Tag Archives: Flash: Rebirth

Not Just One Flash Book?

From the latest 20 Questions with Dan Didio:

12. Is there word on a creative team for Flash post Rebirth? Obviously, it’s assumed that Geoff [Johns] will be writing it…

DD: Yes it is, it is assumed. (laughs)

NRAMA: What are the chances that Ethan will join him?

DD: Right now, we’ve got Ethan [Van Sciver] and Geoff pushing pretty hard on Flash: Rebirth, and once we get a little closer, we’ll be announcing the team on the Flash monthly comic. It’s all part of a bigger announcement, because it’s not just about one Flash book. [emphasis added]

Reeeeeallly…?

The obvious implication here is that there will be more than one Flash-related series spinning out of Flash: Rebirth. We can probably safely assume that one will be The Flash, starring Barry Allen, written by Geoff Johns. As for the other(s), Didio may simply be referring to the 3-issue miniseries, Blackest Night: The Flash, which starts in November. DC hasn’t announced the creative team for that book, either, so they could be planning to announce the mini and the ongoing together.

But what if he is talking about something more ambitious? What might a second Flash-related book be?

  • Kid Flash, starring Bart Allen?
  • Flash Family, starring Wally West and the twins?
  • Flashback (i.e. Flash: Classified), featuring stories of Barry, Wally, and/or Jay in times gone by?
  • All-Flash, starring a speedster team or rotating cast?
  • The Rogues, starring…well…the Rogues?

What else would you like to see? What else would you expect to see?

(via @collecteditions)

How Soon is Too Soon to Judge a Serialized Story?

Flash: Rebirth #1Following up on my Lightning in a Bottle/Flash: Rebirth comparison, one of the issues I found myself flip-flopping on was how early you could fairly judge an incomplete story. In addition to my frustrations with Flash: Rebirth, I’ve picked up at least 8 other first issues over the last three months. Times (and storage space) being what they are, I’m taking a hard look at what I’m buying, including the new books.

To the Question

The UnwrittenSo, at what point is it fair to write off an incomplete story?

The UnknownOn one hand, I’m the kind of person who hates to leave a book unfinished. Even if I don’t like it much, I’ll generally slog through it (as I did with A Game of Thrones). So if I’d picked these miniseries up as complete editions rather than individual chapters, I’d probably read all of them through to the end.

But I’m not buying them as trade paperbacks or as hardcovers. I’m buying them one chapter at a time, and while I’m happy to let details unfold over time, if I’m just not interested, what’s the point in spending an additional $12+ to get the rest of a story I don’t want to read?

Making the Cut

Mysterius the UnfathomableAll those new books I’ve picked up in the last few months are at #2 or #3 now, and I’ve realized that’s my threshold these days. If I really don’t like a first issue, I’ll stop there, but if I’m sort of lukewarm toward it, I’ll usually give it a second chance. That worked out well with, for instance, Ignition City and Mysterius the Unfathomable. In both cases I wasn’t quite sure about the series at the end of issue #1, but issue #2 sealed the deal.

Ignition City #1So, The Unwritten and The Unknown, both of which grabbed me in the first issue? Already on my list. Final Crisis: Escape and Unthinkable, both of which had me just intrigued enough to pick up a second issue? Gone after issue #2. Still not sure about Final Crisis: Dance, which I think I’ll give one more issue. If not…it’s on the chopping block.

And yet…

Epiphany

The IllusionistA few weeks ago I watched The Illusionist. I won’t say much about the plot, because it’s better without spoilers, but…I hated the first hour of the movie. Just couldn’t stand it. The two leads were just acting so stupid and self-destructive that I couldn’t sympathize with anyone except the police inspector, and even that was probably in part because he was effectively narrating the story.

If it had been a two-part TV miniseries, I wouldn’t have bothered with part two.

But I stuck through with it, and the tone changed significantly in the second half…and then the ending was so good that it completely made up for everything that had bothered me about the beginning.

So I have to wonder, what might I be missing by dropping a book two issues into a 5– or 6-issue story?

Any thoughts? When do you decide to stick with or drop a miniseries?

Catching Lightning in a Bottle…Again

Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1In recent weeks I’ve come to realize that I’m voicing some of the same complaints about Flash: Rebirth that I saw other people voice about Lightning in a Bottle, the story arc which attempted to launch Bart Allen as the Flash after Infinite Crisis.

No, seriously. Here are some of the things I’ve found myself saying (paraphrased a bit):

  • I don’t recognize Barry Allen in this book. He’s so mopey. Where’s the Barry I remember?
  • Why do all these flashbacks contradict past stories? Didn’t the writer actually read any issues of Flash with Barry in them?
  • After reading a fraction of it, I’m not enjoying the new direction.

These are some of the problems I’ve had with this book, and yet it drove me insane to see people make the exact same complaints about Bart’s book just a few years ago. Not that I loved Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, I had some serious problems with it…but I was willing to give it a chance to settle in and see what it turned into after the origin story was finished.

So I’m trying to figure out: why does it bother me now when it didn’t bother me then? Why, 3 years ago, was I willing to wait 6 issues for Bart to lighten up when the writers said he would do so by the end of the story? Why, today, am I not willing to wait 6 issues for Barry to lighten up when the writer has said that Flash: Rebirth is about the rebirth of Barry’s humanity? Why, in 2006, did I compare a 6-part comic book structure with a standard 1-hour TV show structure, say that the first issue was basically the teaser…and point out that we hadn’t actually seen the new direction, and wouldn’t until the end of the 6-part story…when today I’m losing interest at the 3-issue mark?

I’m really not sure.

Maybe I cut Bart’s series some slack because I was expecting things to change since he was new to the role, whereas this time around, it’s all about putting Barry back in the spotlight, so I’m expecting things to be more familiar.

Maybe I was willing to forgive Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo more because I knew they were new to writing comics, and could see that they were learning as they went.

Maybe it’s because I’d rather see Bart replace Wally than Barry replace Wally. As annoyed as I was that they chose to relaunch the book with Bart, at least they were moving the legacy forward. If you look at the Flash as a legacy, they’ve taken one step forward and two steps back in the last three years.

Maybe it’s just that after three years of watching DC mismanage my favorite character, I’m too bitter to cut the latest relaunch any slack.

Speed Reading — Flash: Rebirth #3 Review Roundup

It’s been a week since Flash: Rebirth #3 arrived in stores. Here’s a round-up of reviews I’ve found online.

Flash: Rebirth #3 VariantWeekly Crisis – “I don’t think this book is written for me or other readers like me. It’s clearly being aimed at long time Flash fans who would appreciate the return of Barry and could draw on emotional baggage associated with his Silver Age stories to carry an otherwise unremarkable issue.”

Ryan the Iowan at the Weekly Crisis – “a pretty issue that fails to engage me as a reader thanks to a lackluster plot, odd characterizations, and a ‘twist’ ending that feels pretty played out.”

Comic Book Revolution – “I would not recommend Flash: Rebirth to anyone outside of hard-core Flash fans. I just don’t think Johns has made it that interesting for new readers. If you want a tightly written and exciting read then Flash: Rebirth may not be for you. However, if you love the Flash family continuity and history then this is the title for you.”

Flash-Back Podcast – very much liked the issue.

The Homeworld – “So, essentially, the book is now beat for beat just like ‘Green Lantern: Rebirth’….Now, don’t get me wrong: the book is still good. I’ve always been a Flash fan, so I am enjoying Rebirth, but it certainly feels like there is something missing, some piece of polish that should be in place but is gone.”

IGN – “The mystery is heightened, the characters sharpened, and the stakes upped significantly. I can’t wait to see where the ride takes us next.”

Comic Book Resources – “for every great moment we get a few that don’t work at all. It’s certainly not a lumbering, slow comic, but its speedy pace comes at a price: we don’t know what its racing toward, or why any of it really matters.”

Major Spoilers – “It’s a puzzling issue, frought with doubt and darkness and portents of great evil, and I’m still interested in where it’s going, but so far this series just isn’t running on all cylinders for me.”

Mania – “After the sheer awesomeness of the last issue, I was really expecting this one to blow my doors down and it didn’t.”

Weekly Comic Book Review – “Ethan Van Sciver’s art continues to be absolutely amazing….Johns needs to stop it with the filler.”

Read/Rant (1) – “This is the best issue yet. As a Barry fan, I’m happy and touched to see Barry alive and running again. I just worry about the Wally and Bart fans. Johns has tried to please them, but I’m not sure they’re sold yet.”

Read/Rant (2) – “Flash Rebirth just feels like a jumble of scenes that pander to hard core Flash fans. But even on that level, I think the book misses it’s mark. It’s a Barry Allen book featuring a character who doesn’t act very much like Barry Allen and it requires extensive knowledge of the Wally West Flash run.”

POW Comics – “it’s a comic about the Fastest Man Alive, I can’t help but feel like the plot is dragging and almost going nowhere.”

Legion of Super-Nerds Clubhouse – “I think at the end of the day the Flash legacy has become so bogged down in continuity that the character can be a turn-off to new readers.”

Bureau 42 – “a few nice moments, but if we don’t start to see more of the old, heroic Barry soon I’m going to start losing interest.”

Clever Name – “Finally this book picks up, but my main problem still hinders my enjoyment of this book….I’m just not that big of a Flash fan.”

Reilly2040 – “I’m glad to see things pick up pace over the slow first two issues, and I’m definitely feeling a bit more into the storyline this issue than last.”

T’Pull’s Weekly DC Comics Reviews – “this is a beautifully drawn book, and if you just nod and smile at their attempted explanations, the rest of it reads well.”

Comic Book Bin – “The only bothersome part for me is the way another super-speedster was killed off rather casually, just to show how ‘bad’ the supervillain is. Oh well, guess they need more Black Lanterns.”

Comix 411 – “I’m enjoying this series so far. It’s not been the best Flash storyline I’ve ever read, but its a good story by Geoff Johns and amazing artwork by Ethan Van Sciver.”

Panels on Pages – “Despite not knowing much about Barry outside of his reputation, I have become riveted by him in this mini-series thanks to Johns and Sciver.”

Dead Brain – “Van Sciver’s art adeptly portrays a body shaken by intense high velocity in the second half of the book; although, some of the fluid panels are marred with clunky flashback segments…”

Giant Killer Squid – “Johns has a gift for keeping me into the story even if it is a little worn out. The thing that stands out above the rest on this series is the art by Ethan Van Sciver.”

Comic Per Day – “what Johns has given us is a neat little story about a guy who thinks his time has passed.”

And of course there’s my own review of the issue.

Rebirth Hangs In There as Sales Drop in May

ICv2 has published their table of May 2009 sales estimates, and it doesn’t look good — for anyone. The summary notes that comic sales overall dropped 19% from April to May.

Flash: Rebirth #2 was still ranked highly at #4 (down from #2 in April), but had dropped to an estimated 86,183. At first glance that’s a staggering drop of 15.8% — but since the entire market dropped 19%, by comparison, Flash: Rebirth is actually doing pretty well!

Flash: Rebirth Sales

Issue Rank Units Sold Change
Flash: Rebirth #1 (of 6) 2 102,429 +286.6%
Flash: Rebirth #2 (of 6) 4 86,183 -15.9%

Meanwhile, down near the bottom, the chart shows another 2,681 units of Flash: Rebirth #1 — presumably these would be the second printing, which arrived in stores the very last week of April.

Flash: Rebirth #2 is also still the third-highest monthly sales a Flash book has pulled in the last decade.

Top Flash Books since 2000

Month Issue Units Sold Change W/Reorders
06/2006 Flash: FMA #1 120,404 (+196.8%) [126,741]
04/2009 Flash: Rebirth #1 102,429 (+286.6%) [105,110]
05/2009 Flash: Rebirth #2 86,183 (-15.9%)
07/2006 Flash: FMA #2 77,487 (- 35.6%) [ 82,501]
07/2007 All Flash #1 78,955 (+ 2.7%)
06/2007 Flash: FMA #13 76,860 (+ 60.8%) [ 82,767]
08/2007 Flash #231 72,898 (- 7.7%)

These are Flash issues that sold more than 70,000 units over the past few years. (Even Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge maxed out around 62K.) Interestingly, these top issues are all the first and second issues of a relaunch, with one exception: Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13, the final issue of that series, in which Bart Allen was killed.

Speed Reading: Panels, Moments and Flash Facts

Some Monday morning linkblogging…

Images

Mark Waid reminds us all that Barry Allen discovered Earth-2 on June 14, 1961.

Groovy Superhero has a scan from Futurama Comics #34, in which Fry gets a job at Speed Force Burgers. It’s very fast food, and the employees’ outfits may look a bit familiar to this blog’s audience…

Friday’s Full Frontal Nerdity comic strip features a reference to Barry Allen’s return from the dead.

Weekly Crisis has a couple of moments of the week from Flash: Rebirth #3.

Comic Book Resources’ CBR Live has a bunch of photos from Saturday’s grand opening of Earth-2 Comics in Northridge, featuring co-owner Geoff Johns and a bunch of other Los Angeles-area comics personalities.

UPDATE: CBR has posted a photo parade from the Earth-2 grand opening which looks like a different set of pictures than the CBR Live stream.

UPDATE: What Were They Thinking?! is back online after almost a month!

Commentary

4thletter! is tired of re-runs in his comics.

UPDATE: The Annotated Flash: Rebirth has posted notes on Flash: Rebirth #3.

Flash Fact?

Researches now think that ADHD is linked to faulty perception of time: as far as hyperactive kids are concerned, time really does move too slowly. Comics Alliance likens this to being the Flash. Though maybe Impulse is a better comparison…