Category Archives: Out This Week

This Week (Aug 6): The Wild Wests

This week we have the first collected edition from the current Flash relaunch, featuring Mark Waid’s brief return to the title. Several Flashes also appear in Final Crisis.

Flash: The Wild Wests

Wally West returns to active duty as the Flash — with the addition of his two children — in this amazing hardcover collecting The Flash #231-237, guest-starring the Justice League! What’s his dark, dark family secret — the one that’s helping him keep the peace in Keystone? This volume also includes “The Fast Life,” by Mark Waid, John Rogers and Doug Braithwaite — the compelling tale of the West family’s life on a Flash-friendly alien world.

Written by Mark Waid, John Rogers and Keith Champagne; Art by Daniel Acuña, Freddie Williams II and Doug Braithwaite; Cover by Acuña.

Notes: It’s odd that this would be the first Flash collection to come out in hardcover (not counting the archive editions), given how many people disliked the direction the series took. (Personally, I wasn’t wowed by it, but I enjoyed it well enough, and it led into Tom Peyer’s run, which I’ve really liked.)

This was originally scheduled for last week, but pushed back. Oddly enough, I saw a copy at Freddie Williams II’s table in Artist’s Alley the weekend before the original release date.

Final Crisis #3 of 7

Batman missing in action! Superman immobilized! Green Lantern on trial for his life!

A shadow is falling across Earth’s super heroes — and now it’s Wonder Woman’s turn to face the Evil Gods!

What bizarre warning from beyond awaits Frankenstein, The Question and the agents of S.H.A.D.E. in the shadows of the Dark Side Club? What grim fate lies in store for The Human Flame? What happens when the Anti-Life Equation hits the internet? Can the Fastest Men Alive outrun The Black Racer — Death himself? And who are the Justifiers?

The answers are all here as the unstoppable rise of evil continues in FINAL CRISIS #3 by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones.

Notes: We all saw what happened at the end of the last issue. It seemed obvious from the cliffhanger, but just in case, the three fans who read the B&W preview at Comic-Con have assured us that yes, Barry Allen does appear in this issue. And then there’s the four-page preview released yesterday…

Edit: Either I misread the release date, or Tangent: Superman’s Reign has been rescheduled. It’s actually coming out August 20.

This Week (July 30): Welcome to Earth-2

There are no Flash-specific titles this week, but the Golden-Age Flash, Jay Garrick, appears regularly in Justice Society of America.

Justice Society of America Annual #1

“Welcome to Earth-2!” Power Girl has made a life for herself on our world, as a member and chairwoman of the Justice Society of America and as a hero in her own right.

But she’s never stopped dreaming of one day returning to her Earth — the parallel world where the members of the Justice Society were the only heroes. Where her best friend was Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman. And where evil was a little easier to fight…wasn’t it? As her greatest wish comes true, Power Girl’s about to find herself back on Earth-2, surrounded by friends she thought she’d lost forever.

Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Jerry Ordway; Cover by Alex Ross

Update: As it turns out, the Flash doesn’t appear in this issue, except as part of a full-team pin-up.

This Week (July 23): Flash Companion & Alternate Realities

The Flash Companion debuts at Comic-Con International in San Diego this week. Also, the trade for Countdown to Adventure is out with a couple of alternate-reality Flashes.

The Flash Companion

The Flash Companion details the publication histories of the four heroes who have individually earned the right to be declared DC Comics’ “Fastest Man Alive”: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen.

With articles about legendary creators Shelly Mayer, Gardner Fox, E.E. Hibbard, Julius Schwartz, Robert Kanigher, John Broome, Ross Andru, Irv Novick and all new interviews of Harry Lampert, Carmine Infantino, Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Mike W. Barr, Marv Wolfman, Mike Baron, Jackson Guice, Mark Waid,  Kolins, among others, The Flash Companion recounts the scarlet speedster’s evolution from the Golden Age to the 21st century.

Also featured are “lost covers,” never before published commission pieces by Flash artists throughout the decades, a Rogues Gallery detailing The Flash’s most famous foes, a tribute to late artist Mike Wieringo by Mark Waid, a look at the speedster’s 1990s TV show, and “Flash facts” detailing pivotal moments in Flash history.

[Note: check out this blog’s Flash Companion coverage for previews, podcasts and more.]

Written by Keith Dallas, with a cover by Don Kramer (Detective Comics, JSA) with colors by Moose Baumann (Green Lantern).

Countdown to Adventure TPB

Collecting the 8-issue miniseries spinning out of 52, featuring the adventures of Animal Man, Starfire, Adam Strange, the mysterious new character Forerunner and more! Can they prevent San Diego from being wiped out by the enigmatic Healers?

[Note: This book features several alternate-reality Flashes, including Lady Flash of the Conjurers of Earth-33, and the Nazi speedster of Earth-10.]

Written by Adam Beechen; Art by Eddy Barrows and Julio Ferreiro and others; Cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert

Justice League of America #23

It’s all-out Amazon fury against Amazo! Wonder Woman is the last Leaguer standing against the souped-up android — and the prize is Red Tornado’s body!

Written by Dwayne McDuffie; Art and cover by Ed Benes

This Week (July 16): Flash #242 and Rogues’ Revenge #1

For the first time in years, we’ve got two Flash books per month, as the three-part Rogues’ Revenge launches. DC has scheduled it for the same week as the regular Flash series, so we’ve got two out this week.

The Flash #242

The Flash takes the twins to Gorilla City on their first international mission, and the round-the-world trip becomes an adventure in itself! Plus, the upheavals at Keystone News result in a huge discovery — one that could blow the Wests’ cover for good!

Written by Tom Peyer; Art and cover by Freddie E. Williams II

Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1 of 3

The critically-acclaimed Flash team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Scott Kolins reunites for a tale of villainy and twisted justice tying in to Final Crisis! Captain Cold and the Rogues were accessories to the murder of Bart Allen. They’ve become what they never set out to be — wanted! Wanted by the good guys, by former Rogue Pied Piper, and by the Secret Society of Super-Villains. But just as they try to disappear underground, good, old-fashioned revenge yanks them back. And where is the Flash during all of this? It’s a Crisis — take a guess.

Don’t miss the 5-page preview at Newsarama.

Written by Geoff Johns; Art and covers by Scott Kolins

Countdown to Final Crisis Vol.2

The second of four volumes collecting DC’s explosive weekly series! In this volume, featuring Countdown #38-26, Karate Kid ventures to Oracle for answers, Jimmy Olsen attempts to join two exclusive clubs, and more!
Written by Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Adam Beechen, Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen ; Art by various; Cover by Ed Benes

Tangent: Superman’s Reign #5 of 12

A hero falls! Now, the remaining forces for good from both the Tangent and DCU Earths are forced to go deeper underground. Also, the secret power behind the Tangent Superman’s throne is revealed!

Written by Dan Jurgens and Ron Marz; Art by Jamal Igle and Robin Riggs; Cover by Brad Walker and Livesay

This Week (July 10): Justice Society

The Flash doesn’t hold the spotlight anywhere this week, but Jay Garrick is a regular in the JSA, and it seems likely that the Flash will appear in Final Crisis: Requiem.

Justice Society of America #17

In Part 2 of “Gog,” the Justice Society of America is split down the middle as their allegiance to the being known as Gog has disrupted the team. Are Gog’s motives on the level, or is it all some insidious plot to destroy mankind?

Written by Geoff Johns and Alex Ross; Art and variant cover by Dale Eaglesham and Prentis Rollins; Cover by Alex Ross

Final Crisis: Requiem

A very special Final Crisis one-shot honoring the passing of a great hero who’s been a staple in the DC Universe for years. All that remains is one final memory that the League experiences together as they must fulfill his last wishes or die trying.

Written by Peter J. Tomasi; Art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy; Covers by J.G. Jones and Doug Mahnke.

This Week (July 2): Future Flash

No Flash books coming out this week, but Bart Allen plays a significant role in the collected edition of Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow, and an alternate reality Flash appears in The Search for Ray Palmer.

Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow

Collecting Teen Titans #50-54, this book starts with the wake for Flash (and former Kid Flash and Impulse) Bart Allen… but soon Bart is back, along with his fellow Titans from 10 years in the future. They’ve taken out the Justice League, and now they want their past selves to ensure the future they know will come to pass!

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer

The Challengers of the Beyond travel the Multiverse seeking the man who can prevent the Great Disaster. They encounter the Wildstorm universe, the evil world of the Crime Society, a world haunted by vampires (Red Rain), the gender-swapped world of Superwoman and Batwoman (with its own Flash), a Soviet Superman (Red Son), and the Victorian-era Gotham by Gaslight.