Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #1
Published January 1940
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 68
Editing M. C. Gaines (managing); Sheldon Mayer (assistant)
Notes Published by All-American Comics. Owned by M. C. Gaines and Jack Liebowitz. The cover artist was mis-credited as Harry Lampert in the Millennium Edition, but corrected in the corrections page in Millennium Edition: Superboy #1 (2001 series), and also correctly credited in the two Archives. Edits in February 2006 (Allen Ross): Added new sequences 5, 6, 9, 10; added additional reprint info; added additional character appearances; added first lines.

Cover Details - "Introducing The Flash... Fastest Man Alive!"

Characters The Flash [Jay Garrick]; Joan Williams; Hawkman [Carter Hall] (inset); Johnny Thunder (inset); The Whip (inset); Cliff Cornwall (inset)
Genre superhero
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff
Inks Sheldon Moldoff
Notes Published by All-American Comics. Owned by M. C. Gaines and Jack Liebowitz. The cover artist was mis-credited as Harry Lampert in the Millennium Edition, but corrected in the corrections page in Millennium Edition: Superboy #1 (2001 series), and also correctly credited in the two Archives. Edits in February 2006 (Allen Ross): Added new sequences 5, 6, 9, 10; added additional reprint info; added additional character appearances; added first lines.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Golden Age Flash Archives (DC, 1999 series) #1; in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000); in Golden Age Hawkman Archives (DC, 2005 series) #1; in Flash Annual (DC, 1963 series) #1

15 page The Flash story "Origin of the Flash"

Characters The Flash [Jay Garrick] (first appearance; origin); Joan Williams (first appearance); Professor Hughes (first appearance); Major Williams (first appearance); Bull Tryon (first appearance); The Faultless Four [Sieur Satan (first appearance; villain; death); Serge Orloff (first appearance; villain); Duriel (first appearance; villain)]
Synopsis The Scarlet Speedster must face the threat of the Faultless Four, a group of brilliant but deadly scientists who kidnap Joan William's father in order to get his invention: the atomic bombarder!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox (signed)
Pencils Harry Lampert (signed)
Inks Harry Lampert (signed)
Letters Harry Lampert (masthead by-line)
Notes Story was originally untitled. First line is 'But before he became known and feared as "the fastest thing on Earth", Jay Garrick was an unknown student at Midwestern University...' Takes place at Mid-Western University. Synopsis added by Craig Delich (9-2-07).
Reprinted in Great Comic Book Heroes, The (Dial Press, 1965 series) #nn; in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1976 series) #nn; in Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told, The (DC, 1991 series) #nn; in Golden Age Flash Archives (DC, 1999 series) #1 (1999); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn

6 page Cliff Cornwall story "The Disappearing Plane"

Characters Cliff Cornwall; Lys Valliere.
Synopsis Cliff is on vacation from the FBI, but the Army nabs him for a special assignment in Alaska to put an end to phantom plane attacks on military aircraft.
Genre adventure
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Inks Sheldon Moldoff (signed)
Notes Story was originally untitled. First line is "A fleet of U.S. bombers wing their way toward Alaska..." Writer credit by Craig Delich. The Millennium Edition incorrectly credits Sheldon Moldoff for the writer. Synopsis added by Craig Delich 3-13-08.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000)

12 page The Hawkman story "The Origin of Hawkman"

Characters The Hawkman [Carter Hall, I, origin]; Shiera Sanders [I, later Hawkgirl]; Villains: Hath-Set [I], Kolar, Doctor Hastor.
Synopsis Young Carter Hall, wealthy collector of weapons and research scientist, discovers that he is the re-incarnation of an anicient Egyptian, Prince Khu-fu. He is further amazed that his lady love, Shiera Sanders, and his murderer, Hath-Set, have been re-incarnated too!
Genre superhero
Script Gardner F. Fox
Pencils Dennis Neville
Inks Dennis Neville
Notes This story was not originally titled. The title here was given in Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 where this story was reprinted. First line is "In the weapon-lined library of Carter Hall, wealthy collector of weapons and research scientist -". Synopsis added by Craig Delich (9-2-07).
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1976 series) #nn; in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (DC, 2000 series); in Golden Age Hawkman Archives (DC, 2005 series) #1 (2005)

10 page Johnny Thunderbolt story "The Kidnapping of Johnny Thunder"

Characters Johnny Thunder [I, origin]; Thunderbolt [I]; Simon B. Thunder; Mildred Thunder.
Synopsis Young Johnny Thunder is kidnapped from his home, given Badhnisian sacred rites and would become the most powerful person in the world at age 7. By a weird chance, Johnny is reunited with his parents, but is sought out once again by the Badhnesians, who are on the receiving end of a new, strange power Johnny has by saying the words "Say You."
Genre superhero
Script John B. Wentworth
Pencils Stan Aschmeier
Inks Stan Aschmeier
Notes Story was originally untitled. First line is "One night in August, 1918, Simon came home from the bank and found a crowd around his house...". Thunderbolt appears as a yellow streak of lightning and as a pink cloud in this story. Synopsis added by Craig Delich 3-13-08.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000)

2 page text story "Warfare In Space (Part One)"

Characters Billy Morton; Keith Morton; Port Commander Worth; Ralph "The Ruthless" Farnham (villain)
Synopsis Billy's Dad has created a weapon that can be effectively used in interstellar space....and he wants to volunteer to use it against the space pirate, Ralph Farnham!
Genre science fiction
Script Gardner F. Fox (signed)
Pencils Sheldon Mayer (spot illos)
Inks Sheldon Mayer (spot illos)
Letters typeset
Notes Story continued in Flash Comics (1940 series) #2. There are three small ads for fireworks at the end of page 2 for Baltimore Fireworks Co., Spencer Fireworks Co., and The Brazel Novelty Manufacturing Co. Synopsis added by Craig Delich 3-13-08.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000) [minus the ads]

1 page text article "Flash Stamps"

Synopsis Includes a history of Polish postage stamps, as well as classified ads from 6 stamp dealers.
Genre fact
Letters typeset
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975)

8 page Flash Picture Novel story "The Demon Dummy: Part 1"

Characters The Great [Harry] Dunstan; Madge Devere; Jim Devlin
Synopsis Private detective Devilin, in love with Madge Devere, who in turn is loved by ventriloquist Dunstan, tries to pin a murder on Dunstan in order to get the woman he loves.
Genre crime
Script Ed Wheelan (signed)
Pencils Ed Wheelan (signed)
Inks Ed Wheelan (signed)
Letters Ed Wheelan
Notes Story continued in Flash Comics (1940 series) #2. Synopsis added by Craig Delich 3-13-08.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000)

10 page The Whip story "Origin of the Whip"

Characters The Whip [Don Fernando Suarez]; The Whip [Rod Gaynor]; Marissa Dillon; Carlos; King [The Whip's horse].
Synopsis Learning of a famed adventurer for justice in the past, El Castigo: The Whip, Rod Gaynor decides to assume that disguise to help the poor, who are being denied jobs and food, as well as being hit by high rents by unscrupulous vigilantes.
Genre western
Script John B. Wentworth (signed)
Pencils George Storm (signed)
Inks George Storm (signed)
Notes The Whip is Eastern playboy Rod Gaynor. The strip is set in the southwest. Story was originally untitled. First line is "He was known as Don Fernando Suarez, a patrician descended from the Grandees of Spain...". Synopsis added by Craig Delich 3-13-08.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975); in Millennium Edition: Flash Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn (September, 2000)

1 page All-American Comics promo (ad from the publisher)

Notes House ad for: All-American Comics #10. Appears on page 2 in this issue.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975)

2 page advertisement "Various Ads"

Notes Total of 2 one-page ads for: New 1940 Catalog (novelties, Johnson Smith & Co.) and Make Your Own Records at Home (Home Recording Co.). Appear on pages 67 and 68 in this issue.
Reprinted in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-8 (August-September 1975) [minus each company's address]