Over the past month, DC has announced a (somewhat) new format for some of its books: the co-feature. It’s essentially the same as the classic lead+backup format, except that the lead story is a full 22 pages.* The upcoming Doom Patrol relaunch will co-feature the Metal Men, and now Booster Gold and Teen Titans will be getting Blue Beetle and Ravager backups. The books will jump to $3.99, but they’ll have more story pages than the standard $2.99 book.
Thinking about this, I realized: This is the perfect way to satisfy all Flash fans! Relaunch the series after Flash: Rebirth as a co-feature book. Make the lead 22-page story focus on Barry Allen. Make the backup story focus on Wally West, or rotate through Wally, Jay and Bart. I’ve been vocal in my displeasure at losing a regular series focusing on Wally, but I would buy this in a hot second with no complaints (unless the stories turned out bad, of course). It also seems more viable in this market than a second Flash book.
So how about you, readers? Does this sound like a good idea?
Edit: Went to post this on ComicBloc and realized that The Speedster posted the same idea a week ago. And I responded in the thread. Clearly I need either more sleep or more coffee.
*It’s not clear how long the backups are, but I’m guessing probably 12 or 16. 16 would make it roughly equivalent to a 40-page book, which is the format that Final Crisis and tie-ins like Rogues Revenge have used.
Would I pay an extra dollar for a title I already buy for a few extra pages of Wally? HELL YES. If DC decided to do something like this for Flash, would they have Geoff Johns write the extra as well? I would rather someone else write the extra, just so I know that the extra is a priority and to be taken seriously.
.-= Brandan’s latest Twitter post: SpeedsterSite: Finished Battle for the Cowl…Great but not R.I.P Great. Counting the days til April =-.
I’d absolutely pay an extra buck for this.
The co-feature is a fantastic idea. I would gladly pay an extra dollar for an additional 12 to 16 page back-up story. And I agree that it makes for the perfect format for a Flash comic book. I would dig a back-up story that revolved between Wally, Jay and Bart with an occasional flashback story involving Johnny Quick or maybe a tale about a Flash from one of the multiple Earths.
Actually, I stopped buying individual comics and opted to just stick with graphic novels. I’d scoop up any flash-related graphic novel.
Totally dig this. It could be “All-Flash!”
Great idea, as long as the lead story is still at least 20 pages. A “Kid Flash” back-up in the comedy style of the early issues of Impulse would be a dream come true.
I say more coffee… as my pops used to say, sleep when youre dead!
i would love this! i get the feeling, however, that Barty-barty-bart-bart will be Barry-bob’s sidekicko…ie: a main part of the story…
.-= Jason West’s latest blog post: Rebirthing… =-.
(btw, kelson: how fast is a “hot second”?…lol) 😀
.-= Jason West’s latest blog post: Rebirthing… =-.
I never thought about that Jason…I suppose with Bart not staying in the future, it does present him back to the sidekick role again. As of this second, I’m not liking the idea. I would much rather have Barry solo or Bart back in Teen Titans full time. I just think the whole Flash and Kid Flash shtick is old. And would just look bad compared to Barry/Wally of old.
.-= Brandan’s latest Twitter post: SpeedsterSite: @kuhan A few randomly defected last night…Don’t know what I said…lol =-.
The only “co-title” that interests me right now is Doom Patrol/Metal Men, but I wouldn’t mind seeing some backup stories in the new Flash book either, especially if it concentrated on Wally.
I make no promises but it’s a mighty interesting concept.
.-= West’s latest blog post: Orlando Restaurants – 2009 pt 1 =-.
(I wonder why DC want us to say co-feature rather than back-up? Maybe the co-star will get a proper size cover logo, that swould be great.)
I’d love to see Impulse back in all his glory, with Wally headlining his own book. He’s earned more than filler status.
.-= Martin Gray’s latest blog post: Captain Britain and MI13 #11 review =-.
Hi Kelson – Glad you liked my idea (and also so many others, that’s great!). Yup – The Speedster is my alias on the comicbloc boards 🙂
By the way, I am the same guy who submitted you the song from my band Drakkar, “The Scarlet Legacy of Speed” a while ago. Also a fan of your page on FB. Keep up the good work!
Dario
@Mo: Yeah, and they don’t get angry at you for drinking coffee at work.
@Jason: A “hot second” is just a little faster than a twinkling. 😀
@Martin: I think the idea is that “backup” makes people think that the second story is there to make the first story shorter, while the big deal about a “co-feature” is that the first story is full-length (for whatever constitutes full-length these days — there was a time when 12 pages was a full-length story).
@Dario: Cool! I hadn’t made that connection!
all i can say is that i am more excited about The Flash than i was for when i discovered Geoff Johns’ Flash work or when i saw the JLU ep “Flash & Substance”!
in the words of Futurama’s Bender: “I’m thinkin guitar solo! diddle-diddle-nyow! diddle-diddle-nyow! diddle-diddle-nyooooooow!”
.-= Jason West’s latest blog post: Rebirthing… =-.
You called it.
And Dario — he posted his thread a week earlier.