The upcoming Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (April 16-18, 2010) has confirmed Geoff Johns as a guest of honor. Since Ethan Van Sciver was announced back in August, that means that the Flash: Rebirth and Green Lantern: Rebirth writer/artist team will both be appearing at C2E2 next spring.
This also means that neither of them will appear at Wizard’s Anaheim Comic Con, held the same weekend.
Just one week until more Flash: Rebirth. For now, we’ve got JSA vs. Kobra, The Titans, and the Absolute Justice hardcover.
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Don Kramer & Michael Babinski
Cover by Gene Ha
It all ends here! Now that the Kobra’s lair has been razed by the Justice Society, Jason Burr’s plans should fall to pieces. But the terrorist leader has more than one plan at work, and the JSA won’t be able to stop them all once they’re put in motion! It’s old dogs vs. new tricks in one final gambit!
On sale November 11 · 6 of 6 · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher
Cover by Angel Unzueta
It’s not easy being a dad in the DCU — just ask Roy Harper, who never wants to leave his daughter Lian an orphan. Unfortunately, that choice may not be his to make…Hot off his BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS miniseries, J.T. Krul returns for another issue!
On sale November 11 · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by Alex Ross & Jim Krueger
Art by Alex Ross & Doug Braithwaite
Cover by Alex Ross
The spectactular 12-issue series by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite is collected in this amazing, oversized, slipcased Absolute edition. The members of the Justice League of America are about to learn they aren’t the only ones who can band together toward a common goal. The greatest criminal masterminds of our time appear to be acting in concert — but with a surprising plan that seeks to achieve more good than the JLA ever could!
This Absolute edition features a new cover by Ross, plus sketchbook a section with previously unseen artwork and more!
On sale November 11 · 8.25″ x 12.5″, 496 pg, FC, $99.00 US
Okay, so maybe the question itself is a bit of a cheap shot, but with the number of times issues #4–6 have been rescheduled, it seems a fair question. At this time, Flash: Rebirth #6 is scheduled for December 23, 2009, just five weeks after issue #5 comes out. But with 3-month gaps between issues #3, #4 and #5, it’s certainly not hard to imagine the schedule might slip again.
So, who remembers what happened in Flash: Rebirth #4? 😀 All joking aside, it looks like we’ll finally get the next installment of the story in just over a week. Not only does DC still list Flash: Rebirth #5 with a November 18 date, it’s on also on Diamond’s upcoming releases list for books shipping next week. It’s extremely rare for anything to slip once it appears on that list (though I have seen it happen occasionally).
Here’s what the miniseries’ schedule looks like at this point:
| Issue | Orig. Date | Actual Date | Gap | Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash: Rebirth #1 | April 1 | April 1 | 3 months* | On time |
| Flash: Rebirth #2 | May 6 | May 6 | 5 weeks | On time |
| Flash: Rebirth #3 | June 10 | June 10 | 5 weeks | On time |
| Flash: Rebirth #4 | July 22 | Aug. 26 | 11 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Flash: Rebirth #5 | Aug. 26 | Nov. 18 | 12 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Flash: Rebirth #6 | Sep. 30 | Dec. 23** | 5 weeks | 12 weeks |
*Since Flash v.2 #247
**Well, currently-scheduled date, anyway.
All signs point to the next mini-series, Blackest Night: The Flash staying on track. Especially when you factor in Dan Didio’s comments on scheduling in his latest 10 Answers column:
…A lot of times the story drives how the books are produced. Certain books we have a certain level of leeway with because of how they fall within the rest of the DCU continuity. Books like Flash: Rebirth, books like Superman: Secret Origin, had long lead times and they still ran into some problems toward the end. But because of the consistency of the look and the consistency of the team and the consistency of the vision of that material, we’re willing to wait for those books because they don’t have an impact on other series that are rolling out at that time. [emphasis added]
But when we have other books like Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, it’s essential for them to come out in conjunction with Blackest Night, and for those, we know to plan differently.
Both sides — Rebirth not holding up the rest of the DCU and Blackest Night: Flash needing to sync up with Blackest Night — would seem to factor into the decision to keep the Johns/Kolins miniseries on schedule even though it means launching before Rebirth ends (whenever that ends up being).
Just think: in a few weeks, the Flash franchise should be back on track!
Some linkblogging for the weekend:
Collected Editions has spotted info on the Wenesday Comics hardcover, Final Crisis paperback and more.
Silver Age Gold points out that the science in the Flash…doesn’t always make sense.
TwoMorrows is holding a $10 sale on Modern Masters books, focusing on artists from Mike Allred to Mike Wieringo (with other artists who aren’t named Mike!).
Superman, Batman, and Max Mercury have all been cited as giving comic-book speedster Bart Allen the name Impulse. Batman most famously in Impulse #50, and Superman in the previews for All-Flash #1. (The final lettering simply said “He was code-named Impulse,” sidestepping the issue). But who named him originally?
The name first appears on the cover of Flash #93 (August 1994), with an out-of-control Bart Allen fighting the Flash. The cover is captioned, “Brash Impulse!” Over the next few issues, Wally West’s inner monologue refers to Bart as being impulsive, or (at one point) as “Mr. Impulse.”
It first appears on-panel as a name in Zero Hour #3 (September 1994), when Bart meets Superman for the first time, but Bart introduces himself as Impulse. Dan Jurgens writes.
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