Bartholomew Henry “Barry” Allen, a police scientist, who while working on a lab experiment one night, witnesses a lightning bolt shatter a nearby case full of volatile chemicals just to get caught in the way of the explosive mishap. Moments after, the dazed scientist comes to find himself surprisingly unharmed, but with the newly gained ability of super speed. These are the origins of the Scarlet Speedster better known as, The Flash.
Growing up, I’ve always been a diehard Superman fan (I have the scar to prove it). But when it came to The Flash, I have equally loved and appreciated the character. This is because he also embodies the very same incorruptible idealistic mentality of justice and selfless heroism that The Man of Steel or any other true superhero possesses. But what makes Barry Allen even more special is when he’s not moving near the speed of light, he is still an ordinary man… One who despite his precious gift can still make mistakes and come to harm like anyone of us.
What is it like to be The Fastest Man Alive? It’s this very question that has lead to so many great storylines found within the pages of a Flash comic. So why hasn’t it been adapted into the big screen yet? Well thankfully due to some buzz going around the web, this just might soon become a reality. As seen on Superherohype.com and IFC.com, it seems that screenwriter Dan Mazeau (Wrath of The Titans), has taken upon himself to include The Flash among his upcoming projects that currently involves film adaptations of the popular manga and anime series “Bleach,” and retro 60s animated series “Johnny Quest.”
So with a possible script underway, let us fan boys ponder the next logical question; how would The Flash visually look like on film? Last time The Flash bolted his way onto a live-action treatment in full costume, was on The Flash (TV series) which aired for one season (1990-1991) on the CBS Network starring double-Emmy Award winner John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen. The TV costume itself was designed by the super talented Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer), and till this day is my all-time favorite portrayal of the suit. With that said, this brings us to the other reason why I decided to write this blog entry… If anyone in connection to The Flash film project is reading this, I would want nothing more than to be part of it and even provide conceptual artwork.
In fact, I have already made some of my very own designs which I would like to share and hope it attracts attention from “The Powers That May Be.” So with no further ado, the following images are my interpretation of what The Flash costume would look like when adapted onto film.
As mentioned before, I’ve been a long-time fan of the suit Dave Stevens designed for the TV series; it served as my primary source of inspiration, so I couldn’t help but take elements from it and refine them a bit further within this design. As for the fabric and overall construction of the suit (which I’ll go more into depth in the following images), I wanted to bring a sense of both practicality and sleekness. I wanted to make this suit look like something a speed skater or professional skier would wear due to their need of perfect aerodynamics when dealing with great speeds.
The design for the insignia, mask, and wings were inspired by looking at the overall look of classical cars from the 1930s through the 1950s, especially when it came down to the hood ornaments. The Flash is a classic hero after all, so I felt it would be interesting to take those aesthetics and modify them into these modern designs to give the whole thing a timeless feel. Taking a closer look at the mask, I went with making it a solid piece of gear like that of a helmet. This is not only necessary because it serves as a practical safety measure (a guy running as fast as The Flash is bound to receive some kind of head injuries), but because if viewed from the side, I wanted it to give a little nod to the Original Flash, Jay Garrick. As most will know, Jay Garrick wore what seemed to be a World War I helmet with hood ornament-like wings attached to the sides. All I did is picture myself giving that to a Black Smith and having them hammer it into something that looked like the Silver Age Flash mask. In addition, I wanted the mask design to scream that particular streamline style which is in the spirit of those vintage cars I had previously mentioned, and have it match with the aerodynamic design of the suit. Finally, the wings (or hood ornaments as I would like to say), I wanted to design them in a way which gave them a purpose for being there. So logically, what’s better than to design those in a manner that makes them act much like spoilers which not only could help redirect airflow, but reduce aerodynamic lift and drag? I think The Flash would greatly appreciate that.
So there you have it, I’ll be coming up with more designs as they come to me and perhaps revise these as well. Till then, enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!
Johnny Tie Studios 
The concept looks amazing but incase they were to flip the script and decide he gets his powers through engineering. I would focus more on his boots, make them a bit more technological, like if he made boots that give him his power. Just a thought. Not sure how getting his powers the original way would play out in a live action.
Thank you kind, sir! Well as interesting as that is a cool concept you’re bringing up, I don’t think they would actually go and mess with the main fundamentals that makes up the Flash’s origins. If anything, I think they would modify or tweak the electrical mishap that gives Barry Allen his powers in one way or another. Other than that, I’ve never been very keen about movies straying too far away from the source material. But nonetheless, if this was in the context of an alternative universe or “what if” storyline, then it’s fun to ponder the idea.
That was bad ass and I’m trying to take a captain America pepakura helmet pattern and make the helmet design for my new flash costume I’m making. Any advice? email me at woodwardliam95@Gmail.com