Category Archives: Flash News

Flash: Rebirth #5 Delayed Yet Again

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Well, DC’s website shows that Flash: Rebirth #5 has been pushed back another week to November 4 — 10 weeks after #4. Once again, we’re faced with a month without a Flash issue.

Good thing we’ve got that spotlight in The Brave and the Bold #28 coming up, isn’t it?

So far DC hasn’t rescheduled issue #6 again, still listing it with a release date of November 25. I doubt anyone reading this page actually expects it to ship by then.

To be honest, I don’t particularly mind the delays at this point, at least as far as Rebirth itself is concerned. The story will be ready when it’s ready. What does bother me is that it will probably impact other Flash-related comics, particularly:

  • Blackest Night: The Flash (currently scheduled to start December 2)
  • Anything in which Wally West might appear in costume (in order to keep the debut of his new costume in Flash: Rebirth #6

DC hasn’t worried about showing a post-Rebirth Barry Allen while the story’s still unfinished, but then the only thing spoilery is that he survives. Not exactly a surprise for a story called Flash: Rebirth. But a high profile costume redesign? I can see DC holding back on that like they held back on Superboy’s return for Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds.

(Thanks to @kukheart for alerting me.)

Update: Now it’s November 18.

Flash Film Fumbled? No, Just Old News.

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Producer Charles Roven tells IGN that he’s off the long-delayed Flash movie…but we knew that already. Sites such as G4, Screen Rant, Mania, First Showing and MTV seem to think this means Warner Bros. has halted development…but I’ve been following news on this movie since it was announced 5 years ago, and I don’t think that’s the case.

Let’s look at Roven told IGN:

“I was involved at one point with The Flash,” said Roven. “And Warner Bros. came to me and said, ‘The work that you’ve been doing hasn’t yet resulted in something that any of us, including the filmmaking team, feel could be greenlit as a movie. We’re trying to accomplish something that takes into account the entire, rich DC character world, and we’d like to pull it back. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be a part of it. We just want to take a different kind of approach. Do you mind if we try that?’ If we had something that was really working…”

He doesn’t say when the project was pulled back from him, or at least IGN doesn’t tell us.

And we knew a month ago that Roven had been taken off the project, when Warner Bros. announced the formation of DC Entertainment. Jeff Robinov, the architect behind last year’s Waner Bros/DC movie summit, was the one who “called [it] back” — and it was as a result of that summit that Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman were brought in to help Warner Bros. develop DC characters for film.

I think we’re just finally hearing Charles Roven’s side of a change that happened months ago and paved the way for the Geoff Johns version of the film that DC announced in July.

Update: Screenwriter Dan Mazeau contacted IGN with a status update:

The Flash has not been hobbled. Everything is moving forward as planned….I’m still writing the script. Geoff Johns is still consulting. Flash fans have no cause for concern, and — IMO — lots to be excited about.

So, yeah, nothing new here.

Wally West Gets Co-Feature – Flash News from Long Beach

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I just got out of the DC nation panel at Long Beach Comic-Con. At the start, Geoff Johns announced that the new Barry Allen Flash series will be a 30-page book with a Wally West Flash co-feature (backup story) by Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins!

YES!!!

Other Flash news from the Question & Answer segment:

No current plans to reissue trades from Geoff Johns’ Wally run.

Both Captain Boomerangs will appear in Blackest Night. As will Rainbow Raider – or rather the “Black and White Raider.” And he’s “really upset about it.”

Wally will have his new costume in Blackest Night & the new backup stories.

The new speedster Geoff mentioned in San Diego will be female. I’m thinking maybe Iris’ link to the speed force kicks in?

Update: Newsarama’s and CBR’s articles are up, both of which include a bit I’d missed posting: One fan asked whether, with Flash and Kid Flash, Wally was going to be “medium Flash.” Geoff Johns pointed out that Jay Garrick is still called Flash…

Update 2: My full write-up and photos from the con are now online!

Flash May Get “Secret Origin” Treatment

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Buried in a Newsarama interview about Superman: Secret Origin, Geoff Johns remarked that he’d like to do more “Secret Origin” stories…with the Scarlet Speedster his first choice for number 3.

My hope is to continue these, most likely with The Flash: Secret Origin, which would include the beginning of the Rogues as well.

Personally, I’d rather see some genuinely new stories for a while instead of yet another origin retread. The series has been (in my opinion) far too focused on the past for several years now. Bring back Wally West. Bring back Barry Allen. Spackle the Rogues’ actions during Countdown. Bring back Bart Allen. Bring Back Professor Zoom. Bring back Max Mercury. Retcon Barry’s childhood, early career, and the nature of the Flashes’ powers. Explain Barry’s bow tie.

(Also: he’s already written origins for at least five of the Rogues — six if you count Trickster II.)

Geoff Johns makes the point that origin stories serve as starting points for new readers, but I think The Flash #1 would also be a good place to start. And while I can’t speak for new readers, this long-time reader would like to see something that he hasn’t already read in half a dozen variations.

(Thanks for Fastest for the link.)

Dan Didio Talks Kid Flash Launch: April or May

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In the latest 10 Answers with Dan Didio (it’s now 10 questions every week instead of 20 questions every 2 weeks), Dan Didio answers some questions about the upcoming Kid Flash series being written by Sterling Gates.

Launch date: “somewhere around April or May of next year. It will launch about a month after the launch of the new Flash book.” Note: Last we heard, Flash was going to launch in March 2010, which would place it a month after the planned end of Blackest Night: Flash

Artist: “I’ve got a couple of artists who are under consideration,” but right now they’re focused on coordinating stories.

He also reiterates what Geoff Johns has previously said about the Flash and Kid Flash books being aligned much in the same way that Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps are aligned.

There are, of course, 9 more questions and answers in the original article, including some interesting remarks on solicitations and spoilers.

(Thanks to @SpeedsterSite for the link)

Flash: Rebirth #5 Pushed Back Again

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Flash: Rebirth #5I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am disappointed. According to DC’s website, Flash: Rebirth #5 is now scheduled for October 28, 2009, rather than October 14. The conclusion is still scheduled for November 25, which is just one week before the scheduled launch of Blackest Night: The Flash on December 2.

I hope they can complete this miniseries before the next one starts. And if they do push it back, I really hope they still launch Blackest Night: Flash in December.

Update October 8: It’s been delayed another week.

Update: Several delays later, it’s now set for November 18.