Flash Fridays – The Flash #341 January 1985

We pick up right where the previous issue left off at the start of the trial of the Flash with the prosecutor announcing that he was dropping the manslaughter charges. The Flash is elated until the prosecutor continues by stating that he’s instead charging the Flash with second degree murder. Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man, is called as a defense witness to tell what he saw at the wedding, but is undercut by a courtroom demonstration by prosecutor showing that ordinary people can’t see things happening at super speed. As this is going on we also see that the mysterious Nathan Newbury has been seated as one of the jurors (I’m not one to say I told you so… told you so). The case does not appear to be going well for the Flash. 

In a brief meanwhile, we see the private investigator that the Flash hired in a cemetery showing Cecile Horton’s picture to a groundskeeper. The groundskeeper takes him to the grave marker of a John “Jack” O’Malley, and says that Cecile brings flowers to the gravesite every week.

In a longer meanwhile, the Rogues upon seeing that the Flash is still alive hunt down Big Sir again. This time they use the Trickster’s mesmeratron to brainwash the big guy to go after the Flash again. Which he does with a vengeance. As Cecile and the Flash are leaving the courthouse lost in conversation, Big Sir is able to sneak on them and deal the Flash a massive blow to the face with his futuristic energy mace. The Flash runs off, but collapses in a nearby park. Some kids passing by discover him and decide to remove his make to see who he is. In a panel that takes up a full third of the page, to their surprise they find a brutally mangled face that’s unrecognizable leaving us with one of the most shocking cliffhangers of the entire run.