Kid Flash Meets The Elongated Man!

This story comes from The Flash #130. John Broome is writing again, Carmine Infantino is back on the art, and Julius Schwartz editing.

So, we have the first time Ralph meets young Wally West, Kid Flash, and post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, he became the Flash after Barry died while making a strike against the Anti-Monitor. This is before Kid Flash had his own unique costume.

This splash page does something unusual by showing us the main characters twice. The lower part shows a moment from the climax of the story, while up above, we get decorative illustrations of the characters around the title and a teaser.

The lower part of the splash page amuses me because that is a HUGE block of dialogue that Ralph is rambling off as he moves quickly. Infantino draws it nice and dramatic here, although you'll notice Wally's costume is lacking the circle behind the thunderbolt on the chest.

The story starts with Barry arriving in Wally's room at his home in Blue Valley, and the art makes it look like Barry is spinning at super speed. He makes Wally close the window blinds so no one sees him. Maybe you could have done that at super speed first, Barry, just saying. Would've looked cooler.

Barry tells Wally that Ralph Dibny sent a letter to the Flash at the Central City Police Department asking for his help in investigating a "situation." Barry is about to vacation with Iris, so he sends Wally because he can't spare a moment away from his woman.

Okay, can our superheroes not work out a better way to communicate than just letters?

Wally agrees, eager to meet Ralph and become friends, so he hurries to Ralph's location.

Ralph (Sue is nowhere to be seen) explains that Oakley County is inaccessible due to the roads being blocked by extreme winter weather. Not even planes can get through due to heavy clouds. Ralph and Wally head out, and the use of outdoor scenes only on the rest of the page can get a little confusing. Also, Ralph's car is seemingly the only car at the motel, so maybe this bad weather has really badly affected the economy of the area.

Here we have Ralph and Wally making their way through the ice and snow wearing only their superhero costumes. I really hope for their sake that those costumes are well-insulated.

Infantino is doing good work with the winter landscape here, especially this ravine that Ralph helps Wally cross. He shows you how deep it is, and how resourceful the two are. So you get the idea that they're well-matched to what they'd come across.

Aside from the splash page, this is the point of the story where it is confirmed that the Weather Wizard is behind the extreme weather. He's making the people of Goldville (the main town of Oakley County) pay him before he'll stop the extreme weather, seeking a payout of $100,000. The townsfolk are beginning to break.

The comic cuts to some excellently drawn panels of Weather Wizard, who reveals to the reader that his plan is to use the money to build an even bigger weather station. And to supplement the ransom money, he's having a few assistants robbing the local bank.

Having split ways with Wally, Ralph runs into Goldville and spots the bank robbers. Noting hail falling directly out of the way of the robbers but  blocking the way of the bank guard. However, Ralph springs directly into action, stretching in a long arc to grab one of the thieves.

Infantino excellently draws snow and hail, but again, I really hope his costume is helping him fend off the cold, and he must have some good traction on those shoes to be running like that on the snow.

The captured henchman squeals that the Weather Wizard is behind this, making Ralph hurry to the hideout, where Wally has been heading.

More great art from Infantino, on the next panel (which I didn't show), he draws a little brown rabbit hopping around in the snow.

Wally notices a big reflector on the shack, then hurries in and finds Weather Wizard, who manages to take him out with a flash of light and a smoke bomb that masks him punching him in the back of the head. Wow, it's almost as if Wally didn't have super speed.

Ralph has reached the cabin and manages to spot that Weather Wizard has taken out Wally. He slips in, but Weather Wizard is ready for him and uses a "lightning bolt device" that stops Ralph's "circulation" which paralyzes him.

Um, pretty sure that if you stop someone's circulation, they die.

Wally revives and "vibrates" at super speed in an attempt to save Ralph. I mean, to be fair, maybe Ralph is dying here.

I looks more like Wally is moving Ralph at super speed than just "vibrating." But I guess he has to move so Weather Wizard can't get them again.

I am going to save my comments on these pages' story for the end...

Ralph's circulation is restored and he manages to knock out Weather Wizard. The criminals are all thrown in jail, the weather controlling mechanisms are destroyed, and the snow finally melts across Oakley County as the two heroes head home.

Well, it's one of those Silver Age stories that has points that don't really hold up to actual scientific scrutiny. But that's just about standard for any Silver Age story.

The bigger issue is that aside from that bit to getting to Goldville, there's really no reason why Wally needed Ralph's help. No reason why Weather Wizard should've been able to knock him out. Basically, both characters get "nerfed" (or having their power reduced) in order to justify a team up, which is one of the negative tropes of team up stories of this era.

So, it's cool that we see Ralph meet Wally, a friendship that'll come up quite a bit in the future, but the two really deserved a more solid team up.