The Classics - The Flash #128

At the request of several readers and friends, your old pal Chuck is going to devote Wednesday each week to a review of a "classic" comic.

We'll kick things off with a review of The Flash #128, which had a cover date of May 1962.

I picked this one because I remember reading it while I was in kindergarten. My wonderful Mom taught me to read long before I started to school, thanks to weekly visits to the public library, where I was allowed to check out four books every week.

She and my older brothers helped me read them, until I no longer needed their help.

My brothers also had comic books around, and soon I was reading those, too. Sometimes after kindergarten was over I'd have to wait a while before Mom picked me up, so I'd take comic books with me to while away the time.

For whatever reason, I clearly remember having this issue of The Flash and reading it over and over again.

DC didn't carry credits at the time, but the story was apparently by one of my all-time favorite writers, John Broome. And there's no mistaking the artwork by Carmine Infantino, who was born to draw this comic.

His clean, futuristic designs, his amazing ability to convey speed and motion, and the sheer imagination of his pencils drive the story along.

And no doubt one reason the comic sticks in my mind is the cover, with The Flash's suddenly-empty uniform running in place.

In the story, a magician from the distant future, Abra Kadabra, arrives in the 20th Century looking for fame. He embarks on a series of crimes (made easy by his super-science) and relishes the attention he's getting.

When The Flash tries to capture him, Kadabra apparently makes him disappear - but actually, he's launched Barry Allen into space! Luckily, Barry's super-speed aura maintains an envelope of oxygen around him, and he finally lands on a small asteroid.

Racing around the rock at top speed, he manages to launch himself back to Earth (though how he manages to land safely is overlooked), where he finally captures Kadabra. Yes, it's a bit silly in places - but it sparks with the kind of imaginative thinking that really had an impact on my young self.

The issue includes a second story, a light bit o' fluff about "The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity," which was about as close as the character ever came to having an imaginary story.

The story focused on Barry Allen's decision to wear a mask, and the thinking the went behind it. It's more of a daydream adventure than an imaginary one (assuming there's a difference there), but it's a nice diversion.

These days, this issue is most easily available in the Showcase series or in a DC Archives collection. For me, it's a cherished bit of nostalgia, and a fun comic that holds up very well indeed, almost 47 years after the fact.

Grade: A-