DC announced a new volume of the hardcover Flash Archives reprint series in their February 2012 solicitations yesterday. These high-quality books reprint the Silver Age run of The Flash that introduced Barry Allen as the Flash, Wally West as Kid Flash, and most of the Flash’s well-known Rogues.
The Flash Archive Vol.6 HC
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!
I’d been worried that the focus on the newer reprint lines, the large black and white Showcase Presents: The Flash series and the smaller color paperback Flash Chronicles series, had derailed the archives, so I’m very glad to see that they’re continuing. I’ll definitely be pre-ordering this as soon as I can. (More on DC’s reprint lines at Flash series, books & specials.)
DC started this series in 1996, and seems to have settled into releasing one volume every three years. Sixteen years in, we’re just getting to 1964. (Also: inflation seems to have finally hit it. The last five volumes were $49.99 each.) It’s going to take a long time even to finish the Silver Age, never mind completing the series!
Now if we can just get a third volume of the Golden Age Flash Archives…
Update (December): It’s available for pre-order on Amazon.