The Flash #285

Promising "a brand-new beginning" for the Fastest Man Alive, this 1980 DC issue dives right into the action with a cover by Don Heck and Dick Giordano that shows the Flash sprinting at full tilt — depicted in multiple speed-blur iterations — to intercept a careening orange vehicle while passengers brace inside. Hovering above the chaos is the Trickster, airborne on his trick skates and clearly the architect of the mayhem below. The cover copy asks whether Barry Allen's first day of his new life will be the last day for his friend, setting up a story by Cary Bates with interior art from Don Heck and Frank Chiaramonte that looks every bit as energetic as the cover promises.