Speed Force

Today, DC released some major Wonder Woman news: a new costume designed by Jim Lee and a new direction for the series as J. Michael Straczynski takes over.

To sum up: Persons unknown have altered Wonder Woman’s history so that Paradise Island was wiped out 20 years ago. Diana has no memory of the original timeline, doesn’t have her full powers yet, and needs to survive, help other refugee Amazons, find out who destroyed Paradise Island and find out whether the timeline can be restored.

All-New, All-Different!

I’m always apprehensive when a new writer picks up an established character and the first thing he does is to remove some key element of the character. Like the Flash’s speed (Geoff Johns’ first Flash story, “Wonderland”). Or Superman’s flight (JMS’ first Superman arc, “Grounded”). I understand it might help the writer get inside the character’s head: what is he or she like without the powers? But it always feels like shoehorning some other idea onto the character. Why did you want to write the Flash if you didn’t want to write about a guy who runs fast?

That said, for all that DC is pushing this as a “new direction,” to me this description reads more like a major story arc. I mean, there’s an end point right there in the description: find out who did it and see if it’s possible to change things back. Given the timing of the comics themselves and the time-travel elements to the story, I suspect this is going to be linked to Flashpoint. [Update: Comics Alliance asked JMS about this and he said it's not related.]

Retcon Fever

It’s worth comparing to Flash: Rebirth, actually. In both cases, someone within the fictional universe has gone back in time and altered the main character’s history. With Diana, we know before the first issue is out. With Barry Allen, only long-term readers knew anything had been changed to begin with. It wasn’t clear that there was an in-story explanation for it until the miniseries was almost over. Even then, the prospect of undoing the changes was only floated long enough to be dismissed as impossible.

Most importantly: changing Diana’s history drastically alters who she is today. That’s a story. Once you get past the doom-and-gloom Barry of Flash: Rebirth #1-3, the changes to his history don’t seem to have made much difference in the present.

Remember, comics arrive on Thursday this week due to Memorial Day!

This week, DC reprints the first issue of Flash: Rebirth as part of its “What’s Next? Graphic Novels You Should Be Reading” series.

Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, the team behind GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, create this jaw-dropping issue that reintroduced Barry Allen as The Flash, now reprinted for just $1.00! But how will this greatest of all Flashes find his place in the twenty-first century? This issue is featured in THE FLASH: REBIRTH HC (DEC090206)

I believe this marks the fifth printing the issue. Check out the covers for the first four.

Also Flash-related:

• Final Crisis Trade Paperback (featuring Wally West, Jay Garrick, and the return of Barry Allen)
• Justice Society of America #39 (featuring Jay Garrick and Liberty Belle)
• JSA All-Stars #7 (featuring Liberty Belle)

Some art-related linkblogging…

Yildiray Cinar draws an impressive Reverse Flash (via @SpeedsterSite)

There’s a new Rogue in town…a new Rogues blog, that is: The Rogues Kick Ass (via @liabrown1). So far, it’s mostly comedic scans from published comics. (Context? What context?)

This is Knutz presents: The Rogues as kittens. (via @SpeedsterSite) Hilarious!

The Best Comic Covers looks back on the 9 Best Superman vs Flash Covers.

Various people at DC Comics weigh in on their favorite DC covers. Dan Didio’s is Michael Turner’s Flash #207 (via @SpeedsterSite).

Last week, Once Upon a Geek posted a series of poster galleries, including the JSA, Flash, Green Lantern, Sandman, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and more.

Behind the Scenes

Francis Manapul has been posting a lot of Flash art on Twitter lately: the uncolored art for the Flash #5 cover and five pages from Flash #2.

Val Victory’s review of the Flash: Rebirth hardcover includes scans of Ethan Van Sciver’s discarded designs for Wally West’s new costume.

Lots of places have been posting about Wednesday Comics with the release of the hardcover this week. The Source has some of the extras, including art from Karl Kerschl’s Flash strip.

Comic Strips

OK, none of these strips are Flash-related… but I had to share them anyway.

Comic Critics points out that Gotham City is a bad place to open themed businesses.

Creebobby presents Batman after a bad night on patrol: Bat-Fail.

nedroid has been posting comic strips based on LOST, including Ben and Hurley #2: An Amazing Discovery. (via @TheNerdyBird)

Diamond has posted their top 100 comics for April 2010, and the new Flash relaunch takes the #2 spot…right after Brightest Day #0 and before Green Lantern #53.

Just one year ago, Flash: Rebirth #1 also started in the #2 spot for April.

Meanwhile, Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010 is way down the list at rank #43 by units sold. Clearly, a lot fewer people were interested in the background material than in the relaunch itself. Of course, Flash Secret Files also didn’t have the words “Brightest Day” above the title.

Sales estimates will probably be out in another week or so. It’ll be interesting to compare the number of actual copies sold to Flash: Rebirth and Blackest Night: The Flash. For now, here are the sales and rankings for the past year.

The collected edition of The Flash: Rebirth comes out this week, along with a JLA hardvocer and a couple of new releases.

Flash: Rebirth Hardcover

Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Ethan Van Sciver

Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, the writer/artist team behind the blockbuster GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, create an explosive, jaw-dropping epic that reintroduces Barry Allen as The Flash in this hardcover collecting the fast-paced 6-issue miniseries. But how will this greatest of all Flashes find his place in the twenty-first century?

DC Universe · 168pg. · Color · Hardcover · $19.99 US

Buy it at your local comic shop this week, or order it from Amazon, who’ll have it next week.

As I recall, extras include character designs, such as some of the drafts Ethan Van Sciver went through when redesigning Wally West’s costume, and attempts to draw Iris Allen showing her age a bit more than the “hot Iris” she became.

(I have to ask one thing: Did the copywriter who called this miniseries “fast-paced” actually read the book? It was a slow burn that didn’t really get going until issue four.)

Also This Week

Flash: Rebirth isn’t the only hardcover coming out this week, or the only DC book to feature one of the Fastest Men (and Women) Alive.

• DC Comics Classics Library Vol.2: The Justice League of America by George Perez – hardcover featuring 1980s stories with Flash (Barry Allen).
• JLA Deluxe Edition Vol.3 – Hardcover reprinting Grant Morrison’s 1990s JLA #22-26, 28-31 and 1,000,000, featuring Flash (Wally West).
• Justice Society of America #38 – featuring Flash (Jay Garrick) and Liberty Belle/Jesse Quick.
• Super Friends #26 – featuring the Flash.
• Teen Titans #82 – I think this is the issue where Kid Flash (Bart Allen) rejoins the team. Update: Newsarama has a preview. It looks like Bart’s already back and I missed it.

With Flash: Rebirth complete, we can take a look at the changes the series made to the Flash mythos. I listed a lot of them in my review of issue #6 (resurrections, costume/identity/power changes, the re-imagining of the speed force itself, etc.), but I want to look at a specific set of changes: What the Reverse-Flash did to Barry Allen’s past, and the ripple effect from those changes.

Note that I’m specifically looking at things that contradict previous stories, not those that add new details that can be considered to have been hidden.

Spoilers for Flash: Rebirth, of course.

Read the rest of this entry »

The 2010 Eisner Award nominees have been announced. One Flash story has been nominated, as have two of the Flash’s long-term writers.

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

• Brave & the Bold #28: “Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line,” by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz (DC) (reviewed here)

Best Writer

• Geoff Johns — Adventure Comics, Blackest Night, The Flash: Rebirth, Superman: Secret Origin (DC)
• Mark Waid — Irredeemable, The Incredibles (BOOM!)

Waid’s Irredeemable is also up for Best Continuing Series and Best New Series, and cover artist John Cassaday is up for Best Cover Artist.

A whole bunch o’ linkblogging:

Art!

The webcomic LOST in Comics does a strip that reverses a scene from the TV show, and has Superman and the Flash discussing Hurley and Charlie.

Blake Sims draws the Flash.

Comics Alliance: What if comic books had titles based on what you say about them?

Dreamers Muse has a bunch of Flash icons.

Reviews!

Pop Matters on The Real Return of Barry Allen:

But secretly, the most rewarding element of the limited series has been the delays. To misdirect attention from his super-powers, Barry Allen would make a point of always arriving late. True to form, the publication delays add a hint of Barry Allen charm, making his public wait, just that little while longer.

The Daily P.O.P. reviews Flash: Rebirth as a whole.

Hello Kello writes: What I Learned from Flash: Rebirth.

Collected Editions reviews Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., Geoff Johns’ first DC work.

Commentary!

Screen Rant considers: What Will The Flash Movie Be About?

At the Hall of Justice annotates Blackest Night: The Flash #3.

Comic Book Revolution asks: Would you read a comic if the writer left?

CSBG/Lorendiac’s Lists takes a look at 11 Methods of Target Acquisition – in short, just how do super-heroes and supervillains end up in the same place to have those slugfests?

And finally, totally off-topic…here’s a picture of an Office Depot truck with an Autobot symbol.

I’m imagining Optimus Prime working out some sort of advertising deal to help bring in some revenue.

Remember that placeholder cover DC used when they solicited Flash: Rebirth #6 to avoid spoilers? Apparently Ethan Van Sciver scrapped that one unfinished, because he’s offering it on Facebook in an art contest.

To the right of the fully-drawn figure of Barry Allen, he’s added the new Impulse, a sketchy figure who appears to be Kid Flash, and a really sketchy figure who could be anyone (though I’m guessing Wally West — he may have scrapped the cover before he finished designing the new costume). The left side of the page is still empty.

Edit: Apparently not everyone can see the image, so here’s a smaller copy of what he’s posted.

ICv2 has released February 2010 sales estimates, and both Flash: Rebirth #6 and Blackest Night: Flash finish close to the previous issues of the respective series. Rebirth is ranked #9 for the month, while the Blackest Night tie-in comes in at #12 — again, the highest-rated of the three spin-off miniseries.

*Compared to the previous issue of Flash: Rebirth

In the end, about two-thirds of those who started Flash: Rebirth finished it, though most readers who were still on board by #5 stuck it through to the end. I have no idea what typical drop-off is for a six-issue miniseries, so this could be good, bad, or standard.

The rankings are quite positive, though: Of the nine issues between the two miniseries, seven were in the top 10 for the month. The two that dropped below the top 10 were still in the top 15.

I’d guess we’ll see a drop for this month’s Flash Secret Files and then another jump up for The Flash #1. It’s a major relaunch of one of DC’s top 6 characters, it’s a #1, it’s tied into Brightest Day, and it’s a new series by Geoff Johns. Plus even many readers who were disappointed by Flash: Rebirth have expressed optimism about the new series. It will be interesting to see how well it succeeds.