We caught a hint of it last week, when “Digger Harkness” showed up at the end of Arrow and boomerang’d some dude right in the back, man. The geekmasters here at AmityvilleNow and SeFija! knew that name immediately: that’s the DC Universe’s most beloved rogue supervillain, Captain Boomerang! And he seems to be at the center of at least part of this midseason finale crossover between the vastly improved Arrow and the great-out-of-the-gate Flash.
(You can get some cool Arrow and Flash DVDs and graphic novels right here! Click it!)
Both shows, from the same production company, are so deeply drowned in DC trivia and inside jokes they can cause even the casual comics fan to squee (what do you mean Ralph Dibney disappeared on The Night of the Explosion? That’s the friggin’ Elongated Man, dude!). So it’s no surprise that the Flash episode is called The Brave and the Bold. Even the dang title is a call-out.
At first Arrow seemed vaguely ashamed of its superhero roots, insisting on terms like “vigilante” instead of “hero,” avoiding costumes and even masks. More recently, the network has learned to stop worrying and love the mask, and now it’s deeply embedded in DCU trivia, from A.R.G.U.S. to Wildcat and beyond. Flash, on the other hand, has been deep into the land of funnybooks since the very beginning. You can’t swing a dead Streaky the Super-Cat on that show without hitting a sly reference. Hell, virtually everyone in the cast is destined to become a superhero or villain in the future, if you use Flash’s sixty-year continuity as a guide: Iris’ cop-boyfriend has half the name of Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash from the future; Cisco Ramon is Vibe, Catlin Snow is Killer Frost, Caitlin’s boyfriend Ronny Raymond is (half of) Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, and that rich guy Simon Stagg is responsible for Metomorpho. General Eiling was Capt. Atom’s major frenemy. And virtual every villain, from Weather Wizard to Captain Cold, is grown from the members of Flash’s classic Rogue’s Gallery. (Personally, we think that new genius-DJ who showed up abruptly at the nightclub is the Pied Piper. Mark us!)
But Captain Boomerang’s the best. A sarcastic Aussie, lantern-jawed and balding, he’s been all over the DC Universe, including years as a leading member of the Suicide Squad that made an appearance, in much-altered form, in Arrow, under the aegis of A.R.G.U.S. and Amanda Waller. That’s where he may end up after this crossover slug-fest, and personally we couldn’t be happier. Can’t wait for Cold, Boomerang, Heatwave, and the rest to all get into the room at one time. That’s gonna be fun.
Arrow is on Tuesday at 8P, Flash is on Wednesday at 8P. Take a look here at some of the video and comics product you can pick up already…
