Showcase #14: "Giants Of The Time-World!"

Showcase #14
 "Giants Of The Time-World!"
 May-June, 1958

 Script: Robert Kanigher
 Pencils: Carmine Infantino
 Inks: Frank Giacoia

 The Scarlet Speedster battles aliens who grow larger every second... "Giants Of The Time World!"

 In Central City, Picture News photographer meets her boyfriend, police scientist Barry Allen... As they sit at their table at Pardy's, Iris wonders why she puts up with his slowness -- especially when the man she admires most is the Flash -- the Fastest Man On Earth! Barry sees a glass of water fall off of a waitress' tray and his hand reaches out at super-speed... VOOSH! He reverses the falling glass... ZIIIP! Barry catches the falling water before it can reach the floor... VROOOOOOOSH!

 As the waitress stoops over to pick up the glass, she is puzzled that not a drop of water has left the glass! After lunch, Iris tells Barry she is scheduled to take a fast ship up to take photographs of Central City at sunset! She will let him know her call letters! The police scientist hopes she doesn't go crashing through any sound barriers and heads back to the police laboratory, where he turns on his wrist-TV set... IB-17 calls Photo Field and informs them everything is normal... As Barry zooms in for a closer shot, an unidentified flying object approaches her aircraft at tremendous speed! A FLYING SAUCER! IB-7 is going to try to get near enough to take a picture of the u.f.o.!

 The police scientist watches as Iris sends her aircraft towards the mysterious alien ship... CRAAAAAACK! Her aircraft has just crashed through the sound barrier and is closing in on the flying saucer! When they hear the click of the shutter -- it will mean Iris West has just gotten the picture of the century! At that very moment, a burst of light envelops the Picture News photographer's plane and... In the police laboratory, Barry Allen has just seen what has happened and the police scientist activates the ring... causing the crimson costume to expand upon contact with the air... There is only one man fast enough to reach her -- the Flash!

 The Monarch of Motion heads to the missile proving grounds in an instant where... he is grateful for Iris telling him about the new rocket being launched! VROOOSH! The Fastest Man Alive rides the rocket as if it were Pegasus... The first stage drops off -- its speed is increasing -- and he should be in sight of the flying saucer! There it is! WHOOOOSH! To the Scarlet Speedster's dismay, as the rocket reaches its maximum speed from the boost of the final stage... the flying saucer is leaving him behind -- as if the rocket were standing still -- and there is no sound of power coming from the alien craft!

 The Sultan of Speed is riding the rocket towards its landing area... The speed of the unidentified flying object must mean it comes from an alien civilization -- from another world -- or even another dimension... The thought of another dimension gives the Flash an idea! He must try anything and everything that might give him the slightest chance of rescuing Iris! The Scarlet Speedster begins his desperate race on the flat sands of an empty beach... He has broken through the sound barrier! CRAAAAAAAAK! But -- that is not -- fast enough!

 The Monarch of Motion moves even faster through space... breaking through the thermal barrier... but even that is not -- fast enough! WHOOOOOOSH! Drawing on his untapped reserves, the Fastest Man Alive unleashes enough speed to break through -- the time barrier! His mighty effort causes him to black out for what seems like mere minutes... The Flash suddenly realizes more time must have passed than he had thought for him to have been staked down by a group of Liliputians! Has he landed elsewhere in the time dimension?

 Ahead of him, the captive Speedster sees a flying saucer landing field filled with saucer launching sites all aimed in one direction! The solar-explosive saucers are all timed to be fired on his world in one hour from now! Their scouting saucers have given them all the information they need to destroy Earth's defenses! It has taken them a century to erect these sites, but in an hour, the world will belong to them! These emerald-skinned aliens are growing -- getting bigger -- with each passing second! These inhabitants of the fourth dimension of time will conquer the Earth! Each hour finds them passing through an entire life cycle - tiny -- then bigger -- then gigantic as the hour ends!

 Before the Sultan of Speed's very eyes... he realizes he is not dreaming... as each second transforms the fourth-dimensional inhabitants into GIANTS!

 A massive emerald hand frees the Flash from his bonds... as he learns their last scouting saucer has just returned with a three-dimensional specimen for their museum of captured worlds! Iris will join him in the giant hour glass -- to be the sole survivors of the conquered Earth! He watches as they bring her out! The Scarlet Speedster vibrates out of the giant hour glass... and the emerald giants of the fourth dimension of time begin to leap up and down!

 The ground beneath the Monarch of Motion quivers and shakes... THUD! THUD! THUD! The Flash hurtles himself upwards and hops into one of the giant alien's boot cuffs! The pounding of giant feet stops at the command of their leader's signal. They head for the saucer -- where the other three-dimensional inhabitant is located! They will find him there! As they stand guard, the Flash sees Iris -- just out of reach! How can he get her out of the giant's grasp! The Scarlet Speedster leaps onto the alien giant's boot... It is only a matter of moments before they spot him!

 The Flash vibrates his hands against the giant shoe until smoke begins to rise! This is the first fourth-dimensional hot-foot in history! During the confusion... he retrieves Iris and must now dispose of the explosive threats aimed towards Earth! As he frees Iris from her captive container, they see the giants reducing in size, and this means an hour has passed -- and the explosive flying saucers are scheduled to be fired at Earth! Tapping undreamt reserves of speed within him -- the Scarlet Speedster races across the launching site... the saucers have been fired, but the Flash isn't stopping yet! WHOOOSH!

 As the Crimson Comet dashes at incredible velocity around the launching pad... WHAAM! WHAAM! WHAAM! WHOOOOOOSH! The flying saucers explode from the vibrations he has set up -- before they can crash through the time barrier -- into Earth! The Flash hurls himself and Iris forward with a tremendous burst of speed... they manage to avoid the blasts by crashing through the time barrier WHAAAM! CRAAACK! the heat barrier! CRAAACK! the sound barrier! BLAAAM! They are now back in Central City, where Iris asks the Flash to meet a friend of hers -- Barry Allen! The police scientist is very sweet -- but slower than a turtle with lumbago! Perhaps he could help him learn how to speed up a little bit? This sounds like an impossible task for the Flash!

 This story was reprinted in 80 Page Giant Magazine #4 (October, 1964).

 One giant step for the fourth-dimensional aliens means the end of the Flash and our world!

 The Scarlet Speedster has got his own signed portrait at Pardy's.

 The police scientist caught a waitress' tray in Showcase #4.

 It's interesting to note that Iris West is a fully-qualified pilot.

 Iris' pilot helmet resembles the villainous headgear of Mr. Element.

 Dick Tracy should have gotten a patent on Barry's wrist-TV set.

 In later stories, the Flash used the Cosmic Treadmill to travel through time and space.

 The Flash and Kid Flash traveled to the "Land Of The Golden Giants!" in The Flash #120 (May, 1961).

 Like sands through the giant hour glass, these are the last moment's of Flash's life.

 Luckily for the Monarch of Motion, the giants are slow on their feet, and are unable to make one leap for one small man.

 The Flash has saved the planet from destruction and the only barrier left to breach is the one to make police scientist be on time for his date with Iris West.

 Steve Chung
 "Review Of The Time-World!"