Cary Bates Flash-es Back at Newsarama

2 Replies

Newsarama interviews Cary Bates about his work on The Flash and Justice League of America back in the 1970s, and his upcoming DC Retroactive specials revisiting those books.

With the books closer to release (DC Retroactive: The Flash: The 70s comes out next week), he’s able to say a little more than he did in our interview back in May, plus of course we weren’t asking him about the JLA! There’s some strange spoilery information about “Son of Grodd,” but what really caught my eye was what Bates said about the timeframe of the DC Retrocative books:

The deadlines for the retro books were very tight, so once I signed on I had to come up with the plots for both books within 24 hours.

24 hours! Wow! I’d gotten the impression that the Retroactive specials were a last-minute addition to the schedule, and this seems to confirm it. My suspicion: After DC decided to push full-steam-ahead on the reboot/relaunch/whatever it actually is, they decided to give the previous versions of the major characters a “last hurrah” before moving on.

When you’re done reading the Newsarama interview, jump back and check out our two-part interview in which Cary Bates talks more about his 1970s Flash run, the Death of Iris Allen, and where The Flash would have gone if it hadn’t been canceled during Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Speed Reading

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2 Preview is Up

8 Replies

DC has released a 4-page preview of Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2, due in stores next week.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2

Citizen Cold is known by Central City as a hero. But when an entire gallery of Rogues kidnaps his sister, Lisa Snart, they’ll use her as bait to lure him into a deathtrap. Will Citizen Cold be able to save both Lisa and himself? And what does Wally West’s disappearance have to do with all of this?

Written and illustrated by Scott Kolins, FLASHPOINT: CITIZEN COLD #2 is colored by Mike Atiyeh and comes out on Wednesday.

Comics: Who Needs Numbering?

12 Replies

At Newsarama, Michael Doran speculates that the DC Comics Relaunch could mean a switch to “seasonal” numbering. Basically, instead of starting a comic book at #1 and continuing indefinitely until the market and editorial whim dictate cancellation or relaunch, each series would start over at #1 every year. He compares it to television seasons, which have individual episodes and, when written long-form, tend to have a season premiere and a season finale.

Now, there’s something to like about that, particularly if DC commits to publishing an entire “season” of every series they solicit. No more scrambling to tie up loose ends when a series is canceled mid-storyline. The writers know they’ve got 12 issues to work with, and if the series does well, they’ve got 12 more, but they at least know where the axe is going to fall if they get canceled.

But I don’t think it goes far enough. Continue reading →

Annotations: Flash #283, “Flashback”

1 Reply

We’re back with our look at the “Death of Iris Allen” story from the 1979-1980 issues of Flash! This issue marks the penultimate chapter of a year’s worth of Flash stories by writer Cary Bates that changed the core of the title and the future of DC Comics’ super-speedster. Links to research and artwork are included throughout this post. For previous weeks, click here!

UP TO SPEED: Flash has been lured into the future with the false hope of discovering his wife’s killer. Masquerading as Flash in the present, Professor Zoom incarcerates Chief Paulson for his role in the confiscated heroin smuggling operation that has made Barry Allen a moving target. Zoom also clashes with, and easily defeats, Green Lantern. On his return trip, Flash materializes onto an exploding Cosmic Treadmill…

Continue reading →

Comic Con Tips

Comic-Con International is coming up in only two weeks. Now’s a great time to review your plans and check out Speed Force’s tips to make the most of your trip to San Diego, built up from years of personal experience.