Barry Allen as the re-imagined The Flash - The Fastest Man Alive! Literally bursting onto the scene. Classic cover and classic story. Okay, so Turtle Man and Mazdan aren't exactly Classic villains. Not quite as Classic as Captain Cold and Abra Kadabra. What is Classic is Barry Allen's origin. Somewhat similar to Jay Garrick's - without the "hard water". (If you're familiar with Barry, you will know that years later, during the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry became the lightning bolt that transformed him into The Flash, creating a loop.) What's cool here is that it takes some convincing for Barry to believe he has become "the fastest man alive"! And then, boom, he's got a costume miniaturized inside a ring! He's rescuing Iris from a murder attempt and facing Turtle Man! Even though he may be slow, Turtle Man is methodical and smart. And then, there's Mazdan. A Criminal sentenced to a dark and dismal future that's gone a little "ca-ca" by sending him into the past! His weapon - a gun that fires heat rings! Oh... if only the gun fired onion rings... One can dream. Barry figures out that simply by using super-speed he can break the time barrier travel through time into the future! This is brilliant science fiction!
What's enjoyable about Barry Allen is that he is THE most Peter Parker character of DC Comics. He's the Everyman. Not an orphaned millionaire-philanthropist; an adoptee from a dead planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men; or, even made of clay. Just a regular guy, with regular problems and issues, who just happens to be endowed with super-powers.
This is such a cool... "jumping on point".
The facsimile reprint of Showcase 4 earns five stars.
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