Okay, again in Adventure Comics 156, the character of Johnny Quick appears. He is essentially a slowed-down version of the Flash, who, while an advanced math student, discovers a formula that, when spoken, allows him access to a higher dimension that somehow allows him superhuman speed.
Never mind the ultra-weird design of his costume, and certainly don't mind the conservation of momentum problem that he'd have moving through a room at less than 1/24th of a second, and concentrate on the elements not in this comic book that were revealed to me by this link:
http://theflash.wikia.com/wiki/Johnny_Quick
...in which are shown many interesting things that are clearly linked to my favorite superhero movie of all time (and on my top 10 list of ALL movies!), The Incredibles. The idea that anti-communist paranoia in the 1950's forced superheroes into hiding rather than follow the dictates of the government forcing them to reveal their secret identities is another twist on the Pixar film's use of the one power superheroes couldn't avoid - the lawsuit.
But all of that pales in comparison to my reaction to the idea that a mathematical statement (incomplete and therefore meaningless) can be used as a version of the "Shazam!" Captain Marvel would use to transform. It not only gives him access to the dimensional freedom he needs to move, it also apparently materializes his costume at the same time. This is closely linked with the occultism that continues to flourish at odd times in American culture. Comic books of this era, when they could be bothered, merely glossed over those elements by giving them the faint air of scientific respectability.
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