Five Goofiest Moments in Flash #122-126

CBR

By Brian Cronin

Published Feb 27, 2012

Every week, I'll examine the five goofiest moments from a five-issue stretch of a particular comic book series. Here is a list of the moments featured so far.

This week, we look at Flash #122-126, written by John Broome (#122, 124-126) and drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella (Gardner Fox wrote the classic #123, but no moments from that story appear on this list).

As always, this is all in good fun. I don't mean any of this as a serious criticism of the comics in question. Not only were these writers certainly never imagining people still reading these comics decades after they were written, great comics often have goofy moments (Kirby/Lee's Fantastic Four is one of the best comic book runs of all-time and there were TONS of goofy stuff in those 100 plus issues!).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

One of the recurring themes in Julie Schwartz comics of the era is an over-reliance on over-explaining things. Don't get me wrong, I am sure he figured if he did not spell everything out explicitly, he'd get hate mail from kids, but still, when page one says "memory turns to fantasy"...

and then he still finds the need to explain that it was a dream on the next page? Even going so far as to make a big deal about it?

Pretty funny.

I think it would be pretty awesome if someone did recognize Barry as the Flash if he wore, like, a domino mask...

"That lower jaw! That's the Flash's lower jaw!!"

One of the recurring bits in the Silver Age, at both Marvel and DC, is people's disbelief over costumed villains being, you know, costumed villains. "I know we've been attacked by costumed villains repeatedly the last couple of years, but come on, this guy must be just advertising stuff!"

On the one hand, I should not make fun of this singer's plan as it worked, but wow, talk about a long shot - emphasizing various words and hoping people will not only notice but write them all down?

Later, when Kid Flash saves him, he remarks that he was hoping Kid Flash would get his message. It was not even established that he'd know Kid Flash would be at the concert!!

John Broome delivers some pointed commentary about the vanity of women...

Yes, he is basically their king for allowing them to look at themselves in mirrors. Ouch, John Broome. Ouch.

Mirror Master, though, tires of the special treatment. His explanation for why is great...

"Man, no one appreciates the drive of criminals!"

5. I'm a forensic scientist, but I also build COSMIC-POWERED TIME-TRAVEL TREADMILLS!

The description above describes it pretty well...

4. Tops make you smart!

The origin of the Top is awesome. First that it even occurs to him to use TOPS, of all things, to help him commit crimes...

but even more so, the fact that spinning like a top makes you smarter!

3. This is very well thought-out

So bear in mind that we've established that the Top is now super-smart. So he still thinks it is reasonable to blow up HALF THE EARTH and he'll be fine because he'll be on the other half!!!

Wow.

2. Captain Boomerang: Renaissance Man, Part the First

So Captain Boomerang, the dude who basically is just a guy who is good at throwing boomerangs, created a boomerang that would put the Flash into orbit around the Earth...