The Flash #198

Gil Kane's cover for this June 1970 issue delivers one of the most emotionally raw images in the Scarlet Speedster's long run — the Flash on his knees, hands clasped skyward in desperate prayer, crying out "Please make it come true, God!" while a small group of distressed bystanders looks on helplessly in the background. The speech bubbles tell a quietly heartbreaking story: someone in that red costume who may not believe he truly is the Flash, yet aches to be, if only to help those people in need. Robert Kanigher's story title, "No Sad Songs for a Scarlet Speedster!", promises that whatever crisis of identity or circumstance has brought the World's Fastest Man to his knees, the issue intends to face it head-on.