It’s fair to say that in the pantheon of comic book and Superhero TV shows, CW’s The Flash is arguably one of the best on TV at the moment, somehow making many of the old TV clichés fresh and fun. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for this book. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it doesn’t do anything special, in many ways it’s a stretch to describe it as a ‘Making Of’ and an even bigger stretch to call it an ‘Art Of’ book.
The book starts with a nice forward from Greg Berlanti, before dedicating a few pages to The Making Of the series and then looking at each of the characters, how they came to be in series and their casting (which makes up the bulk of the book). The rest of the book is made up with a look at the series locations/sets and the gadgets, weapons and tech used in the series.
The book is stuffed full of photos (many of which we’ve seen before) and is presented beautifully, but it’s seriously lacking on the “Art Of” front, with just a few concept drawings and computer rendered costume ideas (all of which are so similar to the costumes used in the show, you kind of have to wonder what the point of including them was). But then, the book suffers from a case of having some substance, but no real depth. There are some nice insights into the series creation and development, but it’s mostly made up of things we’ve all heard or read before in numerous interviews. Admittedly the book seems to be aimed more at the young adult market than the seasoned comic book fans, but that shouldn’t be a reason to skimp on the details.
It’s not that the book is bad, it’s just that – with a character that has as rich a history as The Flash – it seems like a missed opportunity not too dedicate some of the book to the characters comic book history. Hell, given the way the series honours the 1990 series, a section dedicated to that series and how it impacted on the making of the new Flash series would’ve fitted in really well too.
Overall, it’s a nicely put together book that, although incredibly basic for the most part, is well worth picking up if you’re a superfan or find it reduced to a fiver in The Works!
THE ART AND MAKING OF THE FLASH / AUTHOR: ABBIE BERNSTEIN / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: 21ST OCTOBER
