Cooke Flash 01First off thank you for ARROW. You guys have far succeeded my expectations and made it into one of my favorite shows.  The first season was amazing, and so far, this season is just downright awesome!

It was announced over the summer that you’d be creating a Flash TV show. In “The Scientist” we are introduced to Barry Allen, amazingly played by Grant Gustin. And in “Three Ghosts” we end with Barry being struck by lightning and being splashed by chemicals, so we all know where this is going. But there have been several variations of the Flash, since the character first appeared in 1940 (technically not Barry Allen, but still there are some great elements there). And I think there are some elements that should be used and some avoided to make this series succeed as well (if not better) as ARROW.

  • Costume – It’s already been announced that the Flash will be wearing a costume in the TV show, so I’m not worried there. But look at the 1990 series, and don’t make a costume like that. In “Three Ghosts” Barry did talk about different types of fabrics. The ear wings are just a must. No skimping there. But seeing how this taking place in the “real world”, I wouldn’t be opposed to the costume having some type of goggles to protect his eyes. Kind of like what Impluse’s first costume looked like in the comics. But for the love of God, just stay away from what they are doing in the New 52.
  • Power Limitations – In the comics, a lot of Flash’s super-speed tricks work great. Vibrating through walls. Running through time. But in the TV show, he really needs to be limited to probably about faster than sound. I think something like the Flash running up walls and defying gravity would be really cool though.
  • No Ring – As cool as it is with the Flash keeping the costume all compacted in a ring, I just don’t see that working in the TV show. It just seems a little cheesy for me. You could get away without it.
  • Faster Metabolism – When Wally West took up the mantle of the Flash in the comics, writer Mike Baron had him have a faster metabolism.  So the more he used his powers, the more food he would need to fuel himself. The 1990 series used this as well. I think this is a great way to humanize the Flash, and not make his powers god-like. This gives him a weakness.
  • Public Hero – One of the great things about the Flash in the comics is how accessible is he to people. The police trust him. The people love him. And Central City is so glad to have him that they built an entire museum dedicated to him. He really  needs that in the TV show (not the museum…well not yet). He really has to be approachable when he’s in costume. There were times in the comic that the Flash was a bigger Boy Scout than Superman. It’s a must for the show.
  • No Gorillas – Don’t get me wrong, I love Gorilla Grodd and Gorilla City, but there’s no way it could ever work on TV. Best just not to touch it.
  • Bow Tie – C’mon! You can’t have Barry without his famous bow tie every once and while.

Now on to the supporting cast. Any TV show worth it’s weight has a strong supporting cast and that’s what The Flash needs. Now there have been rumors around the web about a casting call for Thawne (AKA Professor Zoom) and Ernie Hudson playing a Detective West, but nothing has been solidified yet. Being around for almost 70 years, you have a huge choice of characters.

We can assume that Iris West will appear but what about some other suggestions?

  • Jay Garrick – You can have him as either an older mentor to Barry or a younger version who is one of Barry’s co-workers and/or best friend
  • Detectives Fred Chyre & Jared Morillo – These guys would just make great supporting characters for the Flash.
  • Ralph Dibny – If you have the Flash, you have to have his pal Ralph. Not as an permanent character, but one who appears every so often. Make him a private detective. Maybe eventually have him stretch.
  • Keith Kenyon – In the comics, he’s the reformed super-villain Goldface. He’d be perfect character for Central City’s major crime head.
  • The Rogues – You can’t do a Flash show without the Rogues. We’ve all seen what you’ve done with the villains in ARROW, so no worries there. Only one small suggestion, with Captain Cold maybe have him use liquid nitrogen instead of a freeze gun.

So pretty much that’s my wish list. But I really trust you guys, and seriously looking forward to seeing it on the small screen.

And that’s a Flash Fact!!!

By Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher

An avid comic collector/reader for over 50 years and self-proclaimed professor of comicology, Brian originally started up the site Pendragon's Post to share his voice. Well, that voice has been shared and evolved into The Fanboy Factor. Brian is an advocate for remembering comic roots, and that we don't forget what was created in the past, and encourage everyone to read it as well. When not swimming in geek culture, he can be seen corrupting..introducing his young son to comics, much to his wife's chagrin.

2 thoughts on “Four Color Comments: An Open Letter To The Producers of THE FLASH”
  1. All good points, my friend. I like the goggles look. It’s a good update to the costume. Also would like to see Jay in there as well, especially since it looks like Barry’s a little on the younger side.

    Good stuff…

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