FLASH QUESTION: Will The Flash and his new allies be able to fix the world?
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
On sale JULY 6 • 3 of 5, 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
With all the April Fool’s Hoopla on Speed Force and Fastest Fan Alive, I managed to miss this very important and awesome announcement from Matty on Facebook:
JLU Fans,
After much struggle, I was able to convince management to put two of the remaining eight JLU 3-packs up on MattyCollector.com in the fall. This will be a big test to see if it’s a viable option for selling figures this way. If we’re successful, it opens the door to the remaining six packs. If not, we may be out of options.
Here’s the deal… there will be no changes to the packs from the original 3-pack configuration because that would require additional development. We know some of these packs are more “retail friendly” instead of just for collectors (like the inclusion of Superman and Aquaman with fan-demanded Toy Man) but honestly, it is what it is and we can’t change things at this point.
The two packs sold on MattyCollector.com in September will be the Golden Age pack with Hawkman / Green Lantern / Flash and the Space Pack With Starman / Animal Man / Adam Strange. These packs were chosen because they were the farthest along in development, plain and simple.
I’m super stoked to reveal the 3-packs over the weekend at WonderCon so check Facebook to see when I’ve posted pictures of them. And if you’re in the San Francisco area, be sure to stop by WonderCon to meet me and the team!
-Matty
P.S. This is definitely NOT an April’s Fool’s Day joke. I’d never kid about something like this.
Definitely good news. Very pleased that I won’t have to be dropping 70 bucks or so on a JLU Jay Garrick “prototype” on eBay. Even happier that this is going to be sold on Mattycollector.com, so everyone has a chance at it. I just hope the website is working properly cause I have a feeling this Golden Age set is going to sell out fast. It features figures that appeal to a wide variety of fans; Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, JLU, JSA and even Golden Age fans are going to want a crack at it.
Action Figure Insider had some of the first legit pics up and the set looks absolutely stunning:
Picture Courtesy of AFi
Sculpts and details are all spot on. Only thing now is the waiting, September is sooo far away. I’m almost tempted to bid on one of those Jay prototypes on eBay. Almost. One thing I’m learning is that patience goes a long way for certain collectibles as far as getting the best price. Only thing is you could miss out on an item entirely by waiting for the cheaper deal when dealing with limited items like the Con-exclusive White Lantern Flash. Only 1000 were made, making it extremely rare, and once they are gone, they are gone. The only chance is the after market and then expect to pay even more the longer you wait.
Anyone throwing their hat in for the JLU Golden Age Set?
At the WonderCon DC Nation panel, DC announced a series of one-shots coming this summer called “Retro-Active.” Each set features three one-shots set in 1970s, 1980s and 1990s continuity re-uniting the characters with the creators most associated with of classic runs from that era.
The Flash issues will be written by:
Each issue will feature 26 pages of new story and 20 pages of reprinted material and will run $4.99. No word yet on artists or release dates. Other characters announced include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Justice League of America.
It’s odd that they’ve broken up the Waid/Augustyn team. Given that Waid has expressed willingness to work for DC again, I figure this means one of two things:
Source: CBR coverage and Newsarama coverage.
Update (Monday): DC has released the logos and writers for the event.
DC released the cover to Flashpoint #3 today at The Source. It looks like they’ve found Kal-El…
Collected Editions spotted a number of late-2011 DC collections last week, including Flash Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint, on Amazon’s schedule for November 1. Since Amazon gets its books on Tuesdays, that means the collection is likely to hit comic shops on the previous Wednesday, October 26.
Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues contained issues #1-7 (and the story from The Flash Secret Files 2010). DC has stated that they’re ending The Flash at #12, though they’ve solicited #13 as the conclusion of “The Road to Flashpoint,” and it’s still on their website. It looks like this volume will cover either Flash #8-12 or Flash #8-13. If the latter, the main story will be bracketed by two Reverse-Flash specials.
Newsarama has an extensive interview with Geoff Johns. Here are the items they thought were worth highlighting:
- In the Flashpoint mini-series, Flash and Batman team up “Brave and the Bold style.”
- Johns says his mini-series is the “most accessible event I’ve ever done,” saying there is no other comic necessary to read before or during his story.
- The writer has been working on the concept for years.
- One of the reasons there are multiple tie-ins is that comic creators were told about the event at a meeting, and they came up with what Johns calls “quality stories” they wanted to tell in the Flashpoint world.
- Although Johns won’t clarify whether the mini-series has lasting ramifications, he keeps saying things like, “where DC is going” … and “what we have coming out of” Flashpoint.
A few additional items that will probably be of interest:
“In a way?” That’s odd phrasing. Sort of like how Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker “from a certain point of view.” Hmm….
Meanwhile, let’s start speculation on the “very obscure” female character who will have a bigger role in this series. I’m guessing it’s not Element Girl/Element Woman since she’s already been mentioned (assuming they’re even the same character).
There’s a whole lot more in the full interview.
In other Flashpoint news, The Source has been posting more character designs with commentary by artist Andy Kubert.
Additionally, ComicsAlliance has a scoop with a new set of Flashpoint variant covers.