Category Archives: Flash News

Flash: Rebirth Tops Charts as #2 Comic for April

Flash: Rebirth #1It’s official: Flash: Rebirth #1 is a sales success.

ICv2 has released sales data for April 2009, and Flash: Rebirth #1 takes the #2 spot on the chart, right after Detective Comics #853, the first second half of the Neil Gaiman/Andy Kubert Batman story, “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”

Just out of the starter gate, The Flash: Rebirth #1 sold an estimated 102,429 copies, the highest the book has sold since the launch of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive in 2006. The first issue of that series, featuring an adult Bart Allen as the Flash, sold 120,404 copies in the first month, climbing to 126,741 with reorders. (Of course, sales on subsequent issues of Flash: TFMA dropped sharply after that initial spike, so only time will tell.)

I’m not sure The Flash has ever been this high in the rankings. I imagine this is the first time Flash outsold every single X-Men book on the market, including Wolverine!

Also interesting: 8 of the top 10 books (by units sold) were priced at $3.99.

Flash Comics for August (Updated!)

Newsarama has a preview of DC’s August Solicitations, including Flash: Rebirth #5. Update: Full solicitations are up!

The Flash: Rebirth #5

Flash: Rebirth #5Written 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).

On sale August 26 • 5 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Wednesday Comics, team books and more after the cut. Continue reading

Flash: Rebirth Hardcover in January

Flash: RebirthCollected Editions has spotted the Amazon listing for the Flash: Rebirth Hardcover, with a January 12, 2010 date.

Several things stand out about this:

  • Only 2 issues of the miniseries have come out so far.
  • Just yesterday, DC announced that it would extend the mini from 5 issues to 6.
  • It’s a hardcover, so a trade paperback is probably even further off.
  • Flash: Rebirth, assuming it stays on schedule, will run through September.
  • The 3-issue miniseries Blackest Night: Flash runs November–January.

The missing piece is still: when will the Flash ongoing start? On one hand, DC might launch in October, picking up immediately on the heels of Flash: Rebirth and maintaining momentum. On the other hand they might be planning a throughline from Flash: Rebirth through Blackest Night: Flash and into the ongoing, in which case the series would probably launch in late January or in February. And hey, here’s a convenient hardcover collection for anyone who wants to pick up the new series…

Flash: Rebirth Extended to 6 Issues

Flash: Rebirth #3? VariantOver at the Source, DC has confirmed what Ethan Van Sciver indicated a few months ago: Flash: Rebirth will run 6 issues.

Almost from the moment it was announced, there was confusion among fans as to whether it was a 6-issue or 5-issue miniseries, until the first issue was solicited as #1 of 5. Then there were EVS’s cryptic remarks about how the book might not be done in September, and eventually he stated that DC was “probably” going to add a sixth issue.

Geoff Johns on the Future of Kid Flash

Kid FlashNewsarama’s Vaneta Rogers has interviewed Geoff Johns about Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, character returns, and what’s next. (Note: Major spoilers for Legion of Three Worlds #4.)

Most of the article focuses on the Legion and the upcoming Adventure Comics, but there is a little bit about Bart Allen:

What role does Bart Allen play in the DCU now that he’s back as Kid Flash?

GJ: Well, you’ll see that in Flash: Rebirth and beyond that. Kid Flash and Superboy both play pretty big roles in the DCU coming up. They’re both in Blackest Night. They’re going to be front and center in the DCU over the next year. As will the Legion.

That makes sense: Aside from indications that Blackest Night will involve the entire contents of the DC Encyclopedia, the story is about the dead rising from their graves — and here are two characters who have just returned from death, though admittedly they’re a bit more lively than the Black Lanterns appear to be. Though given the way Conner returned, there’s still a body lying around in the present day. I can imagine it being animated as a Black Lantern and the heroes having to put it back where it was so that he can be resurrected in the 31st Century.

But I’m beginning to wonder, between this and other interviews, just how many characters can be “front and center” of the DCU! 😀

Flash on Smallville This Week

Well, Impulse, anyway. Be sure to tune in to Smallville this week as Bart Allen (Kyle Gallner) returns for the season finale, “Doomsday.”

blackcanary-impulse
Black Canary and Impulse. Image c/o KryptonSite.

Bart previously appeared in the fourth-season episode, “Run,” for which he was billed as the Flash, and the sixth-season “Justice” (alongside Green Arrow, Cyborg, and Aquaman), where he was given the name Impulse. This time, Justice League members include Black Canary and Green Arrow.

Read up on Bart’s past Smallville Appearances at Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning.