Monthly Archives: January 2011

Flash #12 Solicited

DC’s April 2011 solicitations are up at CBR, Newsarama and elsewhere, including the next issue of Flash. Next month we should be seeing the first solicitations for Flashpoint, which launches in May. (Hmm, who wants to bet that there will be a Flashpoint #0 for Free Comic Book Day?)

The Flash #12

Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:10 Variant cover by GEORGE PEREZ

“The Road to Flashpoint” concludes as everything Barry Allen knows and cares about is lost. What is the Flashpoint? Find out in the upcoming FLASHPOINT #1!

On sale APRIL 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T

Wow, that’s…vague.

But, hey, George Perez variant cover! I’m looking forward to seeing that one!

Also of likely interest to Flash fans:

  • Justice League International TPB Vol. 6, collecting several issues of Justice League America and Justice League Europe (featuring Wally West), including the first crossover between the two teams, “The Teasdale Imperative.”
  • Young Justice #3 with Kid Flash front and center on the cover.
  • The conclusion of Brightest Day, featuring Captain Boomerang (and probably Professor Zoom)
  • The usual team books: Justice Society of America, Teen Titans, Tiny Titans

Interview: Freddie E. Williams II on gorillas, lightning and Spin

Today’s guest post is the fourth in a series of interviews by Greg Elias on The Art of Speed.

Between stints working the Gotham City beat with Robin, artist Freddie E. Williams II took his talents to Keystone City and the home of the young West family.

First teamed with Mark Waid, Williams hit his stride when Tom Peyer took over as writer.  Ringing in a mind-bending new villain, the wrath of Grodd and the challenges of high-speed fatherhood, Williams and Peyer brought Flash from Keystone to Gorilla City and into the Speed Force.

In addition to his work on Robin, Williams has handled art duties on Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle, Final Crisis Afterman: Run and JSA All-Stars.  Though his time on Flash interiors ended with issue #246, he contributed the cover to issue #248.

We spoke with Williams via email about his time on Flash, including the design of new villian Spin, the joy of gorillas and learning to love the lightning.  He shared some of his techniques, as well as some original art!

Continue reading

Rumor: Will Flashpoint Retitle Everything?

This is pure speculation, but it’s an interesting one. Bleeding Cool reports that DC Comics’ upcoming Flashpoint event will rename and renumber DCU titles all across the line, much as Marvel’s Age of Apocalypse retitled all of their X-Men titles for the duration of that alternate reality story.

Basically, that DC will change their publishing lineup to reflect the changes that (presumably) the Reverse-Flash makes in DCU history.

If they do it right, I think this could be fun. It reminds me of DC One Million, in which every DCU title jumped forward to issue #1,000,000 and either told a story about a future version of the lead character/team, or told a story about the character in the future (to varying degrees of success). The Armageddon 2001 and Legends of the Dead Earth annuals were similar (though A2001, IMO, was a more successful event), or perhaps the two https://hyperborea.org/flash/tangent.html”>Tangent Comics events in which DC released nine books as if they were first issues of new series detailing an alternate universe.

I guess the best comparison for a DC reader would be the Amalgam comics that took over a month on the DC & Marvel publishing schedules during the Marvel vs. DC event and its sequels: comics like Speed Demon, or the Uncanny X-Patrol, or Doctor Strangefate. Each was treated as a first issue of an ongoing, often with references to previous series featuring the characters.

Keep in mind that this is still a rumor: DC might not be planning this at all, or they might be planning a few miniseries to run alongside the regular monthly books like they did with Blackest Night, or they might be planning a single month like the resurrected titles last year.

This Week: Young Justice #0

The comic-book version of the new Young Justice cartoon series launches this week:

Young Justice #0

Written by GREG WEISMAN and KEVIN HOPPS; Cover and art by MIKE NORTON

Based on the upcoming hit animated show from Warner Bros. debuting on Cartoon Network! Robin, Superboy, Kid Flash and Aqualad star in this explosive issue kickstarting an all-new ongoing series! They’re four young superheroes learning how to be a team…and maybe doing a bit of growing up along the way – but only just a little bit!

Animation writers Greg Wiesman (The Batman, Gargoyles) and Kevin Hopps (Spectacular Spider-Man, Smurfs) join fan-favorite artist Mike Norton (BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM) for this exciting new, all-ages title!
Johnny DC 32pg. Color $2.99 US

Flash fans may also be interested in…

  • Tiny Titans (also frequently features Kid Flash)
  • Justice League International vol.5 TPB (reprinting the first six issues of Justice League Europe, featuring Flash Wally West)
  • Brightest Day #18, with Captain Boomerang

Fake Flashpoint Teasers

Inspired by last week’s one-line Flashpoint teasers, @Speedstersite started posting jokes marked #FakeFLASHPOINTTeaser on Twitter. Others joined in.

Here are some of my favorites:

  • SpeedsterSite: Turns out, hard water is just ice, nothing more.
  • SpeedsterSite: He absolutely refused to see Zorro that night
  • collecteditions: No one escaped the Manhunters.
  • collecteditions: He never much liked fish; she never much liked Curry.
  • collecteditions: The Graysons never worked without a net.
  • ryanoneil: Jor-El wasn’t actually a rocket scientist.
  • DougG_ATL: Hippolyta is a terrible sculptor
  • DougG_ATL: Superboy Prime, try this Xanax.
  • TheLastIslander: Bart Allen is secretly the time trapper. (More of a fake spoiler than a fake teaser, but at this point, who hasn’t been the Time Trapper?)
  • BlueTyson This story is actually good! (Ouch!)
  • JCorduroy Greedo shot first. (So that explains it!)

My own humble contributions:

  • He never lost his eye.
  • He would’ve gotten away with it, if it weren’t for those darn kids.
  • They caught the radioactive spider before it could bite anyone.
  • Nephew? What nephew?

You can find the rest on Twitter at the #FakeFLASHPOINTTeaser tag.

But Twitter isn’t the only place people were doing this. Over at the CBR forums, posters were making their own banners in the same spirit.

Weekend Updates: Storylines, Covers, Rogue Profiles

A few updates at Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning:

I’ve finally added an index of storylines from Rebirth onward, including the upcoming “Hot Pursuit” and Flashpoint stories. I also ended up combining the 1987-2006 and 2006-2008 indexes together in a 1987-2008 index that covers all of Wally West’s series, plus the brief Flash: The Fastest Man Alive.

Also added: the 75th Anniversary cover for Action Comics #892, referring back to the first Flash/Superman race in Superman #199. Check out the list of cover homages.

And I’ve updated the index of Rogue Profiles to include the last two issues featuring Captain Boomerang and the Reverse-Flash.