May 8, 2012

Flash Annual Cover: More Revamped Rogues Revealed! (via Newsarama)

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are featured in a new interview over at Newsarama where they discuss the title’s next steps on the road to the one-year mark of the New 52.  Within, the cover for the upcoming Flash Annual, due in September, is revealed.  It features the first looks at new versions of Mirror Master, Heat Wave and a re-imagined Golden Glider, alongside Captain Cold, Turbine and the new Weather Wizard, forming a Gauntlet of Super Villains for the New 52 Flash.


Check out what the duo had to say about thematic ties to Flashpoint, the new, “crispy” Heat Wave, Weather Wizard: Drug Lord and the reintroduction of the Pied Piper (and much more!) after the jump…

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December 14, 2011

Media Blitz!: Flash Team Talks Captain Cold, Rogues at Comic Vine, CBR

Category: Flash News, Interviews — By Greg Elias

In an interview published today, Flash writer and artist Francis Manapul spoke with Comic Vine about Captain Cold and his fellow Rogues.  DC revealed Captain Cold’s redesigned duds last week, and announced that he and the Rogues would be making their return to the magazine with issue #7.

On the redesign, which generated a lot of discussion on this site, Manapul had this to say:

FM: Well I ran all my designs by the higher ups, and they all chimed in with their two cents. I didn’t get too many notes. We were split on keeping the parka as some felt it was a very iconic part of who he was, and the other half felt that it made him look dated. In the end I came up with what I felt was a good compromise to keep those that didn’t want the hoodie happy, but at the same time make him look more modern yet still staying true to his iconic look. Some of the other Rogues the changes were a bit more extreme, I allowed the story to dictate how they would look, I strongly feel that design follows function.

Check out the complete post at Comic Vine, right now!!  More after the jump:

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November 25, 2011

Media Blitz!: “The World of the Flash” at IGN (UPDATED w/ Newsarama Exclusive)

Flash co-writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are featured in a new interview at IGN, where they discuss the recent developments in Flash’s powers, new antagonist Mob Rule and the role the twin cities of Keystone and Central will play in their series.

Posted on Wednesday, the same day as the release of new issue #3, the interview is spoiler-free and delves deeply into the collaboration between Manapul and Buccellato.

UPDATE: The two also spoke with Newsarama about the ending to issue #3.  After it was originally posted, an exclusive image from Flash#5 was added to the article.  Check it out after the jump…

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November 1, 2011

Media Blitz!: Flash Team Talks to io9, Comic Impact

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 Comic Impact interview, from the Long Beach Comic Con, can be seen below:

October 12, 2011

Interview: Teen Titans Artist Brett Booth on Wally West

Category: Interviews — By Greg Elias

As an artist working on DC Comics’ New 52, Brett Booth regularly deals with speed in the form of Kid Flash in Teen Titans.  Written by Scott Lobdell, Titans features Booth on both covers and interiors. as well as character designs.  The veteran artist is next featured in issue #2, due October 26th.

Booth has also received attention recently for his unofficial portrayals of Wally West, the third and now erstwhile Flash, as posted on his blog.  Starting with a post on August 24th, Booth has given his fans a couple of different looks at his redesign of West as Flash, including finished versions with colors by Andrew Dalhouse.

We caught up with Booth via email and talked about what makes a Flash costume, his take on Wally West and his favorite Flash stories.

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August 23, 2011

Manapul and Buccellato Talk Flash at Comic Vine, on Blog

Category: Flash News, Interviews — By Greg Elias

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, the creative team behind DC’s new Flash, talk to Comic Vine about the new series and unveil a page of exclusive artwork from the second issue.  The duo answers questions about villains new and old, the challenges in handling both writing and art duties and the application of “super-speed thinking” as seen in the solicitation for issue #2.

CV: Does Barry always think at super-speed or does he have to activate the Speed Force?

FM: This is something we’ll be dealing with in our first arc. We know he physically taps into the Speed Force, but we haven’t quite seen the extent of what he could do if his mind tapped into it as well. This is a pretty major theme we plan to tackle, which has lent it self extremely well to visual experimentation.

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August 22, 2011

Interview: Greg LaRocque, Part III – Retroactive Postgame, a Lost Flash Spinoff and Bettie Page!

Category: Interviews — By Greg Elias

Longtime Flash artist Greg LaRocque needs little introduction for readers of this site.  Hot on the heels of his return to the character in DC Retroactive: The Flash – The ’80s, we caught up with the man once again to talk about the story, his past and future work, as well as the apparent fate of Wally West.


This is the third Speed Force interview with Mr. LaRocque.  We’ve previously discussed “The Return of Barry Allen” and previewed the Retroactive issue with him.  Part three is after the jump!

UPDATE:  Added some comments from LaRocque, which were originally made in response to the Speed Force review of the issue.

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August 16, 2011

Interview: Brian Augustyn on DC Retroactive: The Flash – The ’90s

Category: Interviews — By Greg Elias

This week, former Flash editor and writer Brian Augustyn will return to the character he built for over a decade.

From 1989 – 1996, Augustyn was the editor on highly regarded runs by writers William Messner-Loebs and Mark Waid, including the landmark issue #50, “Born to Run,” “The Return of Barry Allen” and “Terminal Velocity.”  In 1996, with issue #118, Augustyn joined Waid as co-writer.  Save for a year-long break over 1997 – 1998, he would remain on the title until issue #162 (2000).

Augustyn will be joined by artist Mike Bowden on this week’s Retroactive installment.  We reached the writer via email and asked about the new issue, his Flash run and the fate of Wally West.

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June 27, 2011

Interview: Greg LaRocque on DC Retroactive: The Flash – The ’80s

Category: Creators, Interviews — By Greg Elias

Starting in July, DC Comics Retroactive series will bring back classic creators to the characters they helped define.  Covering the last three decades of the 20th Century, the three Flash issues will feature writer Cary Bates (1970s), writer William Messner-Loebs and artist Greg LaRocque (1980s), and writer Brian Augustyn (1990s).


LaRocque was the penciller on Flash for the entirety of Messner-Loebs’ tenure from 1988 – 1991, and illustrated a portion of Mark Waid’s run including the classic “Born to Run” and “The Return of Barry Allen”.  In all, LaRocque pencilled nearly 60 issues of Flash over a five-year stretch.

We’ve previously interviewed LaRocque about his work on “The Return of Barry Allen,” and contacted him via email when the Retroactive issue was announced.  Once the artwork was complete, he provided us with some details.  He also posted preview images on Facebook last week, and those are included below along with the solicited cover.  See what the man has to say after the jump…

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May 26, 2011

Interview: Cary Bates on Flash, 1979-1985 – Part Two

Category: Creators, Interviews — By Greg Elias

Welcome to the second part of our interview with legendary Flash writer Cary Bates!  A DC Comics luminary, Bates’ first Flash story appeared in 1968, and he was the regular writer on the book from 1971 – 1985.

Last week we discussed the genesis and impact of the Death of Iris Allen story arc, which we have also been annotating here at the site.  This week we’ll look at the implications of that story and the final days of the Flash title, as well as Bates’ upcoming work for DC Comics, both Flash and otherwise.

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