Volume: 1
Price: 0.10 USD
Pages: 68
On-sale Date: 1939-11-20
Editing: M. C. Gaines (managing editor); Sheldon Mayer (assistant editor)
Cover Thumbnail for Flash Comics (DC, 1940 series) #1 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

Introducing The Flash... Fastest Man Alive!
(Table of Contents)

The Flash / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (15)

Indexer Notes

The cover artist was miscredited as Harry Lampert in the Millennium Edition, but corrected in the corrections page in Millennium Edition: Superboy #1 (2001 series), and also correctly credited in the two Archives. Flash has lightning bolts on his trousers and on his belt buckle.

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

The on-sale date of November 20, 1939 is the publication date reported in filings with the U. S. Copyright Office. However, a house ad in Action Comics #19 states the issue was to be on sale on November 10.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

All-American Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[Origin of the Flash]
(Table of Contents: 2)

The Flash / comic story / 15 pages

Script:
Gardner Fox (credited)
Pencils:
Harry Lampert (credited)
Inks:
Harry Lampert (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Professor Hughes (introduction); Major Williams (introduction, Joan's father); Bull Tryon (introduction); The Faultless Four [Sieur Satan (villain, introduction, death); Serge Orloff (villain, introduction, surgeon, death); Duriel (villain, introduction, death); Smythe (villain, introduction, death)]
Synopsis:
The Scarlet Speedster must face the threat of the Faultless Four, a group of brilliant but deadly scientists who kidnap Joan Williams' father in order to get his invention: the atomic bombarder!
Reprints (12)

Indexer Notes

First line is "But before he became known and feared as 'the fastest thing on Earth,' Jay Garrick was an unknown student at Midwestern University..." The Flash has lightning bolts on his belt buckle and trousers.

[The Disappearing Plane]
(Table of Contents: 3)

Cliff Cornwall / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Sheldon Moldoff (credited, signed)
Inks:
Sheldon Moldoff (credited, signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure
Characters:
unnamed Army General; Lys Valliere
Synopsis:
Cliff is on vacation from the FBI, but the Army nabs him for a special assignment in Alaska to put an end to phantom plane attacks on military aircraft.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Writer credit by Craig Delich. The Millennium Edition incorrectly credits Sheldon Moldoff for the writer.

[The Origin of Hawkman]
(Table of Contents: 4)

Hawkman / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
  • Dr. Anton Hastor
    (villain, introduction, reincarnation of Hath-Set, apparent death)
  • Hath-Set
    (villain, introduction, in flashback, reincarnated as Dr. Hastor)
  • The Hawkman [Carter Hall]
    (introduction, origin, reincarnation of Prince Khufu)
  • Prince Khufu
    (introduction, death in flashback, reincarnated as Carter Hall)
  • Shiera Sanders
    (introduction, reincarnation of Shiera of Egypt)
  • Shiera
    (introduction, death in flashback, reincarnated as Shiera Sanders)
Kolar (villain, introduction)
Synopsis:
Young Carter Hall, wealthy collector of weapons and research scientist, discovers that he is the re-incarnation of an anicient Egyptian, Prince Khu-fu. He is further amazed that his lady love, Shiera Sanders, and his murderer, Hath-Set, have been re-incarnated too!
Reprints (7)

Indexer Notes

The title here was given in Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 where this story was reprinted.

[The Kidnapping of Johnny Thunder]
(Table of Contents: 5)

Johnny Thunder / comic story / 10 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
  • Feature Logo:Johnny Thunderbolt!
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:One night in August, 1918, Simon came home from the bank and found a crowd around his house...
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Priest of Aissor
Synopsis:
Young Johnny Thunder is kidnapped from his home, given Badhnisian sacred rites and would become the most powerful person in the world at age 7. By a weird chance, Johnny is reunited with his parents, but is sought out once again by the Badhnesians, who are on the receiving end of a new, strange power Johnny has by saying the words "Say You" (Cei-U).
Reprints (4)

Indexer Notes

Thunderbolt appears as a yellow streak of lightning and as a pink cloud in this story.

Warfare in Space, Part One
(Table of Contents: 6)

text story / 1.85 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Sheldon Mayer (spot illustrations)
Inks:
Sheldon Mayer (spot illustrations)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:science fiction
Characters:
Billy Morton; Keith Morton; Port Commander Worth; Ralph "The Ruthless" Farnham (villain)
Synopsis:
Billy's Dad has created a weapon that can be effectively used in interstellar space....and he wants to volunteer to use it against the space pirate, Ralph Farnham!
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Story continued in Flash Comics (1940 series) #2. There are three small ads for fireworks at the end of page 2.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Baltimore Fireworks; Brazel Novelty Fireworks; Spencer Fireworks / advertisement / 0.15 page

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 8)

Flash Stamps / text article / 0.75 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
?
Inks:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:non-fiction
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Polish postage stamps...
Synopsis:
Includes a history of Polish postage stamps, as well as classified ads from 6 stamp dealers.
Reprints (2)

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

Eureka Stamps; Gray Stamps; Kent Stamps; Metal Arts Rings & Pins; Roberts Stamps; Tatham Stamps and Coins / advertisement / 0.25 page

The Demon Dummy, A "Flash" Picture Novel in Two Parts [Part 1]
(Table of Contents: 10)

Flash Picture Novel / Novelette / comic story / 8 pages

Script:
Ed Wheelan (signed)
Pencils:
Ed Wheelan (signed)
Inks:
Ed Wheelan (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
Ed Wheelan (signed)
  • Genre:crime
Characters:
The Great [Harry] Dunstan; Madge Devere; Sam; Red (a dummy); Jim Devlin (villain); Tim (villain); Slim Grimes (villain)
Synopsis:
Private detective Devlin, in love with Madge Devere, who in turn is loved by ventriloquist Dunstan, tries to pin a murder on Dunstan in order to get the woman he loves.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Story continued in Flash Comics (DC, 1940 series) #2.

[Origin of the Whip]
(Table of Contents: 11)

The Whip / comic story / 10 pages

Script:
Pencils:
George Storm (credited)
Inks:
George Storm (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; western-frontier
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:He was known as Don Fernando Suarez, a patrician descended from the Grandees of Spain...
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Padre Demo (introduction); Nita (introduction); Sheriff Todd (villain, introduction); Association of Ranchers (villains, introduction for all); group of vigilantes (villains, introduction for all); Associadad de los Rancheros (villains, introduction for all, in flashback to the 19th century)
Synopsis:
Learning of a famed adventurer for justice in the past, El Castigo: The Whip, Rod Gaynor decides to assume that disguise to help the poor, who are being denied jobs and food, as well as being hit by high rents by unscrupulous vigilantes.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

The Whip is Eastern playboy Rodney Elwood Gaynor. The strip is set in the contemporary Southwest until issue #19, where the setting switches to New York City.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog / advertisement / 1 page

You Can Make Your Own Records If You Sing Or Play An Instrument
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Home Recorder / Recordo / advertisement / 1 page

my.comics.org
Tracked in 18 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. Introducing The Flash... Fastest Man Alive!
    The Flash
  2. ["Boys & girls: If you like Flash Comics..."]
    All-American Comics
  3. [Origin of the Flash]
    The Flash
  4. [The Disappearing Plane]
    Cliff Cornwall
  5. [The Origin of Hawkman]
    Hawkman
  6. [The Kidnapping of Johnny Thunder]
    Johnny Thunder
  7. Warfare in Space, Part One
  8. [no title indexed]
    Baltimore Fireworks; Brazel Novelty Fireworks; Spencer Fireworks
  9. ["Polish postage stamps..."]
    Flash Stamps
  10. [no title indexed]
    Eureka Stamps; Gray Stamps; Kent Stamps; Metal Arts Rings & Pins; Roberts Stamps; Tatham Stamps and Coins
  11. The Demon Dummy, A "Flash" Picture Novel in Two Parts [Part 1]
    Flash Picture Novel / Novelette
  12. [Origin of the Whip]
    The Whip
  13. [no title indexed]
    Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog
  14. You Can Make Your Own Records If You Sing Or Play An Instrument
    Home Recorder / Recordo
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • mcomics
  • David Banuelos
  • John Censullo
  • Keith Chandler
  • Peter Croome
  • Craig Delich
  • Gregory Fischer
  • Merlin Haas
  • Matthew Head
  • Kirk House
  • Bob Hughes
  • Jerzy Kiekrz
  • R. S. Martin
  • John Monagle
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Martin Olsen
  • Allen Ross
  • Jim Van Dore
  • Sean Williams
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