The collected edition of The Flash: Rebirth comes out this week, along with a JLA hardvocer and a couple of new releases.
Flash: Rebirth Hardcover
Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, the writer/artist team behind the blockbuster GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, create an explosive, jaw-dropping epic that reintroduces Barry Allen as The Flash in this hardcover collecting the fast-paced 6-issue miniseries. But how will this greatest of all Flashes find his place in the twenty-first century?
DC Universe · 168pg. · Color · Hardcover · $19.99 US
Buy it at your local comic shop this week, or order it from Amazon, who’ll have it next week.
As I recall, extras include character designs, such as some of the drafts Ethan Van Sciver went through when redesigning Wally West’s costume, and attempts to draw Iris Allen showing her age a bit more than the “hot Iris” she became.
(I have to ask one thing: Did the copywriter who called this miniseries “fast-paced” actually read the book? It was a slow burn that didn’t really get going until issue four.)
Also This Week
Flash: Rebirth isn’t the only hardcover coming out this week, or the only DC book to feature one of the Fastest Men (and Women) Alive.
- DC Comics Classics Library Vol.2: The Justice League of America by George Perez – hardcover featuring 1980s stories with Flash (Barry Allen).
- JLA Deluxe Edition Vol.3 – Hardcover reprinting Grant Morrison’s 1990s JLA #22-26, 28-31 and 1,000,000, featuring Flash (Wally West).
- Justice Society of America #38 – featuring Flash (Jay Garrick) and Liberty Belle/Jesse Quick.
- Super Friends #26 – featuring the Flash.
- Teen Titans #82 – I think this is the issue where Kid Flash (Bart Allen) rejoins the team. Update: Newsarama has a preview. It looks like Bart’s already back and I missed it.
I managed to get a copy of the Flash Rebirth HC two days in advance. A local bookstore here in the Philippines had two copies out early.
The dust jacket as expected has the Flash Putting On His Boots, crackling with Lightning cover. removing it reveals a foil embossed silhouette of TEAM SPEED FORCE against the Red Cover.
Now, I actually trudged through the monthly (snicker) series when they came out and found them excruciatingly slow.
SURPRISINGLY, it read much smoother in the HC after one go. And I don’t know why.
It IS still clunky and hamfisted in some parts but flows much better than I remember it. Is it Fast Paced? I think so NOW. Ok, maybe “Fast Paced without braking for speed bumps.”
Interestingly, this time , I was actually able to take the retcon better not because I think Barry needs tragedy but rather it builds on Thawne’s powers and threat level. With time travel a constant in comic book stories, no one has been able to firmly do what Thawne has done and made it stick. Not for lack of trying of course. Several have tried over in Booster Gold and always to utter failure. Thawne succeeded where long time time masters like Per Degaton, Chronos and The Lord of Time failed.
Here, the clarity in comparison of how he succeeds with killing Nora and nearly succeeds with erasing Iris in the past. (When Barry starts forgetting Iris) Seeing it in this context, it becomes less of a forced retcon and more of a a villain feature upgrade. And an unpredictable one.
Remember that question “Why not just kill him in their crib?” Well given the chance, Thawne can and will. In fact, he sort of HAS. (Not literally in the crib of course)
Meanwhile, as a Wally fan, I still worry about him. DC says he will be around but in what capacity? Since Ollie and Hal returned, Connor and Kyle have all but become second stringers. And you just know Dick Grayson is in trouble when Bruce Wayne returns.
“Coming soon, the NEW Forgotten Heroes: Wally West, Nightwing, Kyle Rayner, Donna Troy, Ryan Choi and soon, Mon El or Supergirl. They can also be called THE OUTSIDERS. (The Redundants?) But I digress.”
The last sections include Johns’ pitch for the Flash, and yes Sciver’s designs for Wally West. A cool feature but I’m afraid none were up to par.Heck, a Walter West look would’ve worked better..
Thanks for the insight. And I agree about how the death of Barry’s mother plays into the threat level of the villain. It’s also something that could be rectified. There will obviously be more changes to the time-line in future Flash stories.
So the dustjacket isn’t the cover to F:R #2 as the solicitations show?
That’s cool if the dust jacket is the cover to #1, as I think that was one of the best comic book covers last year. I think it’s a lot more eye-grabbing and may help sales in bookstores.
Well, the one I picked up had the issue one cover on the dust jacket. I did expect the other one (issue 2 cover) from the solicits but there it was on the shelf.
So yeah, it’s issue one. Unless this version is an international release.
So yeah, it’s issue one. Unless this version is an international release.
What do you mean, international release? If a certain region’s product/s sells early in some other region, it’s bound to be a direct import from the region of origin.
Generally, but sometimes they do this. WATCHMEN has an international release cover.
I’ve seen it done a few times for Hardcovers. Slipcases make for easy switching.
But I doubt this is one of those. Doesn’t seem logical for this series.
Calling Connor Hawke a second stringer is beyond generous at this point.
His existence was basically limited to occasional appearances in Green Arrow, then getting killed/brainwashed in GA/BC. He’s pretty nearly non-existent now.
Kyle has fared a bit better, getting a headlining role in the better, but poorer selling of the two Green Lantern books, but still suffers from being downgraded to an incompetent when Hal is around (like everyone else in the Corps. Because, y’know, the easiest way to may all those repeated ‘greatest Green Lantern’ claims true is by writing everyone else as wholly subservient to him)
Some Guy – No offense, but that’s a SIGNIFICANT misreading of Kyle’s characterization and portrayal going back to GL Rebirth.
In fact, GL:R portrayed Kyle as all kinds of awesome; he saves Hal’s body, figures out what Parallax is, holds his own against Sinestro, and Hal repeatedly tells him how wonderful he is.
It’s pretty excrutiating in its desire to make Kyle seem worthy, actually.
And since then, he’s appeared in his own mini and in GLC, and being given all sorts of accolades – from being the esteemed Torchbearer, to Ion, then an Honor Guard GL, etc.
In none of these stories was Hal Jordan a signfiicant factor, so there’s been no need (or attempt) to downsize Kyle.
A more realistic summary of his status is that he’s no longer THE Green Lantern. That’s true. But he’s still an important GL character that co-stars in a GL book that sells TWICE what his solo book did. Overall DC’s treated him REALLY well since bringing Hal back.
I love the link on this page to the solicit for Flash: Rebirth Hardcover way back in January!
I’ll get the book…if only to use it as target practice should it truly end up having been the end of Wally stories.
Got the book and it looks nice … 3 things to note: 1) Early designs for Wally’s costume were HORRIBLE, 2) Flashpoint is referred to as “The DC Universe 2011 Event”, and 3) it’s explicitly written that “about the Speedforce in this miniseries is that it ‘youthens’ the people who come in contact with it” [I just wish that had been mentioned in the comics instead of just in the Special Features.]
its interesting that “tragedy” is now attached to Barry Allen as part of his origin, because i was reading Geoff John’s Run with the Flash “Rogues War” and there was a part when Zoom keeps saying that Wally needs to experience tragedy to be the “hero he thinks i should be”. He brings Thawne back and tries to instill that tragedy into the Flash.
Flash says “And I don’t need tragedy to make me stronger. That’s not what the Flash is about. It’s not what makes me who I am”
i think this is actually brilliant on Geoff John’s part. he’s now able to separate and distinguish Wally from Barry, while connecting this recurring concept that Zoom wanted to commit through terrorizing the past.
just my opinior
I actually see them possibly undoing this at some point. Why?
This is not a retcon in the purest sense. Barry and Thawne acknowledge that once, Barry DID enjoy a happier life with his parents alive. But now Thawne has taken THAT away from him.
He successfully changed time. (something almost ALL DCU characters fail at, even guys like Chronos, Time Commander, Lord of Time, etc…) The tragedy that Barry experienced was an act of revenge because of the good that he does, and that’s an endless circuit which Thawne has put together.
So when they make Thawne pay for this, or when the guys policing the time stream like Rip Hunter and Booster Gold try to rectify this, there has to be reckoning.
This wasn’t like the old retcons where we are asked to pretend it never happened or existed. This was an actual life that he lived through, taken away from Barry. It is recognized so by the characters.
In the story, Thawne tries to change the past again the same way, by killing Iris before she and Barry become an item. Yet this time he fails.
So yeah, they may undo this someday. NOT SOON of course, cause the story ramifications of the crime remain unexplored. But someday.
By the way, I wasn’t disagreeing but rather building on Chimera’s last sentence about Thawne’s terrorizing Barry where Zoom failed.
Here’s another touch, IIRC, when Wally’s past was undone (his kids death undone), THAWNE was present in the fight along with Zoom! Perhaps now it was THAWNE’s negative speed force that allows people to break the “you can’t change the past” rule.
Hunter and Booster Gold VS Reverse Flash in 2011. Count on it.
I agree with Joe here. Barry knows that Thawne messed with his past, murdering his mother and setting his father up for it. I can’t see him just letting that go. I think he’s going to try to figure out how to fix it.