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Flash Comics Vol 1 104

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"Hawkman: "The Flaming Darkness!"": The elderly custodian of Carter Hall's Science Club describes, to Carter, a terrifying encounter he has had with a ghostly archer and a monstrous bull, appearing in the woods, in a nimbus of red light. The archer's voice (which the custodian recognized) had co

Well if it isn't Sleeping Beauty alias Larry Lance, the smartest private eye in the business -- if you ask HIM.
— Dinah Drake

Flash Comics #104 is an issue of the series Flash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1949.

Synopsis for Hawkman: "The Flaming Darkness!"

The elderly custodian of Carter Hall's Science Club describes, to Carter, a terrifying encounter he has had with a ghostly archer and a monstrous bull, appearing in the woods, in a nimbus of red light. The archer's voice (which the custodian recognized) had commanded him to bring the minutes from the science club's meetings, to a particular place, under threat of death. These notes contain unpublished secret scientific data. He's borrowing Hall's telephone to call the police, but Carter stops him and suggests a better plan ...

Carter changes to Hawkman, and borrows the old guy's overcoat and hat, and puts on a rubber facemask, then goes out to the designated meeting place, in the woods, where he meets up with crime-boss Rangles and two henchmen. Discarding his disguise, Hawkman reveals that he's brought a mace to this gunfight, and sets about winning it. Suddenly an armored, mounted knight and a Roman charioteer appear, in a nimbus of red light. Hawkman flings his mace at the charioteer, something breaks with a "pop," and the charioteer vanishes. That's all it takes for Hawkman to figure out what the scam is, here, but while he's announcing that, he gets head-konked unconscious with a blackjack. Without even bothering to tie him up, they toss Hawkman into a small, dumpy, laboratory building, with a stout door and no windows, but just as Hawkman is starting what looks like an easy escape, the building starts to sink into the ground! But Hawkman quickly mixes up some chemicals and makes an explosive, which blows out part of the door, through which he escapes.

Meanwhile Rangles and his henchmen are driving toward the Science Club, to steal the notes the old-fashioned way. They slip in through an open window, and are suddenly confronted with two monstrous alien figures, appearing in a nimbus of red light, and are momentarily frozen in fear. That's plenty of time for Hawkman to get among them, guns or no guns, and start punching them out. Once again Rangles manages to get behind him and score a head-konk, with a chair this time, but Hawk's wings catch most of the chair, which breaks, and he knocks down Rangles with a thrown ashtray. Then he activates a built-in security device which flings the other two hoods out through the open window. The three mooks run for their car but are quickly overtaken and carried into the sky by Hawkman.

Later Hawkman explains to the police how the illusion was created, using car headlights with red clip-on lenses and painted figures, and how he was able to fool the criminals with a similar device at the clubhouse. Later still, Carter Hall passes along his good friend Hawkman's explanation, to the (still unnamed) Science Club custodian, and learns that Rangles is the custodian's brother.

Appearing in Hawkman: "The Flaming Darkness!"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Rangles
    • two henchmen

Other Characters:

  • Science Club's custodian

Locations:

  • Science Club & surrounding woods

Items:

  • illusion-casting headlight


Synopsis for Flash: "The Rival Flash!"


Appearing in Flash: "The Rival Flash!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Rival (First appearance)
    • his gang, three superspeedy hoodlums

Locations:

Other Characters:

  • John Burnes, student (Flashback and main story)

Items:

  • Clariss' Heavy Water Gas

Vehicles:

  • S.S. Nautical, luxury liner

Synopsis for Ghost Patrol: "The Case of the Painted Horse!"


Appearing in Ghost Patrol: "The Case of the Painted Horse!"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Race-fixing gangsters

Other Characters:

  • Trainer Jenks

Animals:

  • Speedstar, Spirit Horse
  • Starspot, son of Speedstar
  • fake Starspot, painted nag

Locations:

  • Great Spirit Grazing Fields
  • Panta Alita racetrack

Vehicles:

  • Ghost Patrol's cloud roadster

Synopsis for The Atom: "The Vanishing Lighthouse!"


Appearing in The Atom: "The Vanishing Lighthouse!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Locations:

Synopsis for Black Canary: "Crime On Her Hands!"


Appearing in Black Canary: "Crime On Her Hands!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Professor Lane Nythe

Other Characters:

  • Ernest Nythe

Notes

  • Published monthly by National Comics Publications, Inc,, for the last time. The numbering continues, renamed slightly as The Flash, in (Feb/Mar 1959).
  • This issue marks the final Golden Age solo appearances of the Flash, of Hawkman, and of Black Canary, (but not of the Atom), although these characters would briefly continue to appear in Justice Society adventures in All-Star Comics.
  • The Atom appears next in Sensation Comics #86.
  • Black Canary chronologically appears next in DC Special #3.
  • The Flash chronologically appears next at his wedding as presented in Flash (Volume 2) #161.
    • Rival appears next in JSA #16.
    • The Flash's origin is stated to have happened in 1940, at Midwestern University, per page 2 panel 2 caption. In this retelling of his origin story, Jay's cigarette break is left out.
    • Joan Williams is still "the only person who knows the Flash's real identity!"
    • The Flash gets head-konked unconscious, with a pistol butt, by a superspeed-powered thug.
    • "The Rival Flash!" was reprinted in The Flash #211, The Flash Archives Vol. 1, Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 1, Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told and The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years.
  • Ghost Patrol:
    • Pedro might be Argentinian, from his remark on page 3 panel 2.
    • Slim, page 6 panel 6: "Simple! Ghosts don't need oxygen!" Nevertheless, they breathe, as seen in Flash Comics #101, when Slim and Pedro were knocked out by gas.
  • Hawkman appears next in All-Star Comics #45.
  • Also appearing in this issue of Flash Comics were:
    • Editorial Advisory Board (promotional text)
    • "America's Greatest Comic Characters" (2/3 page black-&-white group portrait of Batman, Brooklyn, Flash, Green Lantern, Jeff, Mutt, Robin, Superman, and Wonder Woman)
    • "Everybody Wants Scribbly" (2/3 page ad for the current issue of Scribbly #4)
    • Statement of Ownership, Management, Circulations, Etc.



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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