The Golden Age Comic Blog (Hawkman page 32)

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 26 was published in December of 1946.  The cover was penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"The Secret of the Criminal Cake" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"The Man Who Talked Too Much" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"Mrs. Bramley's Boarding House" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"Poor Old Pete", a two page text story, was written by Ted Udall (signed as Charles King).

"The Ball Game", a five page Cotton-Top Katie story, was written, penciled, inked, colored and lettered by Harry Lampert (signed as Harrielle).

[John Moores]

The Thinker returns in All-Flash #27! Seemingly suffering from pneumonia in the prison hospital, Clifford Devoe executes a clever escape: taking a pill which duplicates the symptoms of said disease, Devoe is placed in an oxygen tank, making him safe as can be from the pre-arranged chloroform barrage his henchmen use in the heating system.

When Jay Garrick hears of the news, he’s understandably concerned, since he considers Devoe the toughest criminal the Flash ever faced. However, the Fastest Man Alive will soon have more reason to be on edge, since part of the Thinker’s plan is to do…absolutely nothing. As a full month passes, Thinker is plotting, however; and this time intends to get rid of the Flash before his crime spree can truly start!

Two days later, Joan Williams rescues a distraught young woman from being run down by a car. The woman, it transpires, didn’t even see the vehicle approaching, so anguished is she about the fate of her brother, who is being forced to accompany a gang of crooks on robberies. Sure enough, Joan reports this sad story to Jay, and that night, the Flash (and Joan, who has tagged along in her car - since this is “her case” - despite Flash’s protests) is winging his way to lend some help. Alas, after getting Joan to at least stay outside, Flash falls victim to a Thinker trap; the story Joan heard was nothing but a red herring designed to lure the Flash in - and with the help of decoys and a transparent-seeming, granite hard surface, the Scarlet Speedster does indeed get trapped. As Flash lies unconscious, a steel wall drops, sealing in deadly gas being pumped into the room…

Meanwhile, the Thinker briefs his henchmen as to the respective hues of the antidote gases they’ll need, as Joan gets dragged in by another hireling, to come face-to-face with the fake “sister”. As Joan begins to cry, Flash wakes up, identifies the gas pumping in as chlorine (he is a chemist, remember!) and fanning the gas around the vent swiftly with his helmet, forces the gas ahead of the pressure he’s generated, to cause a backfire. As this buys him some time, the speed king vibrates each panel in the room in turn to locate a weak link, and then removes it, freeing himself. As the Thinker gives his men some last minute orders via television in a special control room, the Flash searches the now-deserted headquarters, finding evidence of Thinker’s planned crimes, and detecting the scent of Joan’s perfume. Finding the notes about the gases Thinker insisted his henchmen make, Flash quickly whips up some more of the same, and at super-speed switches the gases the criminals intend to use, left in their cars in preparation at the scenes of the crimes, so that the opposite of the crooks expectations will occur. Finding the hostage room at the Thinkers headquarters - and Joan, Flash takes out the two guards, frees his girl, then speeds to the Metropolis museum, where the crooks are helpless with laughter from the laughing/tear gas mix-up Jay engineered. Flash then apprehends the entire gang based at the museum, then zooms off to Thinker’s other planned crime in progress; robbing from millionaire Amos Wills.

At Wills’ mansion, this faction of the Thinkers men are likewise easy to corral due to the gas mix-up, leaving Flash free to attempt to prise the master planner himself from his control room-cum- fortress. The answer comes easily enough after the night Flash has had - introduce gas into the heating system. Sure enough, coughing, spluttering and sneezing, the Thinker is smoked out of his control room and into the arms of the police. Another Flash win!

In the second story, we’re witness to the return of gambler Deuces Wilde. Once again Deuces doesn’t just co-star in the story, he narrates it too, with his Runyon-esque turn of phrase, as has happened within his previous appearances.

Gangster Eraser Eddie begins Deuces’ tale, swimming Caliph Lake fully-clothed. Why? Because he’s being pursued by the Flash, who has busted up a jewellery store robbery perpetrated by Eraser, and now seeks to capture the criminal himself. Removing the evidence that he still has possession of (I.e. a small cache of jewels), by dropping into Caliph Lakes apparently fish-free waters, Eraser gets grabbed by the Flash and dragged away from his impromptu swim. Of course, a search reveals no incriminating evidence on Eraser Eddies person. The crook is released by the Fastest Man Alive, swearing never to cross paths with the hero again.

One year later, Jay Garrick is being hounded by the Three Dimwits to join them on a boat ride / fishing trip on Caliph Lake. The Dimwits don’t have a boat, but they’re not letting that stop them. Luckily, Jay has a boat, gifted to him by a friend - but it’s old and doesn’t run. Jay promises to give the boat to the noodle heads if they just stop bugging him while he’s trying to work. Soon enough, the Dimwits are working on “their” boat, hammering away at the shipyards. With their usual mixture of genius and complete idiocy, the Dimwits also install a cadre of anti-crook devices they invent themselves. The Dimwits are ready for some relaxing fishing - however, there are no fish in Caliph Lake. This doesn’t stop Blinky though, who simply sends away for some. As soon as the trip finally begins, the Dimwits are hailed by a man who will pay for a trip to Ikotto Island and its summer colony, across the lake. This is turn gives the Dimwits a new money-making idea - establishing the boat as the ferry between the mainland and the island.

At this less-than-precipitous moment, a disguised Eraser Eddie reappears, one year later, to recover the gems he was forced to drop. Seeing the Dimwits fishing, Eddie panics, since surely this means that Caliph Lake is now host to fish. Quickly swimming out, Eddie finds only the ragged chamois bag that once held the jewels. Thinking fast, Eddie swims to the Dimwits’ boat and asks for a job on it, and his request is accepted, since the trio are now thinking that this ferry idea could be THE money-spinner for them.

Elsewhere, another criminal, Hijack Harry, is preparing his gang for a robbery in which they’ll come into possession of some rubber tyres, by virtue of stealing the truck which is carrying them. Along the same road, however, drive Jay Garrick (sulking because the Dimwits ruined his lab experiment) and Joan Williams, who has talked Jay into seeing what the nitwits have done with the boat and visiting her cousin on the island for a break.

Suddenly, the car is stopped by Hijack Harry, who attempts to intimidate the couple into leaving the area so the gangs planned heist - currently in action -  can go ahead, but of course, soon Harry is the victim of an invisible, pranksterish tornado. The Flash then discovers the tied up truck drivers, and springs into action giving Harrys gang a hard time. Unfortunately, lack of decent opposition has made Flash careless, and tripping over some tools left in the road, the speedster renders himself unconscious. The gang take their cue to get out of there while Joan sees to the stunned All-Star.

Back on the boat, Eraser Eddie is having a hard time too; once the fish are caught, the soft-hearted Dimwits let them go again - which is no help to a crook attempting to locate the fish who may have swallowed his ill-gotten gains. Diving overboard again, Eddie attempts to catch the fish himself with a knife, but is hooked on the posterior by the Dimwits’ fishing pole and dragged aboard again.

Hijack Harry and his boys, in a panic, are also converging on Caliph Lake as a quiet, potential hideout spot - and Joan and Jay are following too, hoping to see the Dimwits, their boat, and then get across to Cousin Marie. As the Dimwits inform Jay of their new business venture, Hijack Harry recognises a foul-tempered Eraser Eddie through his disguise, and discerns that something may be afoot that Harry can take advantage of…

Rather than a separate third tale, this story continues in a succeeding chapter: Deuces finally makes his physical appearance herein, as he’s interrupted whiling the time away with card tricks by two of Hijack Harrys boys, who claim Deuces owes their boss money, but also that Harry wishes to hire the famed gambler. And so, Deuces joins the burgeoning cast-list at Caliph Lake. Harry outlines his plan - that Deuces will engage Eraser Eddie - a regular poker opponent - in a game, and find out why Eddie is lurking around “a hick town”. Threatened by the gangster, Wilde agrees, and soon, has divined from Eddie his reason for visiting Caliph Lake over a casual poker game. As Eddie and Deuces head off in the Dimwits’ ferryboat across the lake, they’re being watched, unbeknownst to either, by three of Harry’s goons.

The crooks catch up to the Dimwits’ boat, and board it. About to deliver payback for what they consider the gambler and the gangster “takin’ a powder”, the three crooks instead fall foul of Jay in his Flash identity. With the crooks defeated, Flash asks Deuces why he’s here, but with Eraser Eddie in such close proximity, the gambler has to claim he’s on vacation. As for Eddie himself, Flash kinda recognises him, but can’t quite place from where…

Hijack Harry, meanwhile, has a stroke of luck when he spots the Flash taking his boys to jail, but he himself remains free and unrecognised. Further assured that something big is going down after noting the presence of the Flash, Harry gathers the remainder of his gang in a cheap, inconspicuous hotel.

Back on the boat, Eraser Eddie is trying again to get the Dimwits fishing, but this time attempt to convince them that eating the fish would be to their advantage, since it’s “brain food”. Eddie, of course, will cut, clean and cook the fish for the boys. Soon there’s plenty of fish on deck, and Eddie is about to start investigating them for the jewels, when the boat is hailed by another holidaymaker wishing to gain access to Ikotto Island. Listening in unseen is Hijack Harry, who realises that the clientele of Ikotto Island is mostly rich swells. When the ferry returns, therefore, Harry is waiting, offering the Dimwits a hundred dollars for passage across. However, Harry isn’t handing over money when he can intimidate the three shrimps - and gathering the Dimwits, plus Eddie and Deuces together at gunpoint, Harry formulates his plan of robbing the rich inhabitants of the island blind.
One thing the Dimwits remember, at this stage, however, is the anti-crook devices they installed. Noddy, reminded of this, begins to act, well…smug - until the devices are activated, and predictably backfire on Noddy himself, causing peals of derisive laughter from Hijack and the gang.

Flash returns to the boat after placing the gang members he captured in police custody, to find tied up Dimwits, Deuces and Eraser Eddie. Informed of Hijack’s plan of ransacking Ikotto, Flash zooms across and in his usual manner, cleans up Hijack and his gang. In addition, returning once more to the boat, he finally recognises Eraser Eddie (albeit when the criminal panics and pulls a gun on him) and defeats him, too. As Eraser Eddie spills the beans, Flash once more hits the mainland at speed and constructs an x-ray machine. Scanning the sea-life, Flash finds that the fish, although recently installed, wasted no time in devouring the jewels. Having recovered the stolen booty, alls well that ends well. Why, Hijack Harry even shows the Dimwits no hard feelings by donating a champagne bottle so the trio can christen their boat…too bad it was actually explosive, blowing the Dimwits’ latest business venture to pieces and allowing a defeated crook one last laugh for a change!

This issue also features a two page text story and a Gangplank Gus gag story, as well as a regular one-page gag strip.

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 27 was published in February-March 1947.  The cover was penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"The Thinker Cooks with Gas" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"[The Secret of Caliph Lake]: Chapter 1: Fighting over Fish" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"[The Secret of Caliph Lake]: Chapter 2: A Boat Can Be Bad Business" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"Ton o' Fun", a one page filler, was written, penciled, inked, lettered and colored by Harry Lampert.

"Gangplank Gus", a six page filler, was written, penciled, inked, lettered and colored by Jack Farr.

"Squeeze Play", a two page text story, was written by John Broome.

[John Moores]

All-Flash #28, and in our first story, we join Joan Williams in town, meeting up with old friend Hilda Herberts, whose husband, Herbert (yes!) is, we find, always doing “the right thing at the wrong time”, according to his wife. For instance, the previous night a horde of bill collectors showed up chez Herbert because although Herbert had paid the bills, he’d sent the electrician the plumbers payment, and the butcher the grocers payment, etc. The two women resolve to get together with partners for a night out, and so, the following night, The Herberts, Joan and Jay Garrick hit the Hot Spot Night Club, where, unknown to Jay, gangster / club owner Tuffy Tilton is also present, hoping to meet an informant from Detroit, who will recognise Tilton via the flower in his jacket and pay him a check as a signal.

As you can imagine, in his smart tux, Tilton is mistaken by the frequently mistaken Herbert Herberts as a waiter, but his anger over the mistake quickly subsides when Tuffy (wrongly) assumes Herbert is the informant when Jay’s friend tries to pay the check for the meal. The valuable information Tilton wanted however is, of course, not present among the payment Herbert hands over. Thinking this a double-cross, Tilton sets his boys on Herbert, but it’s no surprise when the Flash suddenly appears “from out of nowhere” and starts bullying the bullies. Flash makes sure the Garrick party (sans Jay, who “had to rush back to the lab”, apparently) gets home safely, while Tilton’s beat-up mob report on the Scarlet Speedsters sudden and unexpected intervention.

Tilton wastes no time in surreptitiously following the Herberts home, and the next day, visits the mousy Herbert (still thinking he’s the man from Detroit with the info, which turns out to concern the Flying Wings Airplane Factory payroll) - and in the midst of interrogation / intimidation, Herbert reveals that he’s chief bookkeeper at - you guessed it - the Flying Wings Factory! Soon enough, Herbert has goofed enough that Tuffy Tilton holds safe combinations, papers and everything needed for a successful heist, and Herbert himself is knocked out on the floor with a sore jaw! As wife Hilda, plus Jay and Joan, return from dinner (presumably to make up for the curtailed night out the previous evening), they find an open safe and unconscious Herbert.

Once again, cue the Flash, who, after reviving Herbert, rushes to the Hot Spot again, giving the thugs present a typical Flash treatment. Things are about to get complicated again, however, because Herbert resolves to visit his workplace to warn his boss of what’s happening - right thing, wrong time!
Predictably, Tilton is already robbing the place, his boss is tied up, and when Herbert arrives, blurting out his story, to add insult to injury, Herbert is fired for his “part” in this heist!

Soon Flash has excised the whole story from the Hot Spot gangsters, and speeds over to the Flying Wings, wherein Tilton is convincing Herbert at gunpoint to open the safe, since he can do it quicker. As Herbert sadly complies, Flash arrives, but in his onslaught, he accidentally causes a panicked, out of control gunman to activate a large plane model which crashes into the All-Star and renders him stunned. As Tuffy Tilton looms over Flash’s prone body, his gun pressed to the hero’s head, Herbert, determined to save the day, makes for the burglar alarm…

…But accidentally pulls the lever next to it, the fire prevention lever. Not so bad a goof this time, though, as cold water sprinklers activate, distracting Tilton and reviving the Flash, who, quick as a wink, revives and takes Tilton out of the game with a well-aimed punch. For once, Flash notes, Herbert did the wrong thing at the right time! Flash also vouches for Herbert’s help, causing his boss, in true tradition, to reconsider his hastiness, instead promoting Herb to treasurer. Not only that, but the mousy man has been “cured” of his problem. However, when Joan meets Hilda a few months later, the wife still has a complaint: Herbert is just TOO perfect now! Women, eh? (Kidding! )

In the second tale, we begin with confusion…

Jay Garrick, hospital patient, is too injured to be moved, even by the policemen who are waiting at his bedside to arrest him for robbery! Say what?  It turns out that Jay was found with some diamond loot on him, with a further two hundred thousand dollars worth of gems still missing. Although due to his speed powers, Jay has accelerated healing powers, he continues to feign illness to buy himself some time to make sense of this.

One night soon after, the crimson blur of the Flash is briefly glimpsed in Keystone, as Jay begins his investigation. Beginning with the airplane trip with Stanley Young Jay recently took, the JSAer begins to retrace his path leading to this moment. Stanley Young, therefore, is on Jay’s interview list, but at Young’s mansion, a hireling, taking the Flash for a peeping tom as Flash pauses to hear Young’s opinion on the case as voiced to his wife (Jay is a crook, but Young is surprised, apparently), attacks the Flash. Soon a small swarm of men are being rousted by the Crimson Cannonball, after which the Flash confronts Young, to get a reiteration of the mans opinion of the jewellery theft.

Still, Flash requests that Young tell the tale of the night in question, which began with a house party at Young’s, where Jay, getting a subscription for a charity from the wealthy Young, was told he’d have the donation as soon as Young sold the cache of diamonds he was offloading that night. Sure enough, the deals went through, and Jay was invited to join Young on a fishing trip, seen off by Joan and Young’s business partner Bill Maloney. On the plane, Young accidentally dislodged Jay’s topcoat, finding in the crumpled garments pocket… a selection of his own gems! As Young pondered his move, not wanting to tackle ex-football player Garrick physically, fate stepped in and sent the plane crashing into the water. Rescued soon enough by a patrol boat who were told to be on alert for such an occurrence, only Jay was hurt seriously enough to be hospitalised.

As Young finishes his story, Flash reveals that the topcoat had only just come back from the cleaners that morning, and “Garrick” certainly didn’t have ten thousand dollars worth of jewels in his pocket then. Young’s concern is still the location of the other two-thirds of the valuable jewel cache, which hasn’t been recovered as yet. Flash speeds out to invisibly visit Joan, who up until she reads the morning paper believes Jay to be on his trip. Distraught after reading the news, Joan is left by Flash (who actually did wonder if Joan could have unwittingly planted the jewels!…sounds heartless of Jay, I guess, but when you’ve encountered so many hypnotically powered criminal masterminds…) as the speedster checks out Bill Maloney. His invisible speed in checking out some documents, however, inadvertently ignites a small fire, which Flash nevertheless speedily extinguishes. Maloney, of course, is the culprit, as he has accrued some gambling debts. As Maloney pays off the crook to whom money he owes, Flash invisibly tricks Maloney into blurting out a semi-confession. When Flash takes out the gangster, Maloney confesses - he framed Garrick, fixed the plane, and called the patrol boat, too. And so, Jay is cleared - and Flash is found at the hospital, where Maloney is now incumbent with a sore head, apparently after resisting arrest. Did he, or did Flash just give him a knock on the head for causing such trouble? We’ll never know….!

One afternoon (as the third story begins), Joan finds an old copy of Stagelight, the vaudeville magazine, featuring Cushy Clarke, once a big star, but now? Washed-up, it seems, and working at “fifth-rate” night clubs. Once the victim of gambling addiction, Cushy barely scrapes by now, but his luck is about to change, because of…The Three Dimwits! (Admit it, you were wondering if we were going to get an issue without them!)

Inventing crazy stuff, as is their wont, the Dimwits have stumbled across a formula, and, in the midst of taking it to Jay for analysis, have decided to stop in for a bite to eat at the club where Cushy is entertaining. As Noddy, holding the chemical, trips, everyone exposed to the bottles contents - when it breaks - suddenly explodes into raucous laughter. The upshot: the bottle contained a homegrown form of laughing gas, of course, but Cushy didn’t know that, and hired the Dimwits as his managers because it was as they entered that things turned around. Thus: they’re good luck charms (with business decisions like these, it’s easy to see how Cushy became washed up, right?) . However, on a roll, Cushy gets hired in more prestigious places, and soon the parasites - in the form of Cushys old gambling “compatriots” begin to move in. Soon the gamblers are inviting Cushy back into old habits, which Winky and co. when they find out about them, strongly advise against. As the gamblers intend to get rough, who should show up in the nick of time on a visit but Jay and Joan, indicating the sudden arrival of the Flash to (light-heartedly) remove the gamblers from the premises.

Flash warns the veteran comic not to slip into old habits and throw away his burgeoning new success - and in turn the Crimson Comet will stick with his Dimwitted friends and protect them. As Cushy continues in his upward trajectory, the Dimwits have since not needed laughing gas anymore (the power of suggestion, anyone?) and as Cushy leaves the nightclub at which he performed, he’s again attempted to be persuaded to join in “the fun” by the gangsters, once again invisibly watched over by the Flash. As Cushy seemingly gives in to the requests, Flash follows, thinking that this may be the opportunity-cum-demonstration that the old jokester needs.

Sure enough, an unseen Flash is there to witness Cushy being cheating with cards from the bottom of the deck, and when the comedian leaves for a smoke, the Flash informs him of what’s been happening, and so the Flash enlists Cushy as his man “on the inside”. Back inside, Flash begins cheating the cheaters, whispering the contents of the other gamblers’ hands to Cushy, and super-speedily undoing sleight-of-hand cheats performed by the gamblers (they think that they're fast?)

Soon Flash is revealing the roulette wheel cheats too, causing Cushy to see the light and swear off being a gamblers’ goat. As the Three Dimwits appear, having wondered where their client had gone, Cushy is just about to be attacked - alongside his managers - by the gamblers, until Flash steps in, and making his presence known, gives the crooked casino no end of grief, with prankish retribution and revelations concerning the establishment’s propensity for cheating. Flash, though, is seemingly wounded by a lucky headshot…

As Cushy unknowingly returns home, he’s greeted by the disgruntled crooks, who reveal that they’ve always been suckering the comedian, but since he’s about to die, it doesn’t matter. However, a twist remains, as Flash was faking his injury, and shows up having achieved his goal - to get Cushy to hear he’d been cheated all this time. Taking the gamblers down, it’s another happy ending - even if sometimes, Cushy does get booked into houses with tough audiences; in that event, Noddy (still, surprisingly, Cushys manager at the end of the tale) brings along the old standby: home-made laughing gas!

Two pages of nondescript gag pages and three pages of Rockhead McWizzard, the Stone Age Genius filler are also to be found in this issue, as well as the customary two-page text story.

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 28 was published in April-May 1947.  The cover was penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"That's Right, You're Wrong" was written by Robert Kanigher.  Joe Kubert penciled and inked the splash page.  Martin Naydel penciled and inked the rest of the story.

"The Disappearing Diamonds" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.

"The Comeback Trail" was written by Gardner Fox (I think).  It was penciled and inked by Martin Naydel.  Carmine Infantino touched up the splash page.

The Rockhead McWizzard 3 page filler was written, penciled and inked by Jack Farr.

Out of the Gag Bag, a 1 page filler, was written, penciled and inked by Ed Wheelan.

Ton o' Fun, a 1 page filler, was written, penciled and inked by Harry Lampert.

"Fast Fright!", a 2 page text story, was written by Jim Robinson.

[John Moores]

Note the rather un-Naydel cover, despite the signature. Did he ever draw Jay like that before or after?

[SDcomics]

Note the rather un-Naydel cover, despite the signature. Did he ever draw Jay like that before or after?

I'm going to guess that Mr. Joe Kubert assisted with the inking chores on that cover.

Mike
(HEAVILY assisted.) 

[John Moores]

As the first story in All-Flash #29 begins, a New England farmer is startled by the appearance of two medieval knights on his property, demanding he abandon his tractor, so it can be destroyed. When the old man refuses, the knights simply attack, destroying both tractor and presumably, the poor farmer himself.

The next day, the Keystone City newspapers headline the bizarre story of the disappearing town of Buckton, which has baffled everyone from airplane pilots - flying over the disappeared place - on down. At Jay Garrick’s lab, the young scientist has his own puzzle to solve: Joan Williams received a letter that morning addressed to her deceased father, John, attempting to rally the years-dead Major into rallying to the Baron of Buckton. This, then, is the return of the Iron Gauntlet.

After Jay leaves to begin investigating, Joan gets antsy and decides to disguise herself as her father (!) and attend this rally. Jay, meanwhile, is at the museum, researching the Iron Gauntlet, the sign of the evil Black Templars. His research is interrupted, however, by the appearance of a Templar, horseback, armour, shield, lance and all, prompting Garrick to switch at super-speed into his Flash identity. As more Templars appear, The Flash super-speeds them into submission, but is forced to let them escape with weaponry stolen from the museum in order to help a guard, wounded by the Templars as they approached. After depositing the guard at a hospital, Flash tries in vain to pick up the Templars’ trail.

As Jay discovers Joan’s note telling him where she is, The Baron himself is at the former site of Buckton, rallying the troops as promised in the letter to Joan’s dad. The deranged knights are destroying modern planes and trains that approach Buckton with ancient weaponry. Shocked, “John” Williams has seen enough, and attempting to escape to alert Flash, is captured by two Templars.  By the time Flash hits Buckton, Joan is in big trouble, about to fall from the battlements of a castle which has been hidden in the forest.(!!) Flash arrives in time, and engages the knights in battle, using speed tricks to withstand a cannonball shot, until he’s forced to surrender because Joan is held at knifepoint. Thus captured, Flash and Joan are tied to a large table, to be killed by a pendulum sword (I.e. it swings like a pendulum, back and forth, getting lower all the time). While the couple are awaiting death, our knight begins to monologue, revealing the origin of the Templars, which stretches back a thousand years:

A dying Lord decreed then upon his deathbed that the Templars would be reborn one day, to become rulers of the world. This was passed down for a thousand years, until one man in modern times gathered the descendants of the originals together. This was the Templars’ rebirth!

As the modern-day Templar leaves to begin a quest to steal the gold from Keystone Bank, Flash sets about escaping, using his fingers to vibrate, heating up the metal band which binds them (the Templars did do a thorough job in imprisoning the hero!). As the band expands, Jay manages to vibrate his wrist, arm, etc. until in the proverbial nick of time, he frees himself, and then Joan.

As the Keystone bank suffers an old-fashioned siege, catapults and all (including, even, a siege-wall!) the guards are saved by the ever-timely appearance of the Fastest Man Alive, who faster than the eye can see, defeats the entire band of modern-day knights, although they swear they’ll return. How did they make the town disappear again?

In the second story, Jay is interrupted in his lab work once again, but not by Joan this time - by a peculiar little man attempting to discuss insurance. As Jay just wants to get on with his work, eventually he orders the man out, informing him that he does not want to purchase any. It’s then the man drops a bombshell - the man isn’t selling insurance, he’s awarding Jay ten thousand dollars!

All he wants in return is an endorsement. But Garrick doesn’t endorse anything, so the guy still gets the bums rush. The man then returns to his office, reporting his failure to an incredulous bunch of apparently crooked insurance agents - needing a pillar of Keystone business life such as Jay to lend legitimacy to their scam. They need a respected scientist and inventor of safety products to convince the workers of Keystone, after all. The crooks then send out a party of thugs to begin “arranging” accidents to help convince Mr. Garrick - beginning with the old faithful, a safe suspended from a soon-to-be-burned rope.

Of course, Jay is more than able to dodge the falling safe, even without his super-speed; likewise thrown missiles from a staged fight he encounters; but this sudden outburst of dangerous activity just rouses his suspicions. Forced to change to the Flash to prevent an out-of-control car hitting a nearby bystander, the speedster decides to trail the driver to his destination -  the insurance crooks’ office. Turns out some early advertising the gang has produced has already used Garrick’s name, forcing the crooks to go all out to get the scientist’s endorsement. At super-speed, Flash grabs the ledger detailing the gang activities, copies the relevant info and leaves, without even being detected. That’s fast!

Zooming out, the Flash begins tracking down the “insurance agents” already in mid-scam. At each stop, he employs his regular Flash method of invisible pranking, upending a water-cooler on one con-man’s head, for example. After placing the last field agent face-first into a barrel of butter, the Fastest Man Alive deposits these crooked specimens with the police, then heads off to give the office staff the usual hard time. In jail some time later, the crooked boss is chagrined to find Jay Garrick endorsing something - a “Crime Doesn’t Pay!” campaign!

Once again, only the third story in the issue seems to feature The Three Dimwits, and here they are,
disembarking from a boat carrying a large black chest, to the pop of flashbulbs from a couple of reporters - although the chest is obscuring the trio’s faces, it should be pointed out.

The contents of the chest are revealed in short order to be an Egyptian mummy, leading to the regular Dimwits crosstalk; this aside, we also find out that the Dimwits are delivering said sarcophagus to the museum (who would trust them with a five-thousand year old artefact?) and once they arrive at the museum, first Noddy, then the remaining Dimwit duo, are given something else to worry about - a suit of medieval armour (didn’t we kinda do this in the first story in the issue?) talking to them! And now, more trouble: the Dimwits have been trailed by a small gang of criminals attempting to find out what reputedly amazing - and valuable - prize it is they hold; tying up the museum guard, the thugs begin their own attempt into locating the ancient goods.

Meanwhile, the Dimwits themselves are in plenty of peril, since the suit of armour has forced them to encounter the Council of the Dead, three beings in white robes who not only know the Dimwits’ names, but consider them - in half-heard, whispered conferences, “a case of mistaken identity [who need to be] gotten rid of!” At this moment, the crooks arrive, holding all at gunpoint. As Noddy, panicked, bumps into one of the Council of the Dead, knocking him over and into the shadows, he gets a massive shock - hood removed, the ghoul is none other than Jay Garrick!

Promising to reveal his motives later, Jay confuses Noddy long enough to slip away unseen, and return, split-seconds later, as the Flash! The speedster starts in as usual, but is rendered unconscious by a thug sneakily knocking a totem pole exhibit over onto the momentarily distracted hero. Attempting to make their escape, the crooks end up running behind - and therefore pursuing, after a fashion - the retreating Dimwits. After a moment, the Dimwits realise that they didn’t need to run from the Flash (!) but of course, are still in danger; forced into the crooks’ auto, the Dimwits are taken on a journey an hour out of town to an isolated country house.

At the house, the crooks begin their interrogation as to the contents of the chest. When the Dimwits claim ignorance - a natural state for them - the gang leader produces a newspaper snippet picturing “famous explorers” discovering the chest - and the explorers look…you guessed it! - like the Dimwits!

Back at the museum, the Flash is revived by the other two “Councillors”, who it’s revealed were putting on a show ad surprise reception for the three returned explorers. Flash zooms off in pursuit of the crooks and his mentally dormant friends, finding a tax bill for a property on the other side of town that just might be a clue (judging by the way this story has gone so far…!)  Winky, meanwhile, is at the end of his tether with the interrogation, and unwisely begins threatening the crooks with physical violence - or, rather, it would be unwise, if the Flash hadn’t just arrived and began working on the gang himself at super-prank-velocity.

The unexpected entrances don’t end yet, because Slick, the gangs erstwhile leader, suddenly arrives and stuns the Flash with a bullet grazing his temple - yes, two knock-outs in one story. Come on, Flash! Slick has apparently been double-crossed by his gang, who’ve taken his plan, apparently, and then left him out in the cold to take the profits for themselves. However, a further twist arrives when Slick gets a glimpse of the Dimwits, and then (correctly) claims that they are not the men who hired him to pretend to kidnap them, thereby incriminating the lookalike explorers in this crazy plot!

The real Dimwits, led back to the car by Slick, who now believes the other three men are trying to cheat the gang out of their money from the kidnap, are back in danger all right. The Flash revives soon after, and trailing the car to another hide-out, thirty minutes away, invisibly joins the crook / Dimwit party in greeting the owners of the hide-out: the Dimwit lookalikes (who facially don’t look too much like them, but height, hair, clothes etc. is uncanny!). The crooked Dimwit doppelgangers and Slick decide to kill the noodle heads, and place them at the bottom of the river in hopes that the authorities will mistake them for the three doubles. Driven out to the bridge, they’re saved from this fate by the Flash, who takes down the thugs there before speeding to the museum warehouse where the other evil-doers are located, opening the infamous Black Chest…only to find it…empty!

The Dimwit doppelgangers reveal all: they were merely posing as explorers, hoping to create a press blitz about the chest and its amazing contents - then they were going to palm off something cheap as the contents. This plan comes to a halt when Flash arrives, and knocks the whole gang out with the chest itself!

This issue also features the usual two-page text tale,  plus a Watt The Question Man half-pager, and a trio of one-page gag fillers.

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 29 was published in June-July 1947.  The cover was penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman.

"The Thousand-Year Old Terror!" was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman.

"Accidents by Appointment" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel (with touch-ups by Lee Elias and Moe Worthman).

"The Secret in the Chest" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Martin Naydel (with touch-ups by Lee Elias and Moe Worthman).

Ton o' Fun, a 2 page filler, was written, penciled and inked by Harry Lampert.

"The Link", a two page text story, was written by Ted Udall (signed as Charles King).

"Watt the Question Man", a 1 page filler, was written, penciled, inked, lettered and colored by Ronald Santi (signed as R. Santi).

[John Moores]

#29 is a better looking issue due to the introduction of Elias on art, for sure.

[John Moores]

With All-Flash #30, we open our first story at Keystone City Park, at sundown, and an acquaintance of Jay Garricks wondering why the preoccupied looking scientist is ignoring him. However, Garrick is soon rudely reawakened back to into the real world when he hears a cry for help, and sees a short, cloaked man throwing a body into the park lake. Jay attempts to apprehend the apparent killer, but receives a faceful of gas. When a policeman charges up, Jay still has a grip on the villain - except when his gas-irritated eyes have cleared, he has hold of nothing but a statue!

Things get stranger as Jay wades into the lake to find the victim, which he does, only to summon the policeman again and be arrested himself, protesting about the “little man in the black cape!”

Simultaneously, a dapper Jay Garrick drops in at Joan Williams’ studio, for they’re attending a party tonight thrown by P.G. Logan, and Joan has promised Jay a surprise - but first, he needs to pick up her gown for the party, as it hasn’t been delivered yet. At the dressmakers, Jay is told that the gown is in the hands of the seamstress’ husband, who has taken a walk through the park. Not to worry, Jay will catch him up!

However, in the park, history surreally repeats itself. Jay hears a cry, sees a little cloaked man throw someone over the bridge into the lake, and is gassed when he tries to catch the killer. Once again, the policeman arrives to find temporarily blinded Jay latched on to a statue, and once again Jay endeavours to find the body of the victim, only to be arrested when he calls out for police assistance.
This time, however, the policeman is unexpectedly shot in the back.

Just what is going on here, anyway?

As the cop expires, two shady types appear, and claiming “no mistake about it this time,” swiftly introduce themselves to baffled Jay, then commend him for killing the cop. Offering Jay a place to hole up, the smooth-talkers make sure to point out that no-one will believe Garrick’s protestations of innocence. Jay thusly accompanies them, but swiftly ducks into a bush to make the usual super-fast switch into the Flash. Confronting the duo, Flash gives them the usual prank / battle punishment; and when reinforcements show up, they get the same. Alas, Flash is knocked out by a sneak attack from a very unexpected corner - the “dead” cop!

Lamenting their loss of “the other guy” (Jay) they had with them, the crooks take comfort in the capture of the Flash, ferrying the unconscious speedster in a fake ambulance to their boss’ hideout on the outskirts of town. Thrown down the coal chute, it’s a bound Flash who eventually awakens and, it almost goes without saying, frees himself with his incredible speed. Hearing coughing from behind a door, Flash finds the “murder victim” from the lake, a mere wax dummy now he’s not gassed, confused and up to his neck in water. Obviously the dummy wasn’t coughing, so Flash investigates further, locating…himself!

Or rather, the Jay from the first part of the story, and the first iteration of the fake murder - phony arrest scenario. His double is unconscious, and, with his hat removed, proves to be bald. The identical face proves to be but a lifelike rubber mask of the type found only in comic books. The newspaper found in the prone phonys pocket however, shows another lead - although merely a well-done fake ‘paper, it includes a picture which staggers Jay - a photo of P.J. Logan, noted banker and the man who is throwing the party Garrick was intending to attend -and a near-perfect double of Jay himself!

Flash starts putting things together: the newspaper is dated a week previous, and the headline announces that Logan “fleed from the scene of the murder in the park” and is the subject of the police search. Therefore, the gangsters planned on pinning a fake murder on Logan with their cooked-up scenario, and they had mistaken Garrick for Logan due to their facial similarities.

Reviving the bald man, some more pieces of the puzzle fall into place - the man is the husband of the dressmaker, but more importantly, P.J. Logan’s employed double, who takes the bankers place at the boring social functions Logan dislikes. (This is also why the “first” Jay ignored his friend - who of course, he didn’t really know) The crooks had run through their scenario with the ersatz Logan first, making them a double failure (!) and when they’d found out the double was a ringer, they’d stashed him away, foiled in their attempt to elicit a million dollar ransom. As the criminals return to their hideout to dispose of the Flash and Logans double, Flash makes sure the double is safely hidden away before the gang (smooth-talkers and their reinforcement, little cloaked man and phony cop) enter. Apparently machine-gunning the Fastest Man Alive in the back, the villains’ triumph is short-lived as, even as they stand over the prone body of the Flash, an invisible force begins attacking them, depleting their forces. The “dead” Flash remains on the floor as the cloaked man begins spraying the entire room with bullets. Soon the very much alive Crimson Comet takes apart the gun in a blink, and then takes the whole gang down. Tricky old Flash  had been playing with the crooks again, using the dummy “victim” and the Garrick face-mask while actually defeating the crooks in the dummy’s green suit (since the dummy is clad in the Flash outfit, of course). Is this the first time Flash entered a climactic battle and vanquished the villains in plain-clothes?

Luckily for Flash, the dressmaker, now safe, has Joan’s gown, which means all’s well that end’s well, and Jay even gets to spoil Joan’s surprise - the physical resemblance between Jay and Logan!  But that’s cool, because by now, it’s four in the morning and the party’s long over. Whoops!

Still having problems by the second story? Joan is staying with her friend Sue, in a cabin in the snow-carpeted mountains. Building a snowman, their fun is missing one important detail - a hat - until Sue spots a hat, on the floor a short distance away. Joan has the hat pulled over her head, and suspecting horseplay, is shocked when she removes the sight obstruction to find Sue shot dead, and the snowman missing! Another baffling, surreal case so soon? Looks like it.

Soon enough, Joan is in a holding cell, tearfully pleading with Jay to find out what had happened to her friend. Jay duly switches to the Flash to examine the only piece of evidence - the hat, currently in the police property room. As Flash enters the room, he finds three thugs blackjacking the policeman on desk duty. The crooks do have one advantage - they’re in a room full of confiscated weapons, but it doesn’t do them much good until a lucky shot downs the speedster. The crooks retreat, however, when the reawakening desk cop raises the alarm.

Flash takes the hat, and his research lab, begins his analysis. Finding no relevant prints, but smudges in the shape of prints, although said smudges are too large and featureless, Flash settles for Occam’s Razor, and begins investigating the snowman. However, a new twist is introduced - a newsboy tells of the latest headline - no less than four new “Snowman murders”, each identical in tale to Joan’s experience. Interviewing each non-murderer, Flash finds that two of the four are related to Joan - but the other two aren’t.

Next day, Flash visits Joan again to find that her and her relatives have received invitations to the reading of her rich uncles will. Joan then asks Flash to attend as the jailed Williams’ representative, to which of course, he agrees. Getting a lead at last, Flash attends Abner Williams’ will-reading, meeting Evans, the lawyer handling the estate, and Basil Williams, the sole attendant heir - who turns out to be bed-ridden and paralysed as a result of a hunting accident. It turns out that the will specifies that no part of the fortune will go to any Williams who blackens the family name with a criminal act - which is very convenient for Basil, notes Flash. When Flash notes that Basil is not paralysed, and therefore lying, Basil pulls a strange looking gun. Then Evans also attacks the Scarlet Speedster, being in on the plot too. Finally, the crooks who intended to steal the snowman hat appear as back-up; Flash easily manages to both subdue the thugs and deduce that they were hired to steal the snowman hat to avert Basil being implicated.

However, Basil himself remains active, and his strange gun proves to have the power to move solid objects; Flash is attacked by the furniture in the room! Flash further deduces the true power of the gun - it can animate inanimate objects! (like a snowman!) Unfortunately, Flash is knocked out from behind by an unforeseen piece of furniture, and awakens to find himself tied, upside down, inside the mansions well. (Why don’t they just shoot him while he’s unconscious? Ah well, we can be glad they never think of that!) Spinning at hyper-speed, the All-Star frees himself from an admittedly not-that-troubling death-trap, and zips off to find Joan, who, amongst the other potential heirs, has been marked for death by the gang, who are worried that someone else could figure out their plot too.
The Crimson Cannonball arrives in time to rescue his girl from her own prison cot, which is smothering her due to Basil’s diabolical weapon. Flash then zooms off to rescue the other falsely-accused scapegoats (including the non-Williams‘, who, as you may have guessed, were used as a smokescreen for the real targets). Tracking down Basil back at the mansion, Flash takes down his employees, then confronts Basil. Knocked senseless by the animator gun briefly, a slightly more prepared Flash manages to dodge, leading the Williams heir to engineer his own death as he misfires the animator into a bunch of heavy potato sacks, which crush the miscreant - and the nearby Evans.

At the police station, Flash explains all  - including the fact that the hat Sue had wished for just prior to her death was indeed a test of Basil’s invention - and which caused a panic in that Basils fingerprints may well have been found. As the wrongly accused Williams’ and others are released, Flash reflects on justice, while we ponder upon one of the most whacked-out (and kinda plot-holey) Flash stories of all.

In the final story, on a cold, rainy night, we find Jay entering the Liars’ Club (although one could argue that he’d been there relating the previous tale!). What’s new? The surrealist artist Palli (!) has donated a strange piece for the wall, and this reminds Jay of a story…. As the scientist begins his tale, the clubbers, anticipating another of Jay’s “wild Flash fish stories”, gather round, and after protestations that he’s telling the truth, Jay begins:

At a party at art critic Kevin Keltons house, the host showed Jay and Joan Williams a painting, relating the legend that a man could “lose himself in the painting” - literally! Joan (pictured here with brown hair, oddly) went home early, escorted by Jay, but later that night, Miss Williams received a distraught ‘phone call from Keltons butler, claiming that the critic had disappeared, and requesting she summon the Flash. Sure enough, the Flash (still at Joans, obviously, the wily fox!) was present within minutes, to find that Kelton had locked himself in his room, and that the butler had been forced to knock the door down. Searching the room, Flash notices a curious, 3-D effect to the painting shown earlier, and sure enough, is able to enter the picture upon further investigation. Exploring this inner world, Flash encounters a distraught girl crying, and asks what ails her.

The girls story: Her father Azael is embroiled in a feud with another man, Dagon, over “who is the greatest wizard in Picaland“, and she (surprise!) loves Dagons son, Martin, but is not permitted to see him. It turns out that this is a genuine other dimension, and even our lovestruck Juliet substitute is adept at magic. Created by sorcerers, Picaland is a place purposely designed as a refuge from the suspicious non-magicians who inhabited Earth. As the girl, Carla, finishes her explanation, Flash has to battle some of Azaels men, who have been dispatched to find the girl, and think the Flash is her abductor.

After Flash gives the hirelings some light Flash battle, causing them to flee, the Scarlet Speedster takes Carla to see her swain, but it turns out that Martin knows nothing of Kevin Keltons whereabouts. Martins father, the wizard Dagon, turns out to be fairly sociable, even though he’s perturbed by Azaels new-found dexterity in terms of imagination, as demonstrated by the dangerous new spells he’s bringing to their feud. One such idea, which Flash recognises as a use of normal electric fans, arrives at that moment to attack Dagon, as the Picaland natives see these “weapons”, quite obviously as “whirling blades“.

Deducing that Azael is getting his ideas from Kelton, Flash simply turns off the fans and sets out to visit the rival wizard. The speedster worries that if Kelton is an unwilling helper, he may be tortured into revealing the existence of something actually dangerous, like…atomic bombs! The Flash speeds to Azaels castle, where the wizard himself is addressing - and boasting to - fellow Picalanders. After the invisible Flash tricks Azael into revealing Keltons whereabouts (in the castle dungeon, of course!) it’s a simple matter to rush the wizards audience like the ex-college footballer Flash is and find the captured critic. Freeing Kelton, Flash then turns his attention to Azael, who appears framed in the doorway, but unluckily for him, cannot perform an incarnation faster than the Flash can rush him. As the dizzied, battered, nauseous Azael surrenders, the young couple appear, and rejoice that they can now be wed.

Back in our dimension, Kelton paints over the portal with thick black paint. All is well - except Jay ends up with the surrealist canvas over his head for telling another unbelievable story!

The issue features, of course, the usual two page text tale, and three separate gag pages.

Not the greatest issue, but first story “Anything Can Happen” was deemed fit for reprinting, in The Flash #216, in 1972. And hey, no Three Dimwits, so it’s not all bad! Plus much improved art compared to a few issues ago.

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 30 was published in August-September 1947.  The cover was penciled and inked by Lee Elias.

"Anything Can Happen" was written by John Broome and penciled and inked by Lee Elias.

"The Vanishing Snowman" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Everett E. Hibbard.

"The Land beyond the Picture" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Everett E. Hibbard.

"Two Words", a two page text story, was written by Ted Udall [signed as Charles King].

Ton 'o Fun, two and a half pages of filler, was written, penciled, inked, lettered and colored by Harry Lampert.

[SDcomics]

Not the greatest issue, but first story “Anything Can Happen” was deemed fit for reprinting, in The Flash #216, in 1972.

[John Moores]

And so to the penultimate issue of All-Flash, #31 (Don’t worry, Flash fans, we still have a way to go though!) - and in our first story we meet Dr. Flura, a beautiful, red-haired scientist who’ll appear in a few Flash tales from now on. She herself meets Jay Garrick when she bumps into him - literally - as both attend a meeting with newspaper publisher Dale Thomas, to discuss some science articles. Jay obviously doesn’t mind, the old dog, but he’s to be disappointed in another capacity scant moments later when Thomas cancels the projected meeting. Thomas explains that he has a previous appointment - one made twenty years earlier! As the publisher takes a last look before he leaves at the new press run, both Jay and Doc Flura resolve to make sure their trip wasn’t a waste and follow Thomas.

As Jay and the comely Doc approach, however, out of the presses falls a dead body! What’s more, it’s the man with whom Thomas made a plan to meet, Jim Ronson, a famous newspaper correspondent who disappeared two decades previously. As he examines the body, Jay urges Thomas to tell his story, and the publisher complies:

In 1927, Thomas was a cub reporter assisting on a jungle travel series with Ronson. Awakened early one morning by an excited Ronson, Thomas accompanied the man in a boat, wherein Ronson explained that though he’d accidentally taken the wrong path, the error had led to a fortuitous event: the discovery of a secret city! The two men left the canoe, headed over a rope bridge, but as Ronson reached the other side, the bridge seemingly disintegrated, leaving Thomas stuck on the other side of the mountain with no other way round. Ronson yelled at the cub reporter that he’d meet him in exactly twenty years, and back in civilization, Thomas wrote up all he could of the story and started on his own path to journalistic success.

In the succeeding two decades, Thomas made several fruitless attempts to find Ronson, but held onto hope that the older man would indeed keep his appointment. However, back in the present, another shock: Ronsons body begins to disintegrate! As Thomas resolves to find the secret city, enlisting the aid of the two scientists present, Jay disappears himself, only to return scant seconds later as the Flash, with an alibi for his secret identity to boot.

Borrowing a rowboat, it’s no problem for the Fastest Man Alive to simply propel said boat, carrying Thomas and Doc Flura, at hyper-speed across the ocean, and so he does. Reaching the Amazon, the trio of explorers find the old trail Thomas took in the twenties, only to be confronted by a hostile regiment of uniformed men. As they attack Flash, the JSAer returns in kind, only when our hero clobbers the hostiles, they, too, disintegrate. Rescuing his fellow travellers, Flash hits the road, only to have to give up sometime later as Thomas loses his way. Suddenly, the three receive a shocking sight - Ronson! Following the “dead” man, the trio are led into a trap, as, like the hostile soldiers, this Ronson also disintegrates, leaving the Flash’s party into an underground prison. As they land, the three adventurers are faced with a third Ronson!

Ronson tells the prisoners his tale - he, too, has been a prisoner all these years, but was able to learn to project a mental image without his captors knowing - and after a tremendous effort, projected his astral self all the way to Keystone, but with no “life” in it, and quick to disintegrate. His captors, the inhabitants of the city, have isolated themselves from the world, but intend to conquer it, using the projected image powers indigenous to anyone who spends time there.

As the secret citizens begin burning the Keystone party alive in their prison, Flash makes his move, escaping the jail via vibration and confronting the uniformed leader - the man with whose astral form he’d battled previously. However, the man has a trick up his sleeve - astral images of the Flash himself, three of them, battling the Scarlet Streak. Flash defeats his doppelgangers, but is temporarily laid low by the multiple images of the villainous leader, until he recovers, and, travelling at top speed, detects the real leader, dropping him with a punch.

Because this is the Flash, though, and not a more angst-ridden vigilante, the Fastest Man Alive accepts the leaders defeat, but convinces him to make a few changes - after all, with even just the leaders multiplying ability, he could turn the city into a utopia! Everything turning out for the best, a freed Ronson stays behind to write the story, while the Flash saddles up his rowboat once again. Back in Keystone, Dr. Flura tells Jay that he’d never believe the events which had happened…

In the second story, let’s meet Alfred Tither, a tiny, mousy bank clerk, who, riding on the subway home, meets an old classmate, the massive Gorilla Genson, now a boxer preparing that night to battle “Hurricane” Smith. Despite the fact that Alfred can’t stand the sight of blood, Gorilla gives him two tickets to see the bout, but without wanting to offend Gorilla, gives the tickets away and watches the fight on television. As Gorilla gets a smashing sock on the jaw, Alfred too receives a stunning injury, banging his chin on the cupboard in excitement.

Then a strange thing happens.

Alfred comes to, to see a man throwing water at him, then realises - yes! - that he’s suddenly a lot bigger, and wearing boxing gloves. In the tradition (although this surely predates all of them!) of the still popular mind-switching movies, Alfred is now in Gorilla Gensons body! Even though his opponent instructs Genson / Tither to “Take the dive”, Alfred almost accidentally floors the other boxer and is declared the winner. Of course, Joan Williams is in the audience (with Jay Garrick), being a friend of Gorillas sweetie, Susie. Hearing the pugilists confused comments concerning his identity, the three go to look in on “Gorilla” to see if he’s alright. However, “Gorilla” is being held at gunpoint in his room by gangster Black Hat, who’s mad because Genson was indeed scheduled to take a dive, for a fifty thousand dollar advance “prize”. This trouble is, thankfully, spotted by Jay and co., which means it isn’t too long before the Flash zooms in, giving the crooks a hard time until treacherously floored from behind by thrown projectiles. Momentarily stunned, the Flash recovers to find “Gorilla” and the girls gone, held hostage by Black Hat. After stopping a car full of criminals to aid a pursuing police car, Flash spots a man falling from the elevated train. Rescuing him, it turns out to be Gorilla Gensons belligerent self in Alfred Tithers weak little body, although Flash doesn’t know this yet. “Tither” had won second prize in a brawl on the El, hence his unscheduled “stop”. Flash follows the tough-talking, mousey looking man, to find him approach a bank, with a key in his pocket - obviously because this is where the actual Alfred Tither works, but to the mind of boxer Genson, there’s a reason for him being there…

…And it turns out to be a bank robbery. As “Tither” attempts to stop the robbery, he’s easily overpowered, and the culprit turns out to be Black Hat again. As the boxer / bank clerk is about to be killed, Flash makes his appearance, only to have a tougher time than usual (presumably due to his head injury earlier) - and despite a good fight, is ambushed once again. Black Hats triumph is sohrt-lived though, as his safecracking henchman accidentally sets off the alarm, causing the gang to escape quickly. Although one bank robber is captured by the police, the other gangsters manage to escape, carrying Flash and “Alfred” with them. Soon, the gang’s all here at Black Hats hideout, an abandoned Indian village: both “Gorilla” AND “Tither”, plus Flash, all in barrels filled with cement. Joan and Susie are tied and gagged, and Black Hat throws the three men to their dooms, then sets a tepee with the girls in afire to prevent them from talking. It’s not too hard for the Flash to escape this would-be death, of course, and so he’s soon on the scene, putting out the fire and defeating the crooks. And for the shaggy-dog ending? Both of the other men are rescued, but both take a further smack on the head, and it’s revealed that both were suffering a delirium (yes!) that made them think in their dazed conditions that each was the other. It’s a slightly unsatisfactory explanation, perhaps, but a happy ending, because Gorilla reveals that his bribe to throw the fight went to the boxing commission as evidence against Black Hat, leaving him free, clear and doing the right thing. Um…Yay!

In the final story, Jay and Joan are escorting two Olympic champions round Keystone - specifically the zoo - when all four people find themselves behind bars themselves after a blinding flash. The party are in a cage, in an ancient looking coliseum, when a green-skinned man explains that the humans are on the planet Strobos, and that the Olympic champions were the true targets, as they are to compete in a series of games on the distant planet. It turns out further that the citizens of Strobos are growing restless with their leader, who hopes to gain the favour once more with their favourite entertainment - sports! In addition, the Strobos leader wishes to bring another human - guess who? - to see if his vaunted speed is all it’s said it is…

The games begin - and a loss for one athlete means death for all four earthlings!

Sure enough, the games aren’t scrupulously fair - the wrestling bout features an opponent more like a giant gorilla than a human-sized being. However, once again, the Flash appears to save the Earth champion and engage the monkey-man. Although the bout gets harder since the creature has fur like “iron glue”, sticking the fist of the Flash to the hairy hide. Even more amusing, the Flash strategy concerns whirling around the ape at super-speed, causing the fur to fly (literally!) and leaving the ape-man with a bald midriff! That done and Flash unstuck, a super-fast haymaker finishes the job.

Next Flash speeds to aid his other fellow Terran in his contest - against a four-armed swordsman.  Taking the floundering Olympian athletes blade, Flash parries the quartet of swords brandished by the alien, using his tremendous speed once again to get effect. In a viewing box, Jaxo, the leader of the planet, watches with interest through special stroboscopic glasses, which slow down the action. No wonder, either, since as Flash defeats the multi-armed fencer, the crowd start to support the speedy human, and call for him to face the planets greatest champion - who happens to be Jaxo himself.

Jaxo, however, doesn’t play fair.

Within moments, Joan has gone missing, and Jaxo, in secret, confronts the Flash, telling him that the following day, the contest will be on, with death in Flashs future if he loses, and freedom his fate if he wins. While Flash and the Olympians sadly ponder their plight that night, Jaxo is busy, working his scientists in secret to devise something to fix the contest in his favour.

The next day, Jaxo begins with a obstacle race - he’s mounted on a strange winged steed, arguing that he needs some kind of advantage due to the great power of the Flash. The race begins, and soon Jaxo begins his treachery - first with a sea of flames that Flash parts using high-speed vibrations, then with a forest of giant springs (yes, like bedsprings) which emerge from the ground, while all the time Jaxo soars over the dangers, of course. Again, using his super-speedy vibrations to escape the snare, Flash zooms ahead, and at the finish line waits Joan. Alas, all is not what it seems, as Joan is encased in an invisible force field. As Flash runs into it it changes shape, becoming a large, bottle type prison, trapping the hero as Jaxo reclaims the lead. Flash is an old hand at speed tricks though, and knows that spinning at speed will ensure that the heat from friction will cause the glass to expand, and that it does, freeing the Flash.

Jaxo has won, however, and as he threatened, is soon about to execute the other three humans, until of course Flash appears in the nick of time, taking out the execution squad and then rendering Jaxo unconscious by catching his own spear and knocking him off his steed with the blunt end of it. Jaxo vanquished, the populace hails the Flash, who asks that they return science to humanity, and cease worshipping force. And, it goes without saying, to send the four humans back to Earth.

Once returned home, Joan phones Jay with an idea for a zoo date to see the monkeys, and Jay hangs up. Insert comedy musical sting here(!)

As usual, there’s three pages of gag strips and a two-page text story in this issue. Not only that, but an ad announcing that the Junior Justice Society is back in operation! Next: the (slightly incomplete) final issue of All-Flash.

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 31 was published in October-November 1947.  The cover was penciled and inked by Everett E. Hibbard.

"The Secret City" was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Frank Giacoia.

"Twisted Destinies" was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman.

"The Planet of Sport" was written by Robert Kanigher and penciled and inked by Everett E. Hibbard.

Ton O' Fun, three pages of filler, was written, penciled, inked, colored and lettered by Harry Lampert.

"The Triple Cross", a two page text story, was written by Ted Udall.

Nine Questions with the men of Sequart

A Sequel Soliloquy: Scot Eric's Top Twelve #2's of All Time

The Golden Age Blog - Flash 11-20!

American Comics: The Illusion of Change

The Golden Age Blog - Flash 1-10!

CriticalMess interviews writer Steve Bryant!

Mess member Jim Beard helms new Batman TV book!!

Nine Questions with Pamela Des Barres

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