Follow

    The Flash #217

    The Flash » The Flash #217 - The Flash Times Five is Fatal!; The Killing of an Archer released by DC Comics on September 1972.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    The Flash Times Five is Fatal!; The Killing of an Archer last edited by ndkfjdklafjdkl on 07/27/23 07:16PM View full history

    The Flash Times Five Is Fatal!

    The Flash saves lives in the wake of the Dreadnaught's path of destruction. By the time the Flash has ushered all the innocent bystanders to safety, the Dreadnaught has vanished. While the Flash sets about to, single-handedly, rebuilding a demolished office building, he is observed by Professor Ira West. Awed by the Flash's super-speed prowess, West decides to try to figure out how the Flash does it. West inputs all the data he knows about the Flash into his newest invention, the Functional Recorder of Encyclopedic Data, or F.R.E.D., for short. F.R.E.D. determines that no human being could ever be capable of possessing the super-human speed of the Flash.

    Therefore, the Flash is a fraud, perpetrated by five men, all dressed in Flash costumes, stationed at different points throughout the city. Astonished, West races to tell his daughter, Picture News reporter, Iris West. After West has departed, F.R.E.D. realizes it has made a miscalculation, and that it is wrong about the Flash. Fearing that West will destroy it for it's error, F.R.E.D. uses all the power at it's disposal to make it's calculation true. Suddenly, while racing through the streets of Central City, the Flash becomes five men. The five Flashes immediately begin arguing over which of them is the real Flash. Racing home, the five Flashes make contact with their wife, Iris.

    Iris recounts her father's wild theory about the Flash being five men. En route to West's laboratory, the Flashes re-encounter the Dreadnaught. Their numbers prove to be a disadvantage as the Flashes keep getting in each other's way. The Dreadnaught escapes without a trace again, inexplicably eluding all five Flashes. To prevent the Flash from reaching West, and revealing what it's done, F.R.E.D. enhances the Flashs' aggressiveness towards one another. Four of the Flashs begin brawling, revealing that the fifth Flash is the real Flash. The Flash realizes that the other four Flashes are just solidified super-speed after-images of him, albeit with the power to think.

    The Flash matches his speed and vibratory rate to his copies, and reabsorbs them. In a last desperate attempt to keep the Flash away, F.R.E.D. compels the Dreadnaught to reveal itself from it's hiding place, within a tractor trailer. The Flash dismantles the Dreadnaught, then ushers it's pilots to the nearest police precinct. Finally reaching West's laboratory, The Flash finds West putting out a fire, while shutting F.R.E.D. down. F.R.E.D. has suffered a major power overload, which for all intents and purposes, greatly resembles a human nervous breakdown.

    The Killing of an Archer!

    The Green Arrow keeps a rendezvous with a criminal gang. Entering a dark alley, the Green Arrow confronts the gang's leader. At the man's command, the alley is flooded with bright light. Blinded, the Green Arrow fights a desperate battle against the man, and his minions. The Green Arrow manages to shoot out the flood light, only to come under fire from a sniper. The Green Arrow returns fire, but a twinge in his injured arm causes him to miss his shot, accidentally killing his opponent. The Green Arrow is horrified at having taken a life.

    Not long after the unfortunate incident, former test pilot, Hal Jordan, receives a frantic call from florist, Dinah Drake Lance. In response to Lance's concerns about the Green Arrow, Jordan investigates, as the Green Lantern. Arriving at the Green Arrow's apartment, the Green Lantern discovers the Green Arrow's bow broken, his arrows ruined, and his costume in tatters. Before he can investigate further, the Green Lantern is drawn into a conflict, occurring on the street outside.

    Three youths are beating an old man. The Green Lantern puts an end to the conflict, then ushers all partries back towards the Green Arrow's apartment building. The three youths protest going back inside, as they have just planted a bomb, set to go off at any moment. As if on cue, the bomb detonates, destroying the Green Arrow's apartment building. Payback for his murder of the sniper.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    Creators

    none of this issue.

    Teams

    none of this issue.

    Locations

    none of this issue.

    Story Arcs

    none of this issue.

    User reviews Add new review

    This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.