The New 52 may be going on hiatus for Convergence in April and May, but the TV and other continuity books keep going, including…
THE FLASH SEASON ZERO #7
Written by ANDREW KREISBERG, KAI WU and LAUREN CERTO
Art by PHIL HESTER and ERIC GAPSTUR
Photo cover
On sale APRIL 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
It’s The Flash vs. King Shark! Can Barry save his friends (and himself) from this terrifying death machine?
DC has solicited the next Flash collection:
THE FLASH VOL. 6: OUT OF TIME HC
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and VAN JENSEN
Art by BRETT BOOTH, NORM RAPMUND, RON FRENZ and LIVESAY
Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale JUNE 17 • 208 pg, FC, $24.99 US
In these tales from THE FLASH #30-35, THE FLASH ANNUAL #3 and THE FLASH: FUTURES END #1, the fastest man alive is a broken man. His powers have failed him time and again at great cost to him and the city he has sworn to protect. Now he’s coming back to the current time to stop the one event that destroyed his life. And in the present, Barry Allen must contend with thieves trying to capitalize on the devastation of FOREVER EVIL. It’s a tale of two timelines that ushers in one of The New 52’s most anticipated character debuts!
It’s a bit different from the original announcement, which was for a trade paperback that stopped at Flash #34. I’m guessing the format was changed based on either sales or an editorial decision to keep the hardcovers going, and the inclusion of Future’s End: The Flash and The Flash #35 happened when someone pointed out that the main story didn’t actually end in #34!
CW has released a new promo for next week’s new Flash TV episode featuring Heat Wave and Captain Cold.
Additionally, we now know who will play Axel Walker, the younger Trickster. Dexter’s Devon Graye will play Axel. Last month, CW announced that veteran Flash actor Mark Hamill plays the older James Jesse, with Allen and Det. West seeking him out him in prison to learn how to stop the copycat villain. (via FlashTVNews)
Finally, here’s a look at Firestorm’s costume, or more likely part of it, at Firestorm Fan.
The Flash #37 is out next week, and CBR has a preview of the issue. Present-day Barry Allen meets more people trapped in the timeless world of the speed force, while back on Earth Iris West’s investigative reporting uncovers a shocking surprise. And that doesn’t even get to the “all-new, all-murderous Flash” promised by the solicitation text.
Story by Robert Venditti and Van Jensen, art by Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse. Cover by Booth/Rapmund/Dalhouse, variant cover by Darwyn Cooke. Speaking of which…
DC has been unveiling their March 2015 solicitations (CBR), including…
THE FLASH #40
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and VAN JENSEN
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
MOVIE POSTER Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
On sale MARCH 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T
Barry Allen finds a way to escape the Speed Force – but can the Fastest Man Alive return home and stop Future Flash’s murderous plans?
After this issue, the New 52 line will go on hiatus for two months for Convergence, during which we’ll see two issues focusing on a 1980s-era Barry Allen and two focusing on Wally West and his children. A lot of titles are ending, but since this isn’t marked as such, it looks like the New 52 Flash will be back in June with #41.
And beyond the New 52…
THE FLASH SEASON ZERO #6
Written by ANDREW KREISBERG
Art by PHIL HESTER and ERIC GAPSTUR
Photo cover
On sale MARCH 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
A new story arc begins here! When peculiar homicides start to occur in Central City, Barry and Joe recruit the S.T.A.R. Labs team to help with the investigation. It isn’t long before the gang discovers something even more shocking when reports indicate that the wounds on the deceased appear to have been caused by…a great white shark!
Mark Hamill, known worldwide as Luke Skywalker but to Flash fans as the live-action Trickster from the 1990s Flash TV show, will be back to reprise the role in the 17th episode of the new Flash TV series, as reported by HitFix.
Hamill joins John Wesley Shipp, the original series’ Barry Allen, who plays Barry’s father on the new show, and Amanda Pays, who returns as Dr. Tina McGee. Like Pays, he’ll be playing a different version of the character this time around:
In this new iteration, The Trickster is an anarchist terrorist con man serving a life sentence in Iron Heights who helps Barry (Grant Gustin) and Det. West (Jesse L. Martin) to foil the city-wide attacks of a wannabe Trickster eagerly following in the original’s deadly footsteps. The episode will reunite him with John Wesley Shipp who went up against him as the original ‘Flash’ on the CBS version.
It sounds like they’re bringing in both James Jesse and Axel Walker, which I think is a great move. The New 52 Trickster lost something when they tried to make Axel the original rather than someone who stole the identity and gadgets. I like that they’re incorporating the con man aspect as well, since that’s one of my favorites versions of the character.
So what do you think of bringing back Mark Hamill as the Trickster? Great idea, or best idea?