The Life Story of the Flash ([hardcover graphic novel], 1997)
Cover by Glen Orbik.

Credits: "Liz Allen" (fictitious credit), Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn (writers), Gil Kane, Joe Staton & Tom Palmer (artists).

Significant characters: Liz Allen (narrator), Flash 2 (Barry Allen), Kid Flash/Flash 3 (Wally West), Flash 1 (Jay Garrick), Fiona Webb, Professor Zoom (The Reverse-Flash), The Shade (cameo), various other Flash villains and friends/allies (including Justice League of America; all cameos).

Summary: Tells the life story of Barry Allen (The Flash) in the style of a biography (text mixed with comics pages).  Reflects post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity (including rewriting of original meeting between Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, the original Flash).

Comments: An enjoyable enough graphic novel (and a real must for die-hard Flash fans).  Covers all of the major events in the life of the Flash but by necessity has to be pretty brief in some cases.  For people not already familiar with the history of the character and/or DC history in general, some of it might be a bit confusing (especially the stuff about Iris Allen really being from the future, and how she survived her "death" to be later reunited with Barry).  And some die-hard fans might cringe a bit at the rewriting of certain stories to match up with the post-Crisis DC Universe's continuity (although at the time this graphic novel came out it was pretty much a necessity).  Finally, the choice to tell the story largely in prose (text) "written" by Iris Allen gave this book a very unique feel.  I enjoyed it, overall.

(Note: A softcover edition was also released, in 1998.)