Today in Comics History, February 18: Not wishin' you a happy birthday, Reverse-Flash!

Born on this day sometime in the 25½th century: Eobard Thawne (the sort of name you'll see in the future, according to the writers of Legion of Super-Heroes), the super-villain known as Professor Zoom (giggle) and the slightly less silly Reverse-Flash. Hey wait, why isn't he named Hsalf?


from DC Super Calendar 1976 (DC, December 1975), letters by Ben Oda



The Reverse-Flash: Who He'll Be and How He Will Come to Be...Being: Ol' Backwards-Barry was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino and premiered in The Flash #139, depicting a future not so different than our own. For instance, Infantino Bros. Contractors is still in business building sidewalks.


cover of The Flash (1959 series) #139 (DC, September 1963), pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp
The year is 1963, and America launches a time capsule containing one of The Flash's old suits into orbit. In a freak story plot convenience, the time capsule returns the costume to Earth... 500 years later.


from The Flash #139; script by John Broome, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Joe Giella, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Thawne discovered that the costume is still soaked throughout with the power of super-speed. Also, he dyes a red fabric yellow. I dunno about that first part, but I'm certainly calling shenanigans on the second one.



Well, there goes my inalienable assertion that primary color costumes are worn by good guys.

Unlike the multi-issue epics of today, this is an economically told story of a mere 24 pages, but not so succinct that we can't divert away from the main narrative for a third of a page to Future Wikipedia and an art history lesson that has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the story.


Department of Eeerie Prescience: Arriving in the future, Flash discovers that print is dead. Also: newspapers have become generic!


Flash catches Professor Zoom, and back in the present he burns his extra suit to prevent future events such as these which will affect him in the future. Hooray! And Eobard Thawne never returned again!


Aw, I'm not kiddin' nobody, 'specially you, person who has smarts and good taste in blog-reading choices! Thawne comes back again and again. Why and how? Because it's a comic book.

Oh no! Someone has killed Batgirl! Actually, that's Iris West, Flash's wife, dressed as Batgirl for a Halloween party. Look, just go with it for this one. The blame falls squarely on Blockbuster this guy:


from The Flash (1959 series) #278 (DC, October 1979), script by Cary Bates, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Milt Snapinn
You might notice in that first panel there that the Flash has little tribbles orbiting his head to show he's disoriented and confused. That's because unknowingly, he's been dosed with angel dust...


...which prevents him from seeing the clues that Reverse-Flash has actually committed the murder of Iris. WHAT A JERK.



from The Flash (1959 series) #283 (DC, March 1980), script by Cary Bates, pencils by Don Heck, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Ben Oda
About fifty issues later, which is four years in real time but probably three weeks in Flash's continuity, Flash is getting married again, and Reverse-Flash attempts to murder his bride Batgirl Fiona Webb. In the process of stopping him, Flash (accidentally) kills R-F. And he can't even claim that he pulled a knife on him!



from The Flash (1959 series) #324 (DC, August 1983), script by Cary Bates, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Dennis Jensen, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Phil Felix
Thus begins the interminable storyline "The Trial of the Flash," which stretches on for the next couple years until the title is mercifully killed so that Flash can die in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. Eventually (a lot longer in Barry's case) both Flash and Reverse-Flash come back in the Post-Crisis world, and then Reverse-Flash kills Barry's mother, which is the most heinous crime of all, because it gave us The New 52. (shudder)


from Flashpoint: Reverse-Flash #1 one-shot (DC, August 2011), script by Scott Kolins, pencils and inks by Joel Gomez, colors by Brian Buccellato, letters by Sal Cipriano
Okay, Flash, Reverse-Flash. Listen to me. Mistakes were made. You both flew off the handle and murdered people, but you've got to let go of this. You can't let this cycle of violence continue. Can we stop it right now? Just calm down and


from The Flash (2016 series) #27 (DC, September 2017), script by Joshua Williamson, pencils by Paul Pelletier, inks by Andrew Hennessy, additional pencils and inks by Howard Porter, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Steve Wands
OH FOR PETE'S SAKE, BARRY