This issue of The Flash picks up on a powerless Barry Allen (as noted in last issue and in the most recent Dial H) attempting to stop a radical group from breaking the Trickster out of prison. What can Barry do without his connection to the Speed Force? Turns out, quite a lot!
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD! PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD!
New Flash comics this week include:
Flash #19: Trapped in Iron Heights without his powers (as a result of Dial H #11), Barry Allen has to fend off the attack of the Outlanders. All he has are his wits…and the Rogues’ confiscated weapons. Brian Buccellato and Marcio Takara, cover by Francdis Manapul. Preview at Uproxx.
Justice League Dark #19: The House of Mystery is under seige—can special guest star The Flash help Justice League Dark battle this unexpected threat? Jeff Lemire & Ray Fawkes, Mikel Janin. Preview at BuzzFeed.
Teen Titans #19: Which new member of the Teen Titans reveals his true colors? Scott Lobdell, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira. Preview at CBR.
Meanwhile in digital back issues:
Flash #128-129: “Hell to Pay” parts 2-3. The dead Rogues have returned to earth — or rather, their reanimated bodies have, and without their souls to keep them in check, they’re laying waste to Keystone City! Only Wally West can stop them, but he’ll have to make a literal deal with the devil to do so.
Impulse #67: After the events of “Mercury Falling,” heroes gather to celebrate the life of Max Mercury. Todd Dezago, Ethan Van Sciver & Andrew Hennessy.
Impulse #68: Impulse “rescues” Adam Strange from a Zeta beam and ends up on the alien world of Rann. Part one of a two-part “Green Lantern: Circle of Fire” epilogue. Todd Dezago, Battle & Buzz. (I meant to review this story for The Indigo Tribe’s Circle of Fire event, but didn’t have enough time after I reviewed the Green Lantern/Adam Strange issue.)
I’d like to add that Impulse #67 was the best fake-out I’ve ever seen in the era of online solicitations and spoilers everywhere. DC didn’t write a fake solicitation or block out parts of the cover art. All they did was post the artwork showing Max Mercury (I’m such a digital packrat that I still have it) and state that heroes gathered together to honor him. Then the next two issues put Bart off-planet on Rann for the Green Lantern/Adam Strange guest spot, so there was literally no way to know whether Max would survive “Mercury Falling” until the conclusion hit the shelves.
Uproxx has a preview of Flash #19, due in stores next Wednesday. Barry Allen has found himself trapped in Iron Heights without his powers (as a result of the events of Dial H #11) just as the Outlanders storm the prison to break the Trickster out. “Essentially, all Barry has is his wits. Oh, and also a gigantic bag full of weapons from various rogues. So maybe this fight is a little more even than it looks…”
Uproxx also spoke with Manapul & Buccellato, making this the fourth interview with the Flash team released this week.
Flash #19 by Brian Buccellato and Marcio Takara arrives in stores on April 24.
This week has already seen two three new interviews with the Flash creative team. In pieces with Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, and now Comic Vine, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato pull back a small corner of the curtain on their new iteration of the Reverse-Flash!
The duo eliminates at least one suspect, while providing some insight into the motivations and look of Flash’s new opposite-number. The Newsarama (and Comic Vine) interviews also feature a first look at preliminary pages from Flash #20! Check out all of the chilling, UPDATED details after the jump!
Warner Bros. has released box art and further details for the July 30 release of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the home video animated feature based on 2011’s Flashpoint miniseries. Casting was announced yesterday, with Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd as Flash (Barry Allen) and Batman (Thomas Wayne).
According to comicbook.com, the special features include:
Update: World’s Finest has more details including a synopsis:
When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline.
Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave and the Bold) adapted the script, with Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) directing and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) producing.
So, what episodes from the vault would you like/expect to see? I’m hoping for “Speed Demons” from Superman, “A Mirror Darkly” from The Batman, “Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and of course “Flash and Substance” from Justice League Unlimited. Though I can imagine they might go for alternate reality stories instead.
This issue of Justice League of America’s Vibe (wow, what a long name!) marks the start of Sterling Gates’ run as writer for the title. If this issue is any indication, Vibe is in very good hands…and I can only wish to see Sterling Gates write more stories that include Kid Flash as well. Gates truly gets his characters – the transition for Cisco is smooth as glass from Johns to Gates, and this issue has just about the best characterization of Bart Allen that we’ve seen in the New52. Vibe is well worth the read, and this series is quickly becoming one of the very best the New52 has to offer.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – DO NOT READ FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ISSUE! Continue reading