Category Archives: Flash News

The Shade – 12-Issue Miniseries Launches in October

DC has started releasing information about its October comics this week, including several miniseries launching in the second month of the DC relaunch.  Among them: James Robinson’s 12-issue miniseries featuring The Shade, as reported by CBR.

The Shade is probably more associated with Starman these days, but he started life as a Golden-Age Flash villain, one of the trio whose place in DC history was later secured by appearing in Flash of Two Worlds.

Even though he only made one appearance in the Golden Age (as compared to the many tines Jay Garrick fought the Thinker or Fiddler), the Shade is the oldest Flash villain to survive it. The only older themed/named villain, the Threat (All-Flash #2), was a one-off who died in his first appearance and never returned.

THE SHADE #1
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by CULLY HAMNER
Cover by TONY HARRIS
1:10 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale OCTOBER 12 * 1 of 12, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US * RATED T+

James Robinson returns to the world of his acclaimed STARMAN series with a new 12-issue series starring the antihero known as The Shade! An attack at the Starman museum kicks off a globe-hopping, centuries spanning quest that will irrevocably change The Shade’s life, and ultimately shed light on his true origin! Artist extraordinaire Cully Hamner (RED) kicks off the series, and upcoming issues will feature art by such luminaries as Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, Jill Thompson, Frazer Irving and Gene Ha!

UPDATE: CBR interviews Robinson about the series.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2 Preview is Up

DC has released a 4-page preview of Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2, due in stores next week.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2

Citizen Cold is known by Central City as a hero. But when an entire gallery of Rogues kidnaps his sister, Lisa Snart, they’ll use her as bait to lure him into a deathtrap. Will Citizen Cold be able to save both Lisa and himself? And what does Wally West’s disappearance have to do with all of this?

Written and illustrated by Scott Kolins, FLASHPOINT: CITIZEN COLD #2 is colored by Mike Atiyeh and comes out on Wednesday.

The Flash vs. Mob Rule

The Source asks Francis Manapul a few questions about his upcoming Flash series, and he lets a few more details spill…including a bit about the villain in the first story: a group called Mob Rule.

My favorite bit: when he says the biggest surprise working on the book was “The potential with experimentation of visual storytelling.”

Flashpoint #3 Preview is Out

DC has released a 5-page-preview of Flashpoint #3, due in stores on Wednesday.

The preview accompanies an article emphasizing that the midpoint of the miniseries puts the focus on heroic relatinoships – Batman and the Flash, Batman and Cyborg, and what happens to characters like Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Superman without the support of other people and the Justice League. Editor Eddie Berganza also points out connections between Flashpoint and the DC relaunch, such as the Frankenstein miniseries and ongoing, the presence of Element Woman in the relaunched DCU, etc.

Flashpoint #3

Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art by ANDY KUBERT and SANDRA HOPE; Cover by ANDY KUBERT and SANDRA HOPE; 1:25 Black and white variant cover A by ANDY KUBERT; Variant cover B by IVAN REIS and GEORGE PEREZ

FLASH QUESTION: Will The Flash and his new allies be able to fix the world?
DC Universe 32pg. Color $3.99 US

Update: Also this week: The second printing of Flashpoint #2, and a host of Flashpoint tie-in miniseries.

The Flash’s New Transformation Sequence

iFanboy asked Francis Manapul how super-speed would make his life better. He answered, and DC sent them the finished artwork from the page showing how the Flash’s costume comes together in the relaunched DCU.

Click through to the interview for a larger image….or head over to the artist’s new Tumblr blog and check out the original inks for the page!

Better Business Through Confiscating Supervillain Tech (Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries)

Comic Book Resources posted a 3-page preview of Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries, a one-shot due in stores this Wednesday. Of possible interest to Flash fans: These panels, in which Oliver Queen explains how they studied equipment confiscated from super-villains and used it to improve their own weapons technology.

It’s a counterpoint to an idea that comes up occasionally in reference to high-tech villains: Why don’t they just patent their inventions and rake in more money than they could possibly have made on bank heists, without worrying about getting beaten up and thrown in jail? The answer is usually that they do it for the thrill…but then why doesn’t anyone else come up with business uses for the technology?

Chances are these one-panel appearances are all we’ll see of these villains in that particular issue (though we’ve already seen more of the Trickster in Flashpoint: Citizen Cold), but it’s interesting that all three of them are Flash villains: The Trickster, the Folded Man, and the Top.

This post has an “Atomic Top Grenade” value of 3.