CBR reports from DC’s New 52 panel at Emerald City Comicon:
“The Flash” will focus on the Reverse Flash for a long arc that will take most of the next year, but he’s not the only character who will be showing up. Trickster will be involved in a two-part story before that. When the Reverse Flash appears, he’ll be different in both secret identity and power set than any version of the character to appear before. Buccellato joked that “Wally West questions are off the table” for the rest of the panel.
I wasn’t aware that the Trickster appearance in #18 continues into #19 (which will feature the April we’re-not-calling-it-WTF-Certified-anymore fold-out cover), and it’s interesting that the Reverse-Flash story will be so long. I’m a bit concerned, though: pacing is very important when you’re dealing with a story about a speedster, and just about every long Flash story since Infinite Crisis has felt slow.
Update: According to @SpeedsterSite, Buccellato said the Reverse-Flash story would be “8 or so issues.”
Reverse Flash will take the stage for "the next 8 or so issues." #ECCC
— Brandan (@SpeedsterSite) March 2, 2013
The comment on Wally West is likely a response to the previous day’s All Access panel, when writer Josh Fialkov told fans who wanted to see Wally to, in CBR’s words, “track down Flash writer Brian Buccellato on the floor and demand he write Wally into the book.”
Eight or so?! :@ Can they even fit that monster into a regular trade? (mama…gonna take forever to come out in hardbound and then they’ll charge way extra.)
It’s going to be a long year. 🙁
“Move Forward” contained eight issues. Some of the Blackest Night collections contained nine. They managed to put Crisis on Infinite Earths into one trade, and it was twelve issues, two of which (IIRC) were double-sized.
I was joking. Actually enjoy omnibuses. 🙂 However, it would be nice if they started putting additional material in the trades. I was hoping for something more than the variant covers in vol 1. If nothing else a Foreward by the author are usually interesting reads. Maybe vol 2 will have that #0 issue?
I DO want to track him down and demand Wally back. I miss him…
Manapul & Buccellato don’t have the authority to bring Wally back. The people you need to convince are higher up the editorial chain.
I miss Wally too…although with comics things tend to come full circle, so I suppose we’ll get him back eventually. I imagine the people who grew up with Barry as their first speedster felt the same way when their favorite speedster got replaced.
I wonder what the Internet reaction would have been in 1986. Barry Allen’s Flash series had been cancelled, then he was killed off, then Jay Garrick was sent to limbo, and the only place to read about the new Flash was in Titans.
I have a hard time believing the reactions were the same.
Effectively, Barry retired with full honors, his protege succeeding him, and continued to be celebrated. Wally was dishonorably discharged, thrown into an oubliette, and then ‘shopped out of all the official photos while his predecessor was brought out of retirement because he wasn’t good enough.
Yes, in both cases one Flash was replaced by another Flash, but the circumstances differ immensely.
No arguing that Wally West got a poor send-off (or rather, lack thereof). When keeping track of my comic collection it still takes me a couple of seconds to remember that Wally’s series ran past #225. Infinite Crisis derailed the whole franchise.
But Aedien’s right about these things being very cyclical. I doubt Wally will be in limbo as long as Jay Garrick was.
I think 8 issues is a bit much. Flash point took 5 and thought gorilla was kinda stale, but have to wait and see I am normally wrong anyways. Hopefully the series ties the flash family more together. Kid flash is set to appear and I would like Jay to be in it somehow to (fitting the first multiverse crossover in the new 52 would be in a Flash series). I would wager Wally will be brought out in some way by the end of all this reverse flash stuff. Wonder if Max or Johnny will come back ever again… kinda forgot about them. I look forward to however they do it its still early in the series.
The “next 8 issues” might be including some setup during the Trickster arc.
No way is Jay going to be involved. James Robinson has said that the big Earth 2 crossover won’t happen until the end of next year. Now wouldn’t be the right time for the two Flashes to meet, Jay is only just starting his second adventure. The very first Flash/Kid Flash team-up is a special enough event in its own right.
It would make sense for Wally to be introduced in the upcoming arc though. There are clearly big things planned for Daniel and Iris West at the very least.
Jesse Quick is mostly associated with the Justice Society, so she’s probably considered an “Earth 2” character. But with Jay Garrick around she’d be pretty redundant. James Robinson said that he’d eventually like to get around to Infinity Inc with Jade and Obsidian as a future-team, like the Legion of Super-Heroes, so that would probably be a good fit for her. The Johnny Quick name might be reserved for the Earth 3 Crime Syndicate character.
I doubt Max Mercury will be brought back until Bart gets his own series.
Points well made. This arc will be very interesting to read. Still can’t wait to have Barry and Jay meet though. Think this first Kid Flash/Flash team up will lead to more of a consistent role for Kid Flash in the series? I still call Bart getting killed off in the next three years tops (not that I dont like Bart dont get it twisted just got a feeling), but like I have said before I am wrong most of the time.
Maybe Wally will be the Trickster?!
That would be terrible.
We’ve already seen the Trickster. It’s Axel.