This is the begining of the end of Eobard’s run in the classic comics (1963 – 1983). The following parts are here; is PART 2 and PART 3 and PART 4

The Flash issue 321 – Hell in the fast lane

This is yet another issue that isn’t Zoomy (Eobard Thawne aka Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash) centric BUT it does set up a load of plot for the next lot of comics that he is in. So it’s going to be a quick review, but it will help understand future issues.

It’s been 4 years since Zoomy murdered Iris, wife of Barry Allen aka the Flash. The fight that ensued left Zoomy hurtling back in time to the point of creation whilst Barry escaped, leaving him for dead. Barry however isn’t sleeping well, his nights plagued by nightmares. But this isn’t guilt over Zoomy, no, this is guilt over Iris because Barry has fallen in love again. In a previous comic Barry helped a woman called Fiona Webb whose husband turned out to be a villain and ended up dead. Now he finds himself drawn to and falling for Fiona, but he feels like he is betraying Iris.

The plot of this comic is that an assassin called Sabre-Tooth has broken out from jail. He is instantly hired by a man who wants to take out a hit against Barry Allen. Barry was the scientist who presented the forensic evidence that got the man’s brother put away for life.

So Barry is with Fiona at the cemetery, each visiting their dead exes, when Sabre-tooth catches up with him. Barry goes to get something from his car and is nearly killed by heat seeking missiles. Due to being the Flash Barry escapes and goes to hunt down the assassin. He doesn’t find him though. Fiona thinks that Barry was dead and is very relieved when he returns. This whole incident puts things into prospective for them and they confess their feelings for each other.

Meanwhile a Green Lantern, Tomar-Re, has turned up with a message for the Flash but he crashed at a farm outside central. He is busy having pancakes with the family instead of delivering the message. Turns out that his ring got broken and so he’s going to have to try and engineer something by hand and find Barry the old fashioned way.

Far away in space and time in some hellish colourful dimension a very familiar speedster is trying to escape. Having cycled through millions of vibrational frequencies, he might finally be close to finding the one that will get him out of there and back to reality.

Next we get a quick mini story about thieves stealing from a graveyard only to be stopped by the Flash. They wonder why he was there but he was visiting Iris. He needed to clear his conscience as he has decided to ask Fiona to marry him. I know he is the Flash but that is fast!

Sabre-tooth finds out that Barry is alive and thus swears to kill him the next day.
And finally Zoomy has found the right frequency and manages to escape the hell dimension, vowing revenge on Barry.