The Flash #123 for Sale - First Appearance of Richard Swift - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: The Flash (DC, 1959 series)
Issue: #123
Publication date: September 1961
Key date: 1961-09-00
On-sale date: 1961-07-17
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

First appearance of Richard Swift - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Shade - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Fiddler - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Isaac Bowin - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Clifford Devoe - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Thinker - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

On the record: Alley Awards - Best Cover (1961).

On the record: Alley Awards - Best Single Issue (1961).

On the record: Alley Awards - Best Story (1961).

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.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	Flash of Two Worlds!	cover	1	pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Murphy Anderson; letters: Ira Schnapp	Barry Allen, The Flash, The Flash, Jay Garrick
3	Flash of Two Worlds! [Chapter 1]	comic story	10.67	script: Gardner Fox; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Giella; letters: Gaspar Saladino	Barry Allen, The Flash, The Flash, Jay Garrick, Joan Garrick, Iris West Allen
5	Fastest Trips Around the World!	comic story	1		Nellie Bly; Wiley Post
6	See the Many Fantastic Faces of Superman...	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Joe Certa, Lee Elias; inks: Stan Kaye, Stan Kaye, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Joe Giella, Joe Certa	Barry Allen, Batman, Rocky Davis, The Flash, Dick Grayson, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Prof Haley, Roy Harper, J'Onn J'Onzz, Hal Jordan, Clark Kent, Martian Manhunter, Ace Morgan
7	Flash of Two Worlds! Chapter 2	comic story	7.67	script: Gardner Fox; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Giella; letters: Gaspar Saladino	Barry Allen, Isaac Bowin First, Clifford Devoe First, The Fiddler First, The Flash, The Flash, Jay Garrick, The Shade First, Richard Swift First, The Thinker First
9	The Inside Story of Batman and Robin's Top Secrets in This Giant Special	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5	pencils: Curt Swan, Sheldon Moldoff, Dick Sprang; inks: Charles Paris	Batman, Dick Grayson, Robin, Bruce Wayne
13	-	letters page	1	script: Julius Schwartz
14	Flash of Two Worlds! Chapter 3	comic story	5.67	script: Gardner Fox; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Giella; letters: Gaspar Saladino	Barry Allen, Isaac Bowin First, Clifford Devoe First, The Fiddler First, The Flash, The Flash, Jay Garrick, The Shade First, Richard Swift First, The Thinker First, Iris West Allen

Plus 7.49 pages of advertisements and other matter across 12 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
80 Page Giant Magazine #9	1965	On eBay ›
The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0-930289-51-X	1989	On eBay ›
Millennium Edition: The Flash Vol. 1, #123 #[nn]	2000	On eBay ›
The Flash Archives #3 ISBN 1-56389-799-7	2002	On eBay ›
The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0930289617	1990	On eBay ›
Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups #1 ISBN 1401204708	2006	On eBay ›
Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 978-1-4012-1372-5	2007	On eBay ›
Showcase Presents: The Flash #2 ISBN 978-1-4012-1805-8	2008	On 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

‹ #12219 of 246#124 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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