Welcome to the first installment in our annotations of the collected edition of The Trial of the Flash!  We’ve been breaking down related stories leading up to last week’s release of the massive tome that is Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash.  In addition, we’ve interviewed author Cary Bates about the buildup and the Trial itself, plus shown you what won’t be included in the collection.

Leading up to Flash #323, the issue leading off this collection, Barry Allen’s life had taken a dark turn with the death of his wife, Iris, at the hands of his archenemy, Professor Zoom.  After leaving Zoom to perish in the time stream, Barry began his life anew and attempted to move on from the events surrounding his wife’s murder.

But the past never dies when you’re The Flash!  Zoom returned and swore revenge, leading to the events in this collection.  Links to artwork and research are included throughout this post.  Previous annotations can be found here.  This time around, since the reprint is widely available, the format will be a little different.  For legal analysis of the story, something I will not attempt, go here.

UP TO SPEED:  Barry Allen and Fiona Webb are to be married today.  However, a freak accident has freed the Reverse-Flash from his temporal prison, and he is making his way to Central City!

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