In 2014’s The Flash starring Grant Gustin, Barry Allen was played bravely by John Wesley Shipp. The series originally aired on CBS and started strong with a movie-sized pilot that drew 22 million viewers, but failed to maintain momentum and was canceled after 22 episodes. Now The Flash (1990) is available on Blu-ray, featuring every episode in HD for the first time, and it’s easy to see why the series still has a cult following to this day.

"Who-ooo-osh! The origins and exploits of the crime-fighting DC Comics superhero unfold in this 22-episode live-action series. John Wesley Shipp stars as Barry Allen, a police-criminal technologist suddenly gifted after a lab accident. He vows to use his newfound powers for good, powers that include ultra-fast reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly that he can pass through solid walls. Amanda Pays plays medical examiner Tina McGee, who keeps tabs on Allen's accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Tricksters, Captain Cold, the Ghost, mad inventors: Central City is crawling with criminals. Now there's a hero to join them. He's The Flash. And in our age of instant communication, he's more in tune with the times than ever before," the synopsis reads.

When checking out The Flash (1990) Blu-ray, you’ll notice that much of the direction was clearly in the vein of Tim Burton’s Batman, which came out a year prior. For example, the muscle suit that Shipp wears looks aesthetically similar, and Danny Elfman even provided the series’ score alongside Shirley Walker, who would go on to do great work in Batman: The Animated Series. It’s not as odd as Burton’s version, though, as it ends up being a much more grounded superhero series than its CW counterpart or most superhero fare. Sure, there’s still plenty of zaniness as The Flash takes on over-the-top villains like Captain Cold and a clone of himself, but it all comes together to create a lighthearted and still watchable show that’s enjoyable for any DC fan.

I want to give a special shout out to the visuals on this set, as this is the first time the show has been seen in HD. Warner Bros. did a 4K scan for this 1080p release and the show looks fantastic. The picture and sound are both crisp and much better than they were on the DVD. Of course, the special effects couldn’t be redone, but it all holds up quite well and has a stylized look that works in the show’s favor. Kudos to Warner Bros. for giving it a proper treatment for the Blu-ray release and not just a quick upscaling.