Well, I wasn’t able to make it to WonderCon on Friday for various reasons up to and including a flat tire a few blocks from the hotel, but Newsarama was there, and their coverage of the Geoff Johns spotlight includes a number of Flashy items:
Will Green Lantern or Flash get renumbered to high numbers? “No plans for that,” Johns said. A fan booed. “I want to see Flash #1, not #702. Maybe later.”
Fan asked about the dynamic between Wally West and Barry Allen. “It’s a very healthy relationship. In a weird way, I think Wally has surpassed Barry in private life,” Johns said.
“Why no Black Lantern Inertia?” “Purely a space issue,” Johns said.
“We’ll be using a lot of new characters in the Flash,” Johns says. “They’ll be a lot of new stuff. Just like Green Lantern—Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern, but it’s not full of old characters.”
Is there any direction you’re going to take with the Reverse Flash returning? “Well, yes.” Johns says you’ll see new villains in Flash #1.
Any plans for Jai West to become a superhero? “His current nickname is “the turtle” because he currently has no powers,” Johns said.
Update: CBR’s coverage is up. There’s a little more on the Wally/Barry relationship answer:
Barry Allen and Wally West’s relationship will be explored in the Flash book. “I think Barry and Wally, it’s a very healthy relationship,” Johns said. “I think in a weird way Wally has surpassed Barry in the private life. He’s got kids, he’s got a wife, and Barry’s struggled with that a bit. But you’ll see it in the coming year.” The new Flash book will also feature a lot of new villains in the first issue.
“Just like Green Lantern—Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern, but it’s not full of old characters.”
But there’s only like four important new characters in Green Lantern – Atrocitus (who’s actually one of the survivors of the Empire of Tears), Saint Walker, LArfleeze, and Lyssa Drak… Every other new character that’s gotten any kind of development or focus was actually featured over in Green Lantern CORPS, a situation that can’t really play out without a secondary character like Kid Flash.
“Why no Black Lantern Inertia?” “Purely a space issue,” Johns said.
Huh, I didn’t realize that my subconcious had made it to WonderCon…
Also, SCREW YOU AND YOUR SPACE ISSUES, JOHNS. If the entire planet of Xanshi can show up to mess with John Stewart, I think Inertia could have had a quick cameo ripping out hearts or something.
I was the one that asked about Inertia. It just seemed odd that he didn’t show up as part of the Black Lantern Flash villains, but oh well.
I also asked Geoff if was going to kill Weather Wizard in “The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues” and if Blitz had been planned when he introduced Hunter Zolomon. No comment on the first, yes on the second.:)
Has me a little worried for Weather Wizard. Especially since Black Lantern Top revealed he and Weather Wizard’s plans from back before he died to wrest control of the Rogue’s from Cold and we’ve seen no fall out from this yet.
Yeah, that’s really worrying me. Cold doesn’t take kindly to treachery and backstabbing as we’ve seen before. Geoff’s obviously planted seeds for something big, but I’m still worried for my favorite Rogue. Of course, Geoff’s response to my comment was amusing…
Me: “But what would the Rogues be without Weather Wizard?”
Geoff: “They’d still be the Rogues.”