The Trial of The Flash is a dandy saga of a comic book story that occupies well over two dozen issues of the venerable characters pre-Crisis series from those halcyon days. The Flash, well Barry Allen at least was scheduled for death in the pages of Crisis and exactly when that decision was made I don't know. But somehow I suspect it was during this long tale which details how the Flash was put on trial for the death of Professor Zoom the Reverse Flash. Zoom had murdered (or so it seemed at the time) Allen's first wife Iris and now he set his murderous eyes on Barry's bride Fiona Webb. To keep her from death Barry breaks Zoom's neck and after that a somewhat overzealous district attorney seeks to put him on trial first for manslaughter and later for murder. The former might have been arguable but the latter seemed at best a reach.
We follow this story by writer Cary Bates and legendary Flash artist Carmine Infantino as it winds its way from act to charge to trial and to result. Along the way Flash is called upon many times to do what he's traditionally done, save the people of Central City from harm from the infamous Rogues Gallery that dedicated itself to his defeat and humiliation if not death. We see schemes by Gorilla Grodd, Abra Kadabra, Pied Piper, Trickster, Rainbow Warrior, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang among other villains of less colorful reputations. Bates tells the story of a celebrity trial that brings out the worst in society and of court officials who are both good and bad at what they do. The outcome I will leave to your scrutiny, but it's a wild ride, briskly told. The highlight of this collection is the artwork of Carmine Infantino who comes back to his most famous character with a potent style which is at once looser and more powerful than his sleek stylings from the 1960's. His pages whiz by and masterworks of storytelling, rarely faltering. The final chapters feel a little compressed but I guess that's because a lot of story was being squeezed to meet artificial deadlines.
Below are the comics contained in this massive Showcase volume. The black and white pages actually serve to showcase Infantino's linework inked mostly by Frank McLaughlin, to a greater degree. It's magnificent for the most part. I've noted where issues are skipped.
Issue #328 is a reprint and not included in this collection.
Issues #337-339 are not included in this collection.
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