September 1960: Refugees from an Evil Universe

Comics historian Michael E. Grost points out the significance of the Emerald Gladiator’s excursions into the parallel universe of Qward — for example the John Broome/Gil Kane story The Secret of the Golden Thunderbolts (Green Lantern 2, Sept.-Oct. 1960).

“This tale deals with, among other things, a group of refugees from Qward, who want to come to Earth to live,” Grost wrote.

“They are very sympathetically, even heroically presented. Refugees rarely appear in popular culture. It is hard to understand why: the need to support refugees is among the most significant on Earth. The principle of host countries always accepting refugees is the most important principle protecting human rights on the planet. Without it, terrible tragedies would take place.”

The Flash was almost a team-up title in The Flash 115 (Sept. 1960), with some other superhero character often included. Here, the back-up story is The Elongated Man’s Secret Weapon.

Meanwhile, in the cover story, the Flash has suddenly gotten fat. I wish I could blame a ray gun fired by a telepathic super-gorilla disguised as a bald guy when I put on weight.