In the recent Batman-heavy years, darkness has done DC Comics good, especially on the big screen. From Nolan’s Batman films, to the dark and drab feel of Man of Steel, to the gritty and gothic Gotham TV series, DC has perfected this skill for the brooding and brutal so sharply that many fans even wondered aloud whether DC Comics had forgotten the fun and adventure that also existed within their characters and worlds. Well, no answer could dispute that notion more clearly than the brilliance and excitement that is The Flash TV series. DC Comics has just recently released The Flash: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of enjoying this amazing and addictive show, it is time to develop some super speed powers and catch up while you can!
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
The first season of The Flash tells the story of Barry Allen, a crime scene investigator who, as a child, witnessed the murder of his mother at the hands of an unknown metahuman who appeared as a yellow blur. While Barry’s father was wrongly convicted of the murder, no one believes Barry. When his father goes to prison, Barry is left in the care of a family friend, Detective Joe West of Central City Police Department. Joe’s daughter Iris grows up with Barry as her best friend, while he secretly carries a torch for her. When a radical science experiment results in Barry gaining the ability of super speed (and many other citizens gaining other unique and astounding powers), our young hero soon finds himself with a team of allies and a mission to use his abilities to protect the citizens of Central City and find the metahuman who killed his mother.
From the very beginning, The Flash exceeds all expectations. The show is a success for both the extremely geek and the uninitiated, creating a layered and complex world that is also easily digestible and ridiculously enjoyable. The entire cast is superb and charismatic, and lead actor Grant Gustin carries the series with a superhero-like ease. Given the mix of the slowly unraveling mystery from the past, the police procedural elements, and the show’s growing supernatural rogues gallery, the first season came off as a delicious blend of Smallville and Dexter that is easily appropriate for both younger and older audiences.
FINAL VERDICT: An absolute MUST WATCH for anyone with even the barest, most remote interest. The Flash is one of the most appealing and enjoyable series on television right now and is arguably the best of the current superhero TV crop (and mind you, this is coming from a big fan of both Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). If the upcoming seasons follow suit, I wouldn’t be surprised to see The Flash become similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the fashion that fans will only have to convince their friends to watch a handful of episode before they themselves become sucked in in a manner they never expected. Watch this series. You won’t regret a second of it.
If you want to learn even more about The Flash: The Complete First Season, be sure to visit the DC Comics official website.
That’s all for now, comic book sniffers!
‘Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer
@ComicBookSlayer
