Welcome back for another RETRO REVIEW and this week I’ve gone into the comic book vault and pulled out Flash # 131 published by DC Comics, or National Comics, as it was known in those days.
Here’s the cover, dated September 1962:
Flash # 131, September 1962
This is the second of the ‘famous’, or at least very collectable Flash/Green Lantern team-ups. The first being in Green Lantern # 13, which was cover dated, June 1962. This comic is written by John Broome, pencilled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Joe Giella and is entitled; “Captives of the Cosmic Ray!”.
The story begins with Barry Allen (who I’m guessing everyone already knows, is the secret identity of the Flash) and Hal Jordan (who is the secret identity of Green Lantern) hanging out on a park bench. They get up and go to a department store to buy arrows so they can compete against each other in archery, as they are attempting to see which one of them is the better “weekend warrior”. Hal has topped Barry in golf and billiards and Barry has beaten Hal in tennis and swimming, prior to the opening of the story.
But before they can determine the outcome of their “contest of sport men”, a flying saucer appears and after our heroes change to their alter egos, the aliens, aboard the space ship, capture the Flash. Green Lantern, using his power ring, is forced to follow them to a far off planet, where the two heroes battle an alien. The twist is that they were removed from Earth so that the aliens could conquer the Earth in their absence.
After defeating the alien, the two heroes return to Earth only to have to submit to the conquering race of Myrmiton’s, who threaten to destroy the earth with a cosmic death ray!!! They force Green Lantern to give up his power ring and they take away the Flash’s super powers via their cosmic rays. Sorry but I do not know the science behind this! Of course, the Flash out-thinks the Myrmiton’s and saves the day with a little help from Green Lantern and his restored power ring.
The thing I liked about this story, and I did enjoy both the excellent story, as well as, the fine artwork, is that the two heroes actually used their brains more than they did their powers. I mean, they did use their powers, but it was their brain power which enabled them to overcome the alien Myrmitons and reverse their conquest of the Earth.
Then the story ends with Hal and Barry completing their contest, with each trying to let the other win and finally declaring neither a winner, much to the surprise of their girlfriends Iris West and Carol Ferris!
A pretty nice story all around and one where the heroes’ powers were secondary, rather than paramount, to the story resolution. I know this one goes way back into the beginnings of the Silver Age, but it’s well worth searching it out and adding it to your collection. Plus these DC team-ups really didn’t happen that often outside the Justice League of America comic book, so it’s highly collectable for that reason, as well.
I’ll be back again next week with a new Fabulous Find and again in two weeks with another RETRO REVIEW, I hope you’ll join me!
be seeing you …
