The Flash: Hocus Pocus is a novel written by Barry Lyga. It was released on October 3, 2017 by Harry N. Abrams.
Synopsis
In a timeline where Flashpoint never happened, The Flash (aka Barry Allen) must face a mysterious villain who can control the minds and actions of citizens. But when Hocus Pocus, as he calls himself, takes control of Barry, it's up to Team Flash to help the Scarlet Speedster before he's forced to do the unthinkable.[1]
Trivia
- This is the first novel set within the "Barryverse", as dubbed by Barry Lyga. The Barryverse is a separate multiverse that splintered off during Flashpoint. The next novel in the trilogy, Johnny Quick, sees this Barry's Earth referred to as "Earth-1A" and the post-Flashpoint Earth on the The Flash referred to as "Earth-1".
- It is important to note that the Supergirl trilogy novels written by Jo Whittemore also take place within the Barryverse, on Earth-38A, which means that this version of H.R. Wells originates from Earth-19A, not Earth-19.
- Despite this new naming system, the characters within the novel refer to their Earths without the "A". Furthermore, there is no reason why the Supergirl novel series would also not have unfolded similarly in the main multiverse.
- The behind-the-scenes reasoning for this novel series' alternate setting was not purposeful; when the first novel was being written by Lyga, he noted that he found it difficult keeping up with the ever-changing canon of the show. When he stated this to The CW team, they suggested that perhaps Lyga's novels were not part of the same canon and thus, the "Barryverse" was born.[2]
- It is important to note that the Supergirl trilogy novels written by Jo Whittemore also take place within the Barryverse, on Earth-38A, which means that this version of H.R. Wells originates from Earth-19A, not Earth-19.
- Due to the gap between the writing of the novels during the Flashpoint storyline and the publication date, the setting within the book had to be kept vague. Behind the scenes, Lyga explained that the setting for both The Flash and Supergirl trilogies was during Season 3 for The Flash, and Season 2 for Supergirl.[3]
- The opening scene of this novel shows a different ending to Barry and Iris' conversation on the porch after Zoom's defeat. In "The Race of His Life", Barry ends the conversation with Iris and runs back in time, thus setting into motion the events of Flashpoint. In the novel, as Barry enters this train of thought, Iris steps back out of the house and convinces him to come inside.
- According to H.R., his Earth's version of Sherlock Holmes was named Hemlock Holmes.
External links
- The Flash: Hocus Pocus at Amazon.com
References