Category Archives: Flash News

Flash #1 Launches April 14

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DC’s full April 2010 solicitations won’t go up for a few more hours, but they’ve posted the Brightest Day books at the Source…including the first issue of the new ongoing Flash series.

The Flash #1

  • On sale APRIL 14
  • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
  • Written by GEOFF JOHNS
  • Art, cover and 1:100 variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
  • 1:25 Variant cover by Tony Harris

A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Get in on the ground floor of DC’s next epic in the making! The Flash races out of BLACKEST NIGHT and into his own monthly title as the all-new adventures of The Fastest Man Alive start with “Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues!” Barry Allen runs back to his life in Central City, but when one of the Rogues turns up murdered under mysterious circumstances, it’s up to The Flash to not only solve this bizarre crime, but protect those that are still targeted by the elusive killer. Plus, don’t miss a peek into the future of the Flash universe in this special, extra-sized starting point issue!

Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

Some Thoughts:

  • After a year of reshuffling the series’ concept, we finally have an official launch date for The Flash.
  • Now we know what happened to the cover Tony Harris was working on for Flash Secret Files.
  • I wonder how long they’ll keep doing variant covers.
  • It’s kind of funny that they dropped the backup stories in order to keep the price point at $2.99, but they’re starting with an oversized $3.99 first issue.

Flash Returns to Batman: The Brave & the Bold

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Tonight’s episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, “The Golden Age of Justice,” features more guest stars than usual: not only the return of the Flash, but the entire Justice Society of America!

Hourman, Hawkman and the Flash (with Dr. Mid-Nite int he background)

CBR has preview images from the episode, which airs at 7:30 tonight (which means it probably just finished on the east coast).

Geoff Johns on the Nature of the Speed Force

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Last Monday, CBR posted a new installment of Geoff Johns Prime, their occasional question-and-answer feature with the writer.

Responding to a question about the new costumes introduced in Flash: Rebirth #5, he talked about the “Emergency Stop” story by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar and how it provided “the first inkling that the Speed Force was more than just gasoline.”

I always thought of the Speed Force as if it were this layer, kind of like the fluid in your joints that allows your bones to move together, and if you think of that as the Speed Force, it’s this fluid between the now and the time stream. It allows the two to co-exist, because the way time exists, it’s not just a line, it’s a sphere. So that fluid coats that sphere and the sphere is the Speed Force. And that sphere touches all reality and it’s full of everything, it’s full of ultimate speed, moving through reality, because time is all relative and it’s full of all scientific knowledge. It’s all knowledge of all eras.

Johns answered several other questions about the Flash, confirming that the Rogues will be heavily involved in the new series (no surprise there) and that their tailor, Paul Gambi, will return.

Another item I found interesting is that the price was a major factor in the decision to scrap the backup stories they had previously announced.

There’s more there about the Flash, plus he answers questions about Blackest Night, Earth One, Smallville and more.

Flash: Rebirth #6 Moved UP to Feb 24

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Flash: Rebirth #6 (thumb)In mid-December, DC rescheduled Flash: Rebirth #6 from January 27 to March 24. Artist Ethan Van Sciver thought this was strange, as he was nearly finished drawing the book. At the end of the month, Diamond listed February 24 on their shipping updates page, but DC left their website at March 24. That left readers with this question:

Which date was correct? DC’s or Diamond’s?

In the past I would have relied confidently on Diamond’s date, since DC’s website was notorious for outdated or otherwise wrong shipping dates, but in the last few years it’s generally been accurate.

Well, today DC updated their website, and their listing for Flash: Rebirth #6 now shows a February 24, 2010 release date!

I believe this is the first time an issue of Flash: Rebirth has been rescheduled for an earlier date!

It’s still after Blackest Night: The Flash wraps, but only by one week, and it should be out a month before Flash: Secret Files.

Flash in the Top 500 & Blackest Night: The Flash Outsells Flash: Rebirth

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Diamond has released its Top 500 comics for 2009, and Flash: Rebirth comes in at #16.

Other issues come in at:

Issue Rank (Year)
Flash: Rebirth #1 16
Flash: Rebirth #2 55
Flash: Rebirth #3 75
Blackest Night: The Flash #1 102
Flash: Rebirth #4 107
Flash: Rebirth #5 125

Meanwhile, ICv2 has posted sales estimates for December 2009. We already knew Blackest Night: The Flash #1 was ranked #5 for the month, and the actual sales estimate comes in at 80,313 copies sold. For comparison:

Issue Rank (Month) Units Sold Change
Flash: Rebirth #1 2 102,429 +286.6%
Flash: Rebirth #2 4 86,183 -15.9%
Flash: Rebirth #3 10 83,086 -3.6%
Flash: Rebirth #4 14 78,107 -6.0%
Flash: Rebirth #5 9 73,875 -5.4%
Blackest Night: The Flash #1 5 80,313 +8.7%

Yes: that’s right. Blackest Night: The Flash outsold the last two issues of Flash: Rebirth. Most likely one of two things is happening:

  • The Blackest Night brand is helping sales, bringing in readers who otherwise wouldn’t be reading a Flash solo book.
  • Flash fans who have gotten tired of waiting for Flash: Rebirth are picking up Blackest Night: Flash.

Probably both, though I wouldn’t try to guess which factor is more significant.

Update: The Beat has posted their analysis of DC’s December sales.

Brightest Day: The Flash (and Flash #1 Cover)

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After the Blackest Night comes the Brightest DayDC has announced over at The Source that DC will be following Blackest Night with Brightest Day, a yearlong, 26-issue biweekly series by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi that’s being described as “DCU: Rebirth.” Like Blackest Night, it will tie into just about everything, with some series (including the two Green Lantern books) getting a “Brightest Day” Banner…including The Flash.

I think it’s safe to say this is the cover for The Flash #1.

Dan Didio explains:

We’ll be launching the new FLASH ongoing series, by Geoff and Francis Manapul in April with a BRIGHTEST DAY banner, and there will be several more titles utilizing it come May and June.

With this book, Geoff and Francis are really bringing Barry Allen back into the spotlight and cementing him as the premiere Flash in the DCU in his own monthly. It’s no secret that I’ve been waiting a long time to see this. I’ve always been a huge Barry fan, and I can say that Geoff and Francis are reinvigorating him as a character in much the same way Geoff did with Hal Jordan. Should be fun.

Well, you can’t say they aren’t giving the new series a major push. (Now I’d really like to see numbers on Blackest Night: The Flash.)

I’d like to believe that Brightest Day represents the long-promised, well, brightening of the DC Universe we were told would happen after Infinite Crisis, but if Flash is a major component, and it’s going to be all about murder mysteries, I’m a little concerned. On the other hand, Pushing Daisies had a new murder mystery each week, and still managed to be a light-hearted comedy, so who knows?

Here’s hoping Brightest Day will live up to its name!

Update: The news on Brightest Day: Titans seems to suggest that Brightest Day will be continuing the grim-n-gritty approach that DC has taken from Identity Crisis onward.

Update 2: IGN interviews Geoff Johns about the project.