Barry Allen was always late, an ironic turn for a man who still delighted in reading the exploits of his childhood hero, the comic book character known as The Flash. As Barry mused over what his life would be like if he possessed super-speed, an electrical storm broke over Central City. The police scientist’s crime laboratory exploded with a blinding bolt of lightning, striking shelves full of chemicals and bathing Barry in the supercharged fluids. Dazed, Barry left his lab and hurried to catch a cab. Instead, he ran right past the speeding taxi! To calm his shaken nerves, Barry stopped at a road diner. When the waitress accidentally dropped Barry’s meal tray, time seemingly stopped as Barry plucked the food from midair and redeposited it on the tray in the blink of an eye. The waitress was flabbergasted. Barry, however, was energized: Now he really was The Fastest Man on Earth! Determined to use his newfound powers to help humanity, Barry was inspired by the comics’ Flash, fashioning a costume that could be chemically compressed in a special signet ring and expanded in the blink of eye to clad Barry as a Scarlet Speedster! In his role as The Flash, Barry ran afoul of an endless Rogues’ Gallery of villains including Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Abra Kadabra, and the Mirror Master, as he guarded over Central City with high-velocity vigilance!