Tag Archives: Flash: Rebirth

First Impressions — Flash: Rebirth #4 Quick Review

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Flash: Rebirth #4 Variant Cover

Yesterday I re-read Flash: Rebirth #1-3 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Today I bought Flash: Rebirth #4 (and even managed to pick up the variant cover) and read it during lunch. Here are my first impressions, with a full review to come later tonight:

The story has really picked up. It seemed like twice as much happened as last issue.

It had some genuinely tense moments, including one at which I thought to myself, “If they actually go there, I’m done. Out. Finished.” Which made the subsequent save all the more satisfying.

In fact, there were at least three “HELL, YEAH!!” moments in the book, and Ethan Van Sciver made very effective use of splash pages for them.

Now that I’ve read the whole issue, Professor Zoom’s “negative speed force” concept (mentioned in the preview) makes sense. That said, there’s another revelation about the speed force that really, really bothers me. Yes, it’s been hinted for at least a year, but it feels extremely, well, forced. Also illogical, considering one of the primary functions of the speed force.

Overall much more satisfying than last issue, and the ending actually makes me want to read more.

I’ll post a full review tonight after I have time for a second read-through. Update: The full review is up!

Interest Still High for Flash: Rebirth #4

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Yesterday I ran a quick poll on Twitter and Facebook asking people whether they were excited about Flash: Rebirth #4, due to hit shelves today. Of the 23 responses so far, 3/4 said they were excited or looking forward to the book, with 57% choosing the “excited” option. Only one person each (4%) said they were “dreading” it or were buying it, but not particularly interested. 17% (4 people) responded that they had lost interest.

Obviously the sample size is tiny. Issue #3 sold 83,000 copies, so extrapolating from 23 people isn’t terribly useful. And of course it’s self-selected to represent people who were interested enough in the Flash to follow either my Twitter account or Facebook page, and checked in yesterday or this morning.

The poll’s still open — I couldn’t tell what time it would close, so I gave it Thursday as the closing day — so the results could change. The ranking looks solid, though.

Flash: Rebirth #4 Preview & Variant Cover

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The Source has posted a four-page preview of Flash: Rebirth #4, due out Wednesday. DC has also posted the final version of the main cover and the variant cover.

Flash Rebirth #4 Standard CoverFlash: Rebirth #4 Variant Cover

I think this is the first time I’ve really liked both covers on this series. With issues #1 and #2 I liked the main covers much more than the variants, and then with #3 I liked the variant much more than the main cover. (I did manage to track down a copy at Comic-Con International.) This time…I may actually try to get both.

Dash over to The Source and check it out!

Can the Flash Survive Another 6-Part Epic Relaunch?

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Flash: Rebirth #1 - Variant - thumbnailThe writers and artists have changed. The face under the Flash’s mask has changed. But there’s one thing that the three Flash relaunches we’ve seen since Infinite Crisis all share: pacing.

For some reason, every time DC has relaunched the Flash lately, they’ve done it with a slow burn.

Rising Action: Speedsters Slowing Down

Now, I have no problem with slow burns in general. I really did like most of Final Crisis, for instance (and that was almost all slow burn), and as frustrating as Flash: Ignition was at the time, I really like the story in retrospect — but as a break from the crazy pace of Run Riot and Blitz. Just about everything I’ve read or watched by JMS has used a slow build-up to something huge, from Babylon 5 to Squadron Supreme (some to better effect than others).

But I don’t think it’s the best structure to launch a character whose main claim to fame is speed…especially when it’s serialized.

Continue reading →

One Week to Flash: Rebirth #4

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Flash: Rebirth #4 - real coloringIt’s been a long wait since issue 3, but Flash: Rebirth #4 is not only on DC’s schedule for August 26, it’s on Diamond’s upcoming releases list for comics shipping next week. It’s very rare for a book to slip once it’s made it to that list, though it does happen from time to time. (Hey, Dabel Bros.! Where’s Robert Jordan’s New Spring #7!) *ahem!*

Here’s the current schedule:

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 Oct. 14** 7 weeks 7 weeks
Flash: Rebirth #6 Sep. 30 Nov. 25** 6 weeks 8 weeks

*Since Flash v.2 #247

**Well, currently-scheduled date, anyway.

Flash: Rebirth #4-6 Rescheduled, Will Finish in November

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Flash: Rebirth #4DC has delayed Flash: Rebirth #4 again to August 26, making it a full 2 1/2 months after issue #3. Additionally, they’ve rescheduled issues #5 and 6.

Flash: Rebirth #4 August 26 2 1/2 months after #3
Flash: Rebirth #5 October 14 1 1/2 months after #4
Flash: Rebirth #6 November 18 25 1 month after #5

That pushes them up to a deadline, because Blackest Night: Flash is supposed to spin out of Flash: Rebirth and start in November December [Edit: see comment thread]. Presumably it will need to line up with the rest of the Blackest Night tie-in miniseries (though we saw how well that worked with Final Crisis). Fortunately, Blackest Night: Flash is being drawn by a different artist, so Scott Kolins can start work on it while Ethan Van Sciver is still working on Flash: Rebirth.

Update August 13: On DC’s website, issue #6 has been pushed back another week to November 25.

Covers

On a related note, Ethan Van Sciver has posted the final cover to Flash: Rebirth #4 on his Facebook page. It’s very similar to the solicited one, with some color alterations. He mentioned on the Half-Hour Wasted podcast a few weeks ago that the solicited covers for #4-6 were all altered to prevent spoilers. I’m going to go on record here and predict that the final cover for #5 will be exactly like what we’ve seen, only the Black Flash carrying Professor Zoom’s lightning wand will be recolored as Professor Zoom.