HERO OF THE WEEK: FLASH (DC)Real Name: Barry Allen
First Appearance: Showcase #4 (October, 1956)
Fight Club Ranking: #16
Featured Fights:
- vs ANTI-MONITOR'S CANNON: Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (Nov 1985)
- vs FIRE GIANT: Secret Origins #32 (Nov 1988)
- vs WOOD KING: Secret Origins #32 (Nov 1988)
- vs SUPERMAN: Dark Knight Strikes Again #1 (Nov 2001)
- vs CAPTAIN COLD: DC: The New Frontier #2 (Apr 2004)
- vs SAVITAR: Flash: Rebirth #1 (Jun 2009)
- vs LADY FLASH: Flash: Rebirth #2 (Jul 2009)
- vs SUPERMAN: Flash: Rebirth #3 (Aug 2009)
- vs REVERSE-FLASH: Flash: Rebirth #4 (Sep 2009)
- vs MARTIAN MANHUNTER: Green Lantern #44 (Sep 2009)
The Flash is making a television comeback -- and I don't mean the kid in the pleather cosplay!
The upcoming DC/CW "Elseworlds" crossover has revealed John Wesley Shipp back in the crimson suit he wore for 22 underrated episodes in 1990-91! Feast your eyes on a scintillating still shot shared to Twitter by Marc Guggenheim - and marvel at how excellent the recreation still looks!
The upcoming DC/CW "Elseworlds" crossover has revealed John Wesley Shipp back in the crimson suit he wore for 22 underrated episodes in 1990-91! Feast your eyes on a scintillating still shot shared to Twitter by Marc Guggenheim - and marvel at how excellent the recreation still looks!
When The Flash debuted on The CW in 2014, it was bittersweet to see Shipp appear as Barry Allen's wrongfully imprisoned father. Until 2011's New 52 relaunch, fans knew and loved three generations of scarlet speedster! Star Grant Gustin didn't particularly evoke any established version of Barry Allen, so the potential for Shipp to reprise his matured role next to a new Kid Flash seemed like a real no brainer!
As new properties scramble to play catch-up with the established worlds of comic books, this kind of use of real-life existing history seems like the next logical evolution - a unique advantage! As if to continually drive home how obvious the concept would've been: Amanda Pays and Mark Hamill even reprised versions of their roles as Tina McGee and The Trickster. Which is about all the reference you really need to the old 1990 show.
The CW could've continued on merrily with a fresh premise similar (but superior) to what we got. It would've just become a more natural coming of age story, with an existing Flash playing mentor -- perhaps stuck in the Speed Force -- instead of that weird mangled version of Professor Zoom they pulled. Other references from the old show would've been available if needed.
The 1990 Flash series will no doubt live again thanks to streaming services, and fans should be prepared to find a similar style of television adaptation. Back then, TV was synonymous with second-rate when it came to superheroes and most genre fiction. There still wasn't a whole lot of precedent, and the constraints of budget and technology were a lot more strenuous than they are today.
Rarity was one of the reasons I was so excited in 1990, but under further scrutiny, the show does a palatable job of making the most of what it's got. For one: The Flash costume was presented to look pretty fantastic!. In fact, seeing Shipp back in the suit - I dare say he still puts the CW to shame!
The old show didn't do comic book villains much better, with classics like Captain Cold and Mirror Master succumbing to so-so stunt casting, and off-the-rack non-costumes. Every fan worth their salt had some grumbling to do, but got over it because of novelty, the awesome realization of The Flash, and the fact that the best episodes featured original crime capers and terrific sci-fi drama!
There was also a strong aesthetic of eighties-deco in Central City, inspired by Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, with bizarre painted murals punctuating just about every location. You really need to see these backgrounds to believe it. They're insane and awesome! You couldn't expect a new show to recreate the city and interior sets -- budget was one of the things that took the original show down -- but some sense of a gentrified version of Central City would've been spectacular. I digress...
I don't know what to expect from Shipp's return to the red suit, or if it's even worth further confusing matters. After all, he's also already been re-cast as Jay Garrick in another previous attempt to make better use of TV's first (recurring) Flash.
The Elseworlds banner suggests the fun won't last for long, but it's sure as heck enough to make The Flash our Hero of the Week! You'll be able to tune-in to the three-part crossover in December, with Entertainment Weekly reporting Part 1 begins Sunday, December 9th on The Flash. Part 2 is Monday on Arrow, and Part 3 wraps it all up with Tuesday's episode of Supergirl.
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2 comments:
Maybe it's just met, but I absolutely loved the murals in the 1990s Flash TV series. Does anyone know who painted them? Since the series only lasted one season, it's hard to find a lot of specific information out there on production.
Haha. I loved them too! The aesthetic of the show in general is really nice. If you find out who painted the murals, be sure to let me know! I'll come back here if I come across anything.
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