Category Archives: Flash News

Flash in 2010: Geoff Johns Speaks & Francis Manapul Draws

DC’s week of 2010 announcements continues with new Francis Manapul art on The Source and a Geoff Johns interview at the Los Angeles Times’ blog, Hero Complex.

First up: the cover for Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010, due in March:
Flash Secret Files 2010

The Source article also features two in-progress images, and quotes Francis Manapul:

The entire creative team is looking forward to introducing new ways of portraying speed. It’s also cool that we’ll be introducing a new generation to Barry Allen as well as myself so I’ll be right in they’re shoes of getting to know this guy. It should be an exciting ride!

The Hero Complex interview doesn’t reveal anything new about the upcoming series, but Geoff Johns does talk about his history with the Flash and thoughts about his approach to the character. Some quotes that stood out to me:

We all have a “thicket of mythology.” You meet someone and they have an entire backstory. A city they were born in. A best friend they lost touch with. An event that affected their whole family. A first job. Everyone has history. And every character has history.

The most frustrating thing for Barry is related to his job as a member of Central City CSI. He investigates crimes that have already happened. Murders he can’t stop. No matter how fast he is, that’s the past.

I look at something like “The Flash” as a long term mission. “The Flash: Rebirth” was the knot to untangle in the shoelace before we could run. I wanted to clear the board, re-examine some key elements of Barry Allen and re-introduce a threat that would play throughout the next several years.

I’d offer more commentary, but I’m kind of swamped at the moment.

Update: Forgot to mention: The first hints of the new Secret Files book had Tony Harris working on the cover. Or, rather, “a” cover. He even posted a snippet of art. Maybe one of them is a variant cover, or maybe DC decided not to use his, or maybe it’ll be an interior splash page.

Flash: Rebirth #5 Ranked #9 for November

Full sales estimates aren’t available yet, but the November top 10 list shows that Flash: Rebirth #5 took the #9 spot (The Comics Chronicles, via Robot6). That’s lower then the debut issue (ranked #2 for April), but considerably higher than Flash: Rebirth #4, which had dropped to #14 for August.

DC Comics took seven of the top ten slots…four of them written by Geoff Johns: Blackest Night, Green Lantern, Adventure Comics and Flash: Rebirth.

Blackest Night: Flash #1 Preview is Up

IGN has posted a 5-page preview of Blackest Night: The Flash #1, due in stores this Wednesday. Here’s the final cover by Scott Kolins, complete with logo, next to Ethan Van Sciver’s cover for Flash: Rebirth #1:

Blackest Night: The Flash #1 (Standard) Flash: Rebirth #1

Blackest Night: The Flash #1 (Variant)Interestingly, Francis Manapul’s alternate cover turns out to be the one DC used in the solicitations for issue #3 — which means we have no idea what the real covers for #3 are going to look like!

A couple of things that come to mind reading this:

  • It’s great to see Scott Kolins’ art on the Flash again.
  • Nice touch to list the time-traveling Reverse-Flash on both the living and dead columns.
  • Am I misremembering, or is the new “about box” for Barry’s origin (at the bottom of the splash page) more complicated than the one they used for Wally?

Head over to IGN to read the preview!

More Flash Delays — Rebirth #6 Now Due January 27

Well, the streak had to end sometime, and DC has rescheduled two upcoming Flash issues.

Before you freak out, Blackest Night: The Flash is still starting next week!

Flash: Rebirth #6 (thumb)However, DC has pushed Flash: Rebirth #6 from December 23 to January 27, 2010. That’s 10 weeks from the November 18 release of issue #5, comparable to the gaps between #3 and #4 (11 weeks) and between #4 and #5 (12 weeks). Flash: Rebirth #1–3 shipped on time, with 5 weeks between each issue.

January 27 came in fourth in the reader poll I ran a few weeks ago, with 14% of the vote. February came in first with 20%, and December 23 and “April or Later” tied for second. (I only listed specific dates for December and January.)

Meanwhile, Blackest Night: The Flash #2 has been given an extra week, and should ship January 20.

For now, Blackest Night: The Flash #3 is holding to its original date of February 17, so it should wrap in plenty of time for the Secret Files book in March and the new ongoing series in April.

Edit: Here’s my previous breakdown of the schedule, including the delays and the gaps. It’s current through the final release date of #5. At this point I’m going to wait until I have #6 in my hands before I update it.

New poll: Which will end first, Flash: Rebirth or Blackest Night: The Flash?

Geoff Johns Talks Flash’s Future

Geoff Johns posted on Comic Bloc this morning about plans for the Flash through 2010. He recommends that Flash fans read Blackest Night #5, says he’s seen Blackest Night: Flash #1 and goes on to reveal:

  • March sees the release of Flash Secret Files 2010.
  • April features “not one, but two new Flash titles. There have been a few minor top secret alterations that will be revealed soon, I think, about the books.”

Presumably that means The Flash and Kid Flash will both debut in April. The top secret alterations may include a backup feature in Kid Flash, or perhaps an artist change. (I suppose it could mean two Flash books in April and then Kid Flash in May, but that seems unlikely for now.)

He talks a little about the new series:

The first arc of THE FLASH is called THE DASTARDLY DEATH OF THE ROGUES and should be self-explanatory…kind of. 🙂 Other arcs will include MURDER IN GORILLA CITY, THE RETURN OF ### ######## and a brand new Rogue with a power unlike anyone in comics, but perfect for the Flash.

Johns also addresses the delays with Flash: Rebirth, saying it’s “as frustrating for [him] as anyone” and adding that “after much debate, we didn’t want to hand the series over to another artist or spilt up the book.”

There’s a lot more, particularly about Blackest Night: The Flash. He notes that “the ending [of the first issue?] might be my favorite line Captain Cold has ever uttered.”