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DC Comics Classic Library #5
Flash dei Due Mondi
The super-speedsters of two worlds race into adventure in this new collection of tales! Learn how police scientist Barry Allen, The Flash of the 1960s, first crossed paths with his predecessor, Jay Garrick, in this hardcover featuring THE FLASH #123, 129, 137, 151 and 173.
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2009
27 people are currently reading
4079 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,192 books90 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 26, 2020
If you love Silver Age comics as much as I do, you can't go wrong with this one (Flash #123). Gardner Fox manages to avoid the repetition and the bourgeois over-magniloquence/self-indulgence he used in other titles such as Hawkman (with Joe Kubert) and Batman ("Robin you need to go to university to study!"), giving us instead a story with a tight and simple plot and a simple yet intruiguing introduction to the concept of multi-earths, which oddly enough will be the at the base of the convoluted garbage known as Crisis on Infinite Earths. Take confidently this awesome comic one million times over Marv Wolfman's crapsterpiece.
Edit: rating dropped of 1 star because the main device behind this story is not original (Look at William Moulton Marston's Sensation Comics #30 for that), but it's a required and good read nonetheless.
Edit: rating dropped of 1 star because the main device behind this story is not original (Look at William Moulton Marston's Sensation Comics #30 for that), but it's a required and good read nonetheless.
February 18, 2016
Aclaro que no leí esta edición de cómics clásicos que reúne varias historias, sino que leí únicamente la que le da el nombre, El Flash de Dos Mundos (the flash #123).
Este encuentro entre el primer Flash, Jay Garrick y el segundo, Barry Allen, se considera icónico y trascendental en la historia del cómic, según tengo entendido.
Es una historia corta y simple –si entendemos la época y que es un número más– pero que cuenta bastante y entretiene mucho. No es tan espectacular como pensé que sería, pero hay unos guiños al guionista muy lindos y unos detalles que me hicieron sonreír.
En fin, es recomendable para cualquier fan del super héroe y de los cómics en sí (sobre todo de DC).
Este encuentro entre el primer Flash, Jay Garrick y el segundo, Barry Allen, se considera icónico y trascendental en la historia del cómic, según tengo entendido.
Es una historia corta y simple –si entendemos la época y que es un número más– pero que cuenta bastante y entretiene mucho. No es tan espectacular como pensé que sería, pero hay unos guiños al guionista muy lindos y unos detalles que me hicieron sonreír.
En fin, es recomendable para cualquier fan del super héroe y de los cómics en sí (sobre todo de DC).
February 16, 2021
Bad bad bad. Yeah the two Flashes(?) Together teaming up yay for us and all but at the end of the day, silly script, dumb villains, dumb characters and everyone likes to describe and announce everything they're seeing and/or about to do.
You're either reading it cuz you were reading it back then as a kid so it's nostalgia and I get it, I've been a kid too. Or you're reading it cuz you're me and you want to do your Flash chronological order and also to save people from the stupidity and the repetitiveness of the 50s-60s.
You're either reading it cuz you were reading it back then as a kid so it's nostalgia and I get it, I've been a kid too. Or you're reading it cuz you're me and you want to do your Flash chronological order and also to save people from the stupidity and the repetitiveness of the 50s-60s.
June 28, 2019
123 : The flash ( Flash of two world's ) 4 star
129 : The flash ( double danger on earth ) 3 star
137 : not read
151: not read
173 :not read
129 : The flash ( double danger on earth ) 3 star
137 : not read
151: not read
173 :not read
July 24, 2020
Barry and Jay teaming up is always super fun and cool to read.
October 25, 2013
The Silver Age of comics in DC began with replacements for some Golden Age characters such as the Flash and Green Lantern. The question of how to deal with this in continuity was a difficult one but it was answered in in Flash #123 and so was born the DC multiverse.
The plot of the first Flash of Two Worlds story (collected here along with five others) as published in 1961 is that the adventures Jay Garrick, the original Flash were captured by flash writer Gardener Fox because when he dreamed, his mind tuned into the vibrations of the Alternate and read by Barry Allen who became inspired to take on the identity when he acquired superpowers. Both Flashes are so fast that they can travel between alternate earths by vibrating at the correct speed. It's all wonderful science fiction stuff that would define the core of the DC universe for two decades.
The first story is fun had Barry Allen fighting Garrick's villains. The second story from ninth months later felt a lot more contrived as a flimsy premise brought Jay Garrick to Allen's world.
The other stories were a lot more fun. There's a 1963 story featuring Vandal Savage, and a 1965 story featuring a rematch with Shade who has discovered how he too can cross between dimensions. Finally are two stories from 1967 with Barry married and still trying to hide his secret identity. In, The "See-Nothing spells of Abra-Kadabra," Barry has to get help from other heroes including the alternate Earth Flash when a 64th century villain makes it so he can see no crime or danger. Then both Flashes and Kid Flash are kidnapped by an alien and transported to his world in, "Doomward Flight of the Flashes."
Overall, this is an enjoyable collection showcasing the start of one of the great concepts of the DC Universe before it got done to death that's well worth a read.
The plot of the first Flash of Two Worlds story (collected here along with five others) as published in 1961 is that the adventures Jay Garrick, the original Flash were captured by flash writer Gardener Fox because when he dreamed, his mind tuned into the vibrations of the Alternate and read by Barry Allen who became inspired to take on the identity when he acquired superpowers. Both Flashes are so fast that they can travel between alternate earths by vibrating at the correct speed. It's all wonderful science fiction stuff that would define the core of the DC universe for two decades.
The first story is fun had Barry Allen fighting Garrick's villains. The second story from ninth months later felt a lot more contrived as a flimsy premise brought Jay Garrick to Allen's world.
The other stories were a lot more fun. There's a 1963 story featuring Vandal Savage, and a 1965 story featuring a rematch with Shade who has discovered how he too can cross between dimensions. Finally are two stories from 1967 with Barry married and still trying to hide his secret identity. In, The "See-Nothing spells of Abra-Kadabra," Barry has to get help from other heroes including the alternate Earth Flash when a 64th century villain makes it so he can see no crime or danger. Then both Flashes and Kid Flash are kidnapped by an alien and transported to his world in, "Doomward Flight of the Flashes."
Overall, this is an enjoyable collection showcasing the start of one of the great concepts of the DC Universe before it got done to death that's well worth a read.
January 11, 2013
Deserves a solid 4. Not great, but better than okay. Not much need to explain anything because they are all just one shots that include Garrick and Allen both. One includes Wally West as Kid Flash. Other than that, not much to say. Not worth going out of your way to buy, but if you get a chance to buy it cheap, or see it at a library, it won't hurt to read.
September 5, 2021
Not bad at all. I've just read three issues and it's been two issues only to end the series. I really like crossovers in this type that superheroes team up from different earths against some op villains and specially when it came out to be my favorite flashes, i'll go crazy interested for reading them! But the only and not a big problem is that the classic comics just being too boring for me sometimes and usually it causes to me 'cause of my feeling about arts. But the stories and adventures themselves are fantastic! Definitely one of my favorite dc silver age crossovers.
May 24, 2017
The favorite speedsters Barry allen and Jay Garrick (Flash of earth two) Coming back the Central City . One the best histories of Flash and DC Comics. Deserves 5 stars and the story is very engaging and fantastic
May 6, 2020
Wonderful silver age Flash collection. Love the pure fun of these issues. Each issue is a full story in it's own and I really enjoy the artwork from this period. I'm looking forward to collecting the complete silver age Flash in omnibus format!
August 3, 2022
If you want to know where the DC multiverse began, look no further. Silver age comics reconciling the 1940s Flash with the 1950s Flash. These stories are okay, and the art is pretty good. Personally, I always preferred the Marvel universe.
March 17, 2024
This book covers the teamups of the original Flash Jay Garrick and Barry Allen. The first issue also introduces the concept of the multiverse which became a standard in DC and Marvel Comics. I recommend to read the first issue, the other issues are nice but not required to read.
October 5, 2019
great book it helps me to understand the show flash alot better it tells us about some adventures of garric and barry
March 4, 2016
Please note this review is only of The Flash Vol. 1 #123.
So this is where the multiverse was birthed!
After recommendation form a Goodread friend (thanks Donovan) I have decided to read Crisis On Infinite Earths. I thought as I was reading one of the most important events in DC history I should first read the book that started the multiverse idea beforehand.
First of all this is the oldest comic I have ever read (1961). It was a pleasure to see how much the style of story telling has changed. Everything here feels old. The situations are a lot more light hearted. The heroes more light hearted. The villains, far less menacing and sinister. Nothing is really implied in case the reader misses something. I guess the the main difference here is the target audience. Comic readers of today are far more sophisticated (or maybe just older) than those of the early sixties. There is an innocence about the story telling in this book that is enjoyable. I do think that things have changed for the better though. Modern comics understand that the reader can follow the story without every minute detail being explained in the captions. As society changes, tastes, outlooks and expectations change, so do writing styles. This is reflected here. I think the modern comic book reader has an appetite for darker more gritty stories than the 60s reader. Dare I say it considering we are talking about aliens that fly and men that run at the speed of light, but more grounded in reality.
As the title of this book suggests, Barry Allen (current Flash and the Flash in 1961) manages to vibrate at such a speed that he transports himself into the alternate universe. In this universe there is another Flash called Jay Garrick (the golden age Flash). How is it possible to have two universes? Well as Barry puts it " My theory is, both earths were created at the same time in two quite similar universes! They vibrate differently which keeps them apart. Llife, customs. Even languages evolved in your earth almost exactly as they did on my earth." And there you have it. The multiverse was born!
Now to my favourite bit of the story. Barry explains to Jay "You were once well know in my world as a fictional character appearing in a magazine called Flash Comics. When I was a youngster you were my favourite hero! A writer named Gardner Fox wrote about your adventures which he claimed came to him in dreams. obviously when Fox was asleep his mind was 'tuned in' to your vibratory earth. That explains how he 'dreamed up' The Flash." I don't know about you but I think that idea is just beautiful!
If I am honest the story in this book is ok at best. Bear in mind I am looking at it through modern day eyes (they're the only ones I've got). Let's be honest though, the story here is totally irrelevant. The important thing here is that this one comic changed DC and on a grander scale comics in general forever. It would be impossible for me to overstate the historical importance of this book. What's even more amazing is that it is all happens in the space of a few pages in a very understated manner. I know that when they wrote the story they could have no idea of the significance it would have in comics to follow, but I still find it utterly amazing that what was a simple enough idea for a quirky team up between a current Flash and a Flash of yesterday year would still be such a major part of the stories being told fifty five years later.
Forever evil, Flashpoint, Convergence, Futures End, Earth 2, Most major DC events and Crisis books etc. etc. not to mention all the characters form the various earths and multiverse. None of this would have been possible without this simple idea in this single comic book. I really didn't appreciate the beauty of this idea until a read this book. I would encourage every comic book fan to read it! It is definitely the single most important comic book I have ever read to date and I am so glad I did. A true delight.
So this is where the multiverse was birthed!
After recommendation form a Goodread friend (thanks Donovan) I have decided to read Crisis On Infinite Earths. I thought as I was reading one of the most important events in DC history I should first read the book that started the multiverse idea beforehand.
First of all this is the oldest comic I have ever read (1961). It was a pleasure to see how much the style of story telling has changed. Everything here feels old. The situations are a lot more light hearted. The heroes more light hearted. The villains, far less menacing and sinister. Nothing is really implied in case the reader misses something. I guess the the main difference here is the target audience. Comic readers of today are far more sophisticated (or maybe just older) than those of the early sixties. There is an innocence about the story telling in this book that is enjoyable. I do think that things have changed for the better though. Modern comics understand that the reader can follow the story without every minute detail being explained in the captions. As society changes, tastes, outlooks and expectations change, so do writing styles. This is reflected here. I think the modern comic book reader has an appetite for darker more gritty stories than the 60s reader. Dare I say it considering we are talking about aliens that fly and men that run at the speed of light, but more grounded in reality.
As the title of this book suggests, Barry Allen (current Flash and the Flash in 1961) manages to vibrate at such a speed that he transports himself into the alternate universe. In this universe there is another Flash called Jay Garrick (the golden age Flash). How is it possible to have two universes? Well as Barry puts it " My theory is, both earths were created at the same time in two quite similar universes! They vibrate differently which keeps them apart. Llife, customs. Even languages evolved in your earth almost exactly as they did on my earth." And there you have it. The multiverse was born!
Now to my favourite bit of the story. Barry explains to Jay "You were once well know in my world as a fictional character appearing in a magazine called Flash Comics. When I was a youngster you were my favourite hero! A writer named Gardner Fox wrote about your adventures which he claimed came to him in dreams. obviously when Fox was asleep his mind was 'tuned in' to your vibratory earth. That explains how he 'dreamed up' The Flash." I don't know about you but I think that idea is just beautiful!
If I am honest the story in this book is ok at best. Bear in mind I am looking at it through modern day eyes (they're the only ones I've got). Let's be honest though, the story here is totally irrelevant. The important thing here is that this one comic changed DC and on a grander scale comics in general forever. It would be impossible for me to overstate the historical importance of this book. What's even more amazing is that it is all happens in the space of a few pages in a very understated manner. I know that when they wrote the story they could have no idea of the significance it would have in comics to follow, but I still find it utterly amazing that what was a simple enough idea for a quirky team up between a current Flash and a Flash of yesterday year would still be such a major part of the stories being told fifty five years later.
Forever evil, Flashpoint, Convergence, Futures End, Earth 2, Most major DC events and Crisis books etc. etc. not to mention all the characters form the various earths and multiverse. None of this would have been possible without this simple idea in this single comic book. I really didn't appreciate the beauty of this idea until a read this book. I would encourage every comic book fan to read it! It is definitely the single most important comic book I have ever read to date and I am so glad I did. A true delight.
April 11, 2010
It feels unfair to judge old school stories like this, but the campiness, with me, only goes so far. The tidy story-wrap-ups and crazy leaps ("What's this strange sensation? It could only mean the Flash from Earth-1 that I have heard so much about is here on Earth-2 to join forces with our own Flash!") are...quaint.
Still, there's a lot going for these stories...for instance, a lumbering golem made of anthrocite coal? Check.
Still, there's a lot going for these stories...for instance, a lumbering golem made of anthrocite coal? Check.
February 2, 2016
Enjoyable, but not my favorite. I prefer the TV show to the comics, but I can understand their worth and value to DC. I could tell the comics were from the 60's. They were pretty dated and cheesy, but I didn't really mind. I felt like the comics were kind of repetitive with how Flash won his fights, but I adored the old comics style. It was nice to get a taste of what the show was based on even if it wasn't my favorite.
I love Iris and Barry.
I love Iris and Barry.
January 10, 2013
Everyone wanted to become someting more than just ordinary or common life.Although who have superpower are our hero, who save the world but there is someone against them because they wanted to be like them , because of who they can never be , and because of their dream or because of their life was interfered by who we though as our hero .This book is as written for middle school kids.
December 17, 2023
Gardner Fox is kind of lame for trying to write his name in the story like he is some kind of genius. Kind of meh for a monumental DC comics moment of trying to bring together discontinuity of the comics under one unified cannon but a breezy read for its historical significance.
September 1, 2012
Worth reading for Flash, and DC multiverse/crisis fans.
November 9, 2015
Old comics are so cheesy, but this was still a rather fun read.
May 28, 2015
While historically important to the DC universe and full of great ideas, I can't say the execution and storytelling here is anything better than ok.
Read
October 3, 2015amazing
June 24, 2015
the reason i love comics
November 2, 2016
barry allen and jay garrick is awesome
November 4, 2016
Barry Allen and Jay Garrick awesome...
October 3, 2017
becuase i watch it on Netflix
Read
September 6, 2018i think it looks good and lot of action, that one of t=my best things about book where there is fictions, plus the flash is my favorite super hero in the DC comic.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews