The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato were featured in an interview posted yesterday at Comic Vine. Within, the two talk about their plans for the title in 2013, including the fates of Iris West and her family, the introduction and genesis of the new Reverse-Flash and more!
Media Blitz! features highlights from recent Flash news items. Follow the jump for the latest! There are some interesting threads in the writers’ responses…
On Barry’s not searching for Iris after she was lost in the Speed Force:
Francis Manapul: Barry was told by Turbine that Iris was lost in time. His hesitance to go back to the past and potentially alter anything has prevented him from this search. That and barrel full of apes has kept him quite busy. However we will see a resolution to this by the end of Gorilla War.
On [the green-eyed] Daniel West and his role in the title’s new year:
FM: This new year will bring on a lot of new information about the West family. Daniel and Iris has had a falling out in the past, and we’ll be exploring what cut the familial ties.
Brian Buccellato: …He is a part of the New 52 Flash universe and we look forward to exploring his experiences and how he relates to the others in book — especially his big sister and any other friends and/or family members that cross his path.
On updating the Reverse-Flash for The New 52, including his look and existing backstory:
BB:I will say that Francis and I never really considered using the pre-52 version of Reverse Flash. That ground is well worn and so we prefer to just keep “moving forward”.
FM: After our discussion with the gang, the introduction of Reverse Flash into the New 52 actually flowed seamlessly with the story we were telling. We’re excited to introduce this “new” threat to Barry and his supporting cast.
BB: He has no recollection of pre 52 events and so this will be his FIRST dealing with Reverse Flash…Honestly, the way we are approaching the character and his/her motivations requires an entirely different look and feel. This may be a bit of a knock against the classic versions, but MAAAAAN his costume was YELLOW. I’m sure some might hammer me for not liking the old costume, but I think our version looks WAY MORE badass and, dare I say, SCARY.
It’s a small detail, but the “his/her” distinction in the last response stood out to me. Also, when asked about future stories, Manapul responded,”‘Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in’.” Comic Vine has that in quotes-within-the-quote. Previously, Manapul had implied that his run might end this year. There have also been rumors that Flash was one of the books in line for creative changes in 2013.
For more, including plans beyond the Reverse-Flash arc and comments on Dr.’s Elias and Guerrero, go to Comic Vine!
@SpeedForceOrg I liked the Reverse Flash costume.
Oh god, PLEASE tell me Reverse Flash won’t be Iris West.
That would be awkward
My guess at this point is that it’ll be Daniel West.
I can’t express enough how much I dislike what has happened to The Flash. Everything that I love about The Flash is dead. Wally’s missing, Barry’s boring and just like every other damaged hero, Rogues with powers, and a completely new Reverse-Flash in every way. My opinion here.
They’ve done away with the entire Flash Legacy, meanwhile everything about Batman has stuck around. Depressing.
Not only has everything Batman stuck around (well, save for Oracle and Stephanie Brown?) Batman’s legacy bled over into Flash what with the ‘dead parents’ as motivation to be a hero. Much prefered the original Barry who did good simply because it *was* good.
Kind of sad if everyone’s motivation to be a good person hinged on some horrible tragedy like it was some sort of perquisite. What a state the world would be in.
That’s not the case with Flash, if you read #0.
“I have to move past my parents being dead” still places importance on the dead parents as part of the origin.
The whole Flash legacy is there. Jay Garrick is on Earth 2, as he once was. Barry is the Flash, and his grandson Bart is Kid Flash. That’s 3 Flashes, and generational connections to boot.
The only thing really “missing” from the old status quo is Wally West’s history as Barry’s replacement. And I’m sure at some point that will be addressed, or reinvented, too.
I see what you’re saying but The Flash Legacy is in shambles. Barry became Flash because of Jay. Wally became Kid Flash because of Barry. Wally took up the mantle because of Barry’s death. Bart became Flash once Wally disappeared. There’s nothing connecting these people and their actions (Save for Bart, but that’s stupid on a whole other level). Some people/names exist but the Legacy is gone. It wasn’t just Flashes either. Johnny/Jesse Quick and Max Mercury are part of The Flash Legacy too. No sir, there is no Flash Legacy that writers spent 60+ years creating. It’s all gone with one issue.
So, Zoom’s obsession with Barry which led to the reboot of the universe caused him to wipe himself out?
“BB: He has no recollection of pre 52 events and so this will be his FIRST dealing with Reverse Flash…” and “Francis Manapul: Barry was told by Turbine that Iris was lost in time. His hesitance to go back to the past and potentially alter anything has prevented him from this search.”
So if he doesn’t recall that HE changed the past…. (quick, someone run with it…)
I’ll answer that for you, too…
He doesn’t have any memories of pre52 or the letter… but on an innate level he understands that messing with time is dangerous. Something deep in his core KNOWS that you shouldn’t eff with time.
You know you hit on something that’s been bugging me since DC52 started up….that letter. Even in Torchwood episode one when the lady realized she was drugged to forget about aliens she tried to leave herself a note on her computer so that she’d be able to read and possibly remember. I’d think the fastest man alive would do something like that, yet supposedly we are to take it he did not?
From your past posts I gather that you don’t even read the current Flash run… so I can totally see why you would be concerned about the letter (as the last remnant of the old52). Who knows what the future holds, but at the moment it is a non-issue in new52 continuity. All I can recommend is that you accept that reality and not waste energy trying to poke holes in the logic of it. 🙂 Retcons and re-imagined origins and mistakes in continuity are just a byproduct of monthly comic publishing… always has been.
Sigh…you are talking to an extremely loyal person who fell *hard* for Wally plus who has always loved logic and continuity/history in tales even while she revels in fantasy, heroics, daring-do and all that whatnot. I like Barry Allen okay….just not near as much. As to the new book….I enjoy the art. Think the worst thing is that every time I try to read a page of my Flash Forward copy, I start going into mourning for what could have been (Flash Family.) Destructive and pointless? Heck yeah. I acknowledge that. However, I also acknowledge that I can’t make the leap over to the new ‘continuity’ as it is being born. This new DC52 universe is such a clean slate that it upsets my stomach even as it looks pretty. Imagine being a history buff and discovering that everything in your high school books before events of 1950 were falsified.
That said it also upsets me when I hear stuff like Flash not doing well or people putting down the character of Barry. It’s like…like watching your parents argue.
In summary: I know that I read that the letter resurfaced a bit back in one of the books. May be real DC story, may have been someone’s wishful thinking….but it’s going to bug the heck out of me wondering about it. 🙂
Hope that all makes some sense. Trying to type in these itty-bitty windows is claustrophobic and I forget what I typed before and where I’m at. 😛
thanks brian.
i guess i just read too many books to keep all the little details in line…. somethings just been missing since Wally went awol. If DC can push out 17 Batbooks, I can support 2 or 3 Flash books. 🙂
To clarify, Barry’s origin in #0 isn’t about moving on from his parent’s death. His father is still alive… and the thrust of the story was about Barry overcoming the need to prove his father’s innocence so that he could look forward instead of back. Barry is NOT haunted by his mother’s death and he isn’t a hero because her. He does have that tragedy as part of the fabric of his childhood and he IS a police scientist because of her (and Frye)… but he is FLASH because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. That’s the ONLY reason he is the Flash. He is not running from the ghosts of his past at all. He accepts that he has to run to expend the excess Speed Force energy that builds up as time moves forward… however, he CHOOSES to be a hero. He doesn’t have to be. He isn’t compelled by his past.
Tragedy in his past is what fueled his desire to do good. Same with Batman. You don’t have to be haunted by it to have it be a factor in your decision making. Barry chose to be a good person and become a hero, and his mother’s death is a direct reason for that. That’s what sucks about this status quo in DC that every hero needs to experience tragedy to do the right things. Remember when Zoom (Hunter) tried to ruin Wally’s life to get him to be a better hero, the whole point of that arc was that Flash isn’t about tragedy. A Flash is supposed to love being a Flash, it’s what they live for. This new Barry seems to almost dislike it. He faked his own death because of it. Flashes don’t do that. Flashes move forward, they don’t mourn their old lives.
Well, Johnny… we’ll just have to agree to disagree. You’re free to form your own opinions of the book… and all I can tell you is that your interpretation isn’t what we intended.
My question would be then, why fix what ain’t broke? Why change so much? Why add the tragic past event? Why completely change The Rogues? Why remove Wally? I don’t understand the logic here, because when I read the comic (and trust that the only reason I do is because I don’t have to pay for it) and I see all these changes it breaks my heart. The Flash has been the one and only comic I’ve consistently read and stuck with and the changes that have occurred, listed above, all feel like a real slap in the face for a long time fan. Someone who’s been with The Flash Family almost his entire life. Bat Family fans got to keep theirs, why didn’t we get to keep ours?
The above is my personal opinion and also a rant.
I hate to be harsh, but it is just YOUR personal opinion… just like Francis and I are just people making the creative choices we feel are best and most interesting under the conditions that we are given. Flash doesn’t belong to me or to you or to anyone… he’s property of DC Comics and we are doing the best we can with what we got. It’s not a personal slight against you nor the status quo that you long for.
No matter what creative choices we or anyone else make… some people are not going to be happy. It’s unfortunate for you that you fall in that category. But Francis and I are immensely proud of the work we are doing and the book has solid sales and has been received well.
Ultimately, there are no answers that are going to satisfy you. Just know that personally, I truly appreciate your passion and loyalty even though that we don’t see things from the same angle.
I apologize if I come across harsh myself. I know that your team is just doing what you believe is the best thing to do. I’m not trying to insinuate that you don’t know what you’re doing, because based on the sales and reviews so far, you’ve been very successful. And because of that you and Francis have every right to be proud. You’ll have to excuse my passion, chalk it up to being a hardcore fan and having an extremely hard time with change.
I also want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you’re taking the time out to respond and more importantly your honesty. Though I may not like the changes I harbor no ill will towards those who make those decisions.
I will, however, continue scratching my head ha ha.
Give the series time. If they unveiled a finished product in Flash #1 where would the fun and anticipation. Although, gonna agree with you about Bart Kid Flash. He is a sidekick right? I mean they do know each other right? I know he is gonna appear in an upcoming flash but come on man. Solo Kid Flash story at the end of the Flash old school style. VIVA FLASH!!!
Please know that there are many of us who enjoyed the pre-52 Barry and find the new 52…. I cannot think of a proper term here that will not be mocked.
I think the problem that no one seems to get is that we, the loyal Fans, do not feel that we are being served.
I for one would have no problem with DC re-introducing the characters, had it been done without erasing the versions we came to enjoy.
Echoes Johnny and Ed.
We’re happy for the new series being successful, but still feel starved…while recognizing that this matter is beyond the control of the creative team. ( I really wish I knew who made the ultimate decision to ban some characters from the DC52 so I can attach proper blame/name calling/the Evil Eye. 😛 )
Give it time…give it time..think they are taking a more Wally West powers developing over time approach, and gonna go ahead a say we see Wally in 2013!
Make Flash kick more tail man!!!! I wanna see him punching fifty gorillas and having tea inbetween!!! Also, definately calling Wally being Reverse Flash!! Keep up the good work (minus a semi lack of a$$ kicking)
Mr. Buccellato,
I have been one of the fans very dismayed about the lack of Wally West in the New 52 and it’s caused me to not want to pick up the new series. However, I have seen your interractions with others around the net, others who aren’t happy either. Unlike some at your marvelous competition, you have treated those disenfrachised with the utmost of respect and courtesty and THAT is why I have decided to give your Reverse Flash story a try when it comes out.
Well said Javi! Your the man Mr. Buccellato!!! The freaking man!!! VIVA FLASH!!!
Thanks For giving it a shot guys. And like I alway tell people… this is comics and no one stays gone forever. I don’t know when or how… but I’m sure Wally’s day will come.
Ed… as far as erasing everything that came before… i think that can be a matter of perspective. All of those comics still exist… you can reread them in trades or old floppies. I look at it like movies that get relaunched or rebooted. Just because Daniel Craig is James Bond (i think he’s awesome btw), doesn’t mean you can’t watch Connery or Moore’s Bond films. It’s sad that there will never be another new Connery Bond film, but at least we can revisit those old friends. It could be just my perspective, but i don’t believe the new negates the old.
Happy reading, folks! 🙂
Tragedy is a new aspect to Barry’s life but it doesn’t darken his life to the extent that tragedy has for Bruce. Barry showed little inclination to suit up as a costumed hero prior to getting his powers, he wanted to learn the truth behind what happened to his mother. The best way for him to do that was to study forensics, not travel the globe learning ninja skills to beat up criminals.
When gained his powers, he became the Flash because it was still the right thing to do. If anything, Barry turned his tragedy into something positive so what’s wrong with that?
As for upcoming stories, RF is my favorite Flash villain so I am eagerly awaiting what Manapul and Co have in store for this character.
To BrianBooch
I get your point… and you’re right, have my old stuff. I just thought you wanted to sell NEW books.
My mistake.
I forgot that the purpose of publishing was for the enjoyment of the Publisher (Writer, Artist, etc), not the Reader.
I now understand why the decline in Comic sales is the fault of everything / everyone other then those who Publish.
By the way, I prefer Moore to Connery but still watch Craig. So they still get my money. Sadly, DC doesn’t.
I hate it when people tell me “Just read the old stuff” or “Just be patient, you’ll see!” several years in a row too, but let’s not blame the creative teams. (I’m in retail. Nothing sucks as much as having a customer ream over someone making scarcely over minimum because of something that was decided by TPTB and no way by the clerk.)
I’m going to keep getting the Flash trade (if nothing else as yet DCnU) and Flash stuff…well, as long as I can afford to. But, yeah, will happily skip a meal and/or drop my TV service in order to buy a Wally book.
Ed,
Despite the fact that you are unhappy with the current state of affairs… our NEW Flash books SOMEHOW manage sell pretty well. So, I guess your real mistake was thinking that your opinion speaks for the entire comic book buying public.
But rest assured, your voice has been heard and your bitterness has been noted.
And thanks… your snarky post reminded me why it’s better to avoid these forums on the internet.
Naw Mr. Buccellato! You guys are doing a bada$$ job! Got to try new things and expand the character. That is going to make some people unhappy, but keep it up. You write new comics for the freaking Flash which is freaking awesome!!!! Some might not like what you do, but I am a huge fan!!!! Keep doing what you do and keep writing on the forums!!!! Gives fans a chance to actually communicate with you. VIVA FLASH!!!! VIVA DC!!!!