THE FLASH #12
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale AUGUST 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• Setting up THE ROGUES as a team as the next major storyline for the series begins!

• GLIDER takes center stage!

What a gorgeous cover.  DC’s August Justice League solicitations are up at The Source.  The cover for the Flash Annual was revealed last week.

For the full Annual solicit, plus Kid Flash solo and Jay Garrick’s Earth 2 adventures, follow the jump…

THE FLASH ANNUAL #1
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art by FRANCIS MANAPUL, MARCUS TO and others
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale AUGUST 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

• The Rogues – victorious? If THE FLASH had trouble with them individually, together they’ll kill him!

• Something worse than The Rogues is just waiting for the right moment to attack….

Marcus To was recently announced as the artist for issues #10 and 11, and it appears he’ll be working on the Annual as well.

EARTH 2 #4
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by IVAN REIS
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS
On sale AUGUST 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• THE GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH and HAWKGIRL in action!

• The debut of the all-new ATOM SMASHER!

• A monstrous evil claws its way out of the poisoned soil of EARTH 2!

Jay is not included on the cover, which features the new Hawkgirl.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #12
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA
Art by JORGE JIMENEZ
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale AUGUST 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• KID FLASH stars in his first solo adventure, racing against time as he deals with the prehistoric trouble the TEEN TITANS brought back from MYSTERY ISLAND!

Flash #12 and Flash Annual Solicitations is a post from Speed Force.

There’s been a lot of speculation among Young Justice fans about the fact that Kid Flash/Wally West has been missing from the five-years-later second season, and that the Flash has barely appeared (and hasn’t spoken). Did Wally West die during the gap? Did Barry Allen die, with Wally West stepping up to become the new Flash like he did in the comics?

One thing is known: An upcoming episode by Peter David will feature three Flashes: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West. Geoff Pierson will provide the voice of Jay Garrick.

I haven’t found a definitive source for the airdate, but it appears to be the June 2 episode, “Bloodlines.”

Update: I meant to add this, but it seems to have gotten lost in editing. What we don’t know: When the episode takes place, or whether Jay, Barry and Wally all appear together or separately (or even in different time periods).

Set your DVRs, folks. This is going to be bigger than Wally’s spotlight in “Coldhearted.”

Image: Character design by Jerome K. Moore.

Thanks to @CraigRMacDonald for the reminder and the link to Charles Skaggs’ post which directed me to Peter David’s post, and to Kyer for remarking on the “Bloodlines” title.

Young Justice: Three Generations of Flashes is a post from Speed Force.

More Flash news from The Source: Kid Flash stars in DCU Presents #12, a solo adventure written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Jorge Jimenez, with a cover by Ryan Sook.

In a special one-shot issue of the fan-favorite anthology series, DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS, Kid Flash will race against time as he deals with the prehistoric trouble the Teen Titans brought back from Mystery Island.

“The Teen Titans survived the Culling and are in for some Prehistoric adventures in both SUPERBOY and TEEN TITANS number tens on the aptly named Mystery Island. And when all is said and done, they will be taking home some souvenirs,” editor Eddie Berganza revealed to THE SOURCE. “Helping Kid Flash have a yabba-doo time with the visiting Dino teens (in back-ups in both TEEN TITANS #11 and #12 with a prologue and epilogue that connects to DC PRESENTS #12) are writer Fabian Niceza and artist Jorge Jimenez. As this story unfolds, we will see which species is really set for extinction!”

I’ll have to check to be sure, but I think this is Bart Allen’s first full-length solo story since the end of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive five years ago, and his first as Kid Flash (not counting the issue of Impulse during “World Without Young Justice” in which he dressed up in one of Wally’s old costumes). Bart did have at least one short story in one of DC’s Halloween specials as Kid Flash. (IIRC, he was caught in a fight between Mirror Master and Bloody Mary.) Edit: Of course he starred in Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost just last year.

Kid Flash Goes Solo in DCU Presents #12 is a post from Speed Force.

The upcoming Young Justice episode “Coldhearted” looks to be adapted from or inspired by Wally West’s first solo Flash issue. It features Wally West’s birthday, a cross-country run to deliver a heart for a transplant, and Vandal Savage.

Wally West comes oh-so-close to fulfilling his birthday wish to finally fight alongside the Justice League. Instead, a massively disappointed Kid Flash is taken off the mission and tasked with a simple delivery job. But a few deadly surprises await the birthday boy along the way….

Comic Book Resources has two clips and some stills from the episode. (Thanks to @CraigRMacDonald for the tip!)

Wally West Spotlighted in Young Justice: Coldhearted is a post from Speed Force.

Earlier this morning, video game publisher, Little Orbit, announced that they have just inked a licensing deal with Warner Bros. to bring Young Justice: Legacy to the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS early next year.

The game takes place in between Seasons 1 and 2 of the show and features an original story written in collaboration with Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, the show’s writers. The game so far boasts a roster of 12 playable heroes to be revealed at a later date (although I think we have a good idea of a few of the cast members at least) and 12 villains to defeat. The game will also feature several cameos from various heroes and villains from the DC universe as well as online AND (this is a big deal for me) local multiplayer modes.

They aren’t exactly too clear on the nature of the game or how it will be played but I’m going out on a limb and assuming (hoping) that we are going to receive something akin to 2006′s Justice League Heroes or the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series. Speaking of Justice League Heroes, I recently repurchased the console version for the PS2 (I let a friend borrow it years ago and he never returned it) and hot damn, what a fun game. The Dark Flash and Jay Garrick unlockable skins make it even more fun and special for us speedster fans. Even better now that I have a friend to play co-op with. If they could just take that game tweak the gameplay a bit, let you pick whoever you want whenever you want, and update the graphics we could have a great game. I guess we will have to wait and see as the information becomes available.

I can pretty much say with 100% certainty that we will at least be seeing Kid Flash as a playable character but I can’t say the same about The Flash. Do we really need two characters that play so similarly? Of course my answer is “yes” because I would love to have Flash and Kid Flash as playable characters in the game but it would make more sense for them to use that extra slot on a different character with different powers. I wonder if they could sneak him in as an unlockable or even give him a slightly different fighting style and special moves?

In any case, you can follow the game’s progress and any updates on Twitter.

And since we are on the subject of Young Justice and I haven’t posted anything new to Speed Force in a while, here are some bonus pics of the Team Speedsters Young Justice Two-Pack:

Just a quick selfless plug; I recently began actively posting again on my own blog, FastestFanAlive.com and I finally have a page on Facebook. So if you enjoy seeing these collectibles check out my website for a lot more of them and “like” my page on Facebook to get steady updates when I post.

Thanks for reading,

-Devin “Flash” Johnson

Young Justice Video Game In The Works is a post from Speed Force.

The fastest superhero to ever grace the pages of comics wears one of the most recognizable costumes, but as the role of the Flash has changed hands from Barry Allen to Wally West, the costumes over the years have incorporated some subtle changes. Of course, no one would be talking about DC Comics’ Flash at all without the original inspiration behind the modern day Flash if Golden Age Jay Garrick had not inspired the superhero’s more popular incarnations.

Iconic Flash Costumes

Golden Age (Jay Garrick)

• Red t-shirt with jagged yellow lightning bolt from top to bottom
• Blue pants
• Red boots with yellow wings
• Silver helmet with yellow wings

Jay Garrick’s Flash costume consists of little more than a set of blue pants, t-shirt, helmet and boots. It comes across as a bit dated by today’s standards (who wears a tucked in long sleeve t-shirt these days?), but it sets the groundwork for the future Flash costumes. The significance of this Flash incarnation is the beginning of the iconic yellow lightning bolt that we see on his shirt, which every other Flash has worn proudly on each of his costumes. The red and yellow color scheme also begins here. The winged helmet and winged boots were a befitting nod to the mythological messenger god, Mercury, who also wore winged footwear, which future embodiments of the Flash have kept.

Silver Age (Barry Allen)

• Red full body jumpsuit
• Redesigned lightning bolt in front of white background
• Yellow athletic boots with matching wings
• Lightning bolt around the waist and forearms
• Red cowl with exposed face and yellow wing accents
• Addition of gloves

Barry Allen begins the transition into the more iconic image of Flash that most comic fans associate with the DC speedster. Barry keeps the red and gold color scheme, but loses the blue pants and t-shirt for a jumpsuit that evokes a more heroic appearance. The lightning bolt theme makes a more prominent appearance on the chest, accented by a white circle to make even more of a focal point, while lightning bolts around the waist and forearms adds another charismatic touch. Barry wears a sleeker, more aero-dynamic cowl, carrying over the wing accents seen in the Golden Age Flash’s helmet. Barry’s boots are now yellow, with a much more fitted appearance and signature wings on the calves.

Crisis Era (Wally West)

• Darker red full body jumpsuit
• Same redesigned bolt on the chest
• Reshaped bolt around the waist
• Yellow boots without wings

Wally West may have started out as the sidekick, but after being thrust into the role of the leading speedster superhero, he brought some new changes to the Flash costume for the Modern Age. Wally’s Flash keeps the lightning bolt encased in a white circle on the chest, but he opts for a deeper red, which creates a sleek modern look. The lightning bolt around the waist changes into a dual lightning bolt, giving some more movement to the suit, while the lightning bolts around the forearms remain unchanged. Wally also gets rid of the wings on the boots. Wally’s changes may have been subtle, but the minor changes really do influence the mood and attitude of the character.

Here’s a side by side comparison of Wally and Barry’s costumes.

Other Flashes

Although the costumes above may represent the better known looks of the Flash, the speedsters have also assumed some other interesting costumes through the years and various sagas. From bright blue to black, Lantern stories to cartoons, the Flash has found himself in a whole myriad of different looks!

New 52 (Barry Allen)

All right, so the first Flash on this list may not be as wild or different as the classic Flash costumes, but with the new comics comes a redesigned suit. The New 52, released in fall 2011 is back to Barry, who wears a slightly modified version of the Wally West suit. The new Flash costume features most of the same features of the Modern Age costume, but now the lightning bolts around the forearms have a more pointed shape moving towards the wrist and the boots received a slight redesign, giving them an almost metallic armor appearance. A toned down, gold metallic accent color also replaces the bright yellows that once made up the lightning bolts and boots.

Blue Lantern Flash (Barry Allen)

Red may be the signature color of the Flash, but Barry Allen made an appearance in blue during the Blackest Night even. His Blue Lantern costume brings forth the style of the Blue Lantern Corps with a dual shading of light blue and dark blue, and a runic Blue Lantern symbol on his chest where the Flash lightning bolt would normally rest. He retains the Flash-style cowl wings, but now in white.

Young Justice: Kid Flash (Wally West)

Some people tend to forget Wally’s time as Kid Flash, but it was the genesis of his story to becoming the Flash. Cartoon Network brings Wally back to his role as Kid Flash in their Young Justice cartoon series. Wally wears the classic Kid Flash costume. As always, he wears a lightning bolt on his chest, but now in red with a white background. Notice that the lightning bolt has only one ripple, rather than two normally seen in the comics. Rather than a full cowl, his headpiece leaves the top open to expose his hair, while a set of goggles adds a new functional look. The Flash wings make an appearance on his headpiece, but in red. Red pants and gloves accent his yellow top and boots, while the boots have been redesigned to look a bit more athletic.

An interesting twist to his look from Young Justice is a “stealth mode” now incorporated into the series. The stealth mode version replaces his yellow and red with varying shades of black.

Whether it’s on the pages of DC comics, or on the TV screen, the Flash always has a unique look. The Flash is one of the few heroes who never made big changes to his costume, for one simple reason: he didn’t need to. The Flash costume has always done an excellent job of telling his fans what he’s all about, with perfectly matched color schemes, symbols that represent the Flash character and a look that no other superhero could replicate. But what do you think—which Flash did it the best?

This Flash costume retrospective was put together by Ryan Heuer. Ryan writes for an online Halloween costumes company that sells a wide variety of superhero costumes for men and women.

Update: Since the related-posts system doesn’t seem to be picking it up automatically, you may be interested in Speed Force’s previous article on Wally West’s costumes.

Flash Costumes: Speedster Style is a post from Speed Force.

DC Comics’ EiC Bob Harras dropped a few hints yesterday about what’s in store for the DC Universe in 2012. Those wondering just what’s going on with Kid Flash — is he still from the future? — still related to Barry? — will be glad to hear that answers are on their way:

And what exactly is Kid Flash’s story? TEEN TITANS will explore that mystery early next year.

Kid Flash’s Story to Unfold in 2012 is a post from Speed Force.

For those of you still playing DC Universe Online for the PS3 and PC (or that jumped back on board for the Free to Play Content), the second expansion pack, “Lightning Strikes” is forthcoming and will be focusing on some of our favorite speedsters and adding some new gameplay elements as well.

Newsrama posted an interview with the Sony Online Entertainment Creative Director, Jens Andersen and Executive Director of Development, Lorin Jameson that confirmed quite a few things:

• Electricity will be joining Fire, Gadgets, Ice, Mental, Sorcery, Nature and Light Manipulation as the standard powers available. It will be more of a support power than a straight up attack power.
• The Flash will be Barry Allen and Kid Flash will be Bart Allen. There is no Wally West content in the game at this time.
• Central City will be added as a new area to explore and although it will be not as expansive as Metropolis and Gotham City, it will feature the Flash Museum!
• Players will be able to access the Cosmic Treadmill(!) in order to go back in time through the Speed Force and play a part in Barry Allen’s origin.
• Weather Wizard(!), Professor Zoom, and Barry Allen are just some of the Flash-related bounties that will be appearing inside of the new Central City map. (Bounties are instances where your character can tackle iconic characters in an effort to bring villains in to answer for their crimes or take heroes out for getting in your way). In the rest of the open world The Trickster (apparently sporting a revamped design), Pied Piper, Abra Kadabra, and the Top (yay for Lia) will be around to menace heroes.
• And as a final piece of Flash-related content players will be able to acquire Flash’s costume ring as an in-game “trinket” item. Apparently it will grant the user special Speed Force-related powers.

“Lightning Strikes” DC Universe Online! is a post from Speed Force.

For those who are still wondering, Teen Titans artist Brett Booth stepped in last week to clarify:

Kid Flash in Teen Titans s BART ALLEN. It’s not his middle name or an alias.

October 26, 2011 11:12 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Demonpuppy

Brett Booth

While DC hasn’t been very clear in the Teen Titans solicitations, Kid Flash has been identified as Bart Allen in articles and interviews as far back as June. Last week’s Teen Titans #2 explicitly referred to him as Bart Allen, so this should end speculation (most recently seen here) that the series features Wally West in line with the Young Justice cartoon.

Of course, there are still plenty of questions about Bart’s origins. Is he still related to Barry Allen? If so, how? Is he still from the future? How did he get his powers? (Come to think of it, Smallville never did reveal an origin for Bart beyond being in some sort of accident with a flash of light.)

If Bart is still from the future, and if he is still Barry and Iris’ grandson, the fact that they aren’t married in the present is no more a contradiction than the fact that Booster Gold’s grandparents haven’t even been born yet in the present day. In that case, he comes from a future in which they do. Even so, it doesn’t have to lock down the Barry/Iris question. As Yoda once said, “always in motion is future.”

New 52: Kid Flash Clarification is a post from Speed Force.

Over the NYCC weekend, DC unveiled the Teen Titans #5 cover. Artist Brett Booth points out that it’s not Kid Flash’s final costume.

@SpeedsterSite Haha! Barts second ‘costume’ relieved at last;) One more to go!

October 16, 2011 1:22 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Demonpuppy

Brett Booth

In addition to Bart Allen, Brett Booth has also been drawing Wally West a lot lately (for fun, not for any official comics), and spoke with Speed Force last week. Update: And now he’s posted a Max Mercury sketch.

Kid Flash vs. Superboy on the Teen Titans #5 Cover is a post from Speed Force.