Monthly Archives: June 2016

Flash Comics in September: Godspeed

Flash #6

DC’s September solicitations are up, with two issues of Flash, one of Titans and Teen Titans: Rebirth.

THE FLASH #6
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON

“LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE” part 6! You’ve seen glimpses of him. You’ve witnessed the carnage he’s unleashed on Central City. Now meet Godspeed, the super-speed serial killer who murders speedsters and steals their powers. Barry Allen is going to need help!
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

THE FLASH #7
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and covers by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant covers by DAVE JOHNSON

“LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE” part 7! Still reeling from Godspeed’s devastating attack, the beleaguered Flash realizes that to defeat this menacing new foe he must take away the Speed Force power from Central City’s new citizen speedsters. There’s only one problem: they don’t want to give it back.
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

TEEN TITANS: REBIRTH #1
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art and cover by JONBOY MEYERS
Variant cover by EVAN “DOC” SHANER

The Teen Titans are farther apart than ever before…until Damian Wayne recruits Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and the new Kid Flash to join him in a fight against his own grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul! But true leadership is more than just calling the shots—is Robin really up to the task? Or will the Teen Titans dismiss this diminutive dictator?
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

TITANS #3
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
Variant cover by MIKE CHOI

“The Return of Wally West” part 3. The Titans receive word that Karen Beecher-Duncan—a.k.a. Bumblebee—has been kidnapped! Is there a connection between a shadowy new foe and the intergalactic demon that stole their memories?
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Flash Collections: Full Stop HC, Adult Coloring Book, Geoff Johns Vol.3

From DC Comics’ September solicitations:

Flash Volume 9THE FLASH VOL. 9: FULL STOP HC
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and VAN JENSEN
Art by JESUS MERINO, PHILIPPE BRIONNES, PAUL PELLETIER, GUS VAZQUEZ and others
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
In the aftermath of his recent clash with Zoom from issues #48-52, The Flash is on the run from the law! And the task force charged with arresting him is made up of the Rogues! With villains like Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, and Mirror Master nipping at his heels, the Scarlet Speedster must clear his name while a new enemy emerges: the Riddler!
On sale NOVEMBER 16 • 176 pg, FC, $24.99 US

THE FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS VOL. 3 TP
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by RICK BURCHETT, SCOTT KOLINS, PHIL WINSLADE, DOUG HAZLEWOOD and others
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
In these stories from THE FLASH #189-200, the Fastest Man Alive races through Iron Heights Prison to take down a rampaging Gorilla Grodd, goes on a fantastic journey with Hawkman to take on fairy-tale horrors of the Brothers Grimm. And, in the epic storyline “Blitz,” learn the secret history of the villainous Professor Zoom!
On sale OCTOBER 26 • 312 pg, FC, $24.99 US

THE FLASH: AN ADULT COLORING BOOK TP
Art by FRANCIS MANAPUL, SCOTT KOLINS, BRIAN BOLLAND, ETHAN VAN SCIVER, MIKE WIERINGO and others
Cover by DEREC DONOVAN
Now you can color the characters featured in the hit CW TV series your way in this new adult coloring book featuring art and covers by artists including Francis Manapul, Brett Booth, Scott Kolins, Brian Bolland, Ethan Van Sciver, Mike Wieringo and more!
On sale OCTOBER 5 • 96 pg, B&W, $15.99 US

dc designer - flash by francis manapulDC DESIGNER SERIES: THE FLASH BY FRANCIS MANAPUL STATUE
Designed by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Sculpted by JONATHAN MATTHEWS
Superstar artist Francis Manapul helped launch The Flash into an amazing run in the New 52—and now, Manapul’s vision of the Scarlet Speedster is captured in this new DC Designer Series 1:6 scale statue! Order yours before they’re out of sight!
Limited Edition of 5,000
Measures Approximately 10.5” Tall with base
$130.00 US • On Sale JANUARY 2017

Flash Season 3 Begins with…. FLASHPOINT

As anticipated, Flash Season 3 will start with a form of “Flashpoint.” The 2011 event miniseries featured Barry Allen accidentally changing history. The ripple effects of the Flash saving his mother led to a world where Barry never became the Flash, Bruce Wayne never became Batman, Superman was a lifelong prisoner in a science lab, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman led their nations in a global war that threatened to destroy everything.

Grant Gustin confirmed that the season three premiere is titled Flashpoint, but adds that the TV show’s adaptation “will be its own thing.”

https://twitter.com/grantgust/status/744932568106049536

https://twitter.com/grantgust/status/744951601341702144

Obviously they can’t do the exact same story in a universe that already doesn’t have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman, but they can certainly take the basics:

Flash changes his parents’ history, accidentally screws everything up, and has to fix it.

(When I put it that way, it sounds a lot more like Back to the Future, doesn’t it?)

I think Earth-1 Real-Harrison Wells is a safe bet for the altered timeline, as is seeing Eddie Thawne again. An Arrowverse Citizen Cold could be a lot of fun, as long as they don’t go the full cannon-fodder route that the comic did.

In the comics, DC used the event as an excuse to relaunch their entire line with a new history at the end. Barry fixed time, but it didn’t settle in quite the same way as before. I can’t imagine the CW will completely reboot four TV shows at once — they’ve all got way too much momentum to do that. But they certainly have the opportunity to make adjustments like they did with the Pied Piper this year. Earth-1 Wells might be able to stick around afterward, for instance, or Jesse might have an Earth-1 counterpart. Or they could do something bigger, like merging Supergirl’s universe with the Arrowverse. Or at least explain why National City suddenly looks more like Vancouver than Los Angeles.

(Hat tip: Flash TV News)

Flash may be coming to Netflix faster this year, but leaving Hulu

The CW and Netflix have been renegotiating their contract, making some viewers worry that the 2015-2016 (and later) seasons of Flash, Arrow etc. might not make it to Netflix at all. Now a report at Variety suggests that they’re close to finalizing a deal which would not only keep the shows available, but would bring them to the streaming service much faster — within a few weeks of the end of the season instead of waiting for months. This will give new viewers a chance to catch up before the next season without chugging coffee and skipping sleep for a few days. (via ComicsAlliance)

The network’s deal with Hulu is also expiring, but they apparently haven’t been able to reach an agreement. It seems Hulu wanted the rights to the whole season as each episode became available, not just the most recent five episodes. Understandable, especially since it turns out most of Hulu’s CW-related traffic was viewers watching Flash and Arrow!

Free streaming during the season will still be available on CW’s website. I tried that a couple of times this year after missing an episode, but it just didn’t play very well. I ended up buying a couple of episodes on Google Play. With any luck, they’ll fix the site.

So what do you think: Looking forward to Netflix? Disappointed to lose Hulu? Don’t care because you watch live / wait for the DVD anyway?

Update July 5: The new Netflix/CW deal is official, and full seasons of Flash, Arrow, etc. will be available starting eight days after the season finale.

DCTV Fall 2016 Premiere Dates

The CW has announced their premiere dates for Fall 2016, including their four DC superhero TV shows. Rather than launching them all the same week, they’re splitting them across two.

Tuesday. October 4:

The Flash season three premiere

Wednesday, October 5:

Arrow season five premiere

Monday, October 10:

Supergirl season two premiere

Thursday, October 13:

Legends of Tomorrow season two premiere

All four shows run from 8:00-9:00pm.

Seeing them all on the schedule as a regular block of programming really brings home the size of the TV universe that DC has been building. Even if Supergirl stays a separate universe (though fans have speculated that Barry’s time travel antics could result in merging the realities after the inevitable Flashpoint-inspired story arc), it’s connected to the other shows in tone, producers, and of course the fact that it’s already crossed over with The Flash. That four-way mega-crossover they’re planning seems a bit more real now!

Titans (Back) Together – Review of TITANS REBIRTH #1

titans rebirthThe welcome home tour for the original Wally West continues straight out of the pages of FLASH REBIRTH, as Wally returns to his first super-team, the Titans! Will his friends remember him? And, if they don’t, what happens next? One thing is for certain…fans of the original Wally are (so far) ecstatic with his depiction since his return to the DCU. Whether that trend continues…is something we’ll talk about more after the jump as we look at TITANS REBIRTH #1!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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