The Flash #157

This December 1965 issue promises a wild Rogues' Gallery thriller as the cover — penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Joe Giella — lays out the premise in three vivid panels: a green-and-yellow-striped Top triggers a device with a smug "I'm not going to tangle with you, Flash — till I'm good and ready!," the Scarlet Speedster reels from a "BLAPPP!" blast, and then a white-bearded Flash in his full costume clenches his fist declaring "Now I'm ready!" The crossed-out "Fastest" replaced by "Oldest" on the masthead perfectly teases the story's hook — the day Flash aged 100 years — with a playful wit that Silver Age DC did so well. Written by Gardner Fox, this one looks like a delightfully inventive ride through what happens when the Top finds a way to sideline the world's fastest man before the real confrontation even begins.