Flash Vol. 1 #239

Description

The Pied Piper makes a play to rob an armored car. Shattering the vehicle with hyper-sonic waves, the Pied Piper then plays a tune that forces the guards to dance a jig. As luck would have it, the Flash happens to be passing by, before the Pied Piper can escape. Though the Pied Piper is quick to react, the Flash merely runs faster than the speed of sound, to avoid his attack. After subduing the Pied Piper with his own super-speed generated sonic boom, the Flash moves to secure the stolen money. Before he can, the money disappears into thin air. After turning the Pied Piper over to the authorities, the Flash heads home. En route, he encounters a traffic accident.

Though emergency vehicles are already on the scene, only the Flash notices a pool of gasoline expanding towards a lit cigarette. The gas ignites, but the Flash extinguishes it long before anyone can be injured. Stacy Conwell, the Flash’s houseguest, in his guise as police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, sees an image of herself, at the crash site, in the following day’s newspaper. Conwell has no recollection of ever being there. Conwell watches a live newsfeed of the Flash’s take down of the Trio Gang. The Flash subdues the Trio Gang by redirecting the stream from a fire hydrant, with his slipstream, and hurling at them.

Watching the same news story is Paul Gambi, the criminal tailor who outfitted all of the Flash’s Rogues’ Gallery with their costumes. In prison, Gambi shared a cell with Samuel Scudder, the Mirror Master. Scudder prodded Gambi into seeking revenge on the Flash for sending him to prison. Gambi, though, intended to go straight upon his release. As a gift, Gambi sewed an exact replica of the Flash’s costume, and presented it to him, upon his release. En route to pick up his wife for dinner and a show, the Flash, as Allen, sees the Trickster running across the sky. After dodging the Trickster’s barrage of exploding jacks, the Flash spirals up a lamppost, and brings his old enemy down to earth.

The Flash turns the Trickster over to the authorities. The Trickster’s stolen money, though, vanishes the moment the Flash starts to hand it over. The Flash’s wife, Picture News reporter, Iris West, reads him the riot act for being so late that their evening plans are ruined. The Flash snaps and lashes out at West, shearing a lamp stand in half. The Flash storms out his house, just as West’s nephew, Wally, arrives. In tears, West relays to Wally the situation with both her husband, and her increasingly moody houseguest. Wally opts to deal with the Flash first, in his guise as Kid Flash. Kid Flash catches up to the Flash, in time to see him taking down the Top.

The Top’s stolen jewels, too, also seem to vanish into thin air. Kid Flash, though, sees the truth. Moving so fast as to seem invisible to the normal eye, it is the Flash, himself, who has been absconding with the loot. Kid Flash follows the Flash out into the woods, where the Flash buries the Top’s loot, returning to the jewelry store before anyone has noticed he’s left. Kid Flash moves to retrieve the loot, only to encounter the Mirror Master. Kid Flash uses the polished facets of the Top’s stolen jewels to reflect the Mirror Master attack, before subduing the Mirror Master. The Top makes a last ditch attempt to escape, only to be beaten into unconsciousness by the Flash.

The Flash and Kid Flash meet up at police headquarters, where they turn the Top and the Mirror Master over to the authorities. Questioning Gambi, the Scarlet Speedsters discover that the Mirror Master sabotaged the costume Gambi made for the Flash, in prison. Gambi stitches his trademark into every one of his costumes. The MIrror Master placed a mirror transceiver under the Gambi trademark in the Flash’s costume. Through this transceiver, the Mirror Master was able to temporarily seize control of the Flash’s mind, whenever he came in close proximity to another of Gambi’s costumes. With the case closed, the Scarlet Speedsters return home. As Allen, the Flash apologizes to his wife, while West offers to speak with Conwell, about whatever has been troubling her.

Notes:

This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Shazam in “The Cup Cake Caper”