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The Silver Age Flash (collected editions)
The Flash of Two Worlds Deluxe Edition
The 1960s adventures of the Flash that introduced the Scarlet Speedster to his Golden Age predecessor, Jay Garrick, are collected in DC's Deluxe Edition format for the first time.
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, the Flash of the 1940s, in this hardcover featuring THE FLASH #123, #129, #137, #151 and #173, collected in DC's Deluxe Edition format for the first time.
These are the stories that first established the science fiction concept of parallel universes in DC Comics, as the Flash learned of a way to use his super-speed to travel across dimensions to "Earth-2," home of an older generation of heroes who began their crime-fighting careers in the 1940s. It all begins in "Flash of Two Worlds," one of the most famous tales from the Silver Age of Comics, and led to subsequent tales in which the two super-speedsters teamed up to battle Captain Cold, the Trickster and more of the Flash's Rogues Gallery of villains.
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, the Flash of the 1940s, in this hardcover featuring THE FLASH #123, #129, #137, #151 and #173, collected in DC's Deluxe Edition format for the first time.
These are the stories that first established the science fiction concept of parallel universes in DC Comics, as the Flash learned of a way to use his super-speed to travel across dimensions to "Earth-2," home of an older generation of heroes who began their crime-fighting careers in the 1940s. It all begins in "Flash of Two Worlds," one of the most famous tales from the Silver Age of Comics, and led to subsequent tales in which the two super-speedsters teamed up to battle Captain Cold, the Trickster and more of the Flash's Rogues Gallery of villains.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2020
12 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,195 books89 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 6, 2020
The Flash of Two worlds collects six team-ups between Barry Allen, The Flash of the Silver Age, and his Golden Age counterpart, Jay Garrick, including the titular tale.
I've read a handful of Flash tales over the years. He's not my favorite character but I'd love to have his super speed to blaze through mundane tasks to get to the reading I've been neglecting. Anyway, The Flash of Two Worlds is known as a groundbreaking work and I've someone gone 42 years without reading it.
The Flash of Two Worlds introduces the concept of parallel universe to DC comics. Barry Allen accidentally crosses the dimensional barrier and finds himself in Keystone City, home of Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. The two Flashes battle The Shade, The Thinker, and The Fiddler and manage to set things right.
The rest of the tales in the collection also feature The Flashes teaming up, bringing the Justice Society into the Silver Age. Kid Flash is also featured and sports one of the best costume designs this side of Stingray.
Gardner Fox does the writing on all but one of the stories. You can tell he's a science fiction fan in the way he composes his stories. He's a pulp writer, for good and for bad. It's become fashionable to shit on him recently but he's a better writer than Stan Lee. John Broome gives the assist on the final tale and does a decent job filling Fox's shoes.
Carmine Infantino handles the art chores. His art is polished from the get-go but his Flash feels almost lifeless in the first half of the book. Infantino picked some boring ass poses and camera angles. A lot of his panels made me recall the lessons in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.
Things pick up in the second half, though.
As a piece of comics history, I'm glad I finally read this. As for the entertainment value, it was adequate. Three out of five lightning bolts.
I've read a handful of Flash tales over the years. He's not my favorite character but I'd love to have his super speed to blaze through mundane tasks to get to the reading I've been neglecting. Anyway, The Flash of Two Worlds is known as a groundbreaking work and I've someone gone 42 years without reading it.
The Flash of Two Worlds introduces the concept of parallel universe to DC comics. Barry Allen accidentally crosses the dimensional barrier and finds himself in Keystone City, home of Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. The two Flashes battle The Shade, The Thinker, and The Fiddler and manage to set things right.
The rest of the tales in the collection also feature The Flashes teaming up, bringing the Justice Society into the Silver Age. Kid Flash is also featured and sports one of the best costume designs this side of Stingray.
Gardner Fox does the writing on all but one of the stories. You can tell he's a science fiction fan in the way he composes his stories. He's a pulp writer, for good and for bad. It's become fashionable to shit on him recently but he's a better writer than Stan Lee. John Broome gives the assist on the final tale and does a decent job filling Fox's shoes.
Carmine Infantino handles the art chores. His art is polished from the get-go but his Flash feels almost lifeless in the first half of the book. Infantino picked some boring ass poses and camera angles. A lot of his panels made me recall the lessons in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.
Things pick up in the second half, though.
As a piece of comics history, I'm glad I finally read this. As for the entertainment value, it was adequate. Three out of five lightning bolts.
Want to read
August 30, 2023Recopila varios cruces entre Barry y Jay.
June 30, 2023
Rereading these original multiverse tales is a trip back to the early 70s when they were reprinted in various 100pg and 80pg Giant issues that DC loved to publish back then. In the 80s, they reprinted most, if not all, of them in the digest sized issues that usually fell under the "Best of DC" title.
Okay, enough reminiscing, let's get to it.
The importance of the first three issues cannot be overstated. The first and title story introduced the idea of the multiverse which has now become a standard part of both DC and Marvel Comics. How Fox and Company did it was to make every story real, they came to a writer on another Earth in a series of dreams. A simple idea that was as much fantasy as sci-fi. Barry Allen accidentally vibrated to another world, meeting his counterpart, Jay Garrick, on what we now call Earth-2. He teamed up with Jay to take on three of the elder Flash's villains, defeating them, and then returned to his world, Earth-1.
Boy did it work! The fan mail from these issues has been reprinted all over the internet, so you can see just how much fans loved the idea. There were calls for more heroes to appear and they did six issues later in a flashback narrated by Jay Garrick. Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Atom, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were a sight for old fan boy eyes. The two Flashes teamed-up to eliminate a threat to Earth-2 and defeated a temporarily aligned Captain Cold and the Trickster.
Eight issues later we get introduced to Vandal Savage who has become a gigantic thorn in the side of multiple Flashes and a recurring problem in every version of the JSA since then. Side Note: If you haven't read the Mike Baron penned issues of the Flash starring Wally West, go find them now. His version of Savage is perhaps the most dangerous in comics.
In addition to Savage, readers are treated to the return of the JSA. Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, the Atom, Dr, Mid-Nite, Hawkman and Johnny Thunder are back in harness with the Amazon Princess suggesting that they come out of retirement. Again, fan mail was thrilled with this idea. Shortly thereafter, the first JLA/JSA crossover happened and became an annual tradition until Crisis on Infinite Earths eliminated the multiverse.
Fourteen issues came the next team-up and perhaps the silliest. Barry went to Earth-2 to find a replacement for Iris' stolen engagement ring only to find its duplicate on the hand of Jay's wife! Fortunately, the thief turned out to be the Shade so everything was recovered. It is a very light-hearted story which makes me smile as I type this. I strongly suspect that one of the creative team was recently engaged and had a horrible time trying to find the right ring.
Nineteen issues passed before the Scarlet Speedsters' next team-up. The villain is Abra Kadabra who uses his advanced technology to put a 'spell' on Barry which blocks him from even noticing crime, let alone doing anything about it. Somehow, Dr. Fate sensed Abra traveling back through time and alerted Jay, along with Dr. Mid-Nite, to the risk to Earth-1. They assist Barry in defeating Abra and return to Earth-2. Fairly standard story, but it was fun to see Dr. Fate stymied by technology so advanced that even he believed it was magic.
The final reprinted tale happened just three issues later and also stars Kid Flash. Our story begins on Earth-2 with Joan Garrick deciding that Barry has to tell Iris (who are now married) about his costumed identity and convinces Jay to take her to Earth-1 immediately. Just as the Garricks introduce themselves to Iris, Wally (Kid Flash to those not in the know) walks in. Jay sees he is clearly in trouble so he gets Wally aside for a conversation.
Barry has apparently been killed or transported away somewhere. Jay helps him figure out what is going on and all the Flashes eventually defeat the Golden Man in one of the wildest versions of 'The Most Dangerous Game' I have ever read! After eliminating the threat in a manner only the Flashes could pull off, they return to Iris and Joan for dinner. Afterwards, Jay and Joan return to Earth-2 after she gets a promise from Barry he will reveal his secret to Iris on their next anniversary.
In some of the conversations, it is clear that Barry and Jay have spoken outside of what we read in the comics. It is a little thing, but it shows that these two are friends and not simply fellow heroes.
This needs to be required reading for anyone even remotely interested in comics and a must for fans of any version of the Flash.
FIND IT! BUY IT1 READ IT! NOW!
Okay, enough reminiscing, let's get to it.
The importance of the first three issues cannot be overstated. The first and title story introduced the idea of the multiverse which has now become a standard part of both DC and Marvel Comics. How Fox and Company did it was to make every story real, they came to a writer on another Earth in a series of dreams. A simple idea that was as much fantasy as sci-fi. Barry Allen accidentally vibrated to another world, meeting his counterpart, Jay Garrick, on what we now call Earth-2. He teamed up with Jay to take on three of the elder Flash's villains, defeating them, and then returned to his world, Earth-1.
Boy did it work! The fan mail from these issues has been reprinted all over the internet, so you can see just how much fans loved the idea. There were calls for more heroes to appear and they did six issues later in a flashback narrated by Jay Garrick. Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Atom, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were a sight for old fan boy eyes. The two Flashes teamed-up to eliminate a threat to Earth-2 and defeated a temporarily aligned Captain Cold and the Trickster.
Eight issues later we get introduced to Vandal Savage who has become a gigantic thorn in the side of multiple Flashes and a recurring problem in every version of the JSA since then. Side Note: If you haven't read the Mike Baron penned issues of the Flash starring Wally West, go find them now. His version of Savage is perhaps the most dangerous in comics.
In addition to Savage, readers are treated to the return of the JSA. Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, the Atom, Dr, Mid-Nite, Hawkman and Johnny Thunder are back in harness with the Amazon Princess suggesting that they come out of retirement. Again, fan mail was thrilled with this idea. Shortly thereafter, the first JLA/JSA crossover happened and became an annual tradition until Crisis on Infinite Earths eliminated the multiverse.
Fourteen issues came the next team-up and perhaps the silliest. Barry went to Earth-2 to find a replacement for Iris' stolen engagement ring only to find its duplicate on the hand of Jay's wife! Fortunately, the thief turned out to be the Shade so everything was recovered. It is a very light-hearted story which makes me smile as I type this. I strongly suspect that one of the creative team was recently engaged and had a horrible time trying to find the right ring.
Nineteen issues passed before the Scarlet Speedsters' next team-up. The villain is Abra Kadabra who uses his advanced technology to put a 'spell' on Barry which blocks him from even noticing crime, let alone doing anything about it. Somehow, Dr. Fate sensed Abra traveling back through time and alerted Jay, along with Dr. Mid-Nite, to the risk to Earth-1. They assist Barry in defeating Abra and return to Earth-2. Fairly standard story, but it was fun to see Dr. Fate stymied by technology so advanced that even he believed it was magic.
The final reprinted tale happened just three issues later and also stars Kid Flash. Our story begins on Earth-2 with Joan Garrick deciding that Barry has to tell Iris (who are now married) about his costumed identity and convinces Jay to take her to Earth-1 immediately. Just as the Garricks introduce themselves to Iris, Wally (Kid Flash to those not in the know) walks in. Jay sees he is clearly in trouble so he gets Wally aside for a conversation.
Barry has apparently been killed or transported away somewhere. Jay helps him figure out what is going on and all the Flashes eventually defeat the Golden Man in one of the wildest versions of 'The Most Dangerous Game' I have ever read! After eliminating the threat in a manner only the Flashes could pull off, they return to Iris and Joan for dinner. Afterwards, Jay and Joan return to Earth-2 after she gets a promise from Barry he will reveal his secret to Iris on their next anniversary.
In some of the conversations, it is clear that Barry and Jay have spoken outside of what we read in the comics. It is a little thing, but it shows that these two are friends and not simply fellow heroes.
This needs to be required reading for anyone even remotely interested in comics and a must for fans of any version of the Flash.
FIND IT! BUY IT1 READ IT! NOW!
November 5, 2024
The Flash of Two Worlds Deluxe Edition
A freak accident propels Barry Allen into a parallel universe, where he comes face to face with Jay Garrick - the Flash.
A milestone DC storyline, which opened up the DC multiverse, allowing for the restoration of Golden Age superheroes. A fine collection of crossover stories.
A freak accident propels Barry Allen into a parallel universe, where he comes face to face with Jay Garrick - the Flash.
A milestone DC storyline, which opened up the DC multiverse, allowing for the restoration of Golden Age superheroes. A fine collection of crossover stories.
November 25, 2024
The birth of the DC multi-universe happened because Flash spun too fast on a stage and accidentally ended up in Earth 2.
Pure silver age silliness.
Pure silver age silliness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
Fun book.
It was a different time. This was very fun for me. A lighthearted book is good for the soul sometimes. Yeah its campy and all but some of the scenes were actually hilarious. It had me dying of laughter. The Abra Kadabra scenes were comedic gold. Love this book.
It was a different time. This was very fun for me. A lighthearted book is good for the soul sometimes. Yeah its campy and all but some of the scenes were actually hilarious. It had me dying of laughter. The Abra Kadabra scenes were comedic gold. Love this book.
January 20, 2026
Aside from the 'historical value' of these stories, they really have not aged well. The art is clean and functional, but the plots and scripts are so out of time they are hard to take seriously. Only worth reading as a curio, or if you want to see the very roots of DC's Multiverse.
December 3, 2024
This is a fun collection of the first cross-overs between Flash of Earth one (Barry Allen) and Flash of Earth two - the original! Jay Garrick. One thing I hadn't realized is their third meeting was the first (silver age) appearance of the JSA (I thought it was in the pages of Justice League) - sadly they are just props to be captured by the villain Vandal Savage and never do anything in the story.
While I think these are some fun Silver age Flash stories and the first meeting in Flash 123 is a must read for any comic historian - many of the stories don't really celebrate the two worlds that much. It is fun to see Jay Garrick but it starts to be "hey I need a ring...an exact duplicate exists in Earth two so I should go there to find it". Speaking of the ring story. That one is shocking how badly it paints Iris West - Barry Allen's fiancee (at that point in the stories). She refuses to be engaged to Barry because she needs to find the perfect engagement ring first. This has gone on for 2 years. Holy crap that makes her look shallow and horrid. Then she finds the ring and The Shade steals it so...engagement is called off until The Flash finds it again. That's why he goes to Earth two. The poor fool. Any woman who will only marry you if you get her the perfect ring is not someone you want to marry.
The other weird thing that happens if how Carmine's art deteriorates over the years. Part of that is probably due to the inkers but you really see him get looser and the jaws get squarer - the changes are not for the better IMO.
Oh! One other weird story note is the Vandal Savage story...Barry avoids being trapped by a hologram projection of Vandal because he notices the irises in Vandal's eyes are too wide for how bright the room is. I mean...what? I wish I had time to measure people's eye dilation when I am rushing into battle. Also - who has an inventory how wide irises should be in each lighting condition? Maybe Vandal is high on the devil's weed - I think that causes dilation too.
Regardless - its a lot of fun but in a silver age "don't think too much on the story" kind of way.
While I think these are some fun Silver age Flash stories and the first meeting in Flash 123 is a must read for any comic historian - many of the stories don't really celebrate the two worlds that much. It is fun to see Jay Garrick but it starts to be "hey I need a ring...an exact duplicate exists in Earth two so I should go there to find it". Speaking of the ring story. That one is shocking how badly it paints Iris West - Barry Allen's fiancee (at that point in the stories). She refuses to be engaged to Barry because she needs to find the perfect engagement ring first. This has gone on for 2 years. Holy crap that makes her look shallow and horrid. Then she finds the ring and The Shade steals it so...engagement is called off until The Flash finds it again. That's why he goes to Earth two. The poor fool. Any woman who will only marry you if you get her the perfect ring is not someone you want to marry.
The other weird thing that happens if how Carmine's art deteriorates over the years. Part of that is probably due to the inkers but you really see him get looser and the jaws get squarer - the changes are not for the better IMO.
Oh! One other weird story note is the Vandal Savage story...Barry avoids being trapped by a hologram projection of Vandal because he notices the irises in Vandal's eyes are too wide for how bright the room is. I mean...what? I wish I had time to measure people's eye dilation when I am rushing into battle. Also - who has an inventory how wide irises should be in each lighting condition? Maybe Vandal is high on the devil's weed - I think that causes dilation too.
Regardless - its a lot of fun but in a silver age "don't think too much on the story" kind of way.
January 2, 2025
A handful of classic Flash stories that showed me that the Silver Age era of comics may become a massive favorite of mine.
August 17, 2021
I have allways loved the classic cover & couldn't wate to finally read the comic after so many years.
But this book is bad even by DC comics silver age standards.
Its painful to read and really opens your eyes to why Stan & Jack were.so successful at Marvel
But this book is bad even by DC comics silver age standards.
Its painful to read and really opens your eyes to why Stan & Jack were.so successful at Marvel
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews