If you’re a Marvel Comics fan like me, and immediately binged watched Jessica Jones and Daredevil on Netflix and can’t possibly wait for The Luke Cage series that will be released sometime this year, you should consider the other spectrum that the world of comic book original series has to offer and venture to the DC universe.
The best way to get out of a superhero series rut is to just watch more, whether it be Marvel or DC. Though I’m rather unfamiliar with DC comics other than Batman and Superman, I felt that it was time to venture out of my comfort zone and experience heroes I was missing.
Although Jessica Jones and Daredevil are Netflix originals belonging to Marvel, The CW produced Arrow and The Flash, which belong to DC comics.
Arrow, released in 2012, stars Stephen Amell as a billionaire named Oliver Queen who goes by the alias The Green Arrow. The series follows his life after he is presumably dead when his yacht is lost at sea. The Green Arrow, unlike The Flash, is a vigilante. This basically means he doesn’t possess any extraneous powers, he is just highly skilled with a bow and arrow and doesn’t answer to legal authority.
Other than the obvious plot-line of taking out bad guys, The Arrow takes place in Starling City. The series has everything from action and romance to sci-fi and horror. Villains like Deadshot, “The Mayor” and The Dollmaker can all be seen, fighting against Oliver Queen as he protects his city.
Then The CW went on to make an even cooler DC series: The Flash. Released in 2014, The Flash follows the life of Berry Allen who is struck by lightning after a particle accelerator exploded, giving him super speed and better hearing abilities. That phenomenon made him an actual “textbook” superhero, who works side by side with law enforcement. Similar to Arrow ,The Flash takes place in Central City, which is in close proximity to Starling City.
There are several occasions in both series where The Flash and Arrow interact with one another in both Starling and Central City to fight villains and bring peace to their world.
The Flash has all the same thrilling elements of Arrow, and together I personally feel for the most part that they explain DC and what the comics stands for very well. Just by watching these two shows I feel that I have more thorough knowledge of DC characters.
If you watch these series and enjoy them just as much as I do, then you’re in for a treat because DC’s Legends of Tomorrow series premiered Thursday January 21, 2016 on The CW. This series takes superheroes, vigilantes and villains from both Arrow and The Flash to create an entire new series that follows them in their attempts to save the world.
So if you love superheroes or you just don’t have anything else to watch on Netflix and you’re in the mood for an thriller-action packed full of romance, both Arrow and The Flash are great watches. Arrow has 3 seasons on Netflix and The Flash has one, but if you have a subscription to Hulu most of the newer episodes can be found there. Either way, Marvel and DC comics are what makes the superhero world go round so don’t be to be biased, and give both a shot.
