There's a few notes about Detective Comics #336 before we get into the story featuring Ralph. During this time, there was a multi-book crossover story that introduced Zatanna. The first installment was in Hawkman #4, a few months before this issue. The Batman story in this issue of Detective was not originally part of this event, but was later retconned to be part of it. I mention this because one of Ralph's upcoming stories in Detective will be part of the story, and the conclusion saw his first appearance in The Justice League of America. However, while this is coming, Ralph's part came in late 1966, and the finale came in early 1967. We just started 1965, so we got a ways to go."The House of 'Flashy' Traps" debuted in Detective Comics #336 with a cover date of February 1965, and is available on Comixology and DC Universe. It is written by Gardner Fox, drawn by Carmine Infantino, inked by Sid Greene, lettered by Joe Letterese, and edited by Julius Schwartz.
The splash page is interesting here, so I gotta say... that is not a particularly good face on Ralph. So of course, this proved the basis of the cover of Showcase Presents The Elongated Man. Still, seeing Ralph handle this trap by twisting his body around is particularly interesting to the eye, so it's a little mixed. The text to the right is particularly generic for Ralph's stories, and the thought bubble for Ralph proves the real teaser.
So why is Barry just waiting there? Why not go at a couple minutes to one? Don't you have places to be, Barry? You're a cop!
Ralph is curious and wants to investigate, and Sue lets him go, mentioning that she'll be visiting with Iris West. Back in Ralph's last appearance in The Flash, Iris and Sue spent the day shopping, so their friendship was already established. When Ralph turns back to the house, Barry is gone and there's suddenly a house in the vacant lot.
There's nothing to really complain about art-wise on this page unless you wanted a clearer view of Barry. Sue's looking pretty cute.
The next page shows Ralph investigating the recently-appeared house by stretching himself over the place without stepping onto it. Everything seems fine, so he opens the door and stretches his neck inside. Not spotting anything suspicious, he pulls himself inside. Suddenly, there's a flash of light and a trap door opens underneath him.
Again, Infantino and Sid Greene are doing fine work. Ralph looks great as he spends most of the page stretched out. There is one flaw in the second panel where there's no neckline on Ralph's costume and it's been filled in with color.
The next page says that Ralph stretches his legs down so he doesn't fall, but it shows him grabbing the sides of the trap door, which makes a good amount of sense. The pit underneath the trap door is filled with a sticky goo that Ralph reflects would surely have trapped the Flash. Ralph just barely pulls his feet out of it.
It says he cleans his feet, and Infantino and Greene show him leaving traces of glue behind him in the next panel as he enters a hall.Electrically charged metal bars come out of the wall, locking into place, barring the way for any ordinary man. BUT RALPH IS NO ORDINARY MAN! The next page shows how Ralph escapes it by carefully stretching his body around the bars.
He says that the Flash wouldn't have been able to escape that trap, but I could think of a way: vibrate through the floor.
Infantino clearly had some fun drawing Ralph snaking through the metal bars here, drawing his elongated limbs curling around everything. This scene, of course, inspired the splash panel. Ralph looks much better here.
Up on the next page, Ralph faces the next trap, a rolling floor ahead of an opening on the wall that leaks deadly gases. Ralph is able to reach up and block it and then peeking through a grille on the wall, spots the operator and manages to stretch his arm through it and smack the operator against the wall, presumably buying him some time to find the room.We've crossed onto the next page now, and Ralph goes to find the room, and manages to knock the gun out of the operator's hand before he can fire.
Again, nothing really wrong with the art... except it doesn't match with the text at all. The text indicates only one opening on the wall: the one leaking the deadly gas. Infantino and Greene provide two: the gas outlet and the grille. The text says Ralph reaches through the gas outlet and turns off the machine. Yet the art only shows him blocking it, and when he goes to find the operator's room, it shows the gas leaking out again. Apparently, the room with the gas machine was supposed to be the operator's room, which makes some sense.
The only other issue with these pages is that how does the operator not get that the Elongated Man is here?
At the police station, Ralph runs into the Flash. Barry suspected that the house was a diversion and when Ralph popped up, he decided to go after Mirror Master instead of waiting at the house.
Maybe clue Ralph in next time, Barry! He could've died! Gosh, Barry is the worst. On the final page, he explains he knew Ralph would prefer to figure it all out for himself, which Ralph agrees, but come on. Ralph dealt with a deadly glue trap, deadly electric traps, and a deadly gas trap!
The final two panels see the double date with Ralph and Sue and Barry and Iris as they go to an underground restaurant.
Aside from Barry again being the worst and major disconnects between text and art, this was a pretty good story, setting up traps for one superhero and having another face them and foil them. Still, it feels like it's been awhile since we got an honest to goodness great story.
Next time, Ralph claims to be married to someone else.
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