No Flash in the pan superhero

The Flash.

Scarlet is the latest superhero colour. By Dominic Corry.

Despite arriving on the heels of a glut of shows featuring comic book characters (Gotham, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. et al), a new version of The Flash, which debuted this week on TV2, is stirring up a frenzy among fans. The high-speed superhero is the best-known character to get a TV show in the modern era, and there's something so darn appealing about that red suit.

"I feel powerful in it. I feel really cool in it. It's awesome," says Grant Gustin, who plays the lead in the show.

Gustin appeared as police scientist Barry Allen in a few episodes of last season's Arrow. The Flash is a spin-off from Arrow. In the first episode of his own series, Allen was caught in a giant explosion that left him great abdominal muscles and the ability to run incredibly fast.

Although excited to be involved, Gustin wasn't familiar with the Scarlet Speedster.
"To be honest, I didn't know too, too much about Barry Allen. I knew what The Flash's powers were. I kind of knew how he got his power. I didn't know the specifics of the origin story.

"This is the favourite character I've played so far in my young career. So I'm having the time of my life. I mean, he's just so endearing. He's so sweet. He's curious. He's a nerd, yeah. And now he's a superhero. There aren't that many better characters out there."

This The Flash marks itself apart from the fondly recalled 1990 live-action TV show by embracing, rather than running from, the character's deep comic-book mythology. It connects to the earlier series, however, by casting John Wesley Shipp (the 1990 Barry Allen) as the father of the main character in this show.

"All of us are huge fans of the original Flash," says executive producer Andrew Kreisberg.

"That show ended far too soon as far as we were concerned. And Greg [Berlanti, fellow executive producer] had worked with John on Dawson's Creek - he played Dawson's father.

"So when we were sitting down and talking about developing this series, all three of us were like, 'Whatever we do, we've got to get John Wesley Shipp.' I think he was sort of surprised that the show had meant as much to us and to a lot of people as it did, because

I think it ended far too soon for him as well.

"So [it was great] to get to have that link to the past and be able to have him be part of the show, and it's not just a gimmick, either. It's not a cameo. He's playing one of the most important parts on the show.

"So much of what Barry is doing, he's doing for his father."

As the first episode demonstrated, that father/son relationship is key to this version of The Flash. "Well, he's always wanted to help people," says Gustin of his character.

"I mean, his life goal is always to make up for what put his dad in prison and get him out and help his dad in any way he can. Now he has these powers and he can use them to help other people's families so nobody has to experience what Barry experienced when he was 11."

The 11-year-old Gustin, however, presaged his future as the Fastest Man Alive.

"I actually was very fast as a kid but, ironically, I hated running.

"And I quit soccer because I thought it was ridiculous that we were running back and forth."