Celebrating Artist Karl Kesel

Celebrating the birthday of artist Karl Kesel (January 7, 1959) with two covers he did full art for (as he inked many many covers)...

...here, featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, with the LSH facing Starfinger in the Best Of DC #67 (December, 1985) and a generic shot of the early Legion, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Archive #3 (October, 1993).

Guide To Golden Age Sandman Reprints Part 1

"There is no land beyond the law, where tyrants rule with unshakeable power!  It's but a dream from which the evil wake to face their fate...their terrifying hour!"....a message left for criminals by the crimefighter, the Sandman, putting criminals to sleep with his gas gun (which, was why he wore a gas mask along with his suit, to hide his identity as Wesley Dodds).  This Golden Age hero started in Adventure Comics, capturing a few of its covers, and worked with the Justice Society of America as well, but we start with his first published tale...and follow along with a little more after.

New York World's Fair Comics

New York World's Fair Comics #1 (April, 1939) had the first published story of the Sandman by Gardner Fox and Bert Christman, with "Sandman At The World's Fair" (though his Adventure Comics #40 story took place first, and coming out only 2 weeks after Batman's first appearance as well, so Batman isn't in this issue) where Sandman stops hoods who steal his new ray gun invention.  New York World's Fair Comics #2 (July, 1940) has the adventure of "Sandman Goes To The World's Fair" by Gardner Fox and Chad Grothkopf, with Sandman rescuing his kidnapped girlfriend, Dian Belmont. 


Both of these stories are reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archives #1 (December, 2004)

Adventure Comics

The first adventure of Sandman Wesley Dodds is from Adventure Comics #40 (July, 1939) by Gardner Fox and Bert Christman, with the hero dealing with when "The Tarantula Strikes", this a villain, not the later hero of the Golden Age, the Tarantula (John Law), though Sandman and the second Tarantula do have a bond, detailed later in All-Star Squadron.  This story involves Sandman rescuing kidnapped actress, Vivian Dale, and freeing her from the Tarantula's clutches.  Sandman's fashion was a little off in this issue, as in his earliest appearances, his suit was orange (before settling on green).  This tale does not feature Sandman's origin, which did not come to light until Secret Origins #7 (October, 1986), at the New York World's Fair (and involving the Crimson Avenger, another pulp styled mystery man).

This tale was reprinted in  Justice League of America #94 (November, 1971), which had this stunning cover featuring Deadman and the Justice League by Neal Adams, in an incredible story featuring the League of Assassins, as well as Starman's first appearance in Adventure Comics.

Next up is the reprint of Adventure Comics #51 (June, 1940) with the tale of "The Pawn Broker" by Gardner Fox and Creig Flessel, with Sandman tracking down escaped felon, Mad Maddon, and his murderous friend, Flip Benson.

This story was reprinted in Justice League of America #99 (June, 1972) along with a Golden Age Atom story (and a cover by Nick Cardy) and in Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told (1990) with a cover by Jerry Ordway.

Adventure Comics #61 (April, 1941) has Sandman facing "The Menace Of The Metal Gun" by  Gardner Fox and Creig Flessel, with Wes and Dian facing off against Ivan Borloff and his new invention, the Cylindecraft, a ray gun that destroys metal (though, ironically, has no effect on sand, which is key in allowing the Sandman to defeat the villain).

This reprint came about in Millennium Edition Adventure Comics #61 (December, 2000) which was a reprint that came from a vote by the fans...

...proving how popular Starman was (with Sandman and his fans also being one of the lucky recipients of that popularity, as this was the only place this story has been reprinted so far!).

The last of Wes' gas masked adventures reprinted is Adventure Comics #65 (August, 1941), with "The "Sandman At Sea" by artist Paul Norris.  While relaxing on a yacht with girlfriend, Dian Belmont, the Sandman gets involved in an attempted kidnapping of scientist Elbert Hudson, getting help in dealing with foreign agents from the U.S. military!


This story was reprinted in 100-Page Super Spectacular DC-17 (1973) under a cover by Nick Cardy, with three other stories...

...two featuring the Justice League and one with the Justice Society, with more facts on all of them here!

All-Star Comics

A few earlier Sandman tales, All-Star Comics #1 (Summer, 1940) with "The Twin Thieves" by Gardner Fox, Creig Flessel and Chad Grothkopf, with Sandman facing twins who are thieves while dealing with a bullet wound, and All-Star Comics #2 (Fall, 1940) with "The Glowing Globes" by Gardner Fox, Creig Flessel and Chad Grothkopf, and a scientist brother who uses the scientist's invention for evil after killing him, both reprinted  in All-Star Comics Archives #0 (2006).


Then, Sandman was a charter member of the Justice Society of America starting with All-Star Comics #3 (Winter, 1940-1941), with more of career there detailed here.

World's Finest Comics 

World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall, 1941) to #5 (Spring, 1942), have the very last of Sandman's original look, but these tales have not been reprinted at this time.

Golden Age Sandman Archives

The Golden Age Sandman Archives features a good portion of Sandman's earliest adventures with Dian Belmont, dispensing justice and helping those in need while being quite the fashionable hero, reprinting his stories from New York World's Fair Comics #1 (1939), New York World's Fair Comics #2 (1940) and Adventure Comics #40 to #59, giving readers a good taste of Sandman's career...

.....but not quite all, as it still misses the last of his suited adventures, that lasted until Adventure Comics #68, and World's Finest Comics #5. 


But, these issues did NOT signal the end of Sandman's Golden Age career!

Still, Sandman had some major changes, ditching the suit and gas mask for a purple and yellow costume, and getting a sidekick in Sandy the Golden Boy with Adventure Comics #69 (December, 1941), and Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as the creative force behind the comics, starting in Adventure Comics #72 (March, 1942)....but, those are tales to be told on a later date...

....with Sandman returning to his classic look with the JLA/JSA team-ups (and even later, with retroactive tales of Wes in the 1940s, with Sandman Mystery Theatre), with these tales to be looked into sometime in the future.

Doom Patrol Archives And More

The Doom Patrol of the 1960s is a somewhat unique case.  All their team appearances in their own title were collected into 5 Archive additions, allowing you to read all of their adventures from My Greatest Adventure #80 (June, 1963) to Doom Patrol #121 (September-October, 1968) without totally having to break the bank or spend all your time tracking them down.

Here's the breakdown by volume of important events by Doom Patrol Archive, and the work of Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani, as well as Bob Haney and Bob Brown.

Doom Patrol Archive #1

The first Doom Patrol Archive came out in 2002, and features the premiere of the Doom Patrol from My Greatest Adventure #80 (as well as the first appearance of General Immortus, one of the teams most persistent foes).  This volume also includes all of their My Greatest Adventures tales (#81 to #85), the turning of the title to Doom Patrol with Doom Patrol #86 (which also features the first appearances of the Brotherhood of Evil, and its charter members of the Brain, Monsieur Mallah and Madame Rogue, with Mr. Morden trying to join using the Chief robot, Rog), learning "The Terrible Secret Of Negative Man" with Doom Patrol #87, "The Incredible Origin Of The Chief" in Doom Patrol #88, and the premiere of the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man in Doom Patrol #89 (in the tale where the Negative Man and Elasti-Girl get new red uniforms to replace their green ones, as well as the other Doom Patrol stories from the above issues.

Doom Patrol Archive #2

The second Doom Patrol Archive starts with Doom Patrol #90, seeing Madame Rogue get new shape-changing powers, the premiere of the sometimes heroic Mento (Steve Dayton) and alien invader Garguax in Doom Patrol #91, villainous Dr. Tyme in Doom Patrol #92, another return of the Brotherhood of Evil in Doom Patrol #93, the introduction of the Chief's "action chair" in Doom Patrol #94, the return of the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man in Doom Patrol #95, a team-up of Garguax, General Immortus and the Brotherhood of Evil in Doom Patrol #96, that continues into the last issue in this Archive, Doom Patrol #97.

Doom Patrol Archive #3

The third Doom Patrol Archive starts with Doom Patrol #98 and the introduction of the elemental villain, Mr. 103.  Doom Patrol #99 introduces us to Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), with Doom Patrol #100 giving us Gar's origin, while starting a look back at Robotman's history as well.  Doom Patrol #101 features the mystery of Kranus, and guest appearances by the Challengers of the Unknown, which leads to including Challengers of the Unknown #48 (with the Doom Patrol) in this Archive.  The Doom Patrol and Challengers finish their fight against Challs' foes, the League of Challenger-Haters (who include Multi-Man, Volcano Man, Kra and Multi-Woman).  Doom Patrol #103 sees the team face "The Meteor Man", with Doom Patrol #104 seeing Elasti-Girl marrying Mento (with the Justice League and Teen Titans of the time at the wedding, which was crashed by the Brotherhood of Evil.  Last in this volume is Doom Patrol #105, with "The Honeymoon Of Terror" (as well as all the Robotman-iac looks at Robotman's pre-Doom Patrol past).

Doom Patrol Archive #4

The fourth Doom Patrol Archive begins with Doom Patrol #106, and the last appearance of Mr. 103 in the Silver Age Doom Patrol title, as well as the start of Negative Man's pre-Doom Patrol story.  Problems with Beast Boy being around the team surface in Doom Patrol #107, as well as facing off against the Brotherhood of Evil for every issue going forward, with Garguax attacking in tandem starting with Doom Patrol #108, introducing the android Mandred in Doom Patrol #109, finding out about Madame Rogue's love for the Chief in Doom Patrol #110, introducing Garguax's alien boss, Zarox-13 in Doom Patrol #111, the Doom Patrol and Brotherhood of Evil working together against Zarox-13 and learning Madame Rouge's origin in Doom Patrol #112, ending with a battle against the robotic Arsenal and learning the Chief plans to help Madame Rogue with the last story in this selection from Doom Patrol #113, as well as flashback stories for Negative Man and Beast Boy.

Doom Patrol Archive #5

The fifth and final Doom Patrol Archive starts with Doom Patrol #114 and the introduction of Kor (Dr. Anton Koravyk), creating a time warp and a Beast Boy solo story.  Madame Rogue splits into her good and evil selves in Doom Patrol #115, and the team faces mutants Ur, Ir and Ar, who they defeat in Doom Patrol #116.  The Chief faces the Black Vulture alone in Doom Patrol #117, as the Doom Patrol abandons him (and the Chief grows closer to the good self of Madame Rogue), the Brain introduces a potential new Brotherhood of Evil member with Videx, as in Doom Patrol #119, the Great Guru makes Robotman a pacifist (and turns Madame Rogue back to evil).  The team deals with the Wrecker (Harvey Keller) in Doom Patrol #120, and then faces their own doom at the hands of Madame Rogue (and new boyfriend, Nazi Captain Zahl) in "The Death Of The Doom Patrol?" in the last story of the Doom Patrol in the Silver Age (and this volume) from Doom Patrol #121.

Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol

If you don't mind reading adventures in black and white instead of in glorious color, you can get the collected Doom Patrol experience by buying the two volumes of Showcase Presents that feature the Doom Patrol.  The first volume features stories from My Greatest Adventure #80 to Doom Patrol #101 (coming out in 2009), and the second Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol has the issues from Doom Patrol #102 to Doom Patrol #121 (and arrived in stores in 2010).

The Official Doom Patrol Index

If you just don't have the space for Archives or Showcase Presents, you can get the The Official Doom Patrol Index from 1986.  The two issues summarize the original run of the Doom Patrol, as well as giving details on the new Doom Patrol that premiered in Showcase #94 (August-September, 1977) by Paul Kupperberg and Joe Staton (as well as their next two Showcase issues, all under Jim Aparo covers), and a little extra information, all under two incredible covers by John Byrne.  Thanks to Murray Ward and his army of contributors who created this index, as well as to the Grand Comics Database and Mike's Amazing World of Comics, whose work make this article so much easier to create!

All this, and two Silver Age Doom Patrol appearances are overlooked.  The Doom Patrol appeared in Teen Titans #6 (November-December, 1966) by Bob Haney, Bill Molno and Sal Trapani, but it was reprinted in the Silver Age Teen Titans Archive Volume #2 of 2013, and in the Showcase Presents: Teen Titans first volume of 2006, and will be in the upcoming Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus Volume #1 in November, 2016 (mostly focusing on Beast Boy...more on him later).  Sadly, the other appearance of the Doom Patrol, from Brave and the Bold #65 (April-May, 1966) by Bob Haney, Dick Giordano and Sal Trapani, has not been reprinted (but, if DC collected Flash's Brave and the Bold team-ups, as detailed here, this problem would be solved!).  Shouldn't we see another round of Silver Age Doom Patrol reprints....maybe even hitting their 1970s Showcase appearances (and more?).

Legends Lore: Atom and Hawkman Archives

With a cast as big as CW's Legends of Tomorrow, it can be necessary to shrink it down a bit...

...shrinking is what the Atom does, and Hawkman and Hawkgirl are already part of the show's past, flying off after the first season.

As the summer without new episodes continues, how about looking back to the early days of Atom and Hawkman, and finding those old adventures in DC Archives!

Atom Archives #1

The Atom Archives #1 (June, 2001) features the origin and early tales of Ray Palmer, the Atom.  Issues included in this collection include his three Showcase appearances of Showcase #34, #35 and #36 from 1961/1962, as well as Atom #1 to #5 from 1962/1963 by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson.



Physicist Pay Palmer shrinks himself down to save his girlfriend lawyer, Jean Loring, in Showcase #34 (September-October, 1961) with "The Birth Of The Atom", and gets his Atom name and costume (which only appears when he is shrunken) in the second tale in this issue, as he saves small alien Kulan Dar from criminal Carl Ballard in a "Battle Of The Tiny Titans".

Atom helps a man get his inheritance in the full length tale of "The Dooms From Beyond" in Showcase #35 (November-December, 1961), and finds himself a "Prisoner In A Test Tube" in Showcase #36 (January-February, 1962), saving Jean's professor father from foreign spies (and beginning a relationship with the government), as well as helping out a friend of Jean's from false accusations in "The 'Disappearing Act' Robberies".

Atom faces his major foes as well, starting with Jason Woodrue, the Plant-Master, an exile from an inter-dimensional world in the full-length tale from the Atom #1 (June-July, 1962) in "Master Of The Plant World" and Chronos (David Clinton) in "The Time Trap" from the first half of the Atom #3 (October-November, 1962).  Other stories included are the two from the Atom #2 (August-September, 1962) with "The Oddest Man On Earth" and "The Prisoners Who Vanished" (facing Carl Ballard again), the first appearance of the inventor of the time pool, Alpheus V. Hyatt (and the Time Pool, a device that a small man like the Atom could use to travel time) in "The Secret Of "Al Atom's' Lamp" in the Atom #3 (October-November, 1962), "The Machine That Made 'Miracles'" that guest-starred Snapper Carr from the Justice League of America (which Atom had joined) and "The Case Of The Innocent Thief" from the Atom #4 (December-January, 1962/1963), and "The Diamond Of Deadly Dooms" and "The Specter of 3000-Moons Lake" from the Atom #5 (February-March, 1963), rounding out the Archive.

Atom Archives #2

The Atom Archives #2 (October, 2003) continues the adventures of Ray Palmer's smaller alter ego from the Silver Age, starting with the Atom #6 and running through the Atom #13.


The Atom #6 (April-May, 1963) featured two stories, the first "The Riddle Of The Two-Faced Astronaut" having Ray and Jean help out a stage magician, and second, "The Highwayman And The Mighty Mite" having the Atom secretly use the Time Pool to fight the Highwayman (Dick Turpin, also known as Tom Palmer) in 18th Century London.

The Atom #7 (June-July, 1963) has "The Case Of The Cosmic Camera" and features the first meeting between the Silver Age Atom and Hawkman, with the two facing off against a race of invading aliens called the Thalens.  This started a life-long friendship among the heroes (and helped out Hawkman, who still didn't have his own book at the time, but more on that further on down the page).

The Atom could have used Hawkman's help in the Atom #8 (August-September, 1963), as he faced JLA foe, Dr. Light, in the "Lockup In The Lethal Lightbulb" alone, as the JLA was on a space mission at the time (facing Zazzala, the Queen Bee in Justice League of America #23 of November, 1963).  The second story of the Atom #8, "The Purloined Minatures" is also included.  Atom faces off against "The Atom's Phantom Double" and takes another dip in the Time Pool to 1609 in "The Seaman And The Spyglass" in the Atom #9 (October-November, 1963).  Atom works for the C.I.A., and with a dangerous "Ride A Deadly Grenade" and meets "The Mysterious Swan-Maiden" in the Atom #10 (December-January, 1963/1964).

Ray Palmer meets members of his Ivy University graduating class, and has "Trouble At The Ten-Year Club" with Jack Archer and then goes on a vacation cruise with Jean Loring (and finds more trouble) in a "Voyage To Beyond" from the Atom #11 (February-March, 1964).  Ray's lab assistant, Enrichetta Negrini first appears (and needs Ray's help) in "Danger -- Atom Gun At Work", then the Atom goes into the Time Pool, meets Edgar Allan Poe, while helping out during in "The Gold Hunters of '49" (1849, that is) in the Atom #12 (April-May, 1964).

Finally, the Atom faces Chronos again in "Weapon Watches Of The Time-Wise Guy" as David Clinton uses his clock motif to try to steal jewelry from Anton Teljas and his daugher, Eva, then has to clear his alter ego's name when "I Accuse Ray Palmer -- Of Robbery", both from the Atom #13 (June-July, 1964), ending the Archive collection of Silver Age Atom stories (well short of the Atom's last solo issue of the Atom #38 of August-September, 1968).     

21st Century Atom

But, a few more Silver Age Atom stories from this era did get reprinted.  The full-length story of the "World Of The Magic Atom" facing the Druid from the Atom #19 (June-July, 1965) found itself reprinted in the JLA: Zatanna's Search tradepaperback of January, 2004 (along with Zatanna's original run, including Hawkman #4 from October-November, 1964), and Ray Palmer's meetings with the Golden Age Atom (Al Pratt) from the Atom #29 (February-March, 1967) facing "The Thinker's Earth-Shaking Robberies" and the Atom #36 (April-May, 1968) with the "Duel Between The Dual Atoms" both being reprinted in the Crisis On Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups #2 of 2007 (along with stories of the Green Lanterns, the Flashes and even Starman and Black Canary!). 

Wouldn't you like to see a little more of the Silver Age Atom?

Hawkman Archives #1

The Hawkman Archives #1 (September, 2000) introduces us to Katar and Shayera Hol, police officers from the planet Thanagar, starting with their first tale from Brave and the Bold #34 (February-March, 1961) by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, and includes their solo appearances from Brave and the Bold issues #35, #36, #42, #43, #44 and Mystery In Space #87 to #90 (with Murphy Anderson handling the art on the Mystery In Space issues).

Katar and Shayera come to Earth in pursuit of Thanagarian criminal Byth Rok, "The Creature Of A Thousand Shapes", and after defeating him in Brave and the Bold #34, stay on Earth to help Commissioner George Emmett (who knows their true identities), the Hawks live among us humans as Midway City museum curators and archeologists Carter and Shiera Hall, and work with Mavis Trent, a naturalist who has a fascination for the married Carter (and doesn't know their secret identities). 

The Hawks face their first Earth foe with the Mark Mandrill and his magic wand of Mentachem) in the "Menace Of The Matter Master", then end up in the "Valley Of Vanishing Men" in Brave and the Bold #35 (April-May, 1961).  Hawkman and Hawkgirl face magic expert Konrad Kaslak and his "Strange Spells Of The Sorcerer" and then small time crook Carl Sands who gets a device that allows him to become the "Shadow Thief Of Midway City" in Brave and the Bold #36 (June-July, 1961).

Hawkman returns in Brave and the Bold #42 (June-July, 1962) with "The Menace Of The Dragonfly Raiders", where they have returned to Thanagar, reflect on their time on Earth with police Chief Andar Pul, and fight Byth and his cellmate Jarl, with Hawkman earning his honor wings at the end of this story.  Hawkman reflects on his own life on Thanagar before his first appearance, including time with his father, Paran Katar, as he and Hawkgirl return to Earth to face the Manhawks (which Katar and his father faced before) in "The Masked Marauders Of Earth" in Brave and the Bold #43 (August-September, 1962). 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl deal with a Thanagarian holiday (which falls on the same day as the 4th of July) on "Earth's Impossible Day" (where the Hawks have to perform 3 impossible tasks), and deal with "The Men Who Moved The World" in Brave and the Bold #44 (October-November, 1962).  Hawkman then next appears in the Atom #7 (not in this collection, but you can find it earlier in this article).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl still don't get their own title, but move to Mystery In Space to share the book with Earth spaceman on the planet Rann, starting with Mystery In Space #87 (November, 1963), facing off against Ira Quimby and "The Amazing Thefts Of The I.Q. Gang" (and new Hawkman artist, Murphy Anderson).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl continue their adventures in Mystery In Space #88 (December, 1963) with "Topsy-Turvy Day In Midway City", facing the "Super-Motorized Menace" in Mystery In Space #89 (February, 1964), and having a full-length story teaming with Adam Strange facing "Planets In Peril" in Mystery In Space #90 (March, 1964).

Though not reprinted in this Archive, during this time Hawkman met with Aquaman in Brave and the Bold #51 (December-January, 1963/1964, more on here), and Hawkman and Hawkgirl said goodbye to Mystery In Space in Mystery In Space #91 (May, 1964), before heading to Hawkman #1 (April/May, 1964).

Hawkman Archives #2

The Hawkman Archives #2 (November, 2004) finally deals with the first issue of a regular Hawkman series, with Hawkman #1 (April-May, 1964) and continuing on until Hawkman #8 (June-July, 1965), with stories by Gardner Fox and art by Murphy Anderson.

Hawkman #1 had Hawkman and Hawkgirl report back to Andar Pul, then head back to Earth in "Rivalry Of The Winged Wonders" before facing off against new foe, the immortal Mayan chief Chac in the "Master Of The Sky Weapons).

The alien Thralls came to face Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the "Secret Of The Sizzling Sparklers" and, with Midway Museum press agent Joe Tracy, the Hawks discovered the wings of Icarus in "Wings Across Time" in Hawkman #2 (June-July, 1964).  The Hawks faced the Sky Raiders in "The Fear That Haunted Hawkman", and were "Birds In The Gilded Cage" thanks to some mobsters in Hawkman #3 (August-September, 1964).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl met "The Girl Who Split In Two" (which was really magician Zatanna, in her first appearance, looking for her lost father, Zatara), then had to deal with Time Bandits in "The Machine That Magnetized Men" in Hawkman #4 (October-November, 1964).  Hawkman and Hawkgirl dealt with the return of the Shadow-Thief (who discovered their secret identities) in "Steal, Shadow -- Steal" from Hawkman #5 (December-January, 1964/1965). 

The Hawks dealt with Tantors (evolved Rat-Men), Wingors (devolved flying gorillas) and Tiger Men on the planet Illoral, a "World Where Evolution Ran Wild" in Hawkman #6 (February-March, 1965).  


Hawkman and Hawkgirl dealt with the "Amazing Return Of The I.Q. Gang", then got ready for the "Attack Of The Crocodile-Men" in Hawkman #7 (April-May, 1965). 


Last, but not least, with the stories of Hawkman #8 (June-July, 1965), and facing the "Giant In The Golden Mask" and Fal Tal in the "Battle Of The Bird-Man Bandits", Hawkman's Archive collection concludes.

21st Century Hawkman

A couple of the later tales of Hawkman and Hawkgirl from their first series have been reprinted recently as well.  Hawkman #16 (October-November, 1966) with its story of the "Lord Of The Flying Gorillas" found its way into the collection DC Goes Ape in 2008 (along with Grodd and Titano storie as well) and Hawkman #18 (February-March, 1967) with the "World That Vanished" was reprinted in the Adam Strange Archives Volume #3 of 2008, also quite a few issues shy of the last issue of the Silver Age Hawkman with Hawkman #27 (August-September, 1968), or his continuation title with the Atom, Atom and the Hawkman #45 (October-November, 1969).

Wouldn't you fly high to see more tales of Hawkman reprinted?

Of course, the Hawkman we saw in Legends of Tomorrow was more of the classic, Golden Age Hawkman....and you can find the guide to the Golden Age Hawkman Archive here (with details on the different Hawkgirls and how they fit into Hawkman's lives here); as well as finding the guide to the Golden Age Black Canary Archive here (White Canary being a much more recent invention); with Captain Cold and Heat Wave popping up in Flash Archives (as detailed here).  Sadly, Rip Hunter and Firestorm never got Archives, but new member, Hourman, did have more than a few reprints as well (as detailed here!).

Unlike the Silver Age Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League of America and Adam Strange....no current collections Silver Age material of Atom and Hawkman have been announced (but we can hope!). 

Flash Facts: Archives

With the summer upon us, TV shows like CW's Flash go into reruns...and classic comics had their own reruns back in the day, with various forms of reprints.

An often reprinted book is Showcase #4 (September-October, 1956), which features the premiere of Barry Allen as the Flash in the "Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt!" by Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert, with habitually late police scientist Barry Allen being hit by lightning while in front of chemicals in his lab, then, after finding out he has super-speed while saving his girlfriend, Iris West, figuring out an identity and costume (based on a comic he read), going to stop the Turtle.

The second story in that issue was "The Man Who Broke The Time Barrier!", by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert, with the Flash facing off against Mazdan, a criminal from the future!

The first story has been reprinted many times in collections of Secret Origins, and collections of those collections no less, and the whole issue has been reprinted twice on its own, once as DC Silver Age Classics Showcase 4 in 1992 and once as the Millennium Edition: Showcase 4 in January, 2000.

But, between those two reprints, DC Comics started their Archives program (hardcover books that reprint runs of comic books), so, let's speed into what they covered!

The Flash Archives #1

The first of the The Flash Archives #1 (June, 1996) covered the first issues Barry Allen (the Flash) appeared in, with Showcase #4, #8, #13, #14, and Flash #105 to #108, as well as including the Golden Age Flash story from Flash Comics #104 (February, 1949), Jay Garrick's last solo appearance in the Golden Age (fighting Rival, Jay's super-speeding foe....and more on Golden Age Flash reprints here and on Rival here; it was a different issue of Flash Comics that Barry was reading in his first appearance).


All that and an introduction by writer Paul Kupperberg (who among other credits, co-created Checkmate! and revived the Doom Patrol).

Along with the issue that introduced the Flash, this Archive includes the introduction of Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) and his Cold Gun (Showcase #8 of May-June, 1957); matter transmuting Mr. Element (a.k.a. Al Desmond in Showcase #13 of March-April, 1958); magical Dr. Alchemy (Showcase #14 of May-June, 1958, who was formerly Mr. Element), Mirror Master (Sam Scudder) and Katmos in Flash #105 (February-March, 1959); Pied Piper (Hartley Rathaway) and Gorilla Grodd in Flash #106 (April-May, 1959), with a Grodd story in each issue until Flash #108 (August-September, 1959).

A heck of a great collection of Flash issues to start with, and many of these tales had been reprinted elsewhere, but never in order in one book until this time!

The Flash Archives #2

The second time around brought us The Flash Archives #2 (March, 2000), and this collection featured all the stories from Flash issues from Flash #109 until Flash #116, with a few first appearances, as well as some returning foes, just like you would hope.



This archive also includes an introduction by Bob Rozakis (DC's Answer Man, and writer of many books, like the Teen Titans and Freedom Fighters, and co-creator of the Calculator, a villain who faced many members of the DC Universe...but never the Flash!).

This time around, stories include: Flash dealt with the "Return Of The Mirror Master" in Flash #109 (October-November, 1959); introduced Weather Wizard Mark Mardon and Kid Flash Wally West in Flash #110 (December-January, 1959/1960); saw Wally get his own back-up feature starting with Flash #111 (February-March, 1960) while Barry continued to fight crime (and this time, a cloud menace) in the main story; introduced the Elongated Man (a.k.a. Ralph Dibny) in Flash #112 (April-May, 1960), fought the Trickster (James Jesse) for the first time in Flash #113 (June-July, 1960), fought Captain Cold again in Flash #114 (August, 1960); faced Gorilla Grodd in a massive story in Flash #115 (September, 1960), and saved Central City in Flash #116 (November, 1960), while Wally dealt with a Blue Valley racing group.  It was also during this period that the Flash helped found the Justice League of America.

The Flash Archives #3

The third time is the charm with The Flash Archives #3 (January, 2002), with reprints of all the stories from Flash #117 to Flash #124, and many important adventures for the Flash, establishing his history and even setting a course for the entire DC Universe, as his adventures had been getting closer to being a monthly event as the individual comics were coming out.



Also included in this volume is a foreward by Paul Levitz, who, along with leading DC for a while, wrote many stories of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and a few with the Justice Society of America in the 1970s revival of All-Star Comics and Adventure Comics.

This archive includes: the first story of Captain Boomerang (George "Digger" Harkness) and how he faced the Flash in Flash #117 (December, 1960); some quieter stories for Barry and Wally in Flash #118 (February, 1961), another return of the Mirror Master, and Elongated Man meeting and marrying Sue Dearbon (to become Sue Dibny) in Flash #119 (March, 1961); a full-length team-up of the Flash and Kid Flash traveling back in time to face "The Land Of The Golden Giants!" in Flash #120 (May, 1961); dealing with "The Trickster Strikes Back" in Flash #121 (June, 1961); the introduction of a villain that put Flash into a spin, the Top, in Flash #122 (August, 1961); and Flash #123 (September, 1961), with a full length tale, re-introducing Jay Garrick to the world (and that he had existed on his own world) with the "Flash Of Two Worlds" from Flash #123 (September, 1961) facing off against Jay's foes of the Thinker, the Fiddler and the Shade; and a Flash-Elongated Man team-up against Captain Boomerang from Flash #124 (November, 1961).

The Flash Archives #4

The Flash Archives #4 (April, 2006) fills in the next chapter of the life of Barry Allen, collecting his adventures from Flash #124 to Flash #132, along with a little of his friends, Kid Flash and the Elongated Man.



This archive includes a foreward by Mike W. Barr, who co-created the Outsiders (including Katana, Halo and Geo-Force), as well as having a memorable run on Detective Comics with artist Alan Davis (and even writing the last team-up of the Batman and Flash in Brave and the Bold!).

This volume starts off with a full length Flash/Kid Flash adventure, with the pair traveling through time and facing, among other perils, dinosaurs, in...."The Conquerors of Time!" from Flash #125 (December, 1961).  Flash faces the Mirror Master again in Flash #126 (February, 1962) as well as in a separate story from the same issue, reunites with a past love, Daphne Dean (which causes some problems for the already committed Barry Allen).  Grodd returns with his first cover appearance and feature story in Flash #127 (March, 1962).  Flash #128 (May, 1962) sees "The Case Of The Real Gone Flash", introducing 64th Century sorcerer Abra Kadabra as a foe for the Flash (and, in a separate story, reveals "The Origin Of The Flash's Masked Identity".).  Jay Garrick helps Barry with his foes of Captain Cold and the Trickster in Flash #129 (June, 1962) with "Double Danger On Earth!" (and a hint of the Justice Society as well!).  Flash faces the Mirror Master, and maybe other foes of Captain Boomerang, the Top, Captain Cold and the Trickster in Flash #130 (August, 1962) while in the same issue "Kid Flash Meets The Elongated Man" and they face the Weather Wizard!  Flash teams up with fellow charter JLA member Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) in "Captives Of The Cosmic Ray!" from Flash #131 (September, 1962) in the second solo team-up of these two Justice League members.  Then, Flash deals with his weight and with Daphne Dean in two separate stories from Flash #132 (November, 1962).

 

The Flash Archives #5

The Flash Archives #5 (March, 2009) sees a few changes for the Flash cast, as well the introduction of a few new villains, that will change the direction of Barry Allen's life (as well as that of his friends and family), with the stories from Flash #133 to Flash #141.



This archive also features an introduction by writer Tom Peyer, known mostly for his work on the android version of Hourman in his 25 issue series.

Starting this archive, Flash faced Abra Kadabra again with "The Plight Of The Puppet Flash" in Flash #133 (December, 1962) while Kid Flash found out the "Secret Of The Handicapped Boys"; Flash and Elongated Man faced Captain Cold in Flash #134 (February, 1963) while in a second story, we meet Iris' dad, Professor Ira West in "The Threat Of The Absent-Minded Professor"; Kid Flash gets his costume changed by Flash in the "Secret Of The Three Super-Weapons" from the full-length story from Flash #135 (March, 1963); Mirror Master returns yet again for Flash #136 (May, 1963); Vandal Savage and the Justice Society of America join Barry and Jay for the "Vengeance of The Immortal Villain" in full-length story in Flash #137 (June, 1963); Pied Piper faces off against Flash and the Elongated Man in Flash #138 (August, 1963) while Kid Flash meets actor Dexter Myles; Flash meets his most dangerous foe, Eobard Thawne, for the first time in Flash #139 (September, 1963) with the "Menace Of The Reverse-Flash"; Flash meets Heat Wave for the first time as "The Heat Is On For Captain Cold" in Flash #140 (November, 1963); and Flash pulls some trickery on the Top and meets Paul Gambi (a tailor for super-villains) in Flash #141 (December, 1963).  It was also during these issues that the first Flash Annual comes out, which reprints key Flash stories....   

 

The Flash Archives #6

The last, but not least of the series is The Flash Archives #6 (August, 2012), with features the stories from Flash #142 to Flash #150 and by this time, the Flash team had the formula perfected in the original issues, making this collection a real treat!




This volume includes an introduction by Paul Kupperberg, who had done a previous introduction, but is also known for writing the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl as well....

Starting off the collection is Flash #142 (February, 1964) with Flash in the "Perilous Pursuit Of The Trickster"; then, Flash teams up with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) again, this time facing off against scientist (and future thief....he literally stole weapons from the future) T. O. Morrow from Flash #143 (March, 1964); faced Weather Wizard again in Flash #145 (June, 1964); Mirror Master again in Flash #146 (August, 1964); Mr. Element and the Reverse-Flash in a full-length story from Flash #147 (September, 1964); faced Captain Boomerang in Flash #148 (November, 1964); pulled some super-speed trickery to get help from Kid Flash in Flash #149 (December, 1964); and faced Captain Cold again in Flash #150 (February, 1965)...all along with the other stories from the above issues as well, all while Wally was helping to found the Teen Titans as well!

Even though this is the end of the Flash Archives, DC Comics still reprints Flash stories, with the Silver Age Flash Omnibus #1 with the four Showcase issues and Flash #105 to Flash #132, and the Flash: The Silver Age tradepaperback (coming later in 2016, cover still being finalized), which is reported to have the four Showcase issues as well as Flash #105 to Flash #113, and a second Silver Age Flash Omnibus is also planned, which will take Flash reprints past where the Archives ended!

Hopefully, fans are racing to get these books to keep the Flash reprints coming!