Flash in 2010=100% Barry Allen – Kid Flash Series & Wally West Backups Canceled

So…DC’s latest 20 Questions with Dan Didio video has some bad news for fans of the extended Flash family. He answered my question about the Flash and Kid Flash books, explaining that they’ve decided to go back to “the original game plan” and focus on a single Flash book starring Barry Allen.

Wally West’s backup stories, by Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins? “On hold.” [Edit: This may be the result of DC restructuring the second features.]

The Kid Flash book by Sterling Gates? “On hold.”

He goes on to say, “Your Flash fix will be Barry Allen, pure and simple, for 2010.”

Warning: Rant Ahead

Edit: The rest of this post is a rant, bashed out in the heat of the moment immediately after watching that video. If I’d had the sense to wait until I’d cooled down, I wouldn’t have written it.

To clarify what I did write, it’s not just that Barry’s getting the limelight that has me pissed off. I’ve had a year and a half to get used to that. What really has me steamed is that DC announced ongoing stories starring Bart and Wally, then changed their minds and yanked that away.

I picked up Flash: Rebirth hoping that it would convince me to like the idea of new Barry stories. It hasn’t. If it had, this news would have still been disappointing, but wouldn’t have gotten me so angry.

Anyway, onto the original post…

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Weekend Update: Rebirth Schedule & Secret Files

Some Flash news broke over the weekend. In case you missed the original posts…

First, Ethan Van Sciver reports that Flash: Rebirth #6 should be out sooner than March after all — he’s almost done with the art, and expects to finish this week!

Second, the Flash Secret Files 2010 solicitation is up. It’s due March 24.

I’ll be back this evening with a run-down of likely Flash appearances in the full March solicitations.

Flash: Rebirth #6 — Sooner Than We Think!

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Flash: Rebirth #6 (thumb)Gee, you go away for one Christmas party, and news starts breaking fast and furious!

So, a couple of days ago, DC rescheduled Flash: Rebirth #6 from January 27 to March 24. On Saturday, Ethan Van Sciver stopped by Comic Bloc to let fans know what was going on:

This March date is strange. The book will be finished this week. I think you’ll see it get bumped back to January in a few days. [Emphasis added.]

The artist has previously stated that he sends the pages to the colorist in batches (of three, IIRC) as he finishes them, so they’ve already started coloring the book.

Meanwhile, Flash Secret Files has been solicited…with that same March 24 release date. Could someone at DC have mistakenly updated the website with the date for the Secret Files book?

Van Sciver also remarked on the delays, saying that it’s been taking him two months to draw each book, plus he had some health problems around the time that issue #3 came out.

(Thanks to Wayne Lippa and @MrEPCOT for letting me know about EVS’ posts!)

Flash Secret Files Solicited

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Newsarama has previews for DC solicitations for March, including Flash: Secret Files.

The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1

[Cover]On sale MARCH 24 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS, FRANCIS MANAPUL & OTHERS
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL

Flash Facts! In the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT and THE FLASH: REBIRTH comes the beginning of a new era for Barry Allen and the deadly Rogues! As Barry readjusts to life again, strange happenings explode across Central City that will lead to one of the most bizarre murder mysteries Barry will ever face in the upcoming THE FLASH #1! Plus, don’t miss Wally West, Kid Flash, Gorilla Grodd and a cold case that will send The Flash down a path unlike any other. Run – don’t walk – to pick it up!

Flash! Jay Garrick’s Helmet on Smallville

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It looks like we’ll get another glimpse of the Golden-Age Flash on Smallville. Jay Garrick himself isn’t appearing in Absolute Justice, but we have seen a painting of the entire Justice Society, and now KryptonSite has spotted Jay Garrick’s helmet in the previews:

A man in a coat holds the Flash's helmet. Two policemen stand in the background.

Since it’s black and white, I assume it’s a flashback sequence. Probably to the disbanding of the Justice Society, with the Flash having left his helmet behind to send the message that they’re retiring.

Something I find interesting is that the stylized feathers on the wings appear to be separate pieces with gaps in between them, rather than being sculpted into a solid wing. I’ve seen variations ranging from realistic wings to parallel ribbons like this, but I think this is the first one I’ve seen with clear gaps.

Visit KryptonSite for more preview images of the Justice Society’s appearance. The 2-hour episode airs February 5, 2010.

Thanks to Dave of JSA Round Table for the tip!

Flash: Rebirth #5 Still Above 70K

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A couple of weeks ago I posted that Flash: Rebirth #5 took the #9 spot in November’s sales rankings. Since then, ICv2 has posted full sales estimates for the month.

Issue Rank Units Sold Change
Flash: Rebirth #1 (of 6) 2 102,429 +286.6%
Flash: Rebirth #2 (of 6) 4 86,183 -15.9%
Flash: Rebirth #3 (of 6) 10 83,086 -3.6%
Flash: Rebirth #4 (of 6) 14 78,107 -6.0%
Flash: Rebirth #5 (of 6) 9 73,875 -5.4%

It looks like the drops may be leveling off. The drop from #3 (the last issue to ship on time) to #4 (the first issue to be several months late) was sharper than expected, but this drop was smaller — and in fact the sales ranking went up!

The book continues to outsell the 2007-2008 relaunch by a factor of two, and is holding above Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge, which sold in the 54-62K range. On the other hand, it seems to be dropping at a comparable rate to Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. Maybe it’s more typical (and less cause for concern) in a miniseries than in a regular series. Update: The Beat has more analysis of DC’s November sales.

Whatever the case, I’m really curious about the numbers for Blackest Night: The Flash.