The CW’s ‘The Flash’ Has Finally Embraced the Graphic Novel
Warning: spoilers for the sixth season of The Flash.
I debated on writing this article until after the finale of The CW’s sixth season of The Flash. I figured this would turn out to be more of a review of the season as a whole. However, after reading a great piece on TV Guide about how the show embraced one of its lead character’s blackness, I felt inspired to examine my thoughts on the show thus far.
Speaking of the fearless reporter, let’s start with Iris West-Allen. While I can’t personally speak to the ways in which her character (and the show) has benefited from having a black showrunner this year, I can say that this is my favorite version of Iris we have seen thus far (more on that later).
Going into this season, showrunner Eric Wallace and his team of writers made the great decision to split season six into two individual but related arcs. Other shows have done this in the past (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Heroes come to mind) and arguably benefited from the more focused storytelling (look, let’s not get into Heroes post-season one). The first arc gave us a story in which the titular hero, Barry Allen, was preparing for his “inevitable” death in the network’s largest crossover yet, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
This plotline offered opportunities for much of the cast to re-examine themselves and who they are without Barry and The Flash in their lives. Cisco (played by the underrated Carlos Valdes) was forced to confront the idea of life without his best friend and whether he was fit to lead the team in Barry’s absence. Caitlin/Frost realized how much she had deprived a literal half of herself from living the most authentic version of her life (#relatable). And Iris, once again, stepped up to the plate, ready to face a world without her husband head-on.
Wait. Haven’t we seen this before?
Sure. Network television based on comic books is not where I expect to be surprised by the lead character’s mortality, or immortality as it were. Too many times has Iris had to confront the idea that her super-powered husband may not come home to her.
Shocker: he does.
Get Michael Fossbakk’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
In fact, just a couple years ago, Iris watched, powerless, as Barry left to become one with the Speed Force in order to atone for the Speedster equivalent of a Cardinal Sin (#comicbooks), leaving his friends and family behind…for less than one episode.
Of course, the audience knew that with a new season around the corner and Grant Gustin set to reprise his role as The Flash, it wouldn’t be long before we saw the Scarlet Speedster again. But, while we didn’t hold our breath, Iris certainly did. As she said in one of their couples therapy sessions shortly after his return in season four, “You left me, Barry, you just left me…how could you do that?”
That’s not to say Iris didn’t plan on mourning her husband post-Crisis. Rather, the bravery with which she met this horrible news (again) is indicative of the version of Iris we are finally seeing on The Flash. This is an Iris that is prepared to meet any challenge with fearless determination.
Now, two years later, Iris has had to deal with more trauma and grief than most people her age and it shows. The Iris of today isn’t going to wait for things to happen to her or for others to save the day while she supports them from the sidelines. While Iris has always been a reporter on the show, it’s in season six that that part of her character really shines. She has her own business, her own team and, most importantly, she’s spent just about every minute on-screen this season chasing stories she believes in because she knows the importance of speaking truth to power.
That brings us to a storyline whose seeds were planted in the first half, or “graphic novel,” of this season: Black Hole. This criminal organization has, seemingly, been at the root of, well, a lot. After Team Citizen’s first lead on this nebulous syndicate is mysteriously killed with UV radiation, a signature of the newly-introduced supervillain Ultraviolet, it isn’t until the post-Crisis dust has settled that Black Hole is brought to the forefront in season six’s second graphic novel premiere, episode 10, “Marathon.”
This was where we really got to see Iris take charge and ownership of the narrative by investigating Black Hole, following up with her inside source and placing herself in the literal line of fire to get the truth. (That line of fire came courtesy of the show’s re-imagined “Dr. Light,” a character that received a reboot in the multiverse-changing aftermath of Crisis).
Black Hole seems to be the focal point of antagonism for Team Flash and Team Citizen, and that extends to a long-stewing Ralph Dibny sub-plot: The Missing Case of Sue Dearbon. Sue was officially introduced in episode 12 and she is a breath of fresh air. Not only does she deceive the viewer and Ralph as to what her true motivations are, but she does it with personality and style that is hard not to like. What’s more, as we saw in episode 12’s stinger, Sue’s story seems to be wrapped up in Black Hole, too.
For my money, weaving together multiple, separate storylines that ultimately tie together is the mark of a good showrunner. While the first half of this season revolved around a newcomer to The Flash’s Rogues Gallery, Bloodwork seemed to have met his narrative end before the multiversal crossover, Crisis. While I don’t know if Bloodwork will see a resurgence in the back half of this season, judging by the finesse I’ve seen from Wallace and team, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Where past seasons of The Flash have tried to stretch what could arguably have been a 13-episode story arc (maximum) into an entire 22–23-episode season, season six has opted for a more focused approach. The first of two graphic novels this season comprised the first nine episodes, while the second novel will be composed of the final 13 episodes. Truthfully, this is network television taking a note from premium cable’s playbook (where most season-long stories are told in roughly 10 episodes) and still managing to appease network executives by producing the promised 22–23 episodes for the season. It’s a welcome change and one I hope gets applied to other Arrowverse shows in the future.
Looking ahead, we have Gorilla Grodd in the next episode and Wally West one episode later. I don’t know how or if those two Flash namesakes will play a part in the Black Hole storyline, but, for the first time in a long time, I can’t wait to find out.
