‘Arrow’ Has Found its ‘Flash,’ and He’s a Gleek

It's been a not-so-long and arduous search, but the producers of Arrow have found the young man who will take the part of Barry Allen in the second season of the series, and the potential spin-off series The Flash. His name is Grant Gustin, and if you don't know his name, then you're neither a fan of Glee or the recently defunk re-invention of 90210.

"I'm unbelievably excited. I've been a lifelong fan of DC Comics, so I can't be more honored and can't wait to get started," Gustin told The Hollywood Reporter.

As you'll recall, the addition of The Flash to Arrow's canon was announced at San Diego Comic Con. After Barry Allen appears in episodes 8 and 9, episode 20 of Arrow's second season will serve as a backdoor pilot to a potential Flash series that will premier during the 2014/15 TV season. Arrow co-creators Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and DC Comics co-publisher Geoff Johns will write the episodes and David Nutter will direct.

"When we first meet Barry Allen, he's just a forensic scientist ... an ordinary man," Kreisberg told reporters earlier this summer after The Flash was announced. Despite the grounded, realistic nature of Arrow, The Flash will still be the scarlet speedster we all know and love, and his alter ego Barry Allen will be a Central City forensic investigator and a bit of a comic book fanboy who's obsessed with the vigilante's exploits. The two worlds collide when a tragic case from Allen's past brings him to Starling City.

"We're also exploring a very personal story for Barry - life as a forensic scientist and the people around him, the tragedies and how he deals with them - in a very different way than Oliver Queen," explained Johns.

As for introducing super-powers into the previous ordinay world of Arrow, Kreisberg said, "There will be extraordinary events in the world and the characters will react in the same way."

"Part of the fun for the audience ... is to see how we view our Arrow take on the Flash legacy," he continued. "Some of it will feel very familiar to DC Comics, some of it hopefully will feel different, fresh and exciting. The same way we approached Arrow is the same way we're approaching Barry."

The second season of Arrow premieres next month on The CW. Sound off about the casting of Grant Gustin as The Flash below.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Dragon Con 2013: ‘Venture Bros’ Party, Costume Contest, & Photo Shoot

It's quickly become a yearly tradition at Dragon Con and it's an event I never miss: the official Venture Bros. party and costume contest hosted by Venture Bros. Blog. In years prior the party was always hosted in the Pulse Lounge which overlooks the Marriott lobby, but this year due to growing size and demand the party was moved to its own room in the bowels of the Hyatt. It sure made the party harder to find, and there was some outrage over being forced to lineup as if the party was a panel, but once inside (and once the bar showed up) tempers were calmed and everyone got down to business. I mean partying, everyone got down to partying.

Having more space definitely allowed for the party to get wilder than when we were all cramped in the Pulse Lounge, and since it wasn't out in the open there weren't any confused congoers wandering in and wondering what's up with all the butterfly suits. The lights were turned down low and with music provided by black Sunshine the atmosphere was perfect for a party. And since we were tucked away in our own room there were "bouncers" managing who entered in order to keep the room from exceeding capacity. Something I completely understand and appreciate, but what I didn't appreciate was the fact if I left the room to use the bathroom (which after a few drinks did become a necessity) I'd have to then stand in line and wait to get back in. Eventually, after frequently popping my head out to bug those watching the door if I could just run to the bathroom, I was allowed a quick potty break and reentry without having to stand in line. But still, I shouldn't have had to press this issue as much as I did.

All right, so there were some growing pains this year, but it in no way hindered the fun as I still had an absolute blast at the party. And even with the low lighting I managed to snag plenty of cosplay pics. Here's what I grabbed during the party,

And here are the chosen few selected for the costume contest,

And the winners were...

Augustus St. Cloud with PY and Pete White with his own Billy Quizboy.

Oh yeah, did I mention James Urbaniak was there? He not only helped host the costume contest but also took part in the judging along with Marilee Griffin and Holly Marie Gibbs of the Very Venture Vodcast and cosplayer extraordinaire, Kit Quinn. All the contestants receieved a poster of this awesome Venture Bros. infographic, and the two winners had their choice of either a bobble head of The Monarch or the Dr. Mrs.

I can't say I was too surprised to see many of the costumes coming from the latest season of The Venture Bros. but I was happy to see a few past costumes like Action Johnny, The Grand Galactic Inquisitor, and whatever the power plug villain is called that hangs out with Momma Longlegs. In fact, I believe those two were past winners of the costume contest.

After the costume contest the party winded down as we only had the room for a few more minutes, anyhow. The following day after the parade was when the official group photo was scheduled, though in the past this is something that'd happen right after the party. And unfortunately, I think the change in scheduling hurt what's typically a pretty epic group shot. It also didn't help that Urbaniak's panel was scheduled an hour after the photoshoot, so while the shoot was happening I figure most Venturoos were in line for the panel. Regardless, I took as many photos as I could. And hey, at least The Grand Galactic Inquistor was there because what's a Venture Bros. cosplay photo shoot with that guy, amirite?

All in all, it's evident Venture Bros. fans have a growing presence at the con. So much so, us Venturoos may require our own fan track at future Dragon Cons! Go Team Venture!