Flash Fridays – The Flash #350 October 1985

The final 350th issue of The Flash arrives as a double issue with the art of Carmine Infantino and Frank Mclaughlin looking better than ever. As well, writer Cary Bates does a grand job of wrapping up the career of the superhero who ushered in the Silver Age of Superheroes. The story opens with news conference where Captain Frye is decrying the Flash’s escape from prison and vowing to bring him in, while privately admitting afterward that he doubted they would ever see the Flash again.

At the the cave where the Reverse Flash (actually Abra Kadabra as we learned last issue) has the rogues imprisoned in a clear rectangle that he now sets to slowly compress itself until the Rogues are crushed. After he exits laughing, the Mirror Master cuts a way out with a laser hidden in the eyepieces of his mask and they escape the cave. In a really nice touch, Cary Bates has them visit Gambi, the tailor who made all of their suits to repair their tattered costumes. The Flash and Nathan Newbury visit with Flash’s/Barry’s parents before heading off tho the 25th century using Nathan’s time traveling device. There they seek out the last known lab belonging to the Reverse Flash looking for clues. While there they set off a booby trap barely escaping with their lives. A police officer rolls up on a flier inviting Flash and Nathan to the station to checkout a new lead. At the station, a witness reveals that the last person seen at the Reverse Flash’s lab was Abra Kadabra. After learning this, the Flash and Newbury head off to the 64th century.

Meanwhile, the Rouges had a similar idea as they break into the Flash Museum and force the curator Dexter Myles to show them where the cosmic treadmill is. After taking a few minutes to learn how it works (?), they take off for the 25th century as well. When they arrive at the Reverse Flash’s lab and find nothing but rubble from the explosion… well, not exactly nothing. They find a holographic imaging device showing that Abra Kadabra was the person who rigged the lab to explode. Ergo, they’re off the the 64th century as well. 

Jump cut to the Flash and Newbury arrive at the Hall of Magic looking for Kadabra only to be ambushed with some sort of ray that knocks them out. Cut to Abra Kadabra and his minion Snurff engaging in a page of expository dialog where everything is made clear. It seem that AK had a bet with someone called the commissioner that in AK’s words went like this: The commissioner insisted that, time turbulence or not, time could not be changed. But, if when the time turbulence is righted, the Flash is still in the 64th century, his fate will have been altered. Thus “ the commissioner well then have to concede he lost the bet – and reinstate magic in the 64th century as another noble art form! once again the name of Abra Kadabra will be worth of adoration, admiration and… applause!”

We then see the Flash and Nathan caught in a stasis beam, it’s revealed that the Flash suspects who Nathan really is and we see a tear running down Nathen’s cheek. Suddenly, before we can learn any more, the Rogues show up and end up getting caught in a different kind of whirlwind beam. This is important because their limited movement allows the Mirror and Captain Boomerang to boomerang a mirror over to the Flash where the mirror breaks the stasis beam freeing Nathan and the Flash. The Flash then frees the rogue’s and together they overcome Abra Kadabra and his minion and dispatch them to the police custody. 

When the Rogues return to the present (1985 in this case), they find that Nathan Newbury is back as well and telling the press that he his body was occupied by someone from the 30th century during the trial, and that Nathan returned from the future with a device that enable the jury to recall their verdict of innocent in the Flash’s trial thus allowing the guilty verdict to be overturned. In a memorable scene, we see the Rogues gathered watching the news about Flash’s name being cleared, but wondering where the Flash himself was. They decide that the Flash is probably going to remain in the future, and they raise a glass to their old foe. It’s a masterful touch.

Cary Bates then has one last and wonderful shoe to drop. We return to the 30th century to find that Iris West Allen’s has managed to save her essence when she died and place it in the body of a woman who died of natural causes. And when the Flash was on trial, they sent her essence back to inhabit the body of Nathan Newbury so he could be a friendly juror during the trial so that the Flash’s true innocence could be established as it should have been, and to repair the broken time stream. The story wraps with Barry/Flash and Iris being reunited again. As writer Bates editorializes and the end of the final Flashgrams page: Whatever the fates have in store for our favorite speedster from here on out (and only a certain issue of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS will reveal the truth for sure) we faithful Flash-o-philes can at least take some solace in the fact that the Scarlet Speedster was able to find some vestige of peace and happiness at last in the final pages of his own magazine.

To which I can only add amen. And so ends my long tribute to the book that spun my twelve year old head around and open my head and heart to a future of different and wonderful possibilities. Hope you’ve enjoyed the journey as much as I have.