The Flash #224

This December 1973 issue presents one of the more striking cover images of the era, with the Flash streaking desperately across the image toward a bullet already mid-flight — all while a ghostly speedster apparition swirls overhead, boasting that he's fast enough to intercept the shot aimed at a man speaking at a podium before a massive crowd. Nick Cardy's cover work captures genuine tension between the Scarlet Speedster's urgency and the eerie confidence of that spectral figure, teasing the story's central hook: what happens when the Fastest Man Alive is haunted by the Fastest Man Dead? As a bonus, Green Lantern is spotlighted in a solo backup story, making this a satisfying double feature from DC's early-'70s lineup.