The Flash #203: The Flash's Wife Is a Two-Timer

Another comic I remember fondly from my childhood.  This comic definitely blew my mind as a kid so let's see how it holds up today.

We begin with a fantastic mixed-media cover.

 The story starts 22,300 miles above earth on the JLA satellite.  Where the Flash reaches out to his teammate Superman because he's lonely.  And Superman comforts his friend.  Oh wait that's not what happened at all, Superman is a condescending jerk.  Did you know he's from Krypton? And that Krypton blew up?  That's like Batman wishing you a happy father's day by reminding you that his parents are dead.

 

Flash ignores Superman's dickish comments and tells the story of coming home to find a note from his wife saying she was being pulled into the future.  So the Flash being the Flash goes down to the basement where he keeps his cosmic treadmill.  Now I know what you're thinking, the Flash has a basement?

 

After arriving in the year 2970, Flash finds Central City transformed into a mountainous desert.  So he promptly commits a capital crime by stealing water.

 Fleeing the water police the Flash vibrates through a mountain and finds that everyone lives in the crappiest of the Sim City 2000 Arcos.

Despite the size of the city the Flash quickly locates Iris who tries to get him to leave her and return to the 1970s.

Iris tells her story, so if you're paying attention we're at the second level of inception now.  In 2945 Earth-West is facing nuclear holocaust from the forces of Earth-East.  So the Russells decided to save their daughter by using the time-vibrator (nope too easy).

 

Irish lands at the West home where they just so happen to be mourning the death of their infant daughter.  Iris goes home to tell Barry of her exciting new origin story when she's suddenly pulled into the future, where she's reunited with her birth parents.  

The Russells give Iris the lowdown on the state of the world.  It seems with the U.S., China, and Russia blowing themselves up, Earth-East and the world is now ruled by Laos.  It's Ironical!  Well, Sirik the Supreme, the ruler of Laos and by extension Earth-East and the world has nothing better to do then monitor spy satellites spots Iris and decides he must have her.  Flash of course vows to save Iris and the people of the crappy city.

 

 

Sirik arrives to claim Iris and we get a reminder that ugly Asian stereotypes were alive and well in the early 1970s.

 

So Flash challenges Sirik to a fight to the death for Iris, but first Flash has to play hide and seek with Sirik's guards.

Flash makes short work of the guards and of Sirik himself, I mean he does have superpowers so it's not really a fair fight.  But Sirik has one last trick up his sleeve.

Nothing ...Nobody can stop them in time!

The Flash stops them in time, then he gives a lecture to the future people that they've destroyed everything and have no choice but to live in peace.  How much you want to bet that as soon as the Flash takes off the future people of Earth-West are beating the crap out of Sirik?

Barry and Iris return to the present and the Flash finishes his story to Superman, who has to one up him again by pointing out that hey at least you've got a wife, I've got nobody, certainly not two women pursuing me night and day.  It stinks to be Superman. 

 

So how does it hold up? If you ignore the racist Asian portrayals and yes given the fact it's just a version of Superman's origin it's still pretty darn good. 

Let's check the letter page for a reminder that comic fans never change.

 Bonus Flash Facts

 

Now someone explain this to me.  "Now Have Fun And Make Money with Hand Shadows"  I don't think a Show-biz career means to them the same thing it means to me.

I think everyone remembers as a kid entertaining their friends with the famous Nixon hand shadow.