1970’s The Flash #196-197 are now available on DC’s digital backlist.
Flash #196 collects reprints of older stories including “The Mightiest Punch of All Time” (with the Reverse-Flash), “The Speed of Doom,” “The Origin of the Flash’s Masked Identity” and “Mirror Master’s Invincible Bodyguards.”
Flash #197: “Barry Allen takes acting lessons and uses his speed to play several roles almost simultaneously.”
The Flash was weird in 1970. Added to DC’s digital backlist this week (descriptions from ComiXology & Comics.org):
Flash #194: The Bride Cast Two Shadows – “Looking into the eyes of a strange woman gives Flash visions; he assumes another identity, battles demonic creatures, and gets married.” And there’s still room after all that for a backup story, The Man Who Televised Time!
Flash #195: Fugitive From Blind Justice – “Flash is ambushed by a group of crooks from his past but is saved by a mystery dog. Flash saves Lightning from being put to sleep after Lighting is accused of killing his master.” I Open My Mouth…But I Can’t Scream! – “Flash must overcome his fear of roller coasters.”
DC Comics has added two more Silver Age Flash issues to its digital backlist:
Flash #192: The Day the Flash Failed.
Flash #193: Actually, I can’t tell you about this one, and neither can Captain Cold.
New to DC’s digital backlist this week:
Flash #190: “Flash saves a trailer park from being wiped out by a tornado, but breaks his leg in the process.” Backup story: “Ten Years to Live—One Second to Die!”
Flash #191: “Hal visits and has dinner with Barry and Iris; Hal hits it off with Olivia, from a rival toy company; Flash and Green Lantern battle aliens called the Mogrians.”
Both 1969 comics feature covers by the legendary Joe Kubert, with stories written by John Broome and drawn by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Kubert only drew a handful of Flash covers, but the ones he did are striking.
New Flash comics out this week:
Flash Annual 4 features Professor Zoom/Eobard Thawne and introduces the team he’ll be setting against the Flash in the current storyline.
Flash Season Zero Chapter 24 concludes the misleadingly-named digital-first series set during season one of the TV show. It’s part two of a story featuring Caitlin Snow and a danger left behind by one of her old mentors. The print edition featuring both parts as Flash Season Zero #12 will be out in September. DC has not announced any plans for a follow-up, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one launch with season two.
New to the digital backlist:
Flash #188 (1969): Everything turns green, as the Flash is unable to see any other colors. Surprisingly, the “most colorful villain of all” isn’t the Rainbow Raider, who wouldn’t appear for another ten years.
Flash #189 (1969): I’ll go with ComiXology’s description here, which is “Flash and Kid Flash battle futuristic lizard creatures while Iris ages rapidly. Letter to the editor from comics writer Mark Evanier.” (It’s always interesting to look at old comics and find the names of fans like Geoffrey Johns, or George R. Martin, and I find it amusing that ComiXology is pointing this one out in the synopsis.)
Flash #42 is out this week, featuring the continuing adventures of DCYou Barry Allen vs. Professor Zoom, as Barry’s father breaks out of prison. Preview at Uproxx.
DC’s digital backlist adds two more issues from 1969:
Flash #186 (1969) guest-stars Sargon the Sorcerer…and Professor Zoom! Also one of the more definitive Dead Flash covers. Our own Greg Elias put together annotations for Flash #186 as part of his “Zoom Room” series.
Flash #187 collects four stories from the 1960s, featuring Mirror Master, Abra Kadabra and the Top.
