The Flash #282
(November, 1979)
"Mishmash!"
Cover by Ross Andru, Dick Giordano
Artist: Don Heck
Inks: Frank Chiaramonte
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Writer: Cary Bates
Letters: Ben Oda
Professor Zoom has trapped Flash in a pair of heavy-matter boots, which become heavier and heavier with each passing instant. Unable to vibrate through the boots due to their incredible density, the Scarlet Speedster quickly sinks into the ground, and it will not be long before he is pulled into the molten core of the planet.
Luckily for him, the pressures and the temperature become so overwhelming the closer he gets to the core, that the boots disintegrate, while his vibrations allow the heat to pass harmlessly through his molecules. Now free from the deadly footwear, and protected by his invisible aura, Flash is able to navigate through the magma flows and emerge from an undersea volcano.
Once in the surface, Flash is assisted by his best friend, Green Lantern, who homes in on his location thanks to the JLA Signal beacon. Returning to Central City, the duo splits, and the Fastest Man Alive makes his way back home, where he promptly uses the cosmic treadmill to travel into the future. His goal is to access the historical records and uncover the identity of Iris West's killer. Unfortunately, and much to his dismay, Flash soon realizes that even in the 25th century, the murder of his wife remains a mystery, and the name of her killer is still unknown.
Back in the present, Green Lantern shows up again in Central City, and insists on offering unsolicited help to his buddy, but he is promptly dismissed. Feeling guilty for not being there for Flash when Iris died, the Emerald Crusader keeps imposing himself, until he finally pushes a little too hard and is violently rejected. The two friends start a physical confrontation that leaves Green Lantern defeated when he realizes that he has not been fighting Flash, but Professor Zoom, who is impersonating the Scarlet Speedster all over the city.
The real Flash is still making his way back from the 25th century through the Time Barrier, unaware that his evil doppelgänger has been supplanting him. However, when he finally starts to materialize in the present, the cosmic treadmill shakes uncontrollably and explodes before he can fully reintegrate!
