Category Archives: Flash News

Comic-Con News: Flash

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DC Booth: Justice League

I’m back from Comic-Con, and trying to both catch up and readjust to the real world. My first batch of photos are already up on Flickr, and I plan on getting the rest of them posted tonight, and the convention write-up over the next day or two.

There really wasn’t a whole lot of news about the Flash at the con. They just reiterated what we know from solicitations and previous interviews: After the annual, we get to learn what makes Barry Allen tick in the origin flashback (adding new details around what we already know, rather than completely redoing it), then Gorilla Grodd invades Central City and the Flash has to team up with the Rogues. Wally West remains nowhere to be seen in the new DCU.

We did learn that Mattel will release a Wally West figure as part of their subscription line, and that Flash and Kid Flash will meet “at some point.”

Flash #13 Launches Gorilla Warfare (Solicitation & Cover)

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DC’s October solicitations are up, including…

THE FLASH #13
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale OCTOBER 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

  • “GORILLA WARFARE” starts here!
  • Gorilla Grodd’s army attacks Central City, and The Flash is forced to team up with the Rogues!?

Impulse TPB Gets Release Date & Description

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Impulse #1

Thanks to Collected Editions for spotting this: The Amazon listing for Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family features a new description and a release date of March 5, 2013. If the date is not a placeholder (and doesn’t change), the collection should arrive in comic shops the previous Wednesday, February 27.

The teenage grandson of the Flash, Impulse was born and raised in a “video game” virtual environment in the 30th century. But when the rash teenager was transported back to the 20th century, his entire life changed. This humorous book profiles Impulse’s earliest adventures in rural Alabama under the tutelage of elder speedster Max Mercury. Oblivious to the concept of actions having consequences, the reckless youth must come to terms with both his incredible powers and the absurd situations that their use can result in, all the while trying to cope with the insanity of high school. In this new edition of Impulse’s adventures, the teen speedster meets teen villain White Lightning, Blockbuster, and, from the 30th century, Legion of Super-Heroes member XS.

DC’s announcement last month indicates that the book will collect Impulse #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13.

The Flash Gets an Updated Origin in Flash #0…and then it’s War

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Newsarama interviews the Flash creative team about the upcoming Flash #0, which will update Barry Allen’s origin, and what’s coming in the second year of the New 52 Flash.

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have been re-introducing the Rogues one at a time through Flash #6-12, building toward a major event in Flash Annual #1 in August. After that, Flash #0 will retell the Flash’s origin. Together, the Annual and the #0 issue will answer a number of readers’ questions, like: How did the Rogues get internal powers? Who raised Barry after his mother was killed and his father framed?

Manapul: In issue #0, people are finally going to see what happened after he lost his parents, and what happened right after he got hit by lightning. The Barry Allen we’ve been writing since we took over the book last year has a past that hasn’t been revealed, and it’s an important part of why he does what he does. So we’ve addressed a lot of those things head-on in the #0 issue.

They also make the point that the New 52 Barry Allen is very different in personality from the pre-Flashpoint Barry Allen, and one of their goals with the new origin story is to solidly ground him in this timeline.

Manapul: Well, we’ve created a lot more emotional ties to this particular timeline for Barry Allen. There’s no way he could ever see himself going back in time to screw up time or to save his mom or anything like that. So we’re giving him a very strong emotional anchor in this timeline to hold that line, to never go back to the past.

Again and again they return to the theme of moving forward, rather than backward, including in the way they look, well, back at the Flash’s origin.

Buccellato: … I know the story of his mother was told in Flash: Rebirth, and that’s a valid reason for his choice to become a hero. But we felt like we needed to go a little bit deeper.

…

Like Francis said, our Barry is more forward-moving and less reflective and looking back. So we needed to show why he’s that way and why we did this subtle shift in Barry’s personality and motivation.

Francis Manapul confirms that he’s back on art for #12, #0, and beyond, and Brian Buccellato confirms that amidst all the creative changes of the New 52, they’re sticking around. “We have a big plan for what we’re doing on the Flash…”

So what does come next? All we know is it will spin out of the Flash Annual, and one hint: “War is coming to Central City.”

Read the full interview at Newsarama.

Impulse TPB & Flash Chronicles vol.4 coming in 2013

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Impulse #1

DC has posted a list of collections for Spring 2013, including this surprise:

Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family TP
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher and Brad Vancata
Collects: IMPULSE #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13
$19.99 US, 240 pg
March 2013

It’s been 15 years since DC first tried collecting Impulse in Reckless Youth. That book collected Bart Allen’s three-part debut from Flash #92-94, plus the first six issues of his solo series. A few years back, during Flash: Rebirth, they capitalized on Ethan Van Sciver’s name by releasing the oddly titled The Flash (Featuring Impulse): Mercury Falling, which collected Impulse #62–67.

These issues feature the first appearance of White Lightning, guest appearances by XS of the DnA Legion of Super-Heroes, and several stories focusing on Bart’s circle of friends at school.

So, what’s missing?

  • Impulse #7 is a fill-in by Martin Pasko, Nick Gnazzo and Mark Stegbauer in which Impulse battles a villain called Gridlock.
  • Impulse #10-11 are part of the “Dead Heat” crossover with The Flash, and were previously collected (again, over a decade ago) in Flash: Dead Heat. Dead Heat is also out of print, but I’m encouraged by the fact that DC has been re-releasing the Wally West series digitally, and the fact that they’re actually reprinting something by Mark Waid here.

Update! (July): The book is now available for pre-order.

Also coming next year:

The Flash Chronicles Vol. 4 TP
Writers: John Broome
Artists: Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Collects: THE FLASH #119-124
$14.99 US, 160 pg
April 2013

This brings the Chronicles series of Silver Age reprints up to 1961, and the Flash Chronicles v.1-4 line up with Flash Archives v.1-3. This collection features the Mirror Master, the Trickster, the Top (with the now-infamous Atomic Grenade!) and Captain Boomerang (launching the Flash into space), as well as well-known stories “Land of the Golden Giants” and the classic “Flash of Two Worlds!”