Follow

    The Flash #278

    The Flash » The Flash #278 - Road to Oblivion released by DC Comics on October 1979.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    Road to Oblivion last edited by MickRory on 03/21/23 05:04PM View full history

    While investigating the death of his beloved wife Iris, Flash battles Captain Boomerang, Yorkin, and Heat Wave.

    Captain Boomerang has just stolen a pair of crimson pearl necklaces. The Flash tracks Captain Boomerang back to an animal preserve, fashioned to appear as the Australian Outback. Under the pretense of surrender, Captain Boomerang snares the Flash in a boomerang-generated cage of electricity. After the Flash narrowly escapes a pair of boomerang-shaped explosives, Captain Boomerang flees. The Flash easily catches him. After putting up a token effort at fighting, Captain Boomerang is subdued by the Flash. The Flash interrogates Captain Boomerang, regarding the murder of Picture News reporter, Iris West Allen.

    After Captain Boomerang swears innocence in the murder, The Flash departs, inexplicably without taking Captain Boomerang in for the jewelry theft. Detective Frank Curtis meets up with the Flash, in his civilian guise of police forensics scientist, Barry Allen, at police headquarters. Through self-hypnosis, Allen has made a breakthrough in the case. On the night of his wife's murder, at the masquerade ball, Allen was accosted by a man, dressed as the Golden Age Sandman. This man pressed his weapon into Allen's shoulder. Allen is now certain that that was the moment he was injected with a lethal dose of angel dust.

    Curtis also has information, about West-Allen's alleged murderer, Clive Yorkin. On Death Row for murder, Yorkin had volunteered for the Nephron Project, an experimental program using aversion therapy to rehabilitate criminals. Yorkin, though, suffered from a rare case of dyslexia. Evidence suggests that the Nephron process had the exact opposite effect on Yorkin, in effect, making him a worse criminal. Unbeknownst to Allen and Curtis, the Nephron Process had other, unforeseen side-effects. Yorkin stalks the streets of Central City, skulking his way into a movie theater. There, in the darkened cinema, Yorkin draws the very life essence from a teenaged couple, enrapt in the film.

    An usher chases Yorkin away. Curtis and Allen return to the West-Allen murder scene. A maid presents the two officers with the Golden Age Sandman costume, which had been discovered in the shrubbery, outside Whitlock Manor. Allen parts company with Curtis, when an alarm on his wrist watch goes off. Someone else is trying to steal the crimson pearls. En route to the burglary, the Flash passes the theater where Yorkin struck. Yorkin's teenage victims have aged to senility ,husks completely drained of life. The crimson pearls turn out to be bait, left by the Flash, to flush out members of his Rogues' Gallery he suspects were at the masquerade ball.

    This time, it is Heat Wave who the Flash confronts. Before the Flash can interrogate his old foe, Yorkin storms the jewelry store. Hear Wave sets the store on fire, to cover his escape. While the Flash puts out the blaze, Heat Wave flees, right into Yorkin's arms. Yorkin begins draining away Heat Wave's life essence. Heat Wave is seconds away from death, when the Flash intervenes on his behalf. The Flash is horrified by Heat Wave's dire condition. The Flash pursues Yorkin into a nearby park. Yorkin gets the drop on the Flash, and begins to drain away the Scarlet Speedster's life essence. Unable to break Yorkin's grip. the Flash begins to panic, as his life continues to slip away.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    Creators

    none of this issue.

    Teams

    none of this issue.

    Locations

    none of this issue.

    Concepts

    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.