Category Archives: Flash News

Kid Flash & Max Mercury

Dan Didio let slip some more information about the upcoming Kid Flash series in his latest 10 Answers column at Newsarama. First he reminded readers that Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates will be working closely together to keep the Flash and Kid Flash books linked, similar to the way Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps have been linked. Then he added something that fans of the Impulse series may find appealing:

You’ll still see the dynamic between Kid Flash and Max Mercury, if I’m not mistaken. And I think that’s new information, so you did get something out of me. But Max will be featured in this series as well. So if somebody’s a fan of Impulse, they’ll get that relationship back in the Kid Flash series. Because of the Max/Bart relationship, I think they’ll be very pleasantly surprised about what the plans are for the book.

This book is sounding better and better! Only ~~two~~ one more question:

Who will do the art?
~~When will it launch?~~

I suspect the artist hasn’t been finalized yet, though they could be waiting until they get closer to a firm launch date. And on that score, “About a month after Flash” is certainly more specific than certain other series (*cough* Zatanna *cough*) have gotten, but it’ll be nice when DC can give us a firm “April 2010” or “May 2010.” Edit: As Andrew points out, Dan Didio does indicate that the book will be launching in May 2010.

Flash: Rebirth #5 Really Shipping This Week! UPDATED!

Yes, according to Diamond, Flash: Rebirth #5 is actually shipping this week! As if that weren’t enough, there’s the JSA 80-Page Giant, new issues of Tiny Titans and Super Friends, the trade paperback of JSA: Thy Kingdom Come vol.2, and a Showcase volume featuring Superman Team-Ups from DC Comics Presents…opening with a Superman/Flash race.

~~No sign yet of the final cover for Flash: Rebirth #5, or the variant cover, or a preview.~~ UPDATE! While I was at lunch, DC posted a 5-page preview with the covers. I’d like to say two things: First, that alternate cover with Max and Bart is seriously making me cnosider picking up the variant again. Second…I called the coloring change on the main cover back in July!

The Flash: Rebirth #5

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver

The greatest threat to face the Flash Family in decades stands revealed! A new hero will step into an old speedster’s boots! And Barry Allen will make the ultimate sacrifice: his life! Oh yeah, you read that right, but you’ll never believe just what it means! They always say nothing will ever be the same, but trust us, this one will rewrite the history books!

This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver).

5 of 6 · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Other books shipping this week behind the cut: Continue reading →

Blackest Night: Flash #3 Solicitation & Cover

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IGN has posted DC’s Blackest Night solicitations for February 2010, including the conclusion of Blackest Night: The Flash.

Blackest Night: The Flash #3

On sale February 17 – 3 of 3 – 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Scott Kolins
Variant cover by Francis Manapul

It’s a case of the chicken-or-the-egg as Barry Allen takes on the Black Lantern Reverse-Flash and seeks answers to the very nature of Professor Zoom’s impending resurrection. Plus, the Rogues witness an act so horrifying that it changes one of their own forever.

This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Scott Kolins), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Francis Manapul).

Notes: I hate to admit it, but I have no idea who the Flash is fighting on this cover. Well, almost no idea. Is this the new design for Nekron?

Also, this pretty much confirms that Professor Zoom’s personal timeline is, well, reversed, and that he’s being resurrected in Blackest Night, then going back in time for Flash: Rebirth. It’s not 100% certain, but it looks extremely likely at this point.

And finally: I believe this is the first official Flash art by Francis Manapul that DC has released. He’s doing alternate covers for all three issues of Blackest Night: The Flash, and will of course take over as the artist on The Flash when it launches next spring.

One Week to Flash: Rebirth #5, Dan Didio Talks Delays

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So, who remembers what happened in Flash: Rebirth #4? 😀 All joking aside, it looks like we’ll finally get the next installment of the story in just over a week. Not only does DC still list Flash: Rebirth #5 with a November 18 date, it’s on also on Diamond’s upcoming releases list for books shipping next week. It’s extremely rare for anything to slip once it appears on that list (though I have seen it happen occasionally).

Here’s what the miniseries’ schedule looks like at this point:

Issue	Orig. Date	Actual Date	Gap	Delay
Flash: Rebirth #1	April 1	April 1	3 months*	On time
Flash: Rebirth #2	May 6	May 6	5 weeks	On time
Flash: Rebirth #3	June 10	June 10	5 weeks	On time
Flash: Rebirth #4	July 22	Aug. 26	11 weeks	5 weeks
Flash: Rebirth #5	Aug. 26	Nov. 18	12 weeks	12 weeks
Flash: Rebirth #6	Sep. 30	Dec. 23**	5 weeks	12 weeks

*Since Flash v.2 #247

**Well, currently-scheduled date, anyway.

All signs point to the next mini-series, Blackest Night: The Flash staying on track. Especially when you factor in Dan Didio’s comments on scheduling in his latest 10 Answers column:

…A lot of times the story drives how the books are produced. Certain books we have a certain level of leeway with because of how they fall within the rest of the DCU continuity. Books like Flash: Rebirth, books like Superman: Secret Origin, had long lead times and they still ran into some problems toward the end. But because of the consistency of the look and the consistency of the team and the consistency of the vision of that material, we’re willing to wait for those books because they don’t have an impact on other series that are rolling out at that time. [emphasis added]

But when we have other books like Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, it’s essential for them to come out in conjunction with Blackest Night, and for those, we know to plan differently.

Both sides — Rebirth not holding up the rest of the DCU and Blackest Night: Flash needing to sync up with Blackest Night — would seem to factor into the decision to keep the Johns/Kolins miniseries on schedule even though it means launching before Rebirth ends (whenever that ends up being).

Just think: in a few weeks, the Flash franchise should be back on track!

New Flash Secret Files Coming

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And the relaunch of the Flash franchise continues! With Flash: Rebirth in progress, Blackest Night: The Flash launching in December, and new Flash and Kid Flash ongoing series launching next spring, it seems that DC has one more element on its way. This morning, artist Tony Harris (Ex Machina) posted the following on Twitter:

@TONYFINGHARRIS: Gonna start a Flash Secret Files cover today. Excited. Never Drawn Flash before except my version in JSA: The Liberty Files.

The last time the Flash had a Secret Files and Origins issue was 2001, shortly after Geoff Johns became the regular writer on Wally West’s series. Since the Flashes’ origins had been covered only a couple of years earlier (1997), Johns used the issue to establish characters and story elements that fed into the next two years of stories, particularly “Crossfire” and “Blitz.”

Now seems like a good time, with three heroes and a villain returning from limbo, a refactoring of the cast and of the nature of the Flash’s powers, and two new series launching, spotlighting at least three characters (Barry Allen in the lead stories in The Flash, Wally West in the backup stories, and presumably Bart Allen in Kid Flash).

[Edited to add:] It would be an ideal way to help potential new readers get in on the ground floor, especially if it arrives the same month as, or right before the new series launches. Considering that DC’s been saying “March or April” for the launch, and Blackest Night: Flash should finish in February, it might even make sense to release this in March and The Flash #1 in April. That would a good way to give the creative team on the series a little extra lead time while still maintaining the momentum of a monthly schedule, kind of like the way All-Flash #1 bridged the month between Flash: The Fastest Man Alive and the relaunch of Wally West’s series.

I’d almost rather DC had just launched the ongoing books last April along with a Secret Files, but I guess they wanted the publicity of a second Geoff Johns/Ethan Van Sciver “Rebirth” book, and I’m sure Geoff Johns wanted more pages to lay a foundation before getting started.

Update: Harris has posted a small section of his art featuring the Flash.

(via MTV Splash Page)

Flash: Rebirth #5 Now Due November 18

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It looks like Flash: Rebirth #5 won’t be out next week after all. Reader Perplexio wrote in to point out that DC’s website now shows a release date of November 18.

The funny thing is, I checked it two hours ago and it still said November 11. It’s starting to feel like I should check it on an hourly basis!

No change on the release dates for Flash: Rebirth #6 or the first two issues of Blackest Night: The Flash.

The current schedule looks like this:

Flash: Rebirth #5	November 18, 2009
Blackest Night: The Flash #1	December 2, 2009
Flash: Rebirth #6	December 23, 2009
Blackest Night: The Flash #2	January 13, 2010

It’s beginning to look less and less likely that Flash: Rebirth will finish this year. With no comics shipping the week of December 30, even a one-week slip on issue #6 will push it into January.

Speed Force

Tracking the Flash – the Fastest Man Alive