Remember when Jay Garrick was The Flash? It was about 75 years ago, unless they brought the man back into the realm of The Flash, in which case I missed the memo. Memo missed or not, I did get my hands on the bulk of the original flash run that kicked off in 1940, and while it is admittedly quite dated, it’s loaded with charm.

Gardner Fox penned the first Flash story while Harry Lampert provided the smooth artwork that helped spring The Flash from the page. It was a stellar duo, and the inaugural issue was a serious winner outlining just how Jay obtained his powers of speed. Just a reminder: He spent an evening inhaling the fumes of the gas element of hard water.

Interestingly enough, in the early days Jay Garrick made no attempt at hiding his superhuman speed, in fact, he used it to become a football star and score with the girl of his dreams, Joan. But it isn’t long before the local crime spree catches Jay’s eye, and that’s the moment he decides it’s time to don the wings of Mercury and become The Flash, hero to the city.

We’re also introduced to The Faultless Four in the first issue. A group of evil geniuses who plan to steal a weapon that Joan’s father has developed, the group of course come up short when faced with the powers of The Flash.

When all is said and done the foolishness of the Faultless Four leads to their permanent demise, The Flash saves Joan’s father and, of course wins her affection. Feel good story? No doubt about it!

Rating: 4/5