The Flash: Season Zero #1 - A Review

Adaptations are a tricky thing in any medium. Readapting something into its original medium is even trickier on those rare occasions when it occurs. And yet, that is what we have with The Flash: Season Zero - a comic series based on an as-of-yet unaired television show that is itself based on one of the most famous comic book heroes of all time.


Thankfully, this first issue makes no assumptions as to the reader's familiarity with The Flash mythos.  The script by Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walcazk (based on a story by Andrew Kreisberg) does a fine job of explaining everything for first-time Flash fans while keeping things interesting for those who know the DC Universe backwards, forwards and sideways.

We are quickly (no pun intended) introduced to Barry Allen and are shown how he gained the power of super-speed.  This information is relayed to us in flashback, as Allen's life flashes before his eyes whilst in the middle of a fight with a super-strong bank robber.  We are also introduced to the supporting cast from the show and learn a fair bit about Barry as a person as we see him at work in both his secret identity and as a superhero.  For instance, he's definitely an animal lover and he tends to pets as well as people in the midst of a crisis.


The pencils for this first issue are handled by longtime Green Arrow artist Phil Hester.  Hester's one of the best action-illustrators in the business and he perfectly captures The Flash's sense of motion on every page.  The inks by Eric Gapstur are a little heavy at times and the darker look of these pages seems at odd with the usually bright aesthetic that is typical of a Flash comic.

That said, the artwork is still uniformly excellent and any newcomers to the world of The Flash will find this a most welcoming entry point.  If you're planning on catching The Flash this fall, you should be reading this book.