The Flash #171

Jun 1967 · DC · 0.12 USD

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“Here Lies The Flash -- Dead and Unburied”

★ 1st appearance — Detective Jared Morillo

About this Issue

The Flash #171 (June 1967) is the first time Doctor Light — a villain created in Justice League of America #12 (1962) — stepped out of the JLA's shadow to challenge a single hero on his own turf, part of a deliberate Silver Age editorial pattern of pitting the villain against individual League members after his JLA defeat. The issue is also a small but delightful piece of fandom history: its letters page carries a note from the teenage Cary Bates, who would go on to become the longest-tenured Flash writer of the Silver and Bronze Ages, beginning his own run just a year later with issue #179. Together, these two threads — Doctor Light's solo-villain escalation arc and the Bates cameo — make this an unexpectedly rich snapshot of DC's late-Silver-Age creative ecosystem. The story's three-part structure, with Light wielding light-based disguise to impersonate multiple characters and objects, also showcases the puzzle-box approach that defined Gardner Fox's scripts for the title.

In "Here Lies The Flash -- Dead and Unburied," the Flash faces a chilling mystery as Dr. Light employs a dazzling new trick: using light to impersonate anyone—from the Green Ghost to a pile of jewels—leaving the Scarlet Speedster unsure who to trust. Written by Gardner Fox and brought to life with dynamic art by Carmine Infantino and inks by Sid Greene, this 1967 classic blends suspense and sci-fi flair in a story where identity itself becomes a weapon. The cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson captures the eerie tone, hinting at a Flash in peril—though the truth remains hidden beneath the glare.

writer Gardner Fox · artist Carmine Infantino · inker Sid Greene · cover Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (VG) $10

CGC 9.8 · 7 in census $2,166*

CGC 9.6 · 7 in census $675*

CGC 9.4 · 16 in census $298

CGC 9.2 · 7 in census $188

CGC 9.0 · 13 in census $136*

CGC 8.5 · 12 in census $93*

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CGC 8.0 · 7 in census $72

CGC 7.5 · 6 in census $57*

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CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $20*

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History

The issue was scripted by Gardner Fox, one of the most prolific architects of the Silver Age, and penciled by Carmine Infantino, whose sleek, angular style had defined the look of Barry Allen's Flash since the character's 1956 debut in Showcase #4. Infantino also supplied the cover, inked by Murphy Anderson, while interior inks were handled by Sid Greene. The story was published under DC's National Periodical Publications imprint and carried the Comics Code Authority seal, with Julius Schwartz serving as editor — the same team responsible for the broader Silver Age Flash renaissance. By mid-1967, Infantino was nearing the end of his celebrated, unbroken run as the series' primary artist.

Trivia · 7 facts

Cover date: June 1967; published by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) under the 'Superman DC National Comics' brand.
Doctor Light (Arthur Light) appears as the villain — his first solo battle against the Flash; Light had previously fought the full Justice League (JLA #12, 1962), Green Lantern (GL #33), and the Atom (The Atom #8) before targeting Barry Allen here, following a deliberate editorial pattern of villain escalation.
Doctor Light's power set in this story includes using light as a shapeshifting disguise, allowing him to impersonate the 'Green Ghost,' a spider, a supporting character named Dexter Miles, and even a pile of jewels.
Script by Gardner Fox; pencils and cover by Carmine Infantino; interior inks by Sid Greene; cover inks by Murphy Anderson.
The letters column includes a letter from Cary Bates — then a teenage fan — who would become the primary Flash writer beginning with issue #179 (1968) and would hold that role for roughly 14 years.
The issue's letters column also includes a letter from Don Markstein, later the founder of the comics history website Toonopedia.
The story was reprinted in: Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 4 (December 2012) and The Flash: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 3 (September 2018); it was also reprinted internationally in the Norwegian Lynet #2/1968 and the French Flash (Arédit-Artima) #26 (1975).