The New 52 Flash creative duo of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato maintained their recent level of visibility, already talking to both io9 and Comic Impact this week.
Both sites touch on the status of the Rogues Gallery, the much-lauded artwork and both feature a mention of Wally West. The two had this to say, regarding the revamped Rogues, to i09:
Will there be any new Rogues or have any been radically redesigned?
FM: I’m still basing it on past continuity, but we’re evolving them. When you read the first arc, it’s about The Flash trying to evolve. You realize in the second arc, that that’s what the Rogues have been doing this entire time.
BB: Trying to keep up with the Joneses.
FM: But obviously it went wrong and they’re not together. We’re going to see what that’s all about and how they came across the powers that they now have.
The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato gave an interview at last weekend’s New York Comic Con to Newsarama, where they talked a bit about their inspirations for the arc that began with last month’s Flash #1.
Manapul notes a sci-fi tilt to the story that’s about to unfold, and mentions having incorporated aspects from old issues of DC’s Showcase, where the earliest Barry Allen stories appeared. The two also touch on Barry Allen’s role as a man (and comic book fan) facing a brave new world, the DCU Online game, and speed tricks past and present. Manapul also talks about a certain idea not fitting until “year two.” Bring it on!
The first issue of Manapul and Buccellato’s new Flash showed off some gorgeous art and real promise in terms of story and characterization. This interview reveals a little of what’s ahead, as well as some of the creators’ motivation. Are you looking forward to the second issue?
Check out the interview over at Newsarama by clicking on the image above.
Brian Buccellato, co-writer and colorist of the new Flash series, is featured in a new video at Comic Book Resources. In it, creators from DC’s New 52 talk about the villains in their books, and provide some insight to their portrayal.
Buccellato, up first in the video, describes how it was important to he and co-writer Francis Manapul that Mob Rule be someone close to Barry Allen. He also reveals that the character’s actions, not his motivations, classify him as a super-villain.
Head on over to CBR to check out the video, or click on the following image of Brian Buccellato spitting knowledge.
TV Guide reports on the voice cast of Justice League: Doom, an upcoming direct-to-home-video animated film inspired by Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel, in which Batman’s contingency plans to take down each of his colleagues if necessary are stolen and turned against them. Based on the cast list, it appears to have been adapted to better match the current “New 52″ lineup, with Hal Jordan replacing Kyle Rayner (as he replaced John Stewart in Crisis on Two Earths) and Cyborg replacing Aquaman (who is in the new comics lineup, confusing the issue a bit).
The feature will reunite Justice League/Justice League Unlimited cast members Kevin Conroy as Batman, Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Carl Lumbly as the Martian Manhunter…and Michael Rosenbaum as The Flash. Joining them will be Nathan Fillion, reprising his role as Green Lantern Hal Jordan from Emerald Knights, Tim Daly, voice of Superman from the 1990s animated series and the more recent Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and Apocalypse features, and Bumper Robinson as Cyborg.
The Green Lantern Corps forum has more information including a list of villains (via TRKA): The Royal Flush Gang, Vandal Savage, Cheetah, Bane, Metallo, Star Sapphire, and Mirror Master (Alexis Denisof).
Nothing really new in this interview at SciFiNow, though the writer does talk about the athleticism inherent in a film about a hero who runs really fast, and the approach to the character.
The Flash – to me – is about pure expression. Flash is untethered to the limitations of time and space – he can be everywhere at once and with that, I think, comes a certain freedom. Who hasn’t wanted to be faster? To get someplace quicker?
Interestingly, that reminds me of something Mark Waid has said about the appeal of the Flash. “No one gets up in the moming and says, ‘Gee, I wish I could throw power blasts out of my hands.’ However, everybody in the world knows what it’s like to miss the bus.”
As for getting people to look past “He runs fast,” Guggenheim explains:
Well, it’s all about who the character – in this case, Barry Allen – is before he gets his powers. We spent a lot of time talking about who Barry is and, specifically, why he’s the kind of guy we want to see get these powers bestowed on him. What’s missing in his life? What problems does he have? What personal foibles? And how are all those things impacted by the ability to run fast?
I’ll admit, this sounds a lot more appropriate for the Flash than taking inspiration from Se7en and Silence of the Lambs.
It’s no secret that Warner Bros. and DC Comics have started, stalled, restarted, and once again stalled many of their film properties in the past, but it doesn’t stop the speculation. One property that I always wanted to see brought to the big screen (and love to speculate about) is The Flash.
Unfortunately (sort of) it seems that DC is focusing more on bringing Barry Allen rather than Wally West to the screen first. but it’s still fun the speculate on my favorite person to don the Flash costume.
I decided to make a blog casting the Scarlet Speedster and to hear many other people’s opinion on who should Wally West/The Flash. Here are my top 3 choices: Read the rest of this entry »
Hello, Flash fans! I go by the alias Frank Lee Delano, was voted second most likely to run entirely too many blogs (after Rob Kelly,) and I will be your substitute teacher for the day. For the second year in a row, I’m running a complex and lengthy inter-blog crossover between Thanksgiving and Christmas, in part because I’m a sadistic misanthrope who takes his hatred of the holidays out on my unsuspecting fellow bloggers. The theme this year is Mayfairstivus, a make believe holiday where we celebrate the Mayfair Games Incorporated DC Heroes role-playing system and its many releases. A large part of the blame for this type of event falls on the shoulders of The Irredeemable Shag, who brought me into his own crossover, Crisis on Earth-Blog, almost two years ago, and continues to conspire with me on these dirty dealings. Shag was your guest blogger forMayfairstivus – Celebrating Flash in the DC Heroes RPG, and when I volunteered to write a second post while your regularly scheduled Kelson was tending to his newborn son, Shag offered the advice, “I believe his blog is typically on the positive/up-beat side, so I wouldn’t trash Captain Boomerang too much (but that’s just me).” As I believe I already established that I am diabolical and make all my promises through crossed fingers, I now present to you Captains Cold and Boomerang, whom I will surely criticize venomously.
I assume I first became aware of Captain Cold through the Super Friends cartoon show, because that’s just what people of my generation did (see also: mustachioed men wearing mirrored aviators and Lacoste polos with skimpy tennis shorts defending original Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.) As you may or may not be aware, Ape Law* dictates that every super-hero must have an ice-themed villain, so to me Captain Cold was just Mr. Freeze on a budget. It wasn’t until John Ostrander wrote Cold into his first Manhunter script as a loser who loved betting baseball that Leonard Snart felt like he had something unique to contribute to the field, as more of a blue collar snow blower. Of course, now Snart is a fan favorite, after taking on a Golden Age attitude toward casual homicide. If you’re going to flash freeze some dope in the equivalent of liquid nitrogen, you might as well indulge the bloodlust of Rome by punching the schmuck’s head into a pink-tinged flurry, right? So cool, Captain Cold is now the baddest gangsta to wear a fur-lined hoodie.
Newsarama is running a series of interviews on the theme, “Geoff Johns Still Writes Comics.” today’s installment focuses on his work on The Flash. As usual, he drops a few hints, but remains mostly cagey about the details. He does make the interesting point that while he’s trying to build up the Flash universe (similar to his success with Green Lantern), he’s not trying to build it up in the same way. “Flashpoint is nothing like any of the Green Lantern events. It’s not a Flash army vs. a Reverse-Flash army.”
Also of note: IESB reports that the movies Green Lantern 2 and The Flash are planned for Summer 2013.
Today we’re featuring the first of two guest posts by fellow blogger The Irredeemable Shag (from ONCE UPON A GEEK and FIRESTORM FAN)!
Dear Speed Force readers,
Welcome to Mayfairstivus! That’s right, it’s time once again for the beloved annual celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! This time honored tradition dates back to 1985 when the first edition of this role-playing game was released … or maybe this is a fake holiday some comic book bloggers just cooked up as an excuse to post related content from Mayfair’s long-running DC Heroes line.
Today we’ll look at a few different Flash entries from the role-playing game (RPG) and learn how the first box set shattered my fragile little comic reader world.
One of Flash franchise’s greatest strengths is the diversity of the Rogues. That strength, however, may prove a challenge when being modernized or adapted to film. Whether or not combining origins is a good thing, it certainly is a trend. Every Superman film has presented a Kryptonian threat (kryptonite, phantom zone criminals, synthetic kryptonite, synthetic kryptonian, kryptonian crystals). In Batman Begins, Scarecrow’s formula, Falcone’s involvement, the main threat, and Bruce’s training all trace back to Ra’s. In The Dark Knight, Batman’s escalation begets Joker who begets Two-Face. In updating Spider-Man, radioactivity is discarded in favor of genetics with organic webshooters (one origin for all powers). The list goes on….
How then does one adapt a speedster with enemies from the far future, prehistoric past, and all manner of scientific disciplines?
If past is prologue, one starts with the hero’s origin. The origin of The Flash is a little thematically weak. It’s an accident without purpose or meaning which grants neither chemical nor electrical powers and is unrelated to speed. Random electrified chemicals aren’t enough to rationalize all of Flash’s physics defying feats even in the comics, hence the Speed Force. However, the Speed Force is a little esoteric and geared at the comic book literate, for an adaptation you need something better grasped by general audience. My suggestion?
Welcome to SpeedForce.org, a blog focusing on DC Comics' super-hero, The Flash. It's a companion site to Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning, a fan reference site for the Fastest Man Alive.
TV Guide reports on the voice cast of 
