Major Spoilers
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch Discord RSS
    Major Spoilers
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Random Access Memory
      • Retro Review
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Podcasts
      • Critical Hit
        • Critical Hit House Rules
        • Critical Hit World Building
      • Dueling Review
      • Finally Friday
      • Geek History Lesson
      • The Legion Clubhouse
      • Major Spoilers Podcast
        • MSP TPB for 2019
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2013
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2012
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2011
      • Munchkin Land
      • Top Five
      • Wayne’s Comics
      • Zach on Film
    • Features
      • Casual 60
      • Comic Casting Couch
      • Comics Portal
      • Did You Hear?
      • Editorials
      • Features
      • Gamer’s Corner
      • Hero Histories
      • Let’s Get Nerdy
      • Major Spoilers Adventures
      • Random Access Memory
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Movies
      • Did You Hear
      • Movies
      • Television
    • Comic Previews
    • Patreon
      • Patreon
      • Store
    Major Spoilers
    DC

    Retro Review: Showcase #4 (September/October 1956)

    Matthew PetersonBy Matthew PetersonAugust 31, 20142 Comments6 Mins Read

    We’re wrapping up Flash Month in our Retro Review Corner!  The Golden Age of Comics was full to the brim with super-heroes of all shapes and sizes, including more than one guy who ran fast.  When editor Julius Schwartz went looking for a new character for Showcase, he went back to the beginning and rebooted one of the first, which led to a whole new superhero renaissance.  Your Major Spoilers (retro) review of Showcase #4 awaits!

    Showcase4CoverSHOWCASE #4
    Writer: John Broome
    Penciler: Carmine Infantino
    Inker: Joe Kubert
    Colorist: Uncredited
    Editor: Julius Schwartz
    Publisher: DC Comics
    Cover Price: 10 Cents
    Current Near-Mint Pricing: $52,000.00

    Previously in Showcase:  The ages of comics are difficult to nail down, and many people have differing opinions on when and where they start and end.  For me, the end of the Golden Age of Comics was the cancellation of Flash Comics in 1949, leaving only a few superhero books still on the stands.  Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman (and, oddly, Johnny Quick) never disappeared, but by the time Julie Schwartz wanted a new feature for Showcase, The Flash was nowhere to be seen in comic form, but it’s amazing the difference a few years can make.  As we open our tale, we meet young police scientist and comic book fan, Barry Allen, as he enjoys an adventure of his favorite super-duper, The Flash!

    Showcase41

    There’s a really strange moment built into this conceit, one that would shape the entire Silver Age of Comics, and eventually lead to the Crisis On Infinite Earths 30 years hence: The expectation that Jay Garrick was a fictional character in Barry Allen’s world.  It’s a really post-modern bit of storytelling, one which really doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, as Jay was a compatriot of Superman and Batman in the Justice Society.  Since Barry would soon meet both those men, the seed of the Infinite Earths is right here.  Either way, they didn’t bother with long-winded explanations back in ’56, either, as by the end of page two, Barry has had his full origin, but has missed his cab.  He starts to run…

    Showcase42

    …and ends up halfway across town.  This story has been told and retold, but I especially remember when it became the pilot episode of The Flash, back in 1990 or so, and it’s pretty much a required part of the story of what happens when you get super-speed powers.  Interestingly, rather than just focus on running really fast, Broome immediately throws in the detail that Barry Allen’s entire being is capable of gearing up to super-speed, including his mind and his perceptions, given the right trigger.  Fortunately, Barry really loves his Beanie-Weenies…

    Showcase43

    It’s really interesting to me to see the noticeable elements of Joe Kubert and Carmine Infantino’s trademark art-styles warring for supremacy in this story, especially given how different they are as artists.  Barry, being a good comics fan, quickly realizes the implications of super-powers, and decides that he must become a bat he can take up where his comic hero left off back in ’49…

    Showcase44

    The quick introduction of so many classic elements of the hero in so few pages is kind of breath-taking, a reminder of how many actual game-changing ideas are in play in this issue.  The original Flash’s costume is one of the hardest ones for a modern audience to try to process, since he’s basically wearing dungarees, a pullover and a doughboy helmet, but the redesigned uniform is one of the most perfect costumes in comic book history.  In keeping with his speedy nature, Flash quickly leaps into action against The Turtle Man… slowest man alive!

    Showcase45

    Turtle-Man’s entire schtick revolves around moving so slow that his pursuer’s own haste is used against them, sort of like judo, only with a fat guy in a turtleneck sweater.  The clash with The Flash goes his way quickly, and the green-clad criminal escapes in a row-boat.  When Flash runs after him (running on water for the first time, it should be added), the waves created by Flash’s own boots push his enemy further away from him with each tread of his feet.  Turtle-Man gloats for a moment before he realizes that Flash has broken off in another direction…

    Showcase46

    Iris West is probably the only portion of this issue that I don’t really care for, as in these early stories, she’s little more than a Lois Lane knockoff, trying to unmask the Flash and being a general jerk to Barry Allen, thus reinforcing the Schadenfreude for our hero and the twelve-year olds his adventures seem to be aimed towards.  Interestingly, though I’ve read many a reprinting and retelling of the first half of Showcase #4, I don’t recall ever having sat down to peruse the SECOND half before today, though it has a lot of elements that would recur in The Flash’s Silver Age adventures.  We begin with the people of Central City dealing with a wave of sudden, inexplicable events…

    Showcase47

    Barry leaps into action as The Flash, and confronts the perpetrator, a mysterious bald man who reveals that his name is Mazdan (Zoom Zoom!) and he is from…

    THE FUTURE!  Using a mysterious device, he evades The Flash by generating rings of deadly heat-energy, the thief reveals that he was exiled into the past as punishment, but has used his super-science to create devices to steal the resources he needs to propel his capsule back to the future.  (As of this writing, there is no word as to whether the problem is his kids or not.)  Flash confronts him while he is breaking into a vault for gold, and uses his impossible speed and extensive scientific knowledge to counteract future technology.Showcase48

    Capturing the future-man proves futile, as he is quickly at large again, leaving The Flash to capture him once again.  Revealing that he won’t stop his thieving ways until he steals what he needs to get back home to the future, and that his capsule will likely kill hundreds of people when it takes off, though Mazdan doesn’t particularly care.  How does our hero deal with this shocking news?

    By grabbing the villain by the scruff of the neck, and using the superhuman speed that he’s had for all of an hour and a half to SHOVE HIM FACE FIRST THROUGH TIME.

    Showcase49

    The best part is how he uses Mazdan’s face as a shield against the rigors of time-travel and any wayward bugs that they might happen to encounter.  Once in the future, he hands Mazdan over to the authorities, who lock him up and thrown away the key, while Flash returns home only seconds after he left, and remarks on a job well done.  I hadn’t realized that The Flash had unlocked the secret of time-travel this early in his tenure, but it’s par for the course of what John Broome and company did with the character in the first few years of his history.  Showcase #4 is an odd issue in a lot of ways, but kick-started an entirely new era in comic book production, with good reason, as each page is chockful of innovative ideas and cool art, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. 

    Carmine INfantino DC Joe Kubert john broome Review showcase The Flash
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleWayne’s Comics Podcast #143: James Asmus
    Next Article COMICS PORTAL: The Return of Zenith!
    Matthew Peterson
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

    Related Posts

    COMICS PORTAL: The Battle Beast Blind Bag Experience!

    Read More

    Godzilla vs. X-Men Review

    Read More

    Wayne’s Comics Podcast #693: Interview with Stephan Franck

    Read More

    2 Comments

    1. Jarmo Seppänen (@Malone_hasco) on August 31, 2014 12:40 pm

      Madzan doesnt look like Lex Luthor at all.. Well actually both The Joker and Lex Luthor.

      Reply
    2. Ian on August 31, 2014 2:23 pm

      Agree with your comment on Barry’s costume. Definitely one of the all-time best.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    AMAZON AFFILIATE

    Support this site by making a purchase through our Amazon affiliate links

    Reviews
    8.3
    May 19, 2025

    Godzilla vs. X-Men Review

    7.0
    May 18, 2025

    Retro Review: Superman In The Computers That Saved Metropolis (July 1980)

    8.0
    May 17, 2025

    Exquisite Corpses #1 Review

    7.0
    May 16, 2025

    Supergirl #1 Review

    6.0
    May 15, 2025

    One World Under Doom #4 Review

    Patreon Support
    Major Spoilers Store
    Recent Comments
    • Luis Dantas on Storm #8 Review
    • Michael Kenchington on PREVIEW: Giant-Size Wacky Races #1
    • derrigable on COMICS PORTAL: To (Almost) Everything, There Is a Season!
    • wiley on COMICS PORTAL: ‘Mouse Guard’ Is Back!
    • Elfo_oscuro on So You Want To Read Comics: Alternate History Edition
    Subscribe to the Major Spoilers E-Mail List
    Sponsor

    ComiXology Home Page

    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Twitch
    Major Spoilers Patreon
    • About
      • Major Spoilers Terms of Use
      • Major Spoilers Frequently Asked Questions
      • Major Spoilers Privacy Policy Statement
      • Major Spoilers Podcast Gear
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (EU)
    Major Spoilers is copyright 2006-2025 by Major Spoilers Entertainment, LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT