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Publishers / DC / Showcase (1956) / #4
4September-October 1956
$0.10

Showcase #4

DC · September-October 1956 · on sale July 3, 1956

Buy it now on eBay ›Graded copies ›
How to read this file
  • Every claim on this page traces to a public bibliographic record; the sources are listed at the bottom of the file.
  • A first-appearance badge means this is the earliest non-flashback appearance on record in this database.
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Identification plate

Series
Showcase (DC, 1956 series)
Issue
#4
Publication date
September-October 1956
Key date
September 1956
On-sale date
July 3, 1956
Indicia publisher
National Comics Publications Inc.
Price
$0.10
Pages
36
Rating
Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

From the editorial file Barry Allen becomes the Flash, October 1956, by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. This is the book collectors point to as the start of the Silver Age: the first successful reinvention of a Golden Age hero, and the proof that superheroes could come back.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Contents

SeqStoryTypePagesCreditsCharacters
0Presenting The Flash!cover1pencils: Carmine Infantino, Robert Kanigher; inks: Joe Kubert; letters: Ira SchnappThe Flash [Barry Allen]
2Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!comic story12script: Robert Kanigher; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Kubert; letters: Gaspar SaladinoThe Flash [Barry Allen] (introduction, scientist, origin); The Flash [Jay Garrick] (image only); Iris West (introduction); The Turtle Man [aka later as The Turtle] (villain, introduction)
3Here Are the Prizespromo (ad from the publisher)3letters: typeset
4The Big Dancepublic service announcement1letters: typeset
5Fastest Creatures on Earth!cartoon0.67
7Wonders of Speed!comic story1
8The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!comic story10script: John Broome; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Kubert; letters: Gaspar SaladinoThe Flash [Barry Allen]; Mazdan (villain); Henry Brown
9100-Yard Dashtext article1letters: typeset

Plus 6.33 pages of advertisements and other matter across 8 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

CollectionYear
Secret Origins #11961On eBay ›
The Brave and the Bold #441962On eBay ›
The Flash #1361963On eBay ›
Flash Annual #11963On eBay ›
The Flash #2141972On eBay ›
The Flash #2151972On eBay ›
Secret Origins #11973On eBay ›
The Essential Showcase 1956-1959 #[nn]
ISBN 1-56389-079-8		1993On eBay ›
The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told #[nn]
ISBN 0-930289-81-1		1991On eBay ›
Secret Origins Replica Edition #1
ISBN 1-56389-440-8		1998On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

  • Check spine ticks and cover gloss in the photos; silver-age Marvels chip at the edges easily.
  • Look for tanning at the page edges and transfer stains on the inside covers.
  • Confirm the cover price against the plate; higher prices can mean a later or foreign printing.

Series context

‹ #34 of 104#5 ›

Sources

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com