Jimmy Carter was just sworn in as President of the United States. Legendary band Toto was founded. And just before leaving office President Gerald Ford pardoned Tokyo Rose. I had moved on from the Rexall Drug store in Northlake, IL. to Gray’s Drugstore down the street. In what seemed like no time at all, comics were now 30 cents having bounced from 20 to 25 cents. But even at 30 cents, scooping up a copy of Flash #246 with the amazing Neal Adams over was worth it. These were the days when DC was starting to experiment a little with the title. In the previous few years, the Rogues Gallery were constantly showing up in one shape or another. And why shouldn’t they? In my humble opinion, the Flash’s Rogues were the best DC had to offer. Some would argue Batman’s were but the Flash’s Rogues shared a sense of comaraderie that Batman’s villains didn’t have.
This is featured odd Rogue out, Abra Kadabra. I always felt a little pity for this particular Rogue. Being from the future, he really didn’t get to hang out with Captain Cold, The Top, and all the other Rogues. Cary Bates was still writing, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin were still at the art desk and it was all being edited by everybody’s favorite Julius Schwartz (Ahhh, bean soup!) From current day to the far future, these gentlemen made for a good fun issue. With a cliffhanger ending, an ad featuring Batman and Robin hawking the merits of Hostess Cupcakes (delicious!), and a back up feature featuring not only the Green Lantern but the talents of such comic legends as Denny O’Neil, Dick Dillin, and Terry Austin. And featured the first appearance of Atom villain, Jason Woodrue-Plant Master’s new identity, The Floronic Man! And how can I forget to mention Green Lantern’s little plant sidekick Itty. All in all, a strong entry in the original series based on simple classic storytelling and personable characters. The 1977 version of me gives it a 9.
