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Highly regarded fellow board member. (thumbs u

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Issue #44Rating: 5August 1943 Pop quiz! When was the first time the Flash traveled thru time? You guessed it . . . THIS ISSUE!If the editors had a do over on the cover\title, this is the issue! Forget the ‘Liar’s Club’, use the time travel story line. It would have been a sought after classic!

Highly regarded fellow board member.

Flash Comics #1 PLUS MORE GA Comics Time to unload on many Flash Comics doubles, plus some other desirable books. Flash Comics #1 PLUS MORE GA Comics

Issue #43July 1943Rating: 4 The date stamp of 5-12 is the day the Axis lost North Africa. With 250,000 Italian and German prisoners, the Axis losses for the North African campaign was close to one million. After the outstanding run of previous issues, it was time for a breather. The Flash story tries linking Dr. Frankenstein with escaped convicts by way of a traveling circus. As convoluted as this may sound, it is. The Hal Sharp penciled and origninal Flash artist Harry Lampert inks are something less than desirable to the eyes. Plenty of Nazis to be found in this issue: Johnny Thunder, Ghost Patrol, Minute Movies.Hawkman story fits nicely within the 8 – 10 year old demographics. What is bizarre about this issue is that most of the strips are geared for young children audiences with horrific themes of death camps and nazi occupation.

Issue #42June 1943Rating: 5 Another outstanding issue of this series in its prime. Every strip is a fun and wierd read. The King is dead. Page count is cut to 56 pages.

Newsreel 03/43

Issue #41 May 1943 Rating: 5 Every strip in this issue is fun to read. Generally, the Flash and the Hawkman avoid war themes. This issue is an exception. The Flash and Joan stumble across gangsters that are trying to hi-jack gas to sell on the black market. The demand for the black market gas is overwhelming and draws the Flash’s attention. The Hawkman has to find American airport workers that are willing to sell top secret laser guided anti-aircraft guns, invented by Carter Hall, to the Nazis located in South America. The Hawkman also loans his spare wings to an airman that lost his nerve flying combat missions. The Ghost Patrol tale is a doozy! Hitler releases a Jew from the concentration camp in order to conger up the spirits to counter-act the Ghost Patrol. When Attila the Hun, Napoleon, and Genghis Khan, exit this world for the spirit world because modern warfare is too advance for them to fight against, the Ghost Patrol wallop Hitler on the eastern front. Resulting in the poor jewish medium to be sent back to the concentration camp. Johnny Thunder, and the Whip use the Nazis saboteur themes to good effect. Minute Movies and the King are fun too. Great issue!

(thumbs u That last panel of the girl is in the style of Shelly from his work with the Hawkgirl.

The only direct reference to the war by the Flash is the two-page dream of Joan of the Axis in Flash #35 (posted earlier). The Hawkman stories are all crime. Johnny Thunder joined the Navy and saw action at sea.. After the autumn of 1942, Italy had to accept defeat in North Africa. Which set the stage for the invasion of Sicily. 1943-44 saw major battles in Italy as the Germans slowly withdrew to the Alps. Happy New Years!

Issue #40March 1943Rating: 5This was my very first Flash Comic purchase. It is the classic issue for me.It captures the zeitgeist of the comic book reader with all the war themes. "The Man Who Could Read Faces," by Gardner Fox and art by Lou Ferstadt, is one of the top five GA Flash stories in my opinion. All of the Lou Ferstadt Flash stories in the series are worth checking out if you are new to the series (34,36,38-44,49). They all are excellent. The other stories in the anthology from the early war era represents some of the best of the whole series. The Hawkman story is titled: "Give Them the Bird".

HAPPY NEW YEARS GA-Bros. Today is also my Birthday!

Lou Ferstadt had an excellent run of Flash Comics covers and Flash stories (random issues from #36-49). (thumbs u

Avatar is from #12

Lou Ferstadt had an excellent run of Flash Comics covers and Flash stories (random issues from #36-49). (thumbs u

Issue #39Rating: 3March 1943This issue is a case where the cover is all you really want to hold in your hands. This issue starts to show the strain of cranking out too many scripts. Gardner Fox’s Flash and the King scripts are not his best. The Flash is forced to perform all the rolls in a play. He doesn’t look so good as a blonde with those bushy eye-brows. Joe Gallagher makes his artistic debut to the series on the King, without much gusto. Johnny Thunder, Ghost Patrol, and the Whip use the Nazi exploitation themes with mixed results Minute Movie – best story of the anthology. The Hawkman – typical crime stuff.

Released between #38 and #39 on January 1, 1943, Der Fuehrer's Face (originally titled Donald Duck in Nutzi Land) would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 15th Academy Awards.

Ask Gator: What was the last comic book you purchased at eBay?

Issue #38Rating: 4February 1943The Flash art is credited to Lou Ferstadt and is excellent. With the Flash and the Hawkman (along with Batman and Robin) keeping Gotham City free of crime, you would think the crooks would leave for Keystone City. The Hawkman and Hawkgirl knew how to dish out the hard knocks. The Ghost Patrol are captured by Hitler and taken to a gas chamber. This has to be the earliest reference to gas chambers I know of.

Issue #37January 1943Rating: 4 This is my first 4 rating of an issue. Stories worth reading in order of interest:1. Flash2. Hawkman3. Ghost Patrol4. Johnny Thunder5. Minute MovieThe King and the Whip have become redundant. After a three year run they have lost their charm. Gratefully, this is the last King issue. Look for the Witch character in her next re-incarnation as the Black Canary in #86. This is the last reference to Gotham City for the Flash.The Flash demonstrates how he can not be put in a straight jacket, nor be held in a cell. The Thunderbolt reminds me of the old Bewitch episodes from the ‘60s when the magic causes mischief. That mace shot to the face is going to leave a nasty stain on the floor.

It was during this era that the Battle for Stalingrad (August 23, 1942--February 2, 1943) was raging. By February 1943 Nazi Germany was in retreat in the east. Here is an excellent Russian documentary with English narration of the battle.

Issue #36December 1942Rating: 5 Harry Lampert ends his run of Flash Comics work with the King story. He will continue to contribute later in the series with inks to the Flash story in #43 and his Ton o’Fun 1 page cartoons. The Flash is opposed by a unemployed circus contortionist, the Rag Doll, that uses his unusual abilities to masquerade as a doll and gain access to department store vaults before setting his cites on a well to do scavenger hunt held by Joan’s friend that could result into a big payday of U. S. Saving Bonds. This issue features a rare incident where the Flash is caught off guard and knocked unconscious. The Flash art is credited to Lou Ferstadt and is excellent. The Ghost Patrol and Johnny Thunder stories feature North Africa Nazis and U-Boat adventures. The King uses the aid of a slightly reformed Witchie to nab a serial killer. Another Nazi spy ring smashed!

Issue #35Novemeber 1942Rating: 5Part 3