Category Archives: Flash News

What is…Flashpoint?

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This week’s DC comics include a teaser for something called Flashpoint, coming in 2011 from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. It’s not clear whether it’s a storyline in The Flash or a separate event, but considering how Blackest Night grew from a Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps storyline to the year’s big event, it may be too early to reach any conclusions.

Long-time Flash readers may remember that Flashpoint was also the title of an Elseworlds miniseries from 1999-2000 — the only Elseworlds tale outside his own book to focus on the Flash, in fact.

In this story, a paralyzed Barry Allen has turned his super-fast mind to scientific research and development. A mission to Mars discovers a key designed to open a gateway to (essentially) the speed force, which they call the Flashpoint, and which appears to be linked to other realities. Only one problem: the last time it was used, it destroyed all life on Mars. (Interesting side note: The current Flash logo is actually based on the Flashpoint logo, rather than the other way around!)

Back to the teaser, here’s a quick photo of the ad that I took with my phone scan of the ad from Flash #1:

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WonderCon Flash Bits: Jesse Quick, EVS & Carmine Infantino, Movie Non-News

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I’m back from San Francisco, catching up on work, email, and reading. I’ll post my WonderCon write-up when I get a chance (tonight, I hope, but definitely by the end of the week [Update: it’s up now]), but for now, here are a few more Flash items from the convention:

Jesse Quick will be joining the Justice League of America after the upcoming JLA/JSA crossover, as announced at the James Robinson Spotlight.

He included the character because he was always such a fan of the character’s father, Johnny Quick. The writer made sure to mention that he has no plans to upset the marriage between Jessie Quick and Hourman. He promised there would be no cheap plot device to break them up.

Robinson also made some thought-provoking remarks about the Flash in the Super-Hero Origins panel, which I’ll write up when I have more time and can look at my notes. Update: Here they are: JR on super-hero origins.

When asked about plans for DC movies beyond Green Lantern, Geoff Johns said, “We’ll talk in San Diego.” A lot of sites are taking this to mean that DC will announce Flash & other movie plans at Comic-Con International in July.

At the Ethan Van Sciver Spotlight, the artist was asked about Carmine Infantino’s classic art in connection with Flash: Rebirth.

The artist said that he loved Infantino’s work, and that besides Batman, the Flash has one of the best set of villains in the DCU, which Van Sciver credits to Infantino. “His characters were so unique and individual, so wonderfully different from each other,” he said, also mentioning that he would love to go back to “revisit the wonderful, angular, ugly faces of Carmine Infantino’s rogues, and restore them.” Van Sciver even said he would talk with new “Flash” artist Francis Manapul about Infantino’s rogues.

And once again, my photos from the con are up on Flickr.

More Flash at WonderCon: Brightest Day

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I didn’t make it into the Brightest Day panel today, but Newsarama’s live blog has some Flash tidbits.

Be aware that this has SPOILERS FOR BLACKEST NIGHT #8. At the DC Editorial panel, the panelists were asking that people not spoil the issue with their questions, and suggested going out afterward, buying a copy of the book on the con floor, then coming back to the Brightest Day panel.

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More Flash (and Other Stuff) at WonderCon: Saturday DC Editorial

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I attended the DC Editorial presentation at WonderCon today. I don’t have nearly as detailed a report as Newsarama’s, but I posted a few items to Twitter over the course of the hour and a half Q&A session:

  • JT Krul: There’s not a lot of bright colors in [Rise of Arsenal]. Brian Hitch(?): Well, there’s red…
  • Geoff Johns: No “Teen Lantern.”
  • On Superboy Prime returning: “He’ll eventually be back. He’s like a cockroach.”
  • Spoiler Lad is at the mike right now…
  • Why aren’t Rip & Booster dealing w/ Zoom & Batman? GJ: They will.
  • How soon will we see Captain Cold & Mirror Master in the new Flash series? GJ: In issue 1. And 2, and 3, and 4….
  • The Geoff Johns/Scott Kolins Wally West stories that were going to be backups: We’ll probably see them eventually.
  • Jim Lee: It’s a lot harder to get digital comics signed at cons…
  • Fan asks about bringing Mortal Kombat chars into DCU. No plans. Geoff Johns adds: Captain Cold would kill Sub-Zero so fast…

I have a few photos as well, including both the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and Jim Lee coming up to the microphone to ask questions.

Update: CBR’s write-up is online now.

Update 2: I’ve posted my write-up on the whole convention.

Flash Hints from WonderCon: Geoff Johns Spotlight

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Well, I wasn’t able to make it to WonderCon on Friday for various reasons up to and including a flat tire a few blocks from the hotel, but Newsarama was there, and their coverage of the Geoff Johns spotlight includes a number of Flashy items:

Will Green Lantern or Flash get renumbered to high numbers? “No plans for that,” Johns said. A fan booed. “I want to see Flash #1, not #702. Maybe later.”

Fan asked about the dynamic between Wally West and Barry Allen. “It’s a very healthy relationship. In a weird way, I think Wally has surpassed Barry in private life,” Johns said.

“Why no Black Lantern Inertia?” “Purely a space issue,” Johns said.

“We’ll be using a lot of new characters in the Flash,” Johns says. “They’ll be a lot of new stuff. Just like Green Lantern—Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern, but it’s not full of old characters.”

Is there any direction you’re going to take with the Reverse Flash returning? “Well, yes.” Johns says you’ll see new villains in Flash #1.

Any plans for Jai West to become a superhero? “His current nickname is “the turtle” because he currently has no powers,” Johns said.

Update: CBR’s coverage is up. There’s a little more on the Wally/Barry relationship answer:

Barry Allen and Wally West’s relationship will be explored in the Flash book. “I think Barry and Wally, it’s a very healthy relationship,” Johns said. “I think in a weird way Wally has surpassed Barry in the private life. He’s got kids, he’s got a wife, and Barry’s struggled with that a bit. But you’ll see it in the coming year.” The new Flash book will also feature a lot of new villains in the first issue.