Welcome to the latest installment in our annotations of the collected edition of The Trial of the Flash! A while back, we analyzed related stories leading up to the release of Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash. In addition, we interviewed author Cary Bates about the buildup and the Trial itself, plus showed you what wasn’t included in the collection.
IN THIS ISSUE: The Flash vs. The Acceleration of Gravity at High Altitudes!
Links to original artwork, scans and research are included throughout this post. For definitive legal analysis of the story by Bob Ingersoll, go here. Tom vs. Flash Podcast links here, including these issues. As always, huge thanks to the DC Indexes. See you after the jump!
Following the three issues that were not included in the Showcase Presents volume, issue #340 picks up with Big Sir’s abduction of Flash.
COVER by Carmine Infantino and Klaus Janson. Flash was arrested at the end of issue #325. Just to compare timelines, not charges: O.J. Simpson was arrested on June 17, 1994 and opening statements were made Jan. 23, 1995.
PG 6 & 7: The search for Barry Allen dovetails with Cecile Horton’s storyline here. Ludlow Dreed got Barry’s costume ring from Captain Frye, whose cat made off with a Flash costume. Flash stayed at Cecile’s house while Peter Farley was handling his case, before Farley was attacked by N.D. Redik and she returned from abroad.
PG 9: Big Sir’s armor was provided by The Monitor via The Rogues. Another memorable pre-Crisis Monitor creation was The New Olympians, who tangled with Batman and The Outsiders when Maxie Zeus tried to disrupt The Olympics. The Monitor’s first appearance was in New Teen Titans #21 (1982).
PG 11: “This is a job for Big Sir!” – Bates is one of the great Superman writers as well. This article by Comics Alliance’s Chris Sims from a couple years back highlights some of the best moments.
The original art for page 16 is viewable at Comic Art Fans.
PG 17: A two-bottle lot of 1921 Dom Perignon, the first vintage, went for a little over $8,000 about 10 years ago, according to these Christie’s listings.
The original art for page 18 can be seen here.
PG 19 & 20: In order to run on the rocks he threw into the air, Flash must maintain a speed greater than the acceleration of gravity on Earth, which is an average of 9.8 m/s/s. This is affected by altitude, and Flash states he was at a 12,000-foot elevation back on page 16. Read more about gravitational acceleration here, including some interactive features.
PG 22 & 23: Barry Allen is late, now and forever. “Failure to appear” is itself a crime with major consequences for someone charged with (for now) manslaughter.
See you next weekend!
