The Flash Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) [Hardcover]

Robert Kanigher (Author), John Broome (Author), Carmine Infantino (Illustrator), Paul Kupperberg (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Flash Archives | Publication Date: May 4, 1998

In the late 1950s, DC introduced a new version of the Flash, paving the way for a major super-hero revival. These are the fast-paced adventures that introduced police scientist Barry Allen to a generation of readers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (May 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563891395
• ISBN-13: 978-1563891397
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.6 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Flash Archive - Vol 1, January 5, 2000

By 

Paul J. Moade (Jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

Ahhh, the Flash. One of my favorite comic book characters as I was growing up. Next to World's Finest and Superboy, I think "The Flash" topped my collection of comics.

This book, volume 1 in what I hope will be an expanding set, takes us from Showcase issues 4, 8, 13 and 14 - where The Flash was reborn into the silver age of comics - and continues with stories from Flash #'s 104 to 108. (Hint: Flash #104 was the last issue of the earlier Golden Age Flash)

I alway did like the Barry Allen Flash better than Jay Garrick (the original Flash - or some of you may know him as the Flash from Earth Two). The book is beautifully done in 224 full-color, hardbound pages and introduces some of the fantastic villians the Flash aways seemed to face. Remember Captain Cold, The Pied Piper and the Mirror Master? And who could forget Grodd, the Super Gorilla? They're all here, plus more. 17 timeless tales in all.

Light, entertaining reading - great for just before bed - I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who liked the silver age Flash.

~P~

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories are made of this....., February 22, 2006

By 

D. Michael Cook "mrcook67" (Reynoldsburg, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

In the latter 1950's I saved a dime and bought my first comic ever -- The Flash, and I was hooked on comics. Now, nearly 50 years later, I began buying the Golden Age Archives (11 so far) because they were the stories I never got to read as a kid, since they were from before I was born. Then it dawned on me, "Wouldn't it be nice to check out the (Silver Age) Flash Archive to re-read those first comic books of my childhood?" So even though it's been out a while, I finally bought Volume 1 of the Flash, and I was delighted to discover that DC had wonderfully linked the last issue of the Golden Age (104) with the first issue of the Silver Age (105), and I also discovered that all the stories in this Archive were missed by me in my youth, coming before I bought that first book! The good memories came back --the really fine artwork by Carmine Infantino -- with characters looking like real people and not like the modern day "steroid pumped" characters. Another aspect of those issues was the desire by DC to put some educational information in the stories --much more so than the Golden Age stories. All in all, The Flash Vol 1, was a great buy, and a wonderful trip down memory lane, leaving me wondering why it took me so long to get this book. I now look forward to buying Vol 2 and to maybe "catching up" to that first issue I bought way back when, when for a kid, summer was fun, parents were always right, and for ten cents an issue, life was good.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Seminal Character That Saved Super-heroes, April 19, 2006

By 

Ian Fowler (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flash Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)

When police scientist (what we'd call forensics or CSI now) Barry Allen is hit by lightning and bathed in chemicals, he discovers he has developed super-speed, much like his fictional comic book hero, the Flash. Taking his cue from the comics, Allen creates a costumed identity as the Flash, and begins a long and successful super-hero career.

I started reading comics after Barry died during "The Crisis on Infinite Earths." So to me, Wally West is THE Flash. That doesn't mean I don't like Barry, especially much of his Silver Age stories, written mainly by Robert Kanigher (Sgt. Rock) and drawn by Carmine Infantino. Indeed, Infantino's name has become synonymous with Barry Allen. His dynamic, crisp and clean artwork made the most of the numerous high-concepts and sci-fi gimmickry that the Flash was built upon. Most importantly, the Flash's immediate popularity birthed a new interest in super-heroes, re-establishing them as a viable genre in the comic book medium.

"The Flash Archives" vol. 1 contains "Flash" #104, the last issue of the Golden Age Flash's series, featuring some of Infantino's early artwork. It then jumps to "Showcase" #4 (the first appearance of Barry Allen), #8, #'s 13-14, and "Flash" #'s 105-108 (the publishers having decided to use the old numbering as a sign of a "strong" book). The creators developed a solid Rogues Gallery quickly, as the Flash battles the Turtle, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Mr. Element, and Gorilla Grodd. Grodd became Barry's most persistent foe right off the bat, as he schemed to take control of the hidden Gorilla City, home of intelligent apes, with his heightened mental powers. Naturally, he aspired to global conquest, as well.

It's hard to zero in on one story as great. The volume represents such astounding consistency. Everything has a nice, innocent quality, and makes for entertaining reading. .

Granted, given these stories were written in the late 1950s and were aimed at children, the stories are also pretty simplistic: heavy on plot, light on character. Barry's girlfriend, Iris West, is a reporter with the local paper. She constantly laments Barry's slowness, and frequently wonders why Barry can't be more like the Flash. Barry takes it all with a wink and a nod, never letting his duel life get him down.

Barry Allen is one of the few comic book characters to die and (so far) stay dead. While I think bringing him back would be a travesty, it's great to look back at what made him such a fun and enduring character to begin with. It's hard not to read this volume without a big smile on your face.