April 27, 2012
Monday’s post about how Wally West’s dynamic character makes him harder to reboot than Barry Allen got me thinking about something Geoff Johns said to Hero Complex when he took over the book back in 2009:
But you look at what the theme of Flash’s book has been for the last 200-something issues with Wally West and it’s been about a man trying to fill someone else’s boots. It doesn’t really have anything to do with speed. I mean, it has something to do with speed, but it was not totally what the book was about. The new Flash that I’m doing is all about speed.
At the time, I found it disingenuous because Geoff Johns wrote six years of that run himself, and he could have focused more heavily on speed with Wally West if he’d wanted to. And I found it worrying because he felt Wally’s defining characteristic was wanting to be like Barry Allen. Not the journey of becoming a hero, not learning to be an adult, but specifically trying to be someone he’s not.
But now I find the quote even more annoying, and here’s why:
Geoff Johns’ Flash, from Rebirth through Flashpoint, is not all about speed. It’s not even about hope, as suggested in Blackest Night.
It’s about a man so driven by grief that he nearly destroyed the world. Not even through speed, but through time travel.
The great over-arching Flash story from 2009-2011 might have been more appropriate for Booster Gold or Rip Hunter. (Or maybe Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, considering that it sounds a little like Emerald Twilight and Zero Hour when you break it down that far.)
Oh, well. Time to chalk it up as one more missed opportunity from that run, and Move Forward.
April 4, 2012
THE FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS, DOUG HAZLEWOOD, RICK BURCHETT, PHIL WINSLADE, DAN PANOSIAN and others
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
648 pg, FC, $75.00 US (Or $46 on Amazon)
It’s the second hardcover volume collecting all the issues of THE FLASH written by comics superstar Geoff Johns! In this massive collection featuring issues #177-200 and DC FIRST: FLASH/SUPERMAN #1, an old friend of Wally West becomes the portal to another universe and Gorilla Grodd goes wild in Keystone City! Plus, don’t miss the Fastest Man Alive’s clashes with members of his infamous rogues gallery, including Captain Cold, The Trickster, the Pied Piper and more!
Notes: I’ve said before that these are my favorite stories from Geoff Johns’ run. He’d hit his stride by this point, bringing everything together first for Crossfire, then for Blitz, with some great done-in-one stories in the middle and a real effort to balance characterization, world building, and both the classic Rogues and new villains.
March 13, 2012
DC’s full June 2012 solicitations are out, including full details on The Flash by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol.3
THE FLASH OMNIBUS BY GEOFF JOHNS VOL. 3 HC
GEOFF JOHNS and GREG RUCKA
Art by HOWARD PORTER, ALBERTO DOSE and OTHERS
Cover by MICHAEL TURNER
On sale AUGUST 29 • 640 pg, FC, $75.00 US
- A third massive FLASH HC from superstar writer GEOFF JOHNS!
- THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE clashes with his Rogues Gallery, including CAPTAIN COLD, THE PIED PIPER, TRICKSTER and MIRROR MASTER!
- Collects THE FLASH #201-225 and WONDER WOMAN #214!
As predicted, it ships the final week in August and wraps up the entire Geoff Johns run on the Wally West Flash series. One question is answered: it does include both halves of that Flash/Wonder Woman/Villains United crossover. Another remains: What about The Flash #1/2, the short story leading into Rogue War that provided a little depth to the second Trickster?
Volume 2 runs through Flash #200 and collects what I think is the best of Geoff Johns’ run on the character. Volume 3 collects Ignition and runs through the Identity Crisis-to-Infinite Crisis era, finishing with Rogue War.
I still think we’re likely to get a fourth volume next year that collects Johns’ Barry Allen run, starting with Flash: Rebirth and running at least through The Road to Flashpoint, if not all the way through Flashpoint itself, though I imagine DC would like to put that off a while to give the current collections a bit more shelf life. Flashpoint only came out in paperback last week, after all.
Pre-order at Amazon:
»Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns vol.2 ships in April.
»Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns vol.3 ships in August/September.
(Thanks to Collected Editions for the tip!)
February 13, 2012
Collected Editions made a discovery on Amazon.com this morning: The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 3 is available for pre-order with a September 4 date, meaning it will most likely arrive in comic stores the last week in August. (Amazon gets their new releases on the Tuesday bookstore schedule, not the Wednesday comics schedule.)
What’s surprising about this is that volume 2 isn’t out yet (it’s due in April), and there was a full year’s gap between the first two volumes of the massive hardcover collection.
Volume 2 runs through issue #200 of the Wally West Flash series, completing the Geoff Johns/Scott Kolins run on the book. This will pick up with Alberto Dose’s “Ignition.” If the page count on this book is anywhere near the 640 quoted in the listing, it will easily cover Flash #201-225, including the entire Geoff Johns/Howard Porter run on the series. Highlights include a Superman/Flash race (pictured here in Michael Turner’s cover); the origin/profile issues of Mirror Master and Heat Wave; the Identity Crisis tie-in, “The Secret of Barry Allen”; at least half of the Villains United Flash/Wonder Woman crossover; and of course, “Rogue War.”
I still think we’ll see a volume 4 at some point covering Flash: Rebirth through Flashpoint. It’ll be about the same length as this one.
»Pre-order at Amazon.
THE FLASH #9
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Continuing the debut of GORILLA GRODD in DC Comics – The New 52!
• THE FLASH travels to GORILLA CITY for the first time!
• Who are the “RUNNERS” – and what do they mean for THE FLASH and the SPEED FORCE?
Big thanks to Collected Editions for their always eagle-eyed approach, which spotted this listing for The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 3. The hardcover collection is due Sept. 4. More to follow on the expected contents of this 640-pager.
DC’s May Justice League solicitations are up at The Source. Flash fans looking for Jay Garrick should check out the solicit for EARTH TWO #1 after the jump…
Read the rest of this entry »
November 16, 2011
Out today in comic stores, or next Tuesday in book stores, it’s the second collection of the post-Rebirth Flash series, bridging Brightest Day and Flashpoint.
Flash: The Road to Flashpoint (HC)
Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art by FRANCIS MANAPUL and SCOTT KOLINS; Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Make way for Hot Pursuit – the latest speedster to come out of the Speed Force! He’s here to make sure no one breaks the speed limit – hero or villain! And just wait until you see whose face is under Hot Pursuit’s helmet!
This hardcover collection of THE FLASH #8-12 leads up to FLASHPOINT, the biggest comic-book event for summer 2011!
DC Universe 128pg. Color Hardcover $22.99 US
Full Run
This completes the collection of Geoff Johns’ return to the Flash and re-introduction of Barry Allen. Here’s the full list of Rebirth-era Flash collections by Geoff Johns:
- Flash: Rebirth
- Blackest Night (not really a Flash collection, but a lot of people describe the main story as being a Hal/Barry story)
- Blackest Night: The Black Lantern Corps. Vol.2 (Including Blackest Night: The Flash)
- Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues
- Flash: The Road to Flashpoint
- Flashpoint
That still leaves one more collection of Flash material from this era: World of Flashpoint Featuring the Flash, announced just this Monday and arriving in March, containing stories by Scott Kolins, Sterling Gates and others.
Edit: I forgot to include Captain Atom #3, which features the Flash as a guest star, and is also out today.
Captain Atom #3
Written by J.T. KRUL; Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II; Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
Captain Atom is taking his powers to new heights – saving people all across the world in the blink of an eye. But he’s not the only one who can move at super speed. Enter: The Flash! And when their paths cross, don’t expect them to share the secret hero’s handshake – because Captain Atom may be a bigger threat than any villain.
DC Universe 32pg. Color $2.99 US
October 25, 2011
Newsarama’s Vaneta Rogers has turned in a new two-part interview with New 52 Flash team Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. With issue # 2 due tomorrow, the pair talk about their “vision for Barry Allen” and speak more specifically than before about their process in terms of plotting, art and dialog.
In the first part, posted yesterday, the two touched on the advantage of handling both art and writing responsibilities:
Francis Manapul: Yeah, it’s a much more integrated process. And I do think we’re in a fortunate position to be co-writing, drawing and coloring the book. We’re able to really utilize every aspect of the art to tell the story.
Brian Buccellato: We aren’t interpreting someone else’s script, so there’s no gap between the story and the art. It’s integrated from the idea, all the way through colors. So I think that gives us an advantage, especially with the visuals.
UPDATE: Part two of the interview went up today, including an exclusive sneak preview of art from issue #3. The team goes into greater detail about the direction of the book, teases upcoming storylines, including the return of the Cosmic Treadmill and reveal more on the nature of Mob Rule. Check it out here, and then go grab issue #2!
Read the rest of this entry »
October 17, 2011
DC’s full January solicitations include the official announcement of The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 2…and its contents. It clocks in at a massive 648 pages, covering two years’ worth of the Wally West Flash series, including Rogues, Crossfire, Run Riot and Blitz. Volume One was considerably shorter, covering Wonderland and Blood Will Run, including Iron Heights and The Flash Secret Files #3.
I believe this is the first time the DC 1st: Flash/Superman one-shot has been collected.
Personally, I think this is the best of Geoff Johns’ run on the book. Everything built toward first Crossfire and then Blitz as he built up a fantastic supporting cast, revitalized the Rogues, and introduced a bunch of new villains. (IMO it lost direction after Ignition, but sales went up from #200 to 225, so the overall audience seems to have liked the second half of Johns’ run better.)
My guess as to the future of this series: DC will release one more volume from the Wally West series covering #201-225 (Ignition through Rogue War). Then Volume 4 will consist of Johns’ Barry Allen run: Flash: Rebirth, Blackest Night: The Flash, Flash vol.3 and Flashpoint.
THE FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS, DOUG HAZLEWOOD, RICK BURCHETT, PHIL WINSLADE, DAN PANOSIAN and others
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
On sale MARCH 28 • 648 pg, FC, $75.00 US
It’s the second hardcover volume collecting all the issues of THE FLASH written by comics superstar Geoff Johns! In this massive collection featuring issues #177-200 and DC FIRST: FLASH/SUPERMAN #1, an old friend of Wally West becomes the portal to another universe and Gorilla Grodd goes wild in Keystone City! Plus, don’t miss the Fastest Man Alive’s clashes with members of his infamous rogues gallery, including Captain Cold, The Trickster, the Pied Piper and more!
» Pre-order from Amazon
October 12, 2011
The new Flash writer/artist team, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, are both scheduled to be at New York Comic Con this weekend. You can also catch the Flashpoint team of Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert.
In addition to signings, Johns will be on Friday’s DC All Access: Green Lantern panel, and Johns, Manapul and Buccellato will all be on DC All Access: Justice League panel on Saturday.
This is Buccellato’s only east-coast appearance on his fall signing schedule, and the only event this fall where you can meet both halves of the current Flash creative team.
Update: Brian Buccellato has posted his schedule for the convention, including three signings:
FRIDAY October 14th
4-5 PM @ THE DC BOOTH (with Francis Manapul)
SATURDAY October 15th
3-4 PM @ THE DC BOOTH
SUNDAY October 16th
3-4 PM @ THE DC BOOTH (with Francis Manapul)
August 11, 2011
DC Comics has announced a “Flash 101″ sale on digital comics. All listed Flash titles will be only 99 cents for 48 hours starting August 13. They don’t say where, but I think it’s safe to assume it’s at ComiXology, because they’re DC’s exclusive online vendor at this point.
And they’ve added a lot more issues.
Up to this point, ComiXology has had everything from Flash: Rebirth onward. Over the last few days, readers have spotted early issues from Wally West’s series, the beginning of Impulse, and a few scattered issues from the Bronze Age. Check out the full list of titles on sale after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
