DC’s week of 2010 announcements continues with new Francis Manapul art on The Source and a Geoff Johns interview at the Los Angeles Times’ blog, Hero Complex.
First up: the cover for Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010, due in March:
The Source article also features two in-progress images, and quotes Francis Manapul:
The entire creative team is looking forward to introducing new ways of portraying speed. It’s also cool that we’ll be introducing a new generation to Barry Allen as well as myself so I’ll be right in they’re shoes of getting to know this guy. It should be an exciting ride!
The Hero Complex interview doesn’t reveal anything new about the upcoming series, but Geoff Johns does talk about his history with the Flash and thoughts about his approach to the character. Some quotes that stood out to me:
We all have a “thicket of mythology.” You meet someone and they have an entire backstory. A city they were born in. A best friend they lost touch with. An event that affected their whole family. A first job. Everyone has history. And every character has history.
The most frustrating thing for Barry is related to his job as a member of Central City CSI. He investigates crimes that have already happened. Murders he can’t stop. No matter how fast he is, that’s the past.
I look at something like “The Flash” as a long term mission. “The Flash: Rebirth” was the knot to untangle in the shoelace before we could run. I wanted to clear the board, re-examine some key elements of Barry Allen and re-introduce a threat that would play throughout the next several years.
I’d offer more commentary, but I’m kind of swamped at the moment.
Update: Forgot to mention: The first hints of the new Secret Files book had Tony Harris working on the cover. Or, rather, “a” cover. He even posted a snippet of art. Maybe one of them is a variant cover, or maybe DC decided not to use his, or maybe it’ll be an interior splash page.
Maybe it’s just me, being the age and generation that I am. But at 24 I like to at least imagine I’m this “new generation” of people being introduced to Barry Allen. However, I don’t know ANYONE my age that watches these CSI shows. At all. Let alone likes them and wants to watch them. Everytime I hear that thrown around as a point of interest I somehow find ways to care less and less. Am I wrong here? Am I in the wrong generation? I can’t imagine anyone younger than me being into CSI, and I feel like people older than me aren’t really unfamiliar with Barry Allen?
Just the weird thing on my mind to nitpick.
Oh, the art does look gorgeous by the way. If there were a book I was going to buy based solely on the art, this would be it.
I agree about the art. It’s beautiful. As for the CSI stuff, well I’m as young as you and I’ve enjoyed the show (not each of the spin-offs mind you) since the beginning. I seriously doubt an interest in forensic science is a generational thing (i.e. that only older people would be interested in stories about it).
I like the idea of emphasising the CSI stuff. It gives the series a strong high concept beyond “speedy super-hero fights crime”.
It’s also one of the few elements of The Flash mythos that really does require Barry Allen (unless you’re dealing with an alternate universe like the Justice League cartoon).
With Barry Allen back on CCPD doing CSI work. What about Angela Margolin? Will she be making guest appearances or has she kind of been retconned out of existence with the whole Hypertime concept that Waid introduced in the Dark Flash storyline?
With Zoom messing with Barry’s past, Johns does have quite a tool for retconning things out of Barry’s past and introducing new things. Will Zoom perhaps go back and trip Barry before Barry has the chance to snap his neck? And thus Fiona Webb suffers the same fate that Iris initially did. I’m wondering how much of a presence (if any) Fiona will have in the new ongoing. With Barry back, I think it’s a loose string/thread that Geoff will have to resolve at some point.