This Week: Flash #10 (with Preview), Digital Flashback #31-33

Out this week:
Flash #10

  • THE FLASH vs. THE WEATHER WIZARD!
  • The Flash may survive…but will BARRY ALLEN?

Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Cover by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Art by Marcus To and Ray McCarthy
Preview at Complex.

Marcus To and Ray McCarthy are handling interior art for issues #10-11 to give Manapul & Buccellato a bit of a breather before they take over again with #12.

Digital back-issues on ComiXology:

Flash (1987-2009) #31-33
Written by William Messner-Loebs
Art by Greg LaRocque and Larry Mahlstedt

Some real transitional issues. Flash #31, “Comfort of a Stranger,” re-introduces the Pied Piper as a member of the supporting cast and introduces Linda Park. (She appeared briefly in #28 in her role as a TV news reporter.) In Flash #32, Wally West leaves New York for Keystone City and finds super-villains already waiting for him. Flash #33 guest-stars the Joker…or does it?

» Flash v.2 on ComiXology

Speed Reading: Flashy Links

Catching up on some linkblogging for the last few weeks…

Flash Collectibles

Flash Art

Flash Commentary

Heroes Con Mini-Report: New Teen Titans Panel, George Pérez & Nick Cardy

I visited North Carolina on Friday to attend Day One of the 30th Charlotte Heroes Convention.  Billed as “comics-first…atmosphere, where fans can mingle directly with professionals and exhibitors,”  a massive collection of creators and vendors were on hand for the anniversary edition.  What drew me was the presence of George Pérez (Crisis on Infinite Earths, The New Teen Titans, decades of greatness).

I picked up the above commission at the convention, where Pérez was joined by Crisis and Titans partner Marv Wolfman.  The two, along with Pérez’s main Titans inker Romeo Tanghal, took part in a New Teen Titans panel at the outset of the convention.  For a report from the panel, as well as an encounter with Nick Cardy, follow the jump!

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Impulse TPB & Flash Chronicles vol.4 coming in 2013

Impulse #1

DC has posted a list of collections for Spring 2013, including this surprise:

Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family TP
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher and Brad Vancata
Collects: IMPULSE #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13
$19.99 US, 240 pg
March 2013

It’s been 15 years since DC first tried collecting Impulse in Reckless Youth. That book collected Bart Allen’s three-part debut from Flash #92-94, plus the first six issues of his solo series. A few years back, during Flash: Rebirth, they capitalized on Ethan Van Sciver’s name by releasing the oddly titled The Flash (Featuring Impulse): Mercury Falling, which collected Impulse #62–67.

These issues feature the first appearance of White Lightning, guest appearances by XS of the DnA Legion of Super-Heroes, and several stories focusing on Bart’s circle of friends at school.

So, what’s missing?

  • Impulse #7 is a fill-in by Martin Pasko, Nick Gnazzo and Mark Stegbauer in which Impulse battles a villain called Gridlock.
  • Impulse #10-11 are part of the “Dead Heat” crossover with The Flash, and were previously collected (again, over a decade ago) in Flash: Dead Heat. Dead Heat is also out of print, but I’m encouraged by the fact that DC has been re-releasing the Wally West series digitally, and the fact that they’re actually reprinting something by Mark Waid here.

Update! (July): The book is now available for pre-order.

Also coming next year:

The Flash Chronicles Vol. 4 TP
Writers: John Broome
Artists: Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Collects: THE FLASH #119-124
$14.99 US, 160 pg
April 2013

This brings the Chronicles series of Silver Age reprints up to 1961, and the Flash Chronicles v.1-4 line up with Flash Archives v.1-3. This collection features the Mirror Master, the Trickster, the Top (with the now-infamous Atomic Grenade!) and Captain Boomerang (launching the Flash into space), as well as well-known stories “Land of the Golden Giants” and the classic “Flash of Two Worlds!”

This Week: Digital Flash(back) #28-30, DC Presents Impulse

This week’s digital releases at ComiXology include three more issues of the 1987-2009 Flash series starring Wally West, plus DC Comics Presents: Impulse #1, itself a collection of Impulse #50-53.

Flash vol.2 #30: Shot in the Dark!Flash #28 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque: “The Porcupine Man” concludes as Wally West’s friends find him…but so do the brother-sister bounty hunter team of Captain Cold and the Golden Glider!

Flash #29 by Lew Strazewski, Grant Miehm and Paul Fricke: In a rare guest issue (I think there were 5 in the whole series), the Flash travels to Casablanca, only to find himself caught between three factions who all want the same political defector. Guest-starring Phantom Lady, Merlyn and Syanide.

Flash #30 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque: Date night at the movies should be safe, right? Not when a gunman opens fire from the back of the theater! Wally West has to search a darkened theater for all the bullets fired at an unexpected audience. (This is notable for its portrayal of super-speed from the Flash’s point of view.)

» Flash v.2 on ComiXology

Impulse #50...Agent of the Bat?The Impulse collection features four issues by Todd Dezago and Ethan Van Sciver.

Impulse #50: Impulse teams up with Batman. What more do you need to know?

Impulse #51: It’s hard enough to get those collector’s-item variant action figures before the super-villains get in on it!

Impulse #52-53 Inertia makes his move, attacking Impulse while Kalibak keeps Max Mercury busy.

So far only a handful of Impulse issues are available online. Judging by the DC Comics Presents: The Flash collection released last week, they probably won’t post the solo issues into the Impulse series, at least not immediately, though really, all they’d need to do is add the covers. They don’t even need to come up with guided navigation for that.

» Impulse on ComiXology
» DC Comics Presents on ComiXology

(Covers via comics.org)