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.....

Flash Facts Flash vs. the Rogues

One of the things the Flash was most known for in the Silver Age was his Rogue's Gallery.


You can search far and wide looking for their first appearances....


...or just get the Flash vs. The Rogues tradepaperback from 2009, under this cover by Ethan Van Scriver, with a collection of the first appearances of Flash's most important non-speedster foes.


Collected here are the first appearances of....

Captain Cold

Leonard Snart was a cheap crook who stumbled onto a gold gun in the Flash's second appearance, in Showcase #8 (May-June, 1957, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino), with "The Coldest Man On Earth". 

Captain Cold would be a driving force in Flash's life...and appeared next in Flash #114 (August, 1960, NOT in the trade, but mentioned so a cover with Captain Cold could be shown!).

Mirror Master

Sam Scudder used his knowledge of mirrors first to rob a bank, and then to become the Mirror Master, starting with Flash #105 (February-March, 1959) with "The Master of Mirrors" by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. 

Mirror Master was the first villain readers saw in the newly revived Flash comic....and he quickly returned in Flash #109 (October-November, 1959), also not in the trade, but a cool cover, nonetheless! 

Gorilla Grodd

Grodd was never really a rogue, but his first appearance from Flash #106 (April-May, 1959) by John Broome and Carmine Infantino in the "Menace of the Super-Gorilla" made it into this collection (though not the next two parts of the Grodd trilogy, where Flash continued to face the gorilla, meet Solovar and find Gorilla City).

Heck, Grodd didn't even make it on a cover of Flash until Flash #127 (March, 1962)....story not included here, but the cover is to get a look at the furry foe of the Flash!

Pied Piper

Hartley Rathaway hadn't been happy in live, so he took his knowledge of sound and made himself into the Pied Piper to take on the Flash in "The Pied Piper of Peril" from Flash #106 (April-May, 1959, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino), even making the cover of his first appearance!

Pied Piper even branched out in his second story (not in the trade), being recruited by Mr. Memory as the Flash foe in Justice League of America #14 (September, 1962) along with Green Lantern foe Hector Hammond, Aquaman villain Sea-Thief, Wonder Woman rogue Angle Man, Green Arrow evil-doer Dr. Davis and (behind the scenes) the Joker (to capture Batman), all while dealing with the Atom joining the JLA; though all these villains didn't make the cover!

Weather Wizard

Mark Mardon was an escaped criminal who got his weather wand when he found his brother, Clyde, (noted scientist working on weather control) dead in his lab, and used that technology to create his weather wand to give himself control of the weather...and menace the Flash starting with "The Challenge Of The Weather Wizard" in Flash #110 (December-January, 1959/1960) by John Broome and Carmine Infantino.

Weather Wizard didn't make the cover of his second appearance (Flash #130 of August, 1962, facing Kid Flash and the Elongated Man), but did finally in Flash #145 (June, 1964) in a tale not in the trade.

Trickster

Jesse James was a messed up kid, being part of a circus aerialists (but was also afraid of heights).  Jesse came up with some shoes that allowed him to walk on the air, becoming a "Danger In The Air" in Flash #113 (June-July, 1960, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino).

Trickster quickly strikes back after his heist of a plane in mid-air, quickly coming back to play new pranks on the Flash in Flash #121 (June, 1961) in a story not in the collection.

Captain Boomerang

George "Digger" Harkness came into the Flash's life with "Here Comes Captain Boomerang" in Flash #117 (December, 1960 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino), when W.W. Higgins recruited him to become his toy company's spokesman of Captain Boomerang to sell boomerang toys.  Captain Boomerang turned the tables and used the identity to rob the area.

This boomerang quickly returned, facing the Flash and the Elongated Man in Flash #124 (November, 1961), in his second appearance (which isn't in the trade).

The Top

Roscoe Dillon was a small time crook getting nowhere, until he came up with a spinning motif based on his love of tops as a child.  This led him into a spin-up with the Flash in Flash #122 (August, 1961 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino) with "Beware The Atomic Grenade" (a much larger threat than a spinning top, indeed!).

The Top spun onto his first cover on his own with Flash #141 (December, 1963), where we also met Peter Gambi, a tailor to super-villains in a stylish story (not in the collection)!

Heat Wave

Mick Rory was a kid who liked fire.  So much so, that he ended up as the super-villain, Heat Wave, and ended up making "The Heat Is On For Captain Cold" in Flash #140 (November, 1963 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino), which started a competition between the two temperature opposite villains (starting a rivalry between them...and leading to a gathering of more Flash foes as well....).

Heat Wave's second appearance with with all the Rogues, but his appearance after that was in Flash #166 (December, 1966), still facing off against Captain Cold (but not seen in this trade), and Mick continued to be a thread to the Flash, eventually taking him on on his own!

....and the team-up of the Flash's Rogue's Gallery!  Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Pied Piper, Captain Boomerang, the Top and Heat Wave made live hard for the Flash in Flash #155 (September, 1965, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino), making Barry run "The Gauntlet of Super-Villains"...and there was a surprise villain the Rogues faced as well (who tried to make a monkey out of the villains).

The Rogues returned en masse for the second time in Flash #174 (November, 1967), making life hard for the Flash yet again in a story not in the Flash Vs. The Rogues trade, but, like all these stories, proving that sometimes things are better the second time around!

Flash Facts Rogues

More so than most heroes, the Flash has been defined by his foes...the Flash's Rogue's Gallery!

Many of them first gathered in Flash #155 (September, 1965, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino in the "Gauntlet of Super-Villains"), but here's a quick breakdown on those foes first appearances and a few other facts!

Captain Cold

Real Name: Leonard Snart

First Appearance: Showcase #8 (May-June, 1957)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin: Dealing with his father's abuse, Leonard Snart became a small time criminal with a fascination for cold.  Snart developed the costume, and stole an experimental gun and powered it up to project intense cold to face the Flash!

 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member and leader), Secret Society of Super-Villains, Suicide Squad

Some non-Flash appearances:  Justice League of America #5, 40, 129, 139, 155, Secret Society of Super-Villains #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, 9, 10, Blue Devil #19, 30, Manhunter #1, 24, Suicide Squad #16, 17, 18, 20, Secret Origins #41, Justice League Quarterly #2, Underworld Unleashed #1, Rogues (Villains) #1, JLA #18, Adventures of Superman #565, 613, Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1, Sins of Youth: The Secret/Deadboy #1, Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2, JSA Secret Files #2, JSA #28, Superman/Batman #3, Catwoman #21, 46, 48, 49, Infinite Crisis #1, 7, Outsiders #32, 33, World War III #1, All-New Atom #5, Countdown #46, Salvation Run #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Blackest Night #1.

Mirror Master

Real Name: Samuel Joseph Scudder

First Appearance: Flash #105 (February-March, 1959)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin: Sam Scudder was a prisoner, who figured out how to hold his reflection in a mirror and escape.  Sam developed some more mirror based weapons and ended up facing the Flash, as well as joining the Rogues, and other villain teams, passing away during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member), Injustice Gang of the World, Secret Society of Super-Villains

Some non-Flash appearances: Brave & the Bold #30, Detective Comics #336, 555, Justice League of America #40, 111, 143, 158, Secret Society of Super-Villains #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, Batman #388, Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, 9, 10, Flash and Green Lantern: Brave & the Bold #2, 4

 

Pied Piper

Real Name: Hartley Rathaway

First Appearance: Flash #106 (April-May, 1959)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin: Born with no hearing, Hartley got his hearing fixed thanks to the wealth of his parents.  This gave him an obsession with sound, and he adopted the identity of the Pied Piper, faced the Flash!  Pied Piper gave up his villainous lifestyle, and ended up helping Trickster during Countdown.

 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member)

Some non-Flash appearances: Justice League of America #14, 35, Detective Comics #480, Fury of Firestorm #5, 6, Crisis on Infinite Earths #9, Blue Devil #30, Secret Origins #41, Guy Gardner: Warrior #29, Rogues (Villains) #1, Countdown #51, 50, 49, 47, 46, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 34, 33, 32, 30, 29, 28, 27, 25, 22, 21, 20, 19, 12, 11, 10, 9, 1

Captain Boomerang

Real Name: George "Digger" Harkness

First Appearance: Flash #117 (December, 1960)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin:  Digger was an Australian who picked up the use of boomerangs, and became a mascot for a boomerang company, but decided to make off with the money at events instead, fighting the Flash.  After Flash died, Digger was a regular with the Suicide Squad until his death in Identity Crisis (but came back in Blackest Night!). 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member), Secret Society of Super-Villains, Suicide Squad

Some non-Flash appearances: Justice League of America #61, Secret Society of Super-Villains #1, 3, 4, 5, 6, Batman #322, 388, 645, Detective Comics #555, Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, Blue Devil #30, Legends #3, 4, 5, 6, Suicide Squad #1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, Annual 1, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33. 34, 35, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, Fury of Firestorm #64,

Firestorm Annual #5, Millenium #4, Justice League International #13, Invasion! #2, 3, Checkmate! #15, 16, 18, Firestorm the Nuclear Man #87, War of the Gods #3, 4, Wonder Woman #61, Showcase '94 #6, Outsiders #9, Adventures of Superman #520, 565, Superboy #13, 14, 15, Underworld Unleashed #1, Rogues (Villains) #1, Robin #62, 63, 64, Identity Crisis #2, 3, 4, 5, Blackest Night #2, 3, 8, Blackest Night: Batman #3

The Top

Real Name: Roscoe Dillon

First Appearance: Flash #122 (August, 1961)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin: Roscoe Dillon was a crook who developed the ability to spin at superhuman speeds...and fought the Flash, all while dating Captain Cold's sister, Lisa.  But, his power killed him, inspired her to become the Golden Gilder...and he came back as a ghost to continue to haunt the Flash!

 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member)

Some non-Flash appearances:
Justice League of America #28,
Hawk & Dove Annual #1,
Hawk & Dove #27, 28,
DC First: Flash/Superman #1


Top mostly faced the Flash and associated with the Rogues!
  

Heat Wave

Real Name: Mick Rory

First Appearance: Flash #140 (November, 1963)

Created By: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Origin: Mick Rory liked to watch stuff burn.  Seeing a cold based villain in Central City, Mick adopted the identity of Heat Wave, to compete with Captain Cold and fight the Flash!

 

Team Membership: Rogues (charter member), Cadmus

Some non-Flash appearances: Blue Devil #30, Invasion! #2, Justice League Quarterly #2, Underworld Unleashed #1, Green Lantern #96, Green Arrow #130, Rogues (Villains) #1, Superboy #65, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 87, 88, 89, 90, Infinite Crisis #1, Superman #225, Countdown #51, 50, 47, 46, Salvation Run #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Catwoman #75, DC Universe #0, Blackest Night #1

More Flash foes joined up, like Weather Wizard, the Trickster, Golden Glider, and even Abra Kadabra...but never Grodd, or any of the evil speedsters like the Reverse Flash or Zoom.

These foes were enough to keep Barry Allen and his legacy running fast!