So we all know that the FANTASTIC FOUR was somewhat of a revolutionary comic, not only because it re-invigorated the "superhero" genre, but because the Four never felt compelled to hide themselves from the general public (would it even be possible for Ben Grimm to say 'I'm not the Thing, ya gots the wrong guy, folks!'). I was not even alive at the point when this comic was published, but I think that the people over at DC toyed with the idea of doing a 'copycat' version of that concept. Instead, they had to contrive reasons to keep up the status quo of 'secret identities'.
This particular feature does just that; that is, giving a blatantly banal reason why 'secret identities' are necessary. And that's just sad.
Even so, this story toys with the idea of an alternate reality, so it counts as a (very) early "WHAT IF?" type scenario. And for what it's worth, I honestly believe that if superheroes existed in real life, they wouldn't need any sort of pretense to be themselves. To me, having extraordinary powers would not be something to hide or be fearful of. If you were a criminal and you knew who Clark Kent was, would you really want to mess with Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen? Probly not.
Anyhoo....
What If The Flash Was A Public Hero?
by John Broome and Carmine Infantino
from THE FLASH #128, May 1962
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