Flash Comics Journal 1 1

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(DC House Ad from Adventure Comics #45 1939)

CGC Board deleted my old Flash Comics Journal that started five years ago when they upgraded the forum.

Also, all 104 issues plus supplementary entries where hijacked when photo bucket became ransomware.

I've recovered my journal entires and intend to reboot the Flash Comics Journal with new material.

 

The ‘Flash Comics Journal’ is dedicated to the 104 issues of DC 
comics that ran from the fall of 1939 thru the spring of 1948. Covering 
the dawn of the Superhero phenomenon and leading towards its evolution into the SA.

The reason why I like to collect golden age 
comics, in particular Flash Comics, is that they allow me to forget 
about my middle-aged physical pains, mundane daily tasks – cleaning up 
after three kids, and mentally draining responsibilities of 
maintaining an internet business. Comics back in 1940 offered a way to 
cope with the real world threat to our countries very survival. They 
also served as the ethical handbook of what Right was and how to avoid 
the Wrong. Holding a golden age comic book in my hands allows me to 
leave modernity and teleport on a zeta beam into a fantastical world 
where no matter what strange things occur, there will be a favorable 
resolution. Seventy-five years removed from the real world threats facing the
 USA – and in particular, the mind of an adolescent – these stories are 
fun to read. It is also is a great joy to watch the art evolve over the 
course of the decade.

My opinion of comic books as a collectible 
is that Action Comics #1 is the Golden Calf in the pantheon of American 
Mythology. As the gods of America cease into oblivion with the decline 
of 'Truth, Justice, and the American Way' – or until rising sea levels 
engulf most of the east coast, the aesthetic value of the whole genre of
 comic books collectibles will continue to appreciate.

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by tabcom

[tabcom]

What got me interested in Flash Comics? I grew up on Bronze Age DCs. Also ‘Conan The Barbarian’ had a sway on this once skinny boy envious of the all the interest girls shown the bigger boys. I was introduced to Flash Comics through the CGC GA boards. My first purchase was #40. It is still one of my favorite issues.

I like the series because it represents the early days of the pre-hero DC universe with the back-up stories, along with ‘new’ superhero characters the Flash and the Hawkman. Unlike Superman and Batman, these superheroes had private lives that they shared with their female companions, and occasionally with old friends. As a plot devise, this frees co-creator Gardner Fox from the obstacles that at times makes Superman and Batman stories redundant. World events creep into the stories – although it isn’t until 1944 that both the Flash and Hawkman hints at a world at war in their regular monthly strips. 

The backup stories like Johnny Thunders and the Ghost Patrol are lighthearted comedic adventures that can be enjoyable to read. Like the Sunday Funnies section of old, to read Flash Comics is similar in that each story has a distinct flow to it, month-after-month. It was after reading about three or four issues that I got curious to learn more about DC Comics during the 1940s. My collection quickly grew from there.

 

 

By the end of the decade, Flash, Hawkman, and Black Canary gives us glimpses of what Silver Age superheroes will look\feel like into the future. With new writers (John Broome, Robert Kanigher) and artist (Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert) the last 12 issues of the series are some of the best issues of the whole run. 

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For those unfamiliar with the series, as I was just a couple years ago, I would like to introduce some of the many characters that appeared in the Flash Comics series throughout the decade (reprinted from various internet sources). 

Jay Garrick (the Flash)

Jay Garrick and his future wife, Joan Williams, were students at Midwestern University. One day while there, Garrick accidentally tipped over a beaker full of an experimental form of "hard water" he had been studying. The spilled liquid gave off fumes that rendered Garrick unconscious, and he lay inhaling the fumes all night. Afterward he discovered that the fumes had given him the power to move at superhuman speed. He became the costumed crimefighter known as the Flash. At first only Joan Williams knew that the Flash was really Jay Garrick. (Although Garrick wore no mask as the Flash, he maintained waves of vibrations over his face while he was in costume, thereby preventing anyone from clearly seeing his features.) The Flash became a founding and the first chairman of the Justice Society of America.

 

During the war, Jay work for the War Department was classified. This is a rare instance that he revealed any involvement with the war (Issue #48).

Garrick retired as the Flash in 1951 as a result of his refusal to reveal his true identity to a congressional committee. Eventually, he married Joan Williams. Years later Garrick resumed his career as the Flash as a result of meeting the Flash of a parallel world, and in order to battle his three old foes the Fiddler, Shade, and Thinker. The original Flash also returned to service with the reactivated Justice Society, and in recent years has publicly revealed his true identity. 

POWERS AND WEAPONS 

The Flash possesses the power to move at superhuman speed, and can attain velocities equal to that of the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). His superhuman endurance enables him to run great distances without tiring. The Flash’s endurance has diminished somewhat with age, although, due to the effects of the temporal energy he absorbed from the villainous Ian Karkull, he retains far more physical vitality than he otherwise would. 

The Flash possesses an aura of unknown energy that protects him from friction heat and the other adverse effects of movement at super-speed. 

The Flash also has absolute mental control of his body’s atoms and molecules. He most often uses this power to vibrate his atoms at such high speeds that they can slip past atoms of solid object, enabling the Flash to pass through such objects without damaging them. He can also travel to other dimensions through varying the vibratory rate of his atoms. The Flash can also vibrate his clothing and even another human he is holding through a solid object or into another dimension with him.

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In the days of ancient Egypt, Prince Khufu was the foe of the high priest of the god Anubis, Hath-Set, who intended to conquer the world. Hath-Set’s soldiers captured Khufu and his beloved, Shiera, and Hath-Set fatally stabbed Khufu. Before his death, Khufu predicted that both he and Hath-Set would one day live again, and that next time Khufu would be the victor. 

Many centuries later, the wealthy scientist Carter Hall came into the possession of the very knife with which Khufu had been murdered. Hall then had a dream about Khufu’s death and realized that he was Khufu’s reincarnation. Shortly afterwards, Hall first met Shiera Sanders, the reincarnation of Khufu’s beloved. Hath-Set also had been reincarnated, as the scientist Dr. Anton Hastor, and still planned to conquer Earth. 

Hall garbed himself in the guise of the Egyptian hawk-god, including large artificial wings and a belt of "ninth metal," a discovery of Hall’s that could defy gravity. Using the belt and wings, Hall could fly. As Hawkman, Hall tracked down Hastor and prevented him from killing Shiera. Hastor apparently died, but he later returned to battle Hawkman again.

Hawkman launched a career as a super-hero, and Shiera became his partner as Hawkgirl. A founding member of the Justice Society of America, Hawkman became its third chairman, a position he has held ever since. He was also a member of the war-time All-Star Squadron. 

In 1946 Hawkman discovered Feithera, a hidden city of bird-people in Greenland. He became a frequent visitor there, and he and Hawkgirl became the godparents of Norda, now known as the super-hero Northwind, who is the son of a human and a Feitheran. 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl both retired after the Justice Society disbanded in 1951. Hall married Shiera, and they had a son, Hector, who later became the super-hero known as the Silver Scarab. Hall returned to his career as Hawkman when the Justice Society was reactivated, and he serves as its chairman to this day. His true identity is now publicly known. 

POWERS AND WEAPONS 

Hawkman can fly at great speed using artificial wings and an anti-gravity belt made of "ninth metal." The belt also enables him to lift great weights aloft. In addition, he wields ancient and medieval weapons from his extensive collection in battle and can communicate with birds. 

Hawkman is a superb hand-to-hand combatant. He retains unusual physical vitality even today, thanks to having absorbed temporal energy from the villainous Ian Karkull decades ago. 

(reprinted from various internet sources)

[vaillant]

What a pity – how did the deletion happen?

Anyway, very glad you’re restarting this! 

[tabcom]

CGC Board deleted my old Flash Comics Journal when they upgraded the forum last summer.

Also, all 104 issues plus supplementary entries was disabled by photo bucket unless I paid $300 per year for their ransomware.

Fortunately I had a back up.

[vaillant]

1 minute ago, tabcom said:

CGC Board deleted my old Flash Comics Journal when they upgraded the forum last summer.

Also, all 104 issues plus supplementary entries was disabled by photo bucket unless I paid $300 per year for their ransomware.

Fortunately I had a back up.

I suppose they’ve had some problems with the journals. All the regular threads were migrated correctly.

[tabcom]

 

Splash Page from Flash Comics #22 

Johnny Thunder 

John L. Thunder was born in the Bronx on July 7, 1917, a Saturday – the seventh day of the seventh month in a year ending in a seven, on the seventh day of the week. This coincided with the Seventh Circle of the Moon Lashseen in the calendar of the small Asian country of Badhnisia. Knowing that this would give such a child great potential, the High Priest of Aissor sent agents to kidnap a child born at that time. 

Disguised by having his hair and skin darkened, Johnny was spirited away to Badhnisia. There was a ceremony in which a belt bearing the Eternal Zone of the Zodiac was placed on him and the secret words "Cei-U" (pronounced "Say You") spoken seven times. The spell thus cast would take effect on the child’s seventh birthday. 

But the neighboring nation of Agolea learned of the child who would one day have the power to conquer the world and launched a war to capture him. The High Priest had Johnny taken by a nurse to a hiding place in a fishing village north of Brunei, Borneo. One day he slipped away and was playing in a small boat when the tides and winds took him out to sea. He was picked up by an American freighter that brought him to New York. There he was identified by a strawberry mark on his left shoulder and returned to his parents (who by now had two younger children). 

During the week of his seventh birthday, torrential rains fell all over the world – except on the Thunder home. The High Priest knew this meant that Johnny (who still wore the Zodiac Belt), now had the power. He sent agents to abduct him, but by then Simon Thunder had moved and changed jobs. They didn’t find Johnny until 1939, when he was 22. Though he didn’t yet know it, he could command a magic Thunderbolt. 

With his power, Johnny became Heavyweight Champ, but vacated the title to please his girl, Daisy Darling. 

His one-day career as a rodeo rider was at Madison Square Garden, when he saved the life of a little blond orphan girl who fell in the path of a rampaging steer. Soon after, he adopted the girl, named Peachy Pet. 

Johnny was present at the first meeting of the Justice Society of America and became a sort of mascot – until the Flash resigned his active membership and Johnny was chosen to replace him. During World War II, Johnny joined the U.S. Navy. 

When the conflict ended, Johnny was 28 (4 x 7) – a power high. Thus the High Priest waited a year, then cast a spell that gradually reduced the hero’s power over the Thunderbolt, till he was only answering about one call in four. This caused Johnny to resign from the JSA, to be replaced by his friend the Black Canary, whom he had a crush on. 

Finally, Johnny’s power vanished entirely. By this time, the King of Badhnisia was dying. The High Priest had Johnny abducted again and cast a spell that forced him to obey the priest’s commands and forbade him to use the Thunderbolt against him. Only then did he restore the power. And when the King died, Johnny was placed on the throne, and the High Priest announced his plans for world conquest. 

But Johnny found an out. He sent the Thunderbolt for Superman, who, with the aid of his wife, Lois, overcame the priest. Johnny remained in Badnisia to teach the people about democracy. When their first President was elected, he returned home. 

What happened to the Zodiac Belt has not been determined. 

POWERS AND WEAPONS 

When he speaks the words "Say You" (Cei-U), Johnny has absolute power over the genie-like Thunderbolt (who is smarter than Johnny) for one hour.

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YouTube link to Flash Comics #1-39 showcase

Flash Comics Collection: Issues #40 - 69

Flash Comics Collection Issues #70-104

Videos were shot 5 years ago.

Some new additions and subtractions (regretfully).