The Flash #124 is an issue of the series The Flash (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1961.
Synopsis for "Space Boomerang Trap!"
The Flash writes to his friend Ralph Dibny, also known as the Elongated Man, to keep the famed super-detective up-to-date on the goings on in his life. In his letter, Flash explains how his old foe Captain Boomerang had been released from prison, believing that it won't be too long before he commits another spectacular crime. Deducing that he might attempt to rob an exhibit of crown jewels from Normark that are on display, the Flash speeds off to check it out. There he does find Captain Boomerang in full uniform, however the crook tells the Flash that he is only viewing the display and is well within the law to do so. Flash concludes his letter by explaining that during the exhibit a boomerang suddenly flew into the room, snatched the jewels and vanished before he could capture it. When questioning Captain Boomerang about it, the crook tells the Flash that he's not the only person who could gimmick a boomerang to do tricks.
Finishing the letter, Ralph decides to pay a visit to Central City and give the Flash a helping hand in trying to solve this mystery. Meanwhile, at his hideout, Captain Boomerang gloats over how he's pulled a fast on on the Flash with his newest invention: time traveling boomerangs that travel into the future to steal things for him, that way he can be present at the scene of the crime and have an iron clad alibi. However, unknown to Boomerang, his latest invention is posing a threat to the Earth, as when it travels through time and space it travels through a highly advanced parallel world. The creatures there fear that the boomerang must be some sort of advance probe leading to an invasion from the Earth dimension, and the strange creatures of that world prepare to a misguided preemptive strike against the Earth.
Meanwhile, the Elongated Man joins up with the Flash at the Central City Museum where jewels are on display. Sure enough, Captain Boomerang arrives on the scene, and just like the previous robbery, a strange boomerang appears and snatches the jewels. This time however, the Flash and Elongated Man manage to capture the boomerang by combining their powers. When Captain Boomerang overhears the two heroes planning to dust the weapon for finger prints he attempts to flee the scene and the two heroes follow after him. When they round the corner they witness that all the people in the streets have fallen in dead faints.
They then watch a news report on a television informing the public of a strange invasion from creatures from another dimension that are using fatigue rays to knock people out. Flash, Elongated Man and Captain Boomerang all agree to work together to thwart this invasion attempt. Tracking down the alien creatures, the trio manage to overpower the invaders and send them back to their home dimension. With the aliens dispersed, the Flash then uses his vibrational powers to seal off the portal they had opened to the Earthly dimension. When the Flash returns to the city, he finds that Captain Boomerang has secured one of the aliens fatigue rays and used it on Elongated Man. When the Flash attempts to stop the villain he too is also zapped with the weird device.
When the Flash comes around, he finds himself strapped to a gigantic boomerang that Captain Boomerang hopes to use to launch the Flash into outer space. However, this plot fails when the Elongated Man revives in the nick of time and manages to grab the boomerang and pull it back down to Earth. With Boomerangs plot foiled, the Flash turns his foe and the time-traveling boomerang over to the police, who find that it does have the Captain's fingerprints on it and the crook is summarily re-incarcerated.
Appearing in "Space Boomerang Trap!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Central City
- Central City Museum
Items:
- Chinese Jade
- Crown Jewels of Normark
- Fatigue Guns
Synopsis for "Vengeance Via Television!"
Following a sensational series of stories about the Flash capturing a criminal that was using television as a gimmick, Iris West writes down her personal account of the Flash's latest adventure in her diary:
She recalls back some time ago during the trial of James Lawton, a second-story man who was captured by the Flash. When Lawton was found guilty he would vow revenge against everyone in the court room, and the Flash in particular. After his sentence is served, James would turn his obsession to the sciences and develop a helmet device that would allow him to beam his thoughts via television signals to manipulate people to do his bidding. He'd reach his success when watching a live advertisement of a woman washing dishes and mentally commands her to drop the dish.
With his device a success he then turns it against those responsible for his conviction. Of the course of the week he would net a number of those involved in the court case when they would make television appearances and order them to come to him. Among the number of captured witnesses and jurors is Iris West. When the Flash appears on television, Lawton would also command the Fastest Man Alive to come to him as well.
However, when Lawton attempts to unmask the Flash, the Scarlet Speedster reveals that he is really not under Lawton's control. He then stops Lawton from shooting his prisoners and then easily defeats the crook. Iris finishes her diary entry by explaining that the Flash had deduced James's methods and used a device to track the radiations coming from his transmissions to his home and only pretended to be under the crooks control. With her recounting of events done, Iris admits that although she is curious about the Flash's secret identity, she is grateful she didn't learn it that day due to the risks of knowing such knowledge might bring harm to her from the Flash's enemies.
Appearing in "Vengeance Via Television!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- James Lawton
Other Characters:
- Edgar Barnard
- Warden
- Judge
Locations:
Notes
- "Space Boomerang Trap!" is reprinted in The Flash #160, Showcase Presents: Elongated Man Vol. 1, and The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told.
- The whole issue is reprinted in The Flash Archives Vol. 3, and The Flash Omnibus Vol. 1.