Posted in: Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: barry allen, flash, Silver Age

First Barry Allen as Flash in Showcase #4 Goes for Record $900,000

The highest grade copy of Showcase #4 (DC, 1956), the first appearance of Barry Allen as Flash, has just gone for a record $900,000.

The highest graded copy of Showcase #4, the first appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash, has just gone for a record $900,000 at today's session of the 2024 January 11 – 14 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction #7358 at Heritage Auctions. This iconic issue is the first appearance of the Silver Age version of the Flash, written by Robert Kanigher, drawn by Carmine Infantino, and inked by Joe Kubert under the editorship of Julius Schwartz. Long considered one of the most important comic books of the Silver Age.   This copy of Showcase #4 last sold in 2009 at public auction for $179,250.  While a touch short of the $1M mark that I thought this issue might achieve, this result is certainly a strong showing for this issue at auction. It also becomes the highest price ever paid for a Silver Age DC Comic, narrowly beating out the surprise showing by the best copy of Brave and the Bold #28 CGC 9.6 in this same auction session.

Showcase #4 holds a rather unique position in comic book history. When Showcase #4 hit the newsstands in July 1956 (with a September/October 1956 cover date), it had been over five years since the Golden Age version of the character, Jay Garrick, had last appeared in comics at the end of the All-Star Comics series. In the meantime, other comic book genres, including romance, horror, war, western, and crime had been rising to prominence.  Still, Showcase #4 was not the first mid-1950s superhero introduction or revival.  Marvel attempted to reboot Captain America, the Submariner, and the Human Torch in 1953-1955.  Ajax/Farrell briefly revived the Fox superheroes the Flame, Samson, and Phantom Lady from 1954 to 1955.  Among others, Simon and Kirby's Fighting American from publisher Prize and the Avenger and Strongman from Magazine Enterprises also appeared during this period.

But none of those lasted very long, and while they are interesting and important, they are largely regarded as a footnote to what is historically considered the last gasp of the Pre-Code comic book era.  The reintroduction of Flash in Showcase #4 would become the start of something different.  To put this period in perspective, of the 176 comic books to hit newsstands in July 1956, Showcase #4 was one of only nine superhero comics — and the other eight were all Superman and Batman-related.  Showcase was a "try-out" title meant to test the viability of new characters and concepts, and three additional Flash try-out stories eventually led to the resumption of the Golden Age Flash Comics title with Flash #105 — now with Barry Allen, of course.  Along the way, other classic DC Comics heroes were revived,  along with some new characters, in Showcase and Brave and the Bold and the Silver Age was well underway at DC Comics by the end of the decade.  The choice to reintroduce heroes like Flash and Green Lantern as new characters during this period was also perhaps the most direct step leading to the concept of the comic book multiverse as we know it today.

Showcase #4 The Flash (DC, 1956) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages. An unbelievable copy of this Silver Age Super Key! CGC's awarded a scant eight issues with a grade as high as VF/NM 9.0, and no other with the grade of this beauty! DC jump-started the Silver Age with this issue, a full five years before rival Marvel launched its own Marvel Age with Fantastic Four #1. The groundbreaking comic was the first of DC's successful revival of Golden Age heroes with the debut of Barry Allen as the new Flash for a new era. With his distinctive costume and dynamic art by Carmine Infantino, who had last rendered the superhero in the final issue of the Golden Age Flash Comics in 1949, he was the perfect choice for DC's "try-out" title Showcase.

After appearing in issues 4, 8, 13, and 14, Editor Julius Schwartz was convinced the Fastest Man Alive was ready for his own comic book series. The Flash paved the way for similar revivals of Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Atom, all before Marvel could get out of the starting block with FF #1! Showcase #4 currently ranks in fourth place on Overstreet's Top 50 Silver Age Comics list, by far DC's loftiest entry. For sheer historical significance, it probably should rank even higher! Overstreet 2023 NM- 9.2 value = $182,000. CGC census 12/23: 1 in 9.6, none higher.

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