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InPrimetime | The Countdown to “CRISIS” has Begun!

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The most anticipated primetime event of the season gets an airdate! The countdown to The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” 5-part crossover is imminent!

Some worlds will live and some worlds will die, but one thing is certain… The CW’s primetime landscape may never be the same after this season’s widely anticipated crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” hits the DC television universe. Teased at the end of last season’s “Elseworlds” 3-part event, which set-up an impending threat to the extended DC primetime universe will continue with an endgame that will shake the foundation of the multiverse. The result will undoubtedly be felt across all The CW’s superhero shows.

The 5-part epic was the cornerstone of the network’s introduction at this year’s Upfront, the annual media gathering where the competing network’s reveal to advertisers what they have on the slate for the coming season. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” does not aim to disappoint and will straddle the winter hiatus with five interconnecting episodes across the primetime series, not excluding Black Lightning starring Cress Williams which has been reported will play a role in the crossover event as well.

The event may also signal the end of the “Arrowverse” as the series enters into its final and Eighth Season with a 10-episode run, as something new is promising will emerge after “Crisis” concludes. The Flash show runner Eric Wallace has suggested that especially for Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, the season will be divided into two-acts with the second half dealing with the post-effects of “Crisis”. Fans are certainly hopeful that in the fallout, series like Supergirl which exists on a parallel earth (Earth-38) will be integrated into a Prime-Earth.

Save the Dates

The television series and “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event will be impacted by the winer hiatus, pitting the second half of the story arc to air five weeks later and concluding in 2020; that is presumably when Arrow will be entering into its final episode and the team show DC’s Legend of Tomorrow returns for its Fifth Season. It’s likely that is also when returning series Black Lightning will be wrapping up its Third Season (making way in its time slot for Legends to move in). Here’s a breakdown of the airdates for The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event:

  • Supergirl “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 1, Sunday, December 8, 2019 8pm.
  • Batwoman  “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 2, Monday, December 9, 8pm.
  • The Flash “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 3, Tuesday, December 10, 8pm.

Then, five weeks later…

  • Arrow ”Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 4′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 8pm.
  • DC’s Legends of Tomorrow “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 5′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 9pm.

Starting Line-Up

Though the guest starring list of actors to appear in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” continues to grow, it was recently announced that Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the critically acclaimed series Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond will be appearing as the Bruce Wayne of the Batman Beyond era, leading many to speculate of the costumed appearance of Terry McGinnis’ futuristic Dark Knight. Among other famous faces said to be partaking of the crossover spectacle are Lynda Carter said to be reprising her role as Wonder Woman, and Burt Ward who played Robin in the 60s television iteration of Batman.

Tom Welling who starred as a young Clark Kent in 10 Seasons of Smallville is also suggested will be appearing as his earth’s Superman. In fact there will be at least three Supermen appearing during the crossover. DC’s Legends headliner Brandon Routh who inherited the cape and debuted in Superman Returns famously revealed at SDCC this year that he’ll also reprise his role as the Man of Steel, with Tyler Hoechlin returning as the Superman of Earth-38, Supergirl’s (Melissa Benoist) Kryptonian cousin. Jon Cryer is also on board as Lex Luthor.

LaMonica Garrett will also be pulling double duty! He’ll be playing the man at the center of all the machinations The Monitor and his evil twin The Anti-Monitor. Another CW series favorite that will be returning for the crossover event is John Wesley Shipp; fans are hopeful he’ll be returning as The Flash of Earth-90, the Barry Allen that Shipp played in his 1990 CBS series, which is also soon hitting a milestone. Shipp’s landmark series will be turning 30! It is also speculated that the actor will be appearing this season on The Flash as The Golden Age, Jay Garrick.

Stay tuned as more is revealed of this season’s most climatic television event!

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Collectible, DC Entertainment, Featured

UnBoxing | Icon Heroes THE FLASH (Earth-90) Collectible Statue

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Straight out of last season’s “Elseworlds” crossover event Icon Heroes delivers a stunning collectible reproduction of The Flash (Earth-90) to add to your book shelf!

Last season’s CW, DC TV primetime crossover event “Elseworlds” left an indelible mark on its audience! Over the course of the 3-night event that brought the casts of Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl our heroes found themselves in the midst of an adventure unlike any they’ve ever encountered before. Certainly the annual event that marks the winter hiatus for The CW series has become the network’s most anticipated spectacle of the year. In the past, the show’s heroes faced an alien invasion, and fended off Nazis from an alternate-earth.

This past year, the shows’ show-runners decided to focus on the three bigger stars of the “Arrow-verse” Stephen Amell, Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist and open the door to a bigger crisis facing their future, all the while opening the playing field and introducing Gotham City’s enigmatic Batwoman (portrayed by Ruby Rose), but the crossover’s greatest moment came with the reintroduction of an original primetime favorite — The Flash as he was originally played by actor John Wesley Shipp was introduced into canon as “The Flash” of Earth-90!

Blast from the Past!

After the success of Tim Burton’s theatrical imaging of Batman in 1989, Warner Bros. was in search of the next DC Comics property to exploit. The answer came in the form of The Flash which was realized as a primetime series by television producers Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo and starred John Welsey Shipp as the titular character, Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, CSI investigator Barry Allen — The Flash! Although the series only lasted for one season on CBS in 1990, it made a considerable impression with fans.

With the success of Smallville and subsequently Arrow the time seemed right to reintroduce the super-powered character into primetime. The Flash returned to television in 2014 starring Grant Gustin in the lead role, and would feature Shipp as Henry Allen, Barry Allen’s father. In an interesting twist, in the same season that Henry met an untimely end at the hands of one The Flash’s enemies, Shipp was reintroduced into the mythology as another speedster — the Crimson Comet, Jay Garrick — The “Golden Age” Flash.

Standing Tall

The “Elseworlds” storyline gave the writing staff the unique opportunity to push the envelope of the Arrow-verse’s multiverse, and integrated Shipp’s “Flash” from 1990 (hence, Earth-90) into the story arc to face off against a strange interloper, a threat known as The Monitor! Icon Heroes an innovator in creating quality license pop-culture collectibles has captured The Flash (Earth-90) as the hero appeared in “Elseworlds” in a stunning 8.6 inch Limited Edition statue available exclusively through GameStop here.

Icon Heroes is also promising a statue of “The Flash” (Grant Gustin) as the hero appeared in Season 5 of the hit series, sporting his new, very streamlined outfit that harkens back to the 1990 series design.

THE FLASH (Earth-90) Collectible Statue | Icon Heroes | $79.99 available through GameStop or on the website here.

DC Entertainment, Exclusive, Featured, Primetime Series

iReview | THE FLASH (Classic Series) – Episode 16 “Deadly Nightshade”

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Heading into the 30th Anniversary of “The Classic” television series The Flash ventured into primetime superhero territory and proved that thrilling storytelling along with special effects yielding a legacy worth reexamining.

It’s nearly impossible now to imagine a primetime landscape that doesn’t encompass a series based on a superhero property or fantasy fiction. The CW relies on an entire interconnected “Arrowverse” that features many of DC Comics most prominent players, including The Flash. Just wrapping up its Fifth Season after celebrating a 100th episode and venturing into the crossover epic “Elseworlds”, Grant Gustin has protected Central City as its greatest hero, but recently ran into his 1990 alter-ego The Flash of Earth-90, 1990 that is.

On the heels of the success of Tim Burton’s Batman WB sought avenues to get many of its other DC properties off the ground, including a primetime hour-long live-action series based on one of its most enduring commodities. The Flash starred John Wesley Shipp and premiered on CBS in 1990, and took on a darker and more muscled up approach to the retelling of the superhero’s origin story. CSI investigator Barry Allen (Shipp) was expectedly struck by lightning and given his super speed, but he didn’t immediately run head first into the role as his city’s defender.

Though he’s returned to form in several incarnations on the 2014 reboot of The Flash, as Henry Allen, the “Golden Age” Flash/Jay Garrick, Shipp most recently suited up to bring his 1990 Flash, the Barry Allen of Earth-90 into the multiverse of the “Arrowverse”. A new threat is coming, a potential crisis that will test the mettle of our heroes — The Monitor has foreseen it, and he’s deemed our heroes worthy. The Flash of Earth-90 traversed the multiverse to warn his Earth-1 counterparts about The Monitor’s plan, but was “folded” away before he could join the fight.

John Wesley Shipp starred as The Flash in his CBS primetime series that premiered on September 20, 1990, almost 30 years ago, and ran for one season with total of 22 episodes. A critical hit, developed by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo the series was for its time the most expensive live action series in production at WB, and just became a challenge to sustain; the network also kept moving the show’s dedicated time slot around. That made it a bit of a challenge for The Flash to maintain its audience. Ultimately the show was cancelled. The final episode aired on May 18, 1991.

Case File: “Deadly Nightshade”

In the 16th episode of the season, the socialite granddaughter of a wealthy publishing mogul, Felicia Kane (played by Jeri Ryan) is being held for ransom by an urban radical militia. While in the midst of negotiating her release with the Central City Police Department, the group’s hideout is attacked by a masked gunman using the name and the M.O. of the 50s era vigilante known as “Deadly Nightshade”. As the salvo of gunfire is heard on the police phone, CSI investigator Barry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) listens closely as Julio Mendez determines the location of the lair.

With the room momentarily distracted, Allen takes the opportunity to race to the scene of the crime in his alter ego as the Scarlet Speedster, The Flash. He arrives in time to survey the carnage and finds Ms. Kane is shock. Later, Rebecca Frost (Denise Crosby) a psychologist, determines that the actions of vigilantes, like Deadly Nightshade and The Flash are to blame for the rise in crimes and the victims, like Ms. Kane, get caught in the crossfire. Frost’s supervisor is Dr. Desmond Powell (Jason Bernard) and like Barry, he doesn’t necessarily agree with the good doctor’s assessment.

Powell has a unique insight into the matter; he was the original vigilante known as the Deadly Nightshade and doesn’t take it kindly to the threat of an imposter, Curtis Bohannan (Richard Burgi) who is determined to carry out his own vendetta. Bohannan intends on assuming the secret identity of Central City’s only hero and her intends on wearing a suit of armor to exact his form of justice. If he can take down The Flash, he will become unstoppable! The Flash and Powell team up, once again, to stop their common foe.

Best Parts

In classic comic-book fashion, the episode presents the brave and the bold pairing of the contemporary super speedster teaming up with his “Golden Age” mentor. Barry Allen first meets Desmond Powell’s alter ego in the episode “Ghost in the Machine” establishing that The Flash wasn’t Central City’s first costumed hero. Barry reveals his secret identity to Desmond in this adventure, suggesting that the two would have crossed paths again. Powell’s vigilante Deadly Nightshade appears to be pattered after an amalgamation of Golden Age DC Comics heroes.

The episode also begins to point in the direction that The Flash is being perceived as a “hero” — a crime fighter —  working alongside the CCPD, and is not the danger that Rebecca Frost suggests, but someone that might inspire hope. Shipp has often eluded to the dynamic changes his costume went through during the season, and it is most evident in this episode that certain modifications to the suit were made to make it appear more streamlined and proportioned to Shipp’s own physique. There’s even a scene where The Flash pulls the cowl back while in Powell secret hideout.

Besides spotlighting two Star Trek alumni; Denise Crosby and Jeri Ryan both make impressionable appearances in this episode, “Deadly Nightshade” reveals how much promise and potential there was in The Flash and the possibilities that might have been had the series gotten a Second Season. When The Flash of Earth-90 appears in the prologue to this past season’s crossover event “Elseworlds” he is the last man standing in what might have been an epic confrontation, but the battlefield is covered with costumed characters — a league that may have been in a Season 2.

John Wesley Shipp reprising his role as The Flash of Earth-90 in this season’s crossover event “Elseworlds”.

The Flash (Classic Series) | “Deadly Nightshade” (Season 1 | Episode 16) starring John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays and Alex Désert directed by Bruce Bilson written by John Francis Moore & Howard Chaykin and guest starring Jason Bernard with Richard Burgi and Denise Crosby. [Original Airdate: March 28, 1991]

The Flash (Classic Series) is available on the DC Universe subscription service and also on iTunes.

Comic-Con, Featured, iEditorial

iFeature | JOHN WESLEY SHIPP A Flash of Infinite Possibilities

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The Flash star has been across all parts of the multiverse and back, most recently in the “Elseworlds” crossover! Hitting the convention circuit in 2019, the actor is open to all new adventures!

For John Wesley Shipp the idea of stepping back into the suit that immortalized his place in genre-fandom may have been the most surreal moment of his 40 years in entertainment. Nonetheless as Kate Main and the rest of the expert costuming team responsible for suiting up the most popular DC heroes in primetime put the final touches on the suit, when John looked back at the image of himself as the Scarlet Speedster from his 1990 version of The Flash the déjà vu of it all wasn’t lost on him.

He had (almost) made a vow to himself after his 1990 CBS series was cancelled that he’d never get into another superhero suit, and would eventually find himself stepping into the famous boots and tipping the rim of the Golden Age speedster “Jay Garrick” after “Henry Allen” met his fate in the second season of the contemporary reimagining of  The Flash starring Grant Gustin. Shipp has said that after shooting his scene in the final episode “The Trial of the Trickster,” as soon as they yelled “Cut!” he ripped off his cowl and flung the wing-tipped earpieces into the air.

The episode’s guest star Mark Hamill dove headfirst after the now iconic items, adding them to his own extensive collection, preserving a piece of cinematic history. Cut to nearly 30 years later and the earpieces were faithfully reconstructed in order to recapture the look of the original suit so that The Flash of Earth-90 could make a significant appearance in this year’s CW “Elseworlds” crossover event, hinting at an inevitable “crisis” that is threatening our primetime multiverse. Though it appears that Earth-90 is left a wasteland, will its Flash play a part in the sequel next fall?

Anything can happen it would seem now that The CW primetime multiverse has opened the door, and it certainly expanded the possibilities for Shipp to play a significant role in the impending “Crisis on Infinite Earths” expected next fall. For Shipp who climbed onboard the series and proven an integral fan favorite as both Henry and Jay Garrick, the “Golden Age” Flash of Earth-3, adding his Earth-90 Barry Allen into the mix certainly has set-up some intriguing ideas that fans hope the writers will exploit. In the meantime, John Wesley Shipp will be appearing live in a city near you!

John Wesley Shipp appeared as The Flash of Earth-90 (1990 that is) for this season’s epic crossover event. Here he is alongside the headlining trinity in primetime including Melissa Benoist, Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin.

Making the Rounds

The actor has proven among one of the most popular guests on the comic-con circuit and appreciates the opportunity to meet with his fans across the country as well as all over the world. Last year he enjoyed a rock star reception when he appeared in Lima, Peru and will soon be heading to Mexico City, invited by his fans in Mexico to bring them up to speed on what the Scarlet Speedster has been up to. Having fulfilled every fanboy on the planet’s greatest wish, including executive producer Marc Guggenheim’s, with the 1990 Flash now part of the Arrowverse.

Although fans imagined that when Shipp returned to participate in the annual crossover spectacle he would have worn the familiar attire of his Crimson Comet from Earth-3, rebuilding and revisiting the suit from the 1990s series certainly proved one of the long-running series’ greatest moments of the latest season. Propelling even more nostalgia was the appearance of The Kent’s farm from Smallville which also served as the home of Earth-38’s Super Family including Supergirl Melissa Benoist and her famous cousin.

No doubt when Shipp hits the convention scene fans will have numerous questions, especially about the fate of his Earth-90 Flash after the Monitor “folds” him out of the climatic second chapter of the “Elseworlds” event and of course if he’ll return for the promised “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover this fall. One thing that is certain are the infinite possibilities open now for John Wesley Shipp to interact with the Arrowverse whether as Jay Garrick or Earth-90 Flash. Fans are hopeful that the “Barrys of Two-Earths” will cross multiverses before the next crisis event!

Check out the Events Calendar for all of John Wesley Shipp’s upcoming comic-con appearances in 2019.

Exclusive, Featured

Exclusive | GREG BERLANTI Receives the Founders Award from the International EMMYS® at event in NYC

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The superstar producer of hit series The Flash, Arrow, Blindspot and surrounded by his closest colleagues and cast members of his shows receives one of the Television Academies highest honors at a gala event in New York City.

Super-producer Greg Berlanti has become synonymous with the televised DC universe. Since launching the hit Arrow based on the Green Arrow comic book hero, seven seasons ago on The CW, Berlanti and his production team have created a multiverse in primetime that have included a reimagining of The Flash and since introduced DC’s Legends of Tomorrow along with giving the Girl of Steel Supergirl an entire new audience to thrill to her adventures! 

The CW’s primetime landscape has since emerged the true blockbuster platform for DC heroes, often overshadowing their cinematic counterparts, consistently proving themselves a ratings hit. The CW primetime line-up has since expanded to include another DC hero Black Lightning now in its Second Season.

Over the course of his two decades in television Greg Berlanti has evolved into one of the industry’s most innovative creators determined to provide storylines that benefitted from realizing true-life examples of diversity and inclusion of all social representations. His DC adaptations have the most culturally diverse casts, given fans LGBTQ super heroes to relate to including the first transgender superhero in primetime, and demonstrated that comic book characters make for great entertainment so long as there is heart, humor to go along with the spectacle of it all.

John Wesley Shipp, star of the 1990 “The Flash” and Dawson’s Creek” returned to the superhero world in the 2014 reboot on The CW produced by Greg Berlanti.

The International Emmys® celebrated Greg Berlanti and honored the entertainment mogul with the Founders Award for his prolific career, that currently includes 14 series in production across multiple platforms including primetime television, subscription services like Netflix and the new DC Universe, and feature films. With his longtime colleague Julie Pleck (Dawson’s Creek and Roswell) presenting Berlanti with the award, the producer thanked his team of producers who not only work on The CW DCTV catalog, but also on hit series Blindside for NBC and Riverdale also on The CW.

Sullivan Stapleton (“Blindspot”) introduced Julie Pleck who presented Greg Berlanti with the Founders Award.

The evening was made all the more special with the presence of many of the casts of Berlanti’s productions who presented awards including John Wesley Shipp (from Dawson’s Creek and The Flash), Violett Beane (The Flash and God Friended Me), Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot), Brandon Michael Hall and Javicia Leslie (God Friended Me). The 46th International Emmy® Awards Gala were held in New York City, at the Hilton New York in the heart of the city’s Theatre District.

Coming Soon, DC Entertainment, Featured, In Primetime

ICYMI | The Latest ELSEWORLDS Image Revealed!

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On the latest image released from The CW’s upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover event, the prime time Trinity are front and center…with a little help from a friend.

With only weeks until the highly anticipated “Elseworlds” crossover takes over The CW’s primetime landscape, the folks behind the DC series have shared another image, this one putting the network’s “trinity” of leads front and center and joined by one of the surprise guest stars that have been announced will be part of this year’s event. Supergirl Melissa Benoist, Arrow star Stephen Amell (cast as the Scarlet Speedster) and The Flash lead Grant Gustin in the archer’s hood, stand at the ready alongside John Wesley Shipp wearing a redo of his “Flash” suit from 1990.

The image mirrors the behind-the-scene still that was released several works ago which revealed guest star Shipp suited up as The Flash when he starred in the CBS 1990 series. Many fans attribute that series with reigniting the genre fandom as superheroes began to take a more mainstream take in popular culture largely due to the success of director Tim Burton’s Batman. There’s still plenty about this season’s “Elseworlds” story arc that is still much of a mystery including the introduction of Ruby Rose as Gotham City’s own Batwoman and the return of Superman.

What is being promised is a more streamlined storyline that puts the focus squarely on the Arrowverse primetime leads, the “trinity” of characters so to speak. In the past the crossover had ballooned to include the casts of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow which would often bring the total number of the ensemble to well over 25 heroes taking on that week’s threat of the week. Last year’s “Crisis on Earth-X” truly reached a  blockbuster level of production. This year the series’ show-runners decided to scale it down if just a bit, but the stakes are just as high as ever!

Towing The Line

Entertainment Weekly had the honor of releasing the first “official” image from one of the upcoming crossover episodes that reveals the lead stars all front and center, joined by guest star Shipp. Though much of the storyline is still a secret — and cudos to the production staff for keeping it hidden from fans — the “Elseworlds” storyline as often illustrated in the comics presents adventures in “alternate realities”. With Oliver (Amell) and Barry (Gustin) obviously swapping roles, and the intrusion of DC Comics world-watching Monitor also part of the arc, the multiverse may be facing a new crisis.

The primetime trinity assembles with the help of a Flash from the past in the latest image reveal from the upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover event featured in Entertainment Weekly [ew.com].
Our three heroes strike a familiar pose preparing to take on whatever challenge “Elseworlds” presents. The 3-part event will take them out of their usual haunts as they all converge on Gotham City joining forces with Batwoman and even getting some help from the Man of Steel.

The series stars have noted that though the script has been toned down to just 3-parts, the scope of the story is bigger than ever! The crossover event’s production scheduled also afforded the team the luxury to coincide with the series hiatus, closing out the first half of most of the primetime line-up. The shows will take a break returning in January, with the exception of DC’s Legends which will return to wrap-up its season in April; it’s Monday night time slot will be temporarily taken over by Black Lightning moving over from its usual time on Tuesday night following The Flash.