I still think that The Flash 90's TV series had one of the best live action costumes ever. It's easily the best Flash costume. Even with a slightly redesigned cowl and incorrectly-colored boots, I prefer it to either the current movie or TV versions.
These two shared a more traditional comic book adventure in STF #1296...
I really wish that Marvel would launch a The Incredible Hulk '78. That was such a cool show. CBS has never been friendly to super-heroes. Even though it took Wonder Woman from ABC it was only for two seasons. The Hulk struggled through five. They pretty much stalled The Flash in the '90's. They started it at 7:30, after Shatner's Rescue 911...
ReplyDeleteI remember an interview with Bilson and DeMeo where they said the network suits originally liked the idea of a speedster superhero but had cold feet about putting him in the costume. They asked if maybe the Flash couldn't just be in something less comic book-y, like a red track suit. Bilson and DeMeo said, "Somebody already did that. It was called The Six Million Dollar Man."
ReplyDeleteWith the "red and green" team here, this really needs to be a Christmas comic.
I could see this working not only at the level of the hero characters, but at the level of their secret identities as well. Barry Allen, as a scientist, might not have been in Bruce, excuse me, David Banner's league but he surely would have recognized him.
ReplyDeleteCooler than Mr. Freeze and Capt. Cold, put together. :-)
ReplyDeleteAgree completely about Flash's suit on 90's show - much better than either CW series or movie version. The producers did same thing they did with GL movie - add lots of extra stuff to be different. DC even copied it with current post Flashpoint comic.
ReplyDeleteSo the spaceships in the background, us that from the TV mini-series V?
ReplyDeleteOrdinaryguy2
I must say, though, that John Wesley Shipp cuts a pretty decent figure in Jay Garrick's costume. I hope to see more of him in action this season (and possibly meet some other Earth-3 heroes).
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in an alternate reality where Bill Bixby lived at least another 20 years, this movie would have come after the Incredible Hulk: Resurrection movie (Originally titled 'Revenge of the Incredible Hulk') and the Nick Hammond Spider-Man team-up movie.
ReplyDeleteAlso, would love to see a cover featuring Ferrigno Hulk, Peter Hooten from 1978's Doctor Strange movie, and... hear me out and don't judge, but Patrick Duffy as the Man from Atlantis for a 'Defenders '78 tv movie (Marvel did in fact publish a Man from Atlantis comic in '78)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike above, but with the team being pulled together by TV's Nick Fury David Hasselhoff...
ReplyDeleteHe could be creating the "Defenders initiative"...
This cover is wonderful. I really love your live action covers almost as much as your original team covers.
Keep up the great work Ross. It is appreciated.
Thanks, Jack-El! There will be more Photo covers and team covers!
ReplyDeleteThe Flash series was a program looked forward to by the fans but they also expected it to be cancelled immediately. Back in 90's NBC ruled Thursday nights with an iron hand and the power house started at 7pm with the Cosby Show. The first show to come along and dent that iron hand was The Simpsons on Fox and CBS wanted to put the Flash on Thursday nights at 7pm. There was a cartoon that made the rounds show Bill Cosby and Bart Simpson holding a rope tripping the Flash causing him to fall on his face. CBS listened to it fans and aired the show at 7:30 pm. It ended up working for the show. It was cancelled after one season but only because by the time it ended it cost a million and episode and CBS could not afford it (remember this was a lot of money for a tv show in the 90's). Had it not been for the cost the Flash would have ran for at least a second seaon on CBS.
ReplyDeleteThe show was originally pitched to CBS as a team show called "Ultimate Powers." It was supposed to feature the Flash, Green Arrow, Dr. Occult, and Book (from the Legion), which is a kind of odd lineup, IMHO. The team idea was rejected in favor of a Flash solo series.
ReplyDeleteThat's Blok, not Book. Autocorrect strikes again.
ReplyDeleteScott -- it didn't help that CBS bounced The Flash around its schedule. Seven years later, the man who had been CBS' Vice President for Programming took responsibility for that, saying, "If we'd kept it in one place, it'd still be on today."
ReplyDeleteMore recently, the SFX crew from the show took partial, indirect responsibility for the same thing; they hadn't been able to keep up with the show's broadcast schedule, so there were always inevitable delays. Now technology has caught up with the character, and both John and Grant are looking good.
Ross -- I rather like "Defenders Initiative" idea that Mike and Jack-El posited. Since those are all Marvel characters, of course, you'd need vintage live-action DC villains to pit them against. The best I can think of is Darkseid's appearance on the final episode of Smallville.
I guess my team of live action DC super villians would include Giganta and Grundy from TV's Legend/Roast and Bizarro and Mr. Mxypitlic from Superboy series. Brainiac and Metallo and Silver
ReplyDeleteBanshee from Smallville. And Mad Hatter and Bookworm from the Batman TV show.
I second Mike Shirley's suggestion.
ReplyDelete@Ordinaryguy2: Either that, or Cylon basestars from BSG:TOS.
ReplyDeleteRe: The 70s Era Defenders TV proposal. There was an actual Sub-Mariner TV Movie in development by Universal studios in that era. Universal had optioned 6 characters from Marvel Comics for development as TV Movie Pilots and potential series. Here is a link to a 1977 Starlog article on the Marvel characters in question: https://bigglee.blogspot.com/2010/02/1977-starlog-marvel-superheroes-tv.html (Need to click on each page to read the article in its entirety) Of the six, Spider-Man, Hulk, Dr. Strange and Captain America made it to air. Subby and the Human Torch did not. Interestingly, Captain America is not mentioned in the article, while Torch and Namor are. The Universal option on the Torch during at the time was also the reason HERBIE the Robot was created for the Fantastic Four cartoon during the era, as the Torch was not available due to Universal holding his adaptation rights.
ReplyDeleteAs for the 1990s Flash series on CBS, it was also pre-empted numerous times to both World Series and Gulf War coverage, so it was never able to gain any audience traction. When you factored in the exhorbitant production costs against the Cosby/Simpsons powerhouse, the die was cast and it wasn't renewed. Agree about that Flash costume, that was a very under-rated superhero TV show!
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ReplyDeleteHmmm! I wonder if The Thinker is secretly working for Darkseid of Apokolips? It would certainly explain where he got that duplicate of the Mobius Chair at the end of this week's (otherwise forgettable) episode.
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