The Flash #128

Featuring the first appearance of Abra Kadabra, a magician from the 64th century who travels to the past and becomes a criminal.

The Case Of The Real-Gone Flash!

In the year 6363, advances in science have made magicians obsolete. One such magician, Abra Kadabra, bemoans the fact that he can't find work. Craving applause, Abra Kadabra practices his tricks, alone in his room, while listening to recorded applause. Learning that scientists have just invented a time machine, Abra Kadabra sees an opportunity to change his life. Using the Hypno-Ray, concealed in the gem-flower of his lapel, Abra Kadabra paralyzes the scientists. Using the time machine, Abra Kadabra journeys to Central City, in the year 1962. The time machine is destroyed upon arrival, leaving Abra Kadabra stranded in the past. Spying a crowd of bystanders, Abra Kadabra begins performing tricks for them.

Though impressed with his performance, the crowd isn't responding the way Abra Kadabra would prefer. Using his Hypno-Ray, Abra Kadabra forces the crowd to thunderously applaud him. The applause of the small crowd , though, is not enough to suit Abra Kadabra's ego. Renting a concert hall, Abra Kadabra plans to perform for thousands, but his audience is stolen away by the World Series. Scanning the week's upcoming events, Abra Kadabra finds too much competition for his performance. Looking over the Flash's exploits, in the local paper, Abra Kadabra decides that the only way to make headlines is to steal them. Appearing at the unveiling of a statue symbolizing American freedom, Abra Kadabra uses future technology to cause the statue to disappear.

Abra Kadabra uses his Hypno-Ray to paralyze his "audience", to prevent anyone from pursuing him. Among the paralyzed spectators is police forensics scientist, Barry Allen. Unable to move, Allen cannot go into action, as the Flash. Though Abra Kadabra makes all of the headlines in the following days' papers, he is dissatisfied with the "performance", due to the lack of applause. Allen correctly guesses where Abra Kadabra will strike next, and goes to confront him, as the Flash. Sure enough, the Flash arrives at the Central City Library, just in time to see Abra Kadabra make a valuable book disappear. Once more, Abra Kadabra employs his Hypno-Ray to force everyone to applaud his actions, including the Flash.

To prevent the Flash from pursuing him, Abra Kadabra also commands him to stamp his feet in approval. Determining the Flash to be the only real threat to his continued operation in Central City, Abra Kadabra plots to rid the town of the Scarlet Speedster. Renting out a concert hall, Abra Kadabra offers to give a public performance. When the Flash arrives to arrest him, Abra Kadabra uses his future technology to launch the Flash into orbit. To the audience's eyes, the Flash just seems to disappear, leaving behind his costume. Taking the costume as a souvenir, Abra Kadabra exits the concert hall, to the forced thunderous applause of his captive audience. Though helplessly rocketing through space, the scientist in Allen can't help marveling at the star filled void's majesty.

A small planetoid's gravity draws Allen down. Allen races at super-speed around the planetoid, until he reaches escape velocity. Allen then launches himself back at Earth, arriving safely in Central City. Attuning his vibrational frequency to the same radiation wavelength Abra Kadabra used to hurl him into space, Allen follows the residual radiation, still clinging to his costume, to Abra Kadabra's location. Vibrating through the wall and into his costume, Allen attacks Abra Kadabra, as the Flash. Abra Kadabra activates the paralyzing power of his Hypno-Ray. The Flash is moving so fast that not only is he able to easily dodge the beam, but he also grabs Abra Kadabra and pushes him into the beam, paralyzing him. Stiff as a board, Abra Kadabra is carried off to jail.

The Origin Of Flash's Masked Identity!

Having recently gained his fantastic super-speed powers, police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, considers going sans mask, as the Flash. Addressing the National Science Convention, Allen reveals that he is the Flash. Allen is just about to demonstrate his powers, when he is alerted to a tornado, on the outskirts of Central City. Moving at super-speed, Allen, as the Flash, generates a counter-rotation, which dissipates the tornado. Arriving at work the next day, Allen is mobbed by a crowd of admirers. No sooner has Allen finally made into his laboratory, at police headquarters, then he is alerted to a burglary in progress.

Allen races into action, as the Flash. Exiting police headquarters, the Flash finds that the crowd outside has tripled in size. Losing precious seconds navigating the crowd, the Flash arrives at the scene of the crime, too late to prevent the theft. Having spied a car departing the museum as he arrived, the Flash takes a chance and pursues it. Sure enough, it's the getaway car. The Flash generates a mound of compressed air beneath the car, and carries it, and the thieves, to the nearest police station. Allen awakes from his daydream. Realizing that revealing his identity would create unnecessary obstacles in his crime-fighting career as the Flash, Allen decides to add the mask to his costume.