Hey Speed Readers,
For those of you still playing DC Universe Online for the PS3 and PC (or that jumped back on board for the Free to Play Content), the second expansion pack, “Lightning Strikes” is forthcoming and will be focusing on some of our favorite speedsters and adding some new gameplay elements as well.
For those who are still wondering, Teen Titans artist Brett Booth stepped in last week to clarify:
https://twitter.com/#!/Demonpuppy/status/129259180027686912
While DC hasn’t been very clear in the Teen Titans solicitations, Kid Flash has been identified as Bart Allen in articles and interviews as far back as June. Last week’s Teen Titans #2 explicitly referred to him as Bart Allen, so this should end speculation (most recently seen here) that the series features Wally West in line with the Young Justice cartoon.
Of course, there are still plenty of questions about Bart’s origins. Is he still related to Barry Allen? If so, how? Is he still from the future? How did he get his powers? (Come to think of it, Smallville never did reveal an origin for Bart beyond being in some sort of accident with a flash of light.)
If Bart is still from the future, and if he is still Barry and Iris’ grandson, the fact that they aren’t married in the present is no more a contradiction than the fact that Booster Gold’s grandparents haven’t even been born yet in the present day. In that case, he comes from a future in which they do. Even so, it doesn’t have to lock down the Barry/Iris question. As Yoda once said, “always in motion is future.”
I had a lot of fun today at Long Beach Comic Con. Barring disaster, photos will be up on Flickr tonight [edit: they are], and my write-up should be ready by the end of the weekend [edit: it is now, a bit later than planned].
First, though, check out this sketch by Brian Buccellato. I talked with him this afternoon, about everything from the latest issue to the Flash’s powers to editor’s notes and recap pages to who would make a good Flash movie (his preferred lead actor: Ryan Gosling), and got this sketch.*
He also gave me a sneak peek at Flash #3, and I’ve got to say: it looks awesome! He says they figure this is the issue that will really win people over and convince them that the success of the first two issues is more than a fluke, and from what I’ve seen, I have to agree.
He mentioned that they have 25 issues planned out already, that the shift from Rogues with weapons to Rogues with powers will be explained in-story, and that we will see continuing consequences of the event at the end of this week’s issue. And yes, we’ll be seeing some of the Rogues very soon.
*Why Impulse? I got a Flash sketch when he did the signing at The Comic Bug last month, and I wanted another character, but one still Flash-related. And I miss Bart as Impulse. Funny story: While I was talking with him, someone else came up and asked for a sketch of the X-Men character of his choice. He went with Nightcrawler…and it turned out that Francis Manapul had also drawn him Nightcrawler in San Diego!
As an artist working on DC Comics’ New 52, Brett Booth regularly deals with speed in the form of Kid Flash in Teen Titans. Written by Scott Lobdell, Titans features Booth on both covers and interiors. as well as character designs. The veteran artist is next featured in issue #2, due October 26th.
Booth has also received attention recently for his unofficial portrayals of Wally West, the third and now erstwhile Flash, as posted on his blog. Starting with a post on August 24th, Booth has given his fans a couple of different looks at his redesign of West as Flash, including finished versions with colors by Andrew Dalhouse.
We caught up with Booth via email and talked about what makes a Flash costume, his take on Wally West and his favorite Flash stories.
DC has released a preview for Kid Flash Lost #3, concluding the story of Bart Allen lost in time.
In order to catch up to his grandfather, Bart Allen will have to race against the speed force itself. As he is bounced around through time collecting multi-dimensional speed force energy from various members of the Flash family, Bart needs to gain all of the necessary tools to reach Barry in time to deliver a message that could save the universe. But will he be able to reach the world’s last hope for restoration before the speed force catches up to him?
In FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST #3, Bart Allen finally realizes the personal sacrifice he must make in order to save his family and the people he loves. By Sterling Gates, Oliver Nome, Scott Kolins and Trevor Scott, the final issue in this miniseries races into stores on Wednesday.
Gates has said that this series, and issue #3 in particular, is his “love letter to the Flash family.” After seeing the pages, I’m…a little concerned about his definition of “love letter.”
Update: The writer replies on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/sterlinggates/status/104736001913651200
Indeed…you should never rely too much on a preview.
The new Flash Story begins in September. This time around, there is no speculation about the focus of the book, or who will be behind the mask. It looks like Flash’s new launch will take off without baggage – an all-new Flash for the all-new DC.
Well, sort of.
In the cases of Batman and Green Lantern, it has been announced that the stories and key elements will (more or less) continue. In the cases of Superman and most other properties, the stories are looking more and more like a fresh and somewhat rootsy start. For Flash, it appears the new series will be a pretty hard reset.