It’s the last week of Villains Month, and all three Flash villain spotlights are out. That leaves this week’s digital re-release, Flash #155 (Wally West series). The mysterious Dark Flash takes a more severe approach to villains than Barry or Wally ever did, and after Captain Boomerang is seriously injured in a fight, the Rogues create the Replicant, one man with the powers of all the Rogues’ weapons.
Replicant’s origin story was actually in The Flash Secret Files #2, which DC hasn’t sent to ComiXology. They haven’t been terribly concerned with specials like this, or annuals, from their backlist. Fortunately, most of the annuals from this series were stand-alone stories, and only the Replicant origin and introduction of Hunter Zolomon in the second and third Secret Files books really leave holes in the stories that are online. Well, and Iron Heights, which is a critical piece of the build-up to Crossfire.
On July 30th, the news broke that a live action Flash series would soon be joining the successful “Arrow” show currently being broadcast on the CW network. The character of Barry Allen, now appearing in comics as the “New 52” version of the famous speedster, will be introduced on Arrow before spinning off into his own adventures. As most comic fans know, Barry Allen is not the only person to wear the crimson and yellow, and the question of whether or not he is the most popular (or most “iconic” as DC has branded him) is still a matter of heated debate. His comic book sidekick-turned-successor Wally West is both a fan favorite character and the Flash many people best remember, due to his appearances in the animated Justice League, Teen Titans, and Young Justice cartoons. Of course Barry will be the star of the new Flash series, and he is certainly the face of the franchise that Dan Didio and Geoff Johns want the world to see.
