Flash Companion Arrives July 23

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In just three weeks, The Flash Companion will hit the shelves — just in time for San Diego Comic-Con. Written by Keith Dallas and published by TwoMorrows, the book covers the entire history of the Flash from 1940 to the present.

I’ll let the official summary speak for itself (with a bit of reformatting):

The Flash Companion details the publication histories of the four heroes who have individually earned the right to be declared DC Comics’ “Fastest Man Alive”: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen.

With articles about legendary creators Shelly Mayer, Gardner Fox, E.E. Hibbard, Julius Schwartz, Robert Kanigher, John Broome, Ross Andru, Irv Novick and all new interviews of Harry Lampert, Carmine Infantino, Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Mike W. Barr, Marv Wolfman, Mike Baron, Jackson Guice, Mark Waid,  Kolins, among others, The Flash Companion recounts the scarlet speedster’s evolution from the Golden Age to the 21st century.

Also featured are “lost covers,” never before published commission pieces by Flash artists throughout the decades, a Rogues Gallery detailing The Flash’s most famous foes, a tribute to late artist Mike Wieringo by Mark Waid, a look at the speedster’s 1990s TV show, and “Flash facts” detailing pivotal moments in Flash history.

Written by Keith Dallas, with a cover by Don Kramer (Detective Comics, JSA) with colors by Moose Baumann (Green Lantern).

Dallas recruited a number of fans from the Comic Bloc Forums to help write articles, conduct interviews, and contribute artwork and photos. I contributed three articles to the Rogue Profiles section: Abra Kadabra, the Reverse-Flash, and Zoom.

I’ve had a chance to read some of the other articles and interviews, and I’m really excited about this book. It’s going to be a fascinating read and a great resource for Flash fans.

Over the next few weeks, with the author’s permission, I’ll be posting an excerpt each week up until the release date.

One more item: This is small press, and I’m not the main author on the book, so I’m not getting paid for the articles I contributed (unless you count the comp copy). But I do have an Amazon Affiliate account, so if you order through this link, I’ll actually get paid a little in a roundabout way.

What’s Next for Peyer and Williams

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The Flash’s current writer Tom Peyer and artist Freddie Williams II will both wrap up their runs with the conclusion of “Fast Money” in August’s Flash #243. So what’s next on their plates?

CBR spoke with Tom Peyer about his work on Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen at Oni and back-up stories for the upcoming Marvel Apes miniseries.

As for the artist half of the team, The Pulse interviewed Freddie Williams II about his past and current work at DC, including his return to Robin. He answered several questions about The Flash, including how drawing a super-speed family differs from drawing Batman’s protege.

Visually, they are almost completely opposite. Even though Robin can get a bit animated, he was pretty grim and hid in the shadows allot, as well being able to use his cape and his mop of hair to show motion and movement. As opposed to Flash, which was art directed to be more open and cartoony. Flash is basically just a naked figured with nothing except for lightening to help in showing motion. Also, drawing the team dynamic was a bit different as well – having to account for some many figures.

When asked which artists most influenced his work on The Flash, Williams cited Daniel Acuña (his immediate predecessor), and Mike Wieringo.

Flash Sighting: Steampunk JLA

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This post originally featured a costumed quintet spotted at HeroesCon last week, featuring Supergirl, Power Girl, Zatanna, the Flash, and Batgirl, with the goggle-wearing Flash holding his pocket watch. That photo is no longer available, but this is the same group (with a few more members), The Guild of Justice-Minded Citizenry, at another event.

This Week (July 2): Future Flash

No Flash books coming out this week, but Bart Allen plays a significant role in the collected edition of Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow, and an alternate reality Flash appears in The Search for Ray Palmer.

Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow

Collecting Teen Titans #50-54, this book starts with the wake for Flash (and former Kid Flash and Impulse) Bart Allen… but soon Bart is back, along with his fellow Titans from 10 years in the future. They’ve taken out the Justice League, and now they want their past selves to ensure the future they know will come to pass!

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer

The Challengers of the Beyond travel the Multiverse seeking the man who can prevent the Great Disaster. They encounter the Wildstorm universe, the evil world of the Crime Society, a world haunted by vampires (Red Rain), the gender-swapped world of Superwoman and Batwoman (with its own Flash), a Soviet Superman (Red Son), and the Victorian-era Gotham by Gaslight.

Velocity Series for November

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Velocity, the speedster from Top Cow’s CyberForce and one of the two winners of 2007’s Pilot Season*, will be getting her own series in November. CBR spoke with artist ChrisCross this weekend at Wizard World Chicago, where the company announced he would be joining writer Joe Casey on the series.

Among other things, the artist talked about adjusting the heroine’s costume:

ChrisCross has also re-imagined Velocity herself, which he said has as much to do with Casey’s influence as it does with his own. “I retooled her hair and her uniform a bit, and gave her some real shoes for running,” ChrisCross said. “I don’t know how Flash was able to run that fast in those hideous boots. Now, Velocity, her sneaks are fierce, girlfriend!” [emphasis added]

Velocity made her debut in Cyberforce v.2 #1 (1993). In addition to her Pilot Season special, she headlined a 3-issue minseries in 1995.

Update: ChrisCross has posted some of his character study work.

*The idea behind Pilot Season: Produce one-shots for several different characters, and have fans vote on which get ongoing series. It was successful enough that Top Cow has launched a second round this year.

Barry Allen: The Collected Flash

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Now that Barry Allen has returned, there’s sure to be a surge in interest in stories starring the Silver-Age Flash. Unfortunately, the series ended a decade before the trend of re-releasing comics in trade paperback form came into fashion. This leaves only a handful of Barry Allen stories collected in books, and most of those from the early 1960s.

Books featuring Barry’s adventures are currently limited to two Showcases, four Archives, a Greatest Stories collection and the Crisis on Multiple Earths series.

Showcase Presents: The Flash

Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol.1The easiest and cheapest way to pick up classic Barry Allen stories is through the two volumes of Showcase Presents: The Flash. These are black-and-white paperbacks on newsprint, but include roughly 500 pages in each book for under $20. The idea is to put the content out as cheaply as possible for people who want to read it. So far, these books cover 1956–1963.

The first volume covers the Flash’s initial appearances in Showcase up through issue #119, and features the first appearances of most of the classic Rogues Gallery. The second, released last week, collects issues #120-140, and includes such classics as “The Flash of Two Worlds.”

Showcase Presents: The Flash at Amazon
Showcase Presents: The Flash at Mile High Comics

The Flash Archives

The Flash Archives Vol.1For the higher-end collector, DC’s Archive Editions include four volumes of Flash Archives. These are hardcover, color books on glossy paper, around 200–250 pages apiece, retailing for $50. (Though if you shop around, you can usually find them for closer to $30.) The Archives are designed to last as part of a personal library. The Silver Age Flash Archives cover 1956–1962.

DC has been cutting back on its archive program in recent years, and it’s not clear whether they will release any more volumes of the Flash Archives. These four could be it.

The Flash Archives at Amazon
The Flash Archives at Mile High Comics

The Greatest Stories Ever Told

Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (2007)Rather than sequential collections, this book collects the high points of the Flash’s entire run. There are actually two versions, one released in 1991 and out of print, and one released in 2007, with different content.

The 2007 trade paperback, Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, is easier to find, and features five Barry Allen stories including “Flash of Two Worlds,” (Barry crosses to Earth-2 and meets Jay) “One Bridegroom Too Many” (Barry and Iris marry), “The Gauntlet of Super-Villains” (the first major Rogues Gallery story) and the 80-page crossover, “Beyond the Super-Speed Barrier.” (It also features two Jay Garrick stories and a Wally West story.) My other blog has a detailed breakdown of the contents.

The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told (1991)Harder to find is the 1991 hardcover, The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told. This was a longer book, and featured 12 Barry Allen stories — all but one of them different from the 2007 book. (Only two stories appear in both editions: the Golden-Age “Stone-Age Menace” and the late Silver-Age “The Flash — Fact or Fiction?”) There’s also a paperback version. If you can track this down at a reasonable price, it’s worth picking up.

Superman vs. the Flash

Superman vs. the FlashThis TPB covers all of the major races between Superman and the Flash. It includes four races with Barry Allen including the original in Superman #199, the rematch in Flash #175, and two longer races from World’s Finest #198–199 and DC Comics Presents #1–2.

The Life Story of the Flash

The Life Story of the FlashMark Waid’s 1997 biography of Barry Allen, done in the form of an in-universe book written by Barry’s widow, Iris. It covers the high points of his career, putting a different spin on some events. This is available in both hardcover and trade paperback.

Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave & the Bold

The Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the BoldThis collects the 1999 miniseries by Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Barry Kitson. The stories focus on the friendship between Barry Allen and Green Lantern Hal Jordan over the course of their super-hero careers. It’s also a follow-up to the Waid/Augustyn/Kitson JLA: Year One.

Crisis on Multiple Earths

Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Vol.1During the 1960s and 1970s, cross-overs between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America became an annual event. They started with “Crisis on Earth-One” and “Crisis on Earth-Two,” setting the phrasing that would eventually become Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC has four trade paperbacks under the Crisis on Multiple Earths banner that feature these JLA/JSA team-ups.

There are also two volumes of Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups, which feature individual characters from Earth-1 and Earth-2 working together. These include several meetings between Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, such as “Flash of Two Worlds,” “Double Danger on Earth,” and “Vengeance of the Immortal Villain.”

Crisis on Multiple Earths at Amazon
Crisis on Multiple Earths at Mile High Comics
Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups at Mile High Comics

Other Series

(Added July 1)

Naturally, the Flash appears in various other collections from the Silver and Bronze ages, especially Justice League of America. JLA trades include the Crisis on Multiple Earths series, three (so far) Showcase Presents volumes and nine Archive editions covering most of the 1960s.

Showcase Presents: Justice League of America at Amazon
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America at Mile High Comics
Justice League of America at the Trade Paperback List

Back Issues

As mentioned above, the 1970s and onward (the Bronze Age) are almost completely unrepresented in collections. Fortunately, the Internet has made it easier than ever to track down back issues. Sites like eBay and Mile High Comics make it easy to track down what you can’t find at a local comic store or a convention.

A number of stories from the 1960s have been reprinted in later issues of The Flash and in smaller reprint collections from the 1970s, as you can see in this list of Silver-Age Flash Reprints (work in progress). Sure, you won’t find them at Barnes & Noble or Borders, but if you find yourself looking for something from the mid-1960s, it may be easier to find a 1970s reprint in decent condition.