barry in this issue no less), defeating him, and freeing the JSA's Atom (Al Pratt), Dr. Mid-Nite, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Hawkman (Carter Hall), Johnny Thunder and Wonder Woman, all of whom (along with Jay) decided that maybe they need to get back into the hero business, reforming the Justice Society (which happens with Justice League of America #21 of August, 1963, which is the story which finally names Earth-1 as Barry's Earth, and Earth-2 as Jay's Earth in "Crisis on Earth-One"!). 

By this point, Atom had joined the Justice League, and was meeting with the Thanagarian Hawkman (Katar Hol) in Atom #7, the Justice League was facing bigger menaces like Spaceman X in Justice League of America #20, the Faceless Creature returned to menace the United Nations in Strange Adventures #153, the group of misfits that were the Doom Patrol had their first case as a team with My Greatest Adventure #80, and Superman, Batman and Robin were facing the Band of Super-Villains in World's Finest Comics #134 (that were forgotten after this) showing that the Earth really needed more heroes!

Flash #137 was reprinted a few times as well...

...in Flash #213 (March, 1972), with a cover by Neal Adams, and in the Justice Society of America 100-Page Super-Spectacular (which also had a reprint of All-Star Comics #57!).

The Coming Crisis

These three issues of Flash set the stage for the first Justice League of America and Justice Society of America team-up in Justice League of America #21 (August, 1963), which became an annual event, and introduced many Earths (like the Crime Syndicate's evil Earth-3 and the Freedom Fighters' Nazi controlled Earth-X) and reintroduced many characters (like the Seven Soldiers of Victory and Sandman's junior partner, Sandy)...and all of that and more became threatened with the Crisis On Infinite Earths!

This all just gets you to the start of the Crisis, but it's a good start, and over time, check back to see more details filled in....or, explore on your own, with two collections that contain all 3 Barry-Jay team-ups, and fill in some more holes with the Flash of Two Worlds Hardcover of 2009, that has all three Flash stories above, as well as 3 later Flash team-ups, facing the Shade in one from Flash #151, facing Abra Kadabra (with help from Dr. Fate and Dr. Mid-Nite) in the second from Flash #170, and the Golden Man with the help of Kid Flash in the third from Flash #173...or in the Crisis on Multiple Earths the Team-Ups #1 of 2006, which also has the three stories from above, as well as Flash #151 with Barry and Jay vs. the Shade, the two Dr. Fate and Hourman team-up (including the introduction of the Psycho-Pirate from Showcase #56), the origin of the Guardians of the Universe and the first appearance of the "cosmic hand" and hints of the beginning of the universe with a team-up of Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Alan Scott from Green Lantern #40, the first Starman/Black Canary team-up from Brave and the Bold #61 (with the return of the Mist) and a solo Hourman story (from Spectre #7).  But, read a little of what's presented here, and you'll be ready for a Crisis!