The Flash Season Zero #3 (Comics Review)

CW’s third superhero property to-date, The Flash, kicked off this week to great fanfare as Barry Allen aka The Flash returned to television after a very, very long hiatus. It was certainly an excellent episode, made better by the fact that we are continuing to see some great side-stories in the companion comic, The Flash: Season Zero which details some early adventures of DC’s Scarlet Speedster. In the first couple issues we’ve seen a bank robbery and the debut of the villain named Strong Man, and it has been a great experience so far, but now it seems as if things are kicking into superdrive..

The Flash: Season Zero #3 came out a few days ago and I have to say that after how good the first couple issues were, I was really excited about this one and I loved it as much as I did the previous one. We saw more of a second villain in this issue, with a third one teased, and we also got to see some great stuff with Barry’s foster father Joe West and his (Joe’s) partner Eddie Thawne, who is secretly seeing Joe’s daughter Iris. Some really great stuff about how Barry feels about his dear foster-father and his partner, and some great details on the secondary villain who was teased last issue.

The new issue largely deals with Barry trying to act as an animal handler for all the animals that escaped from the Central City Zoo in the previous issue, thanks to a certain supervillain who has an affinity with animals, particularly snakes. This issue, written once again by Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walczak off Andrew Kreisberg’s story, showcases some of the best of classical Barry, the way he is able to joke in the middle of a crisis and thus put the reader at ease, or just the way that the different characters interact or are developed, or even just the setting itself.

One of the minor details in the show is that Detective Eddie Thawne is kind of an insufferable show-off and that he takes credit where it is not due, or something along those lines. In the pilot of the show we see him taking credit for capturing a mugger that Barry couldn’t, thanks largely to his service weapon, and in this issue we see that happen again, though this time Barry did save the day and the people. I find that I am very curious as to the direction that this particular character is going, given that he is one of Flash’s greatest villains in the comics, and that he has been neatly inserted into Barry’s life in the show.

The other thing is that we get to see more of the villain who has been pulling the strings for Strong Man and the other villain in this issue, the one with the reptile fascination. For a new show, it is important to create a great, core cast of villains, and The Flash: Season Zero #3 contributes very well in that regard. Strong Man was already a hit in the previous issues, and in this one things aren’t that different either. The big villain is being set up quite nicely and I am very interested to see how things go from here and whether he is indeed going to be a major threat for Barry.

And finally, there’s Barry’s supporting cast, his team members Caitlin and Cisco. They are awesome on the show and that applies to this one as well because the writers give them both a great run, staying true to the television-verse that they are a part of. Which is all that one can ask for really.

Phil Hester is the artist here with Eric Gapstur on inks, Kelsey Shannon on colours and Deron Bennett on the letters. The issue is crammed full of some great typical artwork from Phil, with his trademarked sharply-defined characters. Plus he draws a really great Barry, whether in suit or out of it. The character’s look has been one of the biggest draws of the show for me, and it is nice to see that reflected so well in this issue and in such a way as well. I certainly loved it all, especially he nice contrasts and compliments of the colours with the artwork.

Another incredibly strong issue from this team!

Rating: 9/10

More The Flash: Season Zero: #1-2.