Flash Comics #104
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFlash Comics #104 is the curtain call for the entire Golden Age Flash anthology — the final solo outing for Jay Garrick, Carter Hall's Hawkman, Dinah Drake's Black Canary, and the Ghost Patrol all in a single issue, closing a nine-year run that had helped define the superhero genre. Its lead Flash story, 'The Rival Flash!', introduced Dr. Edward Clariss, the first evil speedster in comics history — a dark-costumed mirror of Jay Garrick who predated Eobard Thawne by more than a decade and planted the template for the Reverse-Flash concept that would become central to Flash mythology. The issue also retells Jay Garrick's origin in full, bookending the entire Flash Comics run thematically. Because the cancellation was driven by the post-war decline of superhero comics rather than any creative exhaustion, the issue reads as a confident finale that inadvertently seeded the most durable villain archetype in Flash history.
In "The Flaming Darkness!", a criminologist and professor at State College team up to solve an old murder mystery, only for their efforts to take a deadly turn when the nephew uncovers new leads—leads that cost him his life. Black Canary and Larry soon find themselves drawn into the case, uncovering a twist buried in the past that puts them in grave danger. Written by Robert Kanigher and brought to life by Carmine Infantino’s art with Bernard Sachs’ inks, this 1949 Flash Comics standout features a chilling mystery and a haunting cover by Joe Kubert.
In "The Flaming Darkness!" from Flash Comics #104 (1949), Hawkman races to stop a gang of criminals targeting sensitive scientific data held by the custodian of the science club where Carter Hall is a member. With danger burning on all sides, Hawkman must protect the secrets before they fall into the wrong hands.
In "The Rival Flash!" from Flash Comics #104, the Fastest Man Alive is captured and stripped of his speed after being forced to inhale the toxic by-product of hard water gasses. With the Flash powerless, a mysterious masked figure steps in to take his place—someone with no allegiance to justice and a criminal edge.
In "Crime on Her Hands!" from Flash Comics #104 (1949), a criminologist and professor at State College team up to solve an unsolved murder, only for their investigation to take a deadly turn when the professor’s nephew uncovers new clues—clues that lead to his own murder. Black Canary and Larry soon find themselves entangled in the decades-old mystery, uncovering a twist that puts them in grave danger.
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Flash Comics #104 went on sale December 6, 1948, with a February 1949 cover date, published by National Comics Publications under the supervision of actual editor Julius Schwartz — though Whitney Ellsworth was the credited editor on the indicia. The lead Flash story was scripted by John Broome and penciled by Carmine Infantino, the same creative partnership that would later define the Silver Age Flash series, making this issue a bridge between eras as much as an endpoint. The series cancellation reflected a broad industry contraction as superhero titles lost ground to crime, romance, and horror comics in the late 1940s; DC had already prepared material for a potential issue #105, and several completed but unpublished Golden Age Flash and Black Canary stories were eventually printed years later in Silver Age issues.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Rival (Dr. Edward Clariss), the original evil speedster in DC Comics history, created by writer John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino.
- Final issue of Flash Comics (Vol. 1), which ran 104 issues from January 1940 to February 1949, ending due to the post-war decline in superhero comics popularity.
- Serves as the last solo Golden Age appearance of Jay Garrick (The Flash), Carter Hall (Hawkman), Dinah Drake (Black Canary), and the Ghost Patrol.
- The lead Flash story, 'The Rival Flash!' (12 pages), recaps Jay Garrick's origin — the first detailed retelling since approximately 1941 — while introducing Clariss as the villain who independently recreated the hard-water speed formula.
- The Hawkman story ('The Flaming Darkness!') and its cover were both drawn by Joe Kubert; the Black Canary story ('Crime on Her Hands!') was scripted by Robert Kanigher with Carmine Infantino on pencils and Bernard Sachs inking.
- Julius Schwartz was the de facto editor of the Flash and related stories, though Whitney Ellsworth was the credited indicia editor.
- The Rival Flash story has been reprinted numerous times, including The Flash #211 (December 1971), The Flash Archives Vol. 1 (1996), Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 1 (2007), Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (2007), and Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years (2015).
- The character of Edward Clariss/The Rival was adapted for live-action television in Season 3 of The CW's The Flash (2016), portrayed by Todd Lasance.
Cast · 12 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Strange Adventures #106 (1959), The Flash #211 (1971), The Flash Archives #1 (1996), Black Canary Archives #1 (2001), Showcase Presents: The Flash #1 (2007), Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told #[nn] (2007), The Flash Omnibus #1 (2014), Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years #[nn] (2015), The Flash: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2019), The Black Canary: Bird of Prey #[nn] (2021)
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