DC Comics has released four pages of preview art from the first issue of Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion. The miniseries will run alongside the main Forever Evil event. Brian Buccellato writes. Patrick Zircher and Scott Hepburn draw the first two issues, with Scott Hepburn taking over solo art duties in issue three.
This is one “Villains Month” comic that I truly wish was a permanent ongoing series…not just a mini series but a full-fledged ongoing a la Gail Simone’s old Secret Six (though I am looking forward to Rogues Rebellion). The Flash #23.3 aka The Rogues #1 has the look and feel of an excellent series first issue, giving us a New 52 version of what has made the Rogues great for decades. These are the ultimate blue-collar crooks, not bent on world domination but on making a living the “honest” way…by robbery, of course. Their code against killing makes them almost completely unique, especially in the DC Universe. These colorful crooks are more human, even with their newer meta-powers, than most villains found anywhere else in comics…and it makes one almost cheer for them at times. This is only part of why there are so many Rogues fans out there…and this issue captures the essence of what has made the group so great for so many years.
LIGHT SPOILERS ONLY
The Flash #23.3 / The Rogues #1
Mirror Master behind glass, Glider in a coma and the Trickster behind bars in Iron Heights. Captain Cold tries to rally the team, but the Rogues haven’t forgiven him yet for the positions they’re in. And when the Crime Syndicate invites them to join their side and unite with the villains of the DC Universe, one of the team won’t be able to answer the call. Will the rest choose a criminal life or stick to the Rogues Code?
Brian Buccellato and Patrick Zircher. Preview available.
In digital back-issues, DC releases another issue at ComiXology:
Impulse #78
After “Our Worlds at War,” Impulse is ready to give up heroing for good. But can he stay out of the game when White Lightning returns?
Todd Dezago, Carlo Barberi, cover by Ethan van Sciver
CBR interviews Christos Gage, who will be writing The Flash #26 after Francis Manapul’s and Brian Buccellato’s run ends with #25. He talks about how long he’s been a fan of the Flash (big fan of Barry Allen from the old days, enjoyed Wally’s series but it just wasn’t the same), and about the difference between retelling classic stories (a Batman story he wrote based on Flash #300 is what got the editor’s attention to do a Flash issue) and breaking new ground.
Gage drops a few hints about the story. As the solicitation says, the Flash loses someone important to him, and has to go somewhere where his normal super-speed tricks won’t help him: the air. As for the story’s villain:
It’s a new character, Spitfire, but she’s kind of a reimagining of a very obscure Golden Age villain called the Sky Pirate. She’s a crazy, murderous aviatrix. I love that word, “aviatrix.”
I was hoping in all the talk of retelling classic stories that he’d say something about “Nobody Dies,” the William Messner-Loebs/Greg LaRocque story from Flash #54 in which Wally West jumps out of an airplane to save someone and must figure out how to use his super-speed to keep them alive in the air, which is still cited by fans as one of the best single-issue stories of the series, but maybe he missed that month. (If you missed it too, you can read it at ComiXology for $1.99.) I’m sure the story’s different enough, but when you’re specifically talking about new ideas and re-imagining old ones, it’s a bit odd to not acknowledge that the high-concept hook has been done before.
DC Comics has released a preview of The Rogues #1 (a.k.a. Flash #23.3), the last of three Flash-related issues of Villains Month.
THE FLASH #23.3: THE ROGUES opens with Mirror Master behind glass, Glider in a coma and the Trickster behind bars in Iron Heights. Captain Cold tries to rally the team, but the Rogues haven’t forgiven him yet for the positions they’re in. And when the Crime Syndicate invites them to join their side and unite with the villains of the DC Universe, one of the team won’t be able to answer the call. Will the rest choose a criminal life or stick to the Rogues Code? Written by Brian Buccellato and featuring art by Patrick Zircher, THE FLASH #23.3: THE ROGUES directly paves the path for the upcoming miniseries FOREVER EVIL: ROGUES REBELLION, and will be available in stores on Wednesday.
Fan Expo was held on August 22-25 in Toronto, and at over 100,000 visitors was the con’s biggest show to date. But things were a bit unusual this year, as DC and Marvel did not have booths, and as far as I know Dan DiDio didn’t attend (he’s been to all the shows for quite a few years in a row). In their place were some rather odd sponsors/guests, such as car companies, sports celebrities, and even the Canadian intelligence agency. However I cosplayed as the Top again, met up with some other Rogues cosplayers and made some new friends, and had a great time.