A new interview appeared over at Newsarama yesterday, featuring the Flash creative time of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. The duo discuss last month’s issue #0, their plans for the upcoming Gorilla Warfare story and the introduction of a new member of the West clan.
Media Blitz! features highlights from recent Flash news items. Follow the jump for more on the Speed Mind, the structure of the #0 issue and the advent of Daniel West.
On Daniel West and rolling out the rest of further Wests:
Newsarama: Francis and Brian, DC called out the fact that Daniel West appeared in The Flash #0. Why was his appearance significant, and why was he specifically called a member of the “West family?”
Francis Manapul: Well, you only need two people to make a family. He’s Iris’ brother. I think we’ll stop at that.
Brian Buccellato: Obviously, we get asked questions about the West family from time to time, and unfortunately, we always have the same answer. Daniel West and Iris are siblings. And that’s the West family that’s in the New 52 currently.
Nrama: Currently. But it seems to open the door for more West family members, doesn’t it?
Manapul: I guess that’s open to interpretation.
Before we move on, I’d like to note that Newsarama’s previous Flash-related article was an editorial entitled “Welcome Back WALLY WEST??? What Flash #0 Might REALLY Mean“. Both that piece and this interview were handled by longtime Newsarama contributor Vaneta Rogers.
On Gorilla Warfare’s reflection of their own lives and the last year of stories:
Buccellato: Obviously, he’s been overwhelmed and a lot has happened to him over the first 12 issues, but it’s leading somewhere and a realization is on the horizon for him. Things that we seeded very early on, of him constantly being overwhelmed, will pay off. And he will learn a lesson.
We want our characters to undergo change to some degree and learn lessons. So the lessons of being overwhelmed and coming home all culminate at the end of the “Gorilla Warfare” arc.
Manapul: “Gorilla Warfare” is really all about coming home. I think we’ve spent the latter part of our first year being away from Central City. The Rogues were slowly coming home. So in “Gorilla Warfare,” the journey the Rogues have to take is something they have to do together, and for Barry Allen, he’s here to try to set things in order. In this case, he goes home and there are a lot of gorillas knocking at his door.
From another standpoint, we’re having so much fun almost relating our journey into the series. It’s going from being overwhelmed and learning to now, coming home.
On the Birth of the Speed Mind in issue #0, and its role in Gorilla Warfare:
Nrama: Issue #0 was structured very differently as it told the story of Barry’s origin. What’s the concept behind these flashbacks Barry had on each page?
Manapul: What we saw was his brain going into speed flashbacks. On every page that’s currently happening as you’re reading it, we had panels that were showing you, basically, what was happening in the next few pages. But that was definitely the birth of the Speed Mind.
…It was born from this idea of Barry Allen being able to think about his future and plan every single aspect of what would result from multiple different actions.
So what’s going to be happening in that issue is we’re going to see this Speed Mind working on overdrive. We’ve seen that he’s able to think 10 minutes ahead. But what’s it going to be like when he thinks an hour ahead, a day ahead, three days ahead?
For more, including details on Captain Frye and the style of the upcoming Gorilla Warfare arc, check out the full interview over at Newsarama.
What do you think about this new West, Flash fans?
Hm, I wonder if Daniel’s middle name is Wally………
Obviously, they have big plans for him, coming back home, settling back down, they’ve hinted at Daniel trying to find Iris which if he somehow arrives in the Speed Force in doing so, will he form his own connection to it and then……..
I think it’s a new twist, a step in the right direction, and I’m interested to see in what directions they take the character.
Maybe they’ll pull a Christoper Nolan and, in the last issue, Daniel talks to someone and that person mentions how his legal first name is Wally and should use it more often…
you might not be far off! my only other thought was, maybe his middle name is Rudolph.
That’s what I was thinking too. Either way, be it Wally or his father, the Wests are once again officially in existence and DC has finally begun to rectify the most glaring of Didio’s errors committed with the emergence of the New 52. Are you listening DC? For how long must Flash fans continue to plea? We miss Wally West!