We’ve known since Comic-Con that the New 52 reboot would retroactively break up Barry and Iris Allen (and I had some fun with the phrasing the other day). Today, as discussed at Robot 6, DC formally announced the breakup at The Source, and revealed who Barry will be dating in at the beginning of the new series. Continue reading
One of many pieces of Flash news from Comic-Con that just didn’t sit right with me was the news that Barry Allen and Iris West were being retroactively split up for the New 52, and that Barry would be “playing the field.”
Really? This is the guy who, after Iris’ untimely death, when he finally forced himself to move out of the house where he lived with his late wife and try to get on with his life, promptly fell for the new girl next door. The idea of him dating someone else isn’t preposterous, but a player? That seems a little far-fe—
Oh, wait. Never mind.
(Seriously, though, this is one of the things that bugs me, because in my opinion, the Barry/Iris relationship should be central to the character(s). It might bother me less if DC wasn’t undoing the Lois/Clark marriage at the same time. I still haven’t decided whether to actually put together a post listing all the announced elements I do and don’t like and why.)
Straight from The Source, it’s Ivan Reis’ variant cover for The Flash #1, due in stores and online at the end of September.
It reminds me of the Flash Secret Files 2010 cover, only with the new transformation sequence added to the new costume design.
DC has also revealed the third variant cover, a sketch version of Francis Manapul’s main cover for the book. Continue reading
Today’s guest post is by Shaun Rosado of Shauncastic!
The sound of thunder, a crack of lightning and in a flash everything is different. No, I’m not talking about Flashpoint; DC Comics’ current take on a “Flash-centric” Event. I’m talking about the Flash as a character and the profound difference he’s made in comics. Ever since I was a child, I always felt a deep connection to the Flash. Perhaps it was the sense of the character’s long history, reaching all the way back to World War 2 with Jay Garrick as the original Flash. Perhaps it was the idea that when I was at my most impressionable the Flash TV show had just begun and would capture my imagination. Or perhaps it’s because the Flash is the most important character of the DC Universe.
Yeah. You read that right. I typed it. The Flash is the THE most important character of the DC Universe.
Of course, I don’t expect to get away with saying something like this without a little backup.
So let’s take a moment and just go over the finer points of my argument. When the Flash began way back in the 40s, he was a character that was given his own book nearly as soon as he was established. In January 1940, Flash Comics began as a variety comic that would feature new characters and give them a chance to flourish. Some of the most famous of these characters would be Johnny Thunder, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Black Canary. This began an eerie precedence of the Flash establishing ideas and characters that would last and break out of his book time and time again. The book ran nearly the entire span of the Golden age, ending just a few months shy of the “official” end date.
But this is not a sprint and the above argument certainly does not win the Flash the title of Greatest Character Ever. This is a marathon…and as we all know, the Flash is the Fastest Man Alive. Continue reading
A few bits of info have come out of Toronto this weekend.
The Justice Society returns in a James Robinson/Nicola Scott series set at an unspecified time period on Earth-2.
A the New 52 Panel, Francis Manapul explained that they want to make the new Flash series “introspective and at the same time, a kick-ass action book.” Newsarama’s report adds that he “came up with some incredible death traps for him to overcome, with more than just his speed.”
Francis Manapul and Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing) also appeared on a Drawing the New 52 panel, in which Manapul talked about his approach to redesigning the Flash’s Rogues, explaining, “It’s about making the characters interesting, and also making them a legitimate [threat] to Flash. Not just about their powers.”
Welcome to the second installment in our annotations of the collected edition of The Trial of the Flash! We’ve been breaking down related stories leading up to this month’s release of the massive tome that is Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash. In addition, we’ve interviewed author Cary Bates about the buildup and the Trial itself, plus shown you what won’t be included in the collection. For last week, and previous issues, click here.
Links to artwork and research are included throughout this post. This time around, since the reprint is widely available, the format will be a little different. For legal analysis of the story, something I will not attempt, go here.