The Collected Editions blog is focusing on Flashpoint this week with reviews of two Flashpoint collections from the perspective of a trade-waiter. For those of us who read new comics on a month-to-month basis, it’s worth stepping back and considering how differently these read when you read a series in the form of one or two collections a year.
Considering all of the changes seen in DC’s New 52 Flash title, the reemergence of the character’s roots in cutting-edge science has received nearly as much, if not more, attention than the tweaks to beloved characters and the series’ long-set standards.
The prime example of this has been the introduction of a very real concept know as Augmented Cognition, or AugCog. In Flash, Barry Allen is advised by new character Dr. Darwin Elias to apply his use of the Speed Force to his brain, allowing him to use his powers to affect perception and the processing of information. This new power was on display in full force in issue #2, and lead to the chilling cliffhanger ending of issue #3.
We reached out to Dr. Peter A. Hancock, Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Central Florida and member of the Augmented Cognition International Society, to get his take on the AugCog concepts as presented in Flash. His responses provided a detailed look into an exciting area of neuroscience. Read on, after the jump…
In an interview published today, Flash writer and artist Francis Manapul spoke with Comic Vine about Captain Cold and his fellow Rogues. DC revealed Captain Cold’s redesigned duds last week, and announced that he and the Rogues would be making their return to the magazine with issue #7.
On the redesign, which generated a lot of discussion on this site, Manapul had this to say:
FM: Well I ran all my designs by the higher ups, and they all chimed in with their two cents. I didn’t get too many notes. We were split on keeping the parka as some felt it was a very iconic part of who he was, and the other half felt that it made him look dated. In the end I came up with what I felt was a good compromise to keep those that didn’t want the hoodie happy, but at the same time make him look more modern yet still staying true to his iconic look. Some of the other Rogues the changes were a bit more extreme, I allowed the story to dictate how they would look, I strongly feel that design follows function.
Check out the complete post at Comic Vine, right now!! More after the jump:
The Flash Archives vol.6, announced last month, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. $45 is still a bit steep compared to a trade paperback (funny thing, hardcovers and high-quality paper cost extra), but it’s a hefty discount off the list price.
Written by GARDNER FOX and JOHN BROOME • Art by CARMINE INFANTINO, JOE GIELLA and FRANK GIACOIA Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO and MURPHY ANDERSON Advance solicited • On sale JULY 25 • 240 pg, FC, $59.99 US
It’s a Rogues Gallery parade in these tales from THE FLASH #142-150, as the Scarlet Speedster battles The Trickster, Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, Mr. Element, The Reverse Flash, Captain Boomerang and Captain Cold! Plus, a tale guest-starring Green Lantern!
Diamond has released its November sales rankings, placing The Flash #3 in the #9 spot for units sold. ICv2’s November 2011 sales estimates have it selling roughly* 90,417 comics during the month.
Three issues in, it’s still well ahead of all but the first issues of The Flash vol.3 and Flash: Rebirth. It’s the sixth-highest selling Flash comic book in over a decade, or eighth if you include Flashpoint. And it’s still a Top 10 book.
On the other hand, it’s also a 20% drop from the previous issue. That’s awfully steep for anything but the second issue of a series.
Then again, the normal patterns may not apply here. By releasing 52 first issues in one month, DC managed to get a lot of people to try out more comics than they would have otherwise. The sales boost on the early issues was probably higher than it would have been for a more traditional relaunch, so the sharper drop may be less of a concern than it would be otherwise. And it’s still way above the 55K mark that I suggested might be the ultimate test of the relaunch.
Lastly, there’s been a lot of discussion in the comics blog scene the last few weeks over whether these sales estimates are even accurate enough to be worth analyzing. If they have as little to do with reality as Ivan Brandon and Steve Wacker suggest, then neither the drop nor the comparisons to other issues mean much of anything.
| Issue | Rank | Month | Units Sold | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash vol.4 | ||||
| Flash v.4 #1 | 4 | September 2011 | 129,260 | |
| Flash v.4 #2 | 5 | October 2011 | 114,137 | -11.7% |
| Flash v.4 #3 | 9 | November 2011 | 90,417 | -20.8% |
| Top-Selling Flash Issues | ||||
| Flash v.4 #1 | 4 | September 2011 | 129,260 | |
| Flash:TFMA #1 | 7 | June 2006 | 126,741 | |
| Flash v.4 #2 | 5 | October 2011 | 114,137 | |
| Flash: Rebirth #1 | 2 | April 2009 | 102,429 | |
| Flash v.3 #1 | 2 | April 2010 | 100,903 | |
| Flashpoint #1 | 2 | May 2011 | 95,845 | |
| Flashpoint #5 | 2 | August 2011 | 94,547 | |
| Flash v.4 #3 | 9 | November 2011 | 90,417 | |
A few key articles covering past sales (with lots of numbers):
*What these numbers measure: US-only sales, wholesale from Diamond to comics retailers. They don’t count sales through bookstores, they don’t count international sales, and they don’t count how many copies were actually bought and read…but they do measure the same thing every month, which means they can be used to spot trends.
THE FLASH #7
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Variant cover by DALE KEOWN
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale MARCH 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Captain Cold is back – and he’s more dangerous than ever! Seeking revenge on The Flash, he must convince the rest of the Rogues to reunite one last time. But what tore them apart before? And what did The Flash do to earn their deadly scorn? Find out here!
DC released their March Justice League group solicits today. Check them out over at The Source!