Wow. Comic Bloc’s SNW1 has been checking more often than I have (or at least has better timing), because he spotted this: DC’s website now lists March 24, 2010 as the release date for Flash: Rebirth #6.
Think about that for a moment. Let that sink in. Assuming no further schedule changes (and so far, Blackest Night: Flash hasn’t changed), this means:
- Blackest Night: The Flash will finish a month before Flash: Rebirth does.
- Flash: Rebirth will have spanned just one week less than 52 did.
- There’s a good chance that Flash Secret Files will also be out by the time Flash: Rebirth finishes. (Presumably we’ll find out on Monday when DC’s March solicitations go up.)
- That April date for the Flash: Rebirth hardcover is looking mighty optimistic.
- The book will be out one week before WonderCon, for which EVS is drawing the program cover/T-shirt (Edit: this was posted just two days ago).
- On the plus side, those of us who were hoping The Flash might launch immediately after Rebirth’s conclusion might actually get our wish.
It’s worth noting that 4 people out of 106 did vote for March 2010 in the When Will Flash: Rebirth Finish? poll last month.
Update (Dec 20): The book may be coming out sooner than March after all.
Update 2: It’s been rescheduled to February 24, 2010.
We all wish we could claim surprise at this point, but I don’t think anyone actually is. *sigh* 🙁
If the WonderCon is responsible for this, then how could DC allow EVS to take on the WonderCon project?
.-= Eric Ridgeway’s latest blog post: 12/9 comics. =-.
I think it’s safe to say DC isn’t policing EVS too heavily.
I doubt the WonderCon project is the cause on it’s own so much as just not helping speed-along matters–much less helping the perception on the part of the readers.
Well, he only mentioned the WonderCon gig on Facebook 2 days ago, and I don’t see an announcement on the WC website yet. Who knows? Maybe he took on the convention project because he got extra time for Rebirth.
Wow, this is a really bummer for, me as someone who has recently discovered what a cool character the Flash is (mainly through sites like this and Tom vs. the Flash). I’m interested in this story and what it means re: the legacy of the character, but man, these delays are hard to deal with.
So when was Rebirth supposed to finish again? I want to justify my extreme disgust with how this has been handled.
The originally-scheduled date for Flash: Rebirth #6 was September 30, 2009.
Is Ethan still shouldering the blame for the delays or is he just a factor to the bigger picture?
I realize that DC wanted to keep the same artist all the way through on this series, but honestly, was it worth it? They could have gotten a very good artist to do issues #5-6, got the book out on time and kept hype and momentum for the series (and the new monthlies) from stalling out. I mean, Scott Kolins has three issues of Blackest Night: Flash done (apparently) and is working on the 10 page backups for the new monthly. I’m sure he or another artist who doesn’t have regular gig could have stepped in and helped out, thus getting the series out on time even if the artwork from #1-4 looked different from #5-6. Its not like it hasn’t happened before (Final Crisis for example).
Doug Mahnke or Ivan Reis can produce similar quality levels of art and they aren’t this slow. Maybe it had to be rewritten, maybe one of Ethan’s family members knocked over coffee on his pages or computer; Whatever the case they should give us a reason for the fact that the issue is this late.
didn’t van sciver say he was halfway through #6? so we have to wait 3 months for 11 pages? that is less than one page per week. that makes NO sense, its impossible to be that slow without just pure laziness and apathy
What the fu..??!!!!!
what if they never planned to release it then anyways? then they watch all the gripes, release a new date that is a ways down the road, and then do that again (and again) just to see how many people complain but buy it anyways…. i mean, i dont like the delay cuz its only December… and March is 3 months away… and i could be dead by then and i’ll never get to read the end of the story…… but i’m gonna buy at least 2 copies of it when it comes out… doesnt matter if its NEXT december when it finally hits….
This is rediculous. For the fastest man alive he has the slowest comic. if it wasn’t falsh I would have dropped this book after #3
The DC website has the hardcover coming out on April 28 now instead of April 7 or 13 or whenever it was supposed to originally.
I also think it’s interesting that we were told a LOT around the time they announced the change from 5 to 6 issues, that the BIG contingent on the deal was that Ethan get the series out on time. We even heard it from him specifically saying that DC said that if Ethan got the other issues out on time they could have 6. There’s no way that they could have had delays this bad since the 3rd issue and still been convinced he was capable of getting it out on time. We shouldn’t have even had a 6th issue to be worrying about (which also would have done a LOT to help the complaints of it being too slow of a burn plotwise).
I think it’s okay to wait for an artist, occasionally. I think the wait between every issue of All Star Superman was worth it. But I don’t think this is a case of that at all. No offense to anyone who’s a hardcore EVS fan (which I used to consider myself) but his art is not 4 month quality. Of course I expect to be in the minority about that (heck, im apparently the only person who doesn’t like Wally’s new costume).
At this point I thought I was past being surprised with Rebirth, it’s become a joke. This has become past ridiculous, and it’s personally made me hate EVS as an artist. He’s good, but nowhere near good enough for these delays.
It’s frustrating because I know a character like Batman or Superman would never have an important title like this be delayed this much. I really hope EVS never touches Flash again.
Yeah, this is beyond ridiculous. EVS should just stick to being a cover artist or something.
Bloody bleepity bleepity. I can’t believe this, hopefully it doesn’t turn into a Planetery type lateness.
*throws arms into the air*
Oh, I give up.
The only thing I’m hoping for now is if Kid Flash isn’t delayed by this.
As the famous philosopher Charlie Brown once said, “Good Grief!”
I’m so glad Manapul not Van Sciver is the artist for the ongoing. If EVS were the artist for the ongoing I think we’d be looking at next December before issue #1 would get released. I love Van Sciver’s work but his speed, or lack thereof, is quite discouraging.
DC really needs to think twice about hiring the slowest comic artist to work on the fastest man alive.
If DC ever lets EVS do another Flash comic, I hope it’s just a one off and that they give him at least 12 months lead time (tell him it’s due in a month even if they don’t need it until long after that).
John Cassaday the slowest artist worked on the Flash?
Cassaday did draw a Piper story in a Flash annual years ago.
I was trying to make a joke about the lateness of Planetery.
I know he’s busy drawing Wonder Woman on facebook right now…
Ethan Van Sciver has recently chimed in on ComicBloc regarding the March 24 date:
“… This March date is strange. The book will be finished this week. I think you’ll see it get bumped back to January in a few days”
(http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75719&page=8, response #117).
It’s bad enough they pull the BS of putting Kid Flash on hold and eliminating the Wally back up, but then they expext you to wait three more freking months to see the end of a mini series that isn’t even that great??!!!
And then they wonder why they lose readers. This is just disrespectful to me, they obviously don’t give a damn about their readers.
A six issue mini that almost lasted a year, wow!!!!!
Kinda makes you wonder if that Return of Bruce Wayne mini they have planned for next year will last into 2011.