The Flash #108
"The Speed of Doom!"
August - September, 1959
Story: John Broome
Art: Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia
Even the Scarlet Speedster was unable to equal the speed of the
Mohruvians -- other-dimensional beings who were on our planet to gather
items which were struck by lightning! (Holy E-Bay, Batman!) But why?
The Flash will learn the answer by achieving "The Speed of Doom!" On the
splash page, two of the Mohruvians have vanished into a hill, with the
Fastest Man on Earth on the heels of a third. (Holy Over The Hill,
Batman!)
July 4th finds Barry Allen and Iris West celebrating the anniversary
of their first date with a picnic at Central City Park. The police
scientist smiles to himself as his girlfriend suggests setting up their
picnic near a tree-stump that had been struck by lightning. (Holy
Isabella, Batman!) When they arrive at the exact location, Iris is
surprised to see that the stump is gone. Barry knows the answer to this
mystery, but it would mean revealing his double identity to his
girlfriend. As Iris asks him to set up the picnic, Barry remembers the
events of the past week. The Flash had visited a laboratory and had been
running at super-speed as part of an experiment. Unable to stop, the
Scarlet Speedster asks the doctor to fire more radiation at him so that
he can slow down.
The doctor laughs at the Flash's predicament and increases the speed
on the treadmill. He had come in answer to Doctor Hirach's ad, and had
hoped to have his speed timed. "Doctor Hirach" is in reality Kee Feleg
from Mohru, and he has just trapped the Fastest Man Alive. The machine
has been designed to destroy the Flash by emitting radiation and speeding
him up until the end.
With time running out, the Flash learns that the radiation is
keeping him from jumping off the treadmill. As the Scarlet Speedster
struggles to slow down, back in the present, the police scientist recalls
the other events which had brought him low. In the world of Mohru, the
Police Prefect briefs one of his officers on the wave of mysterious
raids. The fast-moving thieves are invisible to the agents, but the
police have learned something about the group.
The speedy thieves have made their way to the Earth Dimension, where
they've been gathering some speed-makers to bring back to Mohru. The
police have been unable to learn what the "speedmakers" were, but it
would be The Flash who would learn the vital piece of information.
Running at 100,000 miles per hour, the Scarlet Speedster attempts to
reach his maximum speed.
100,000 miles a second... 180,000 miles a second... the Flash shoots
free from the trap, through the building, and around the world eight
times in one second. (Holy Phineas Fogg, Batman!) After returning to
the laboratory, the Scarlet Speedster figures that his captor was unaware
that he could run faster than 186,234 miles a second -- the speed of
light. Once he passed beyond this limit, the Flash was able to overcome
the effects of the radiation. After searching Central City for Kee
Feleg, the Fastest Man on Earth can only wonder what else he had in mind.
As a rain storm passed over Central City, the Flash sees lightning
striking an area -- and forming a fulgurite* there. (Editor's Note: A
fulgurite is fused sand or rock formed by the action of lightning).
(Holy Flint Marko, Batman! I'm confused.) He had heard of fulgurites,
but had never seen one form. As the Flash reaches for the object, it
suddenly disappears before his very eyes. Thinking that this could be a
clue, the Scarlet Speedster heads for a nearby museum, where the curator
informs him that no fulgurites are missing. The man had heard of such
thefts at other museums.
Both men watch as the theft of the museum's fulgurite occurs before
their very eyes. Only the Scarlet Speedster was able to see the
direction of the fleeing fulgurite at tremendous speed. When he gains on
the piece, the Flash sees the fast-moving form of the alien being holding
onto the fulgurite. Before the criminal can be apprehended, he flees
into the side of a hill, and disappears. Another alien carrying a tree
stump races by, and passes at the exact spot. (Holy Hill Street Blues,
Batman!)
The Flash decides to copy their movements and speed. Once he passes
towards the hill, the Scarlet Speedster emerges in another dimension,
where the three criminals are startled to see him. He recognizes one of
them as "Doctor Hirach," who tells the others to flee. The Flash uses
his super-speed to turn the trio into spinning tops, leaving them with
little strength to resist capture.
The Fastest Man Alive meets with the Police Prefect of Mohru, who
tells him that the criminals had been stealing the Fugurite as
"speed-makers." The lightning-energy was used to transform the crooks
into fast-moving thieves, who sought to get rid of the Flash -- the only
one who could perceive them. After receiving thanks from the Police
Prefect, the Scarlet Speedster returns through the hill, having learned
that lightning does not exist on Mohru. Yes, Barry Allen knows what
happened to the tree, but Iris is going to have to remain "stumped" over
this mystery.
The Mohruvians are bald, have yellow skin, and their faces are
fishlike in appearance.
The criminal Mohruvians favor purple shirts, blue pants, and orange
shoes, while the Police Prefect and his officers closely resemble Don
Knotts in his animated role as "The Incredible Mr. Limpet."
We learn for the first time the date of Barry and Iris's first date.
(Holy John Phillip Sousa, Batman!)
"Doctor Hirach" resembles Dean Stockwell from "Quantum Leap."
It was a "Kee Feleg" of the Flash not to realize that this doctor
was from Mohru.
I'm suddenly wondering about our own Professor Jack Selegue. ;)
If your doctor suddenly begins to laugh for no reason, be sure to
run out of the room before he can pull a lever (or give you the bill).
I'm assuming that Flash was able to vibrate his molecules when he ran
around the world eight times in one second. I'm surprised he didn't bump
into anything if this wasn't the case.
The Spinners and The Four Tops are two groups who were famous during
the Silver Age.
The Mohruvians thought that they had the "fulgurite" stuff, but were
no match for the Fastest Man On Earth.
Steve Chung
"The Speed of Review!"
August - September, 1959
Story: John Broome
Art: Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia
Even the Scarlet Speedster was unable to equal the speed of the
Mohruvians -- other-dimensional beings who were on our planet to gather
items which were struck by lightning! (Holy E-Bay, Batman!) But why?
The Flash will learn the answer by achieving "The Speed of Doom!" On the
splash page, two of the Mohruvians have vanished into a hill, with the
Fastest Man on Earth on the heels of a third. (Holy Over The Hill,
Batman!)
July 4th finds Barry Allen and Iris West celebrating the anniversary
of their first date with a picnic at Central City Park. The police
scientist smiles to himself as his girlfriend suggests setting up their
picnic near a tree-stump that had been struck by lightning. (Holy
Isabella, Batman!) When they arrive at the exact location, Iris is
surprised to see that the stump is gone. Barry knows the answer to this
mystery, but it would mean revealing his double identity to his
girlfriend. As Iris asks him to set up the picnic, Barry remembers the
events of the past week. The Flash had visited a laboratory and had been
running at super-speed as part of an experiment. Unable to stop, the
Scarlet Speedster asks the doctor to fire more radiation at him so that
he can slow down.
The doctor laughs at the Flash's predicament and increases the speed
on the treadmill. He had come in answer to Doctor Hirach's ad, and had
hoped to have his speed timed. "Doctor Hirach" is in reality Kee Feleg
from Mohru, and he has just trapped the Fastest Man Alive. The machine
has been designed to destroy the Flash by emitting radiation and speeding
him up until the end.
With time running out, the Flash learns that the radiation is
keeping him from jumping off the treadmill. As the Scarlet Speedster
struggles to slow down, back in the present, the police scientist recalls
the other events which had brought him low. In the world of Mohru, the
Police Prefect briefs one of his officers on the wave of mysterious
raids. The fast-moving thieves are invisible to the agents, but the
police have learned something about the group.
The speedy thieves have made their way to the Earth Dimension, where
they've been gathering some speed-makers to bring back to Mohru. The
police have been unable to learn what the "speedmakers" were, but it
would be The Flash who would learn the vital piece of information.
Running at 100,000 miles per hour, the Scarlet Speedster attempts to
reach his maximum speed.
100,000 miles a second... 180,000 miles a second... the Flash shoots
free from the trap, through the building, and around the world eight
times in one second. (Holy Phineas Fogg, Batman!) After returning to
the laboratory, the Scarlet Speedster figures that his captor was unaware
that he could run faster than 186,234 miles a second -- the speed of
light. Once he passed beyond this limit, the Flash was able to overcome
the effects of the radiation. After searching Central City for Kee
Feleg, the Fastest Man on Earth can only wonder what else he had in mind.
As a rain storm passed over Central City, the Flash sees lightning
striking an area -- and forming a fulgurite* there. (Editor's Note: A
fulgurite is fused sand or rock formed by the action of lightning).
(Holy Flint Marko, Batman! I'm confused.) He had heard of fulgurites,
but had never seen one form. As the Flash reaches for the object, it
suddenly disappears before his very eyes. Thinking that this could be a
clue, the Scarlet Speedster heads for a nearby museum, where the curator
informs him that no fulgurites are missing. The man had heard of such
thefts at other museums.
Both men watch as the theft of the museum's fulgurite occurs before
their very eyes. Only the Scarlet Speedster was able to see the
direction of the fleeing fulgurite at tremendous speed. When he gains on
the piece, the Flash sees the fast-moving form of the alien being holding
onto the fulgurite. Before the criminal can be apprehended, he flees
into the side of a hill, and disappears. Another alien carrying a tree
stump races by, and passes at the exact spot. (Holy Hill Street Blues,
Batman!)
The Flash decides to copy their movements and speed. Once he passes
towards the hill, the Scarlet Speedster emerges in another dimension,
where the three criminals are startled to see him. He recognizes one of
them as "Doctor Hirach," who tells the others to flee. The Flash uses
his super-speed to turn the trio into spinning tops, leaving them with
little strength to resist capture.
The Fastest Man Alive meets with the Police Prefect of Mohru, who
tells him that the criminals had been stealing the Fugurite as
"speed-makers." The lightning-energy was used to transform the crooks
into fast-moving thieves, who sought to get rid of the Flash -- the only
one who could perceive them. After receiving thanks from the Police
Prefect, the Scarlet Speedster returns through the hill, having learned
that lightning does not exist on Mohru. Yes, Barry Allen knows what
happened to the tree, but Iris is going to have to remain "stumped" over
this mystery.
The Mohruvians are bald, have yellow skin, and their faces are
fishlike in appearance.
The criminal Mohruvians favor purple shirts, blue pants, and orange
shoes, while the Police Prefect and his officers closely resemble Don
Knotts in his animated role as "The Incredible Mr. Limpet."
We learn for the first time the date of Barry and Iris's first date.
(Holy John Phillip Sousa, Batman!)
"Doctor Hirach" resembles Dean Stockwell from "Quantum Leap."
It was a "Kee Feleg" of the Flash not to realize that this doctor
was from Mohru.
I'm suddenly wondering about our own Professor Jack Selegue. ;)
If your doctor suddenly begins to laugh for no reason, be sure to
run out of the room before he can pull a lever (or give you the bill).
I'm assuming that Flash was able to vibrate his molecules when he ran
around the world eight times in one second. I'm surprised he didn't bump
into anything if this wasn't the case.
The Spinners and The Four Tops are two groups who were famous during
the Silver Age.
The Mohruvians thought that they had the "fulgurite" stuff, but were
no match for the Fastest Man On Earth.
Steve Chung
"The Speed of Review!"
