Tag Archives: Francis Manapul

Flash #1 Preview

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DC has released a 5-page preview of The Flash #1. The Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul series launches on April 14 (after a Flash Secret Files and Origins special this month).

It’s…better than I expected, actually. Geoff Johns is finally writing that book about speed that he always wanted to do but somehow didn’t get around to. I like Francis Manapul’s art, though I think it needs a bit more in the movement department (the Flash looks like a statue compared to the car he’s pacing). And I’m beginning to think I’d happily read a story about Iris Allen, Caffeinated Reporter (though as a journalist, I’d like to think she’d be using actual words while texting).

The preview describes the first storyline, “The Dastardly Death of the Rogues” (and now we have a definitive statement on whether “Death” is singular or plural in that title), as follows:

…coming back may have been the easy part. When one of the Flash’s deadliest foes turns up dead, can the newly-returned Scarlet Speedster scour Central City to solve the crime before the elusive killer strikes again?

DC goes on to add that they’ll be “talking more Flash” soon.

(The Source’s images sometimes don’t work on Internet Explorer. If that’s the case, you might have some success with CBR’s copy or Newsarama’s copy of the preview.)

Blackest Night: Flash #3 Variant Cover

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DC has posted three variant covers at The Source, for upcoming issues of Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Blackest Night: The Flash. Francis Manapul’s cover for Blackest Night: The Flash #3 features the Rogues.

Oddly enough, we still haven’t seen the standard cover for the issue (scheduled for February 17). It was originally solicited using the variant cover for #1, and that cover still appears on DC’s website. I briefly wondered whether they might be hiding a giant picture of Blue Lantern Barry Allen for spoiler reasons (the solicitations went up in November), but the costume is similar enough that they could easily redraw the symbol and color his costume red for the preview, like they disguised Professor Zoom as the Black Flash on the preview image for Flash: Rebirth #5.

Update: Francis Manapul has posted the inks and watercolor version of this cover.

Flash #1 Launches April 14

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DC’s full April 2010 solicitations won’t go up for a few more hours, but they’ve posted the Brightest Day books at the Source…including the first issue of the new ongoing Flash series.

The Flash #1

  • On sale APRIL 14
  • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
  • Written by GEOFF JOHNS
  • Art, cover and 1:100 variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
  • 1:25 Variant cover by Tony Harris

A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Get in on the ground floor of DC’s next epic in the making! The Flash races out of BLACKEST NIGHT and into his own monthly title as the all-new adventures of The Fastest Man Alive start with “Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues!” Barry Allen runs back to his life in Central City, but when one of the Rogues turns up murdered under mysterious circumstances, it’s up to The Flash to not only solve this bizarre crime, but protect those that are still targeted by the elusive killer. Plus, don’t miss a peek into the future of the Flash universe in this special, extra-sized starting point issue!

Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

Some Thoughts:

  • After a year of reshuffling the series’ concept, we finally have an official launch date for The Flash.
  • Now we know what happened to the cover Tony Harris was working on for Flash Secret Files.
  • I wonder how long they’ll keep doing variant covers.
  • It’s kind of funny that they dropped the backup stories in order to keep the price point at $2.99, but they’re starting with an oversized $3.99 first issue.

Brightest Day: The Flash (and Flash #1 Cover)

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After the Blackest Night comes the Brightest DayDC has announced over at The Source that DC will be following Blackest Night with Brightest Day, a yearlong, 26-issue biweekly series by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi that’s being described as “DCU: Rebirth.” Like Blackest Night, it will tie into just about everything, with some series (including the two Green Lantern books) getting a “Brightest Day” Banner…including The Flash.

I think it’s safe to say this is the cover for The Flash #1.

Dan Didio explains:

We’ll be launching the new FLASH ongoing series, by Geoff and Francis Manapul in April with a BRIGHTEST DAY banner, and there will be several more titles utilizing it come May and June.

With this book, Geoff and Francis are really bringing Barry Allen back into the spotlight and cementing him as the premiere Flash in the DCU in his own monthly. It’s no secret that I’ve been waiting a long time to see this. I’ve always been a huge Barry fan, and I can say that Geoff and Francis are reinvigorating him as a character in much the same way Geoff did with Hal Jordan. Should be fun.

Well, you can’t say they aren’t giving the new series a major push. (Now I’d really like to see numbers on Blackest Night: The Flash.)

I’d like to believe that Brightest Day represents the long-promised, well, brightening of the DC Universe we were told would happen after Infinite Crisis, but if Flash is a major component, and it’s going to be all about murder mysteries, I’m a little concerned. On the other hand, Pushing Daisies had a new murder mystery each week, and still managed to be a light-hearted comedy, so who knows?

Here’s hoping Brightest Day will live up to its name!

Update: The news on Brightest Day: Titans seems to suggest that Brightest Day will be continuing the grim-n-gritty approach that DC has taken from Identity Crisis onward.

Update 2: IGN interviews Geoff Johns about the project.

Speed Reading for 2010

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The Flash picked up several mentions in Newsarama’s 10 for 2010 series including the character in 10 Characters to Watch, the series in 10 Comics to Watch, and artist Francis Manapul in 10 Creators to Watch.

The Flash Family also makes Grumpy Old Fan’s list of Ten from the old, ten for the new.

DC: New Frontier #1The standard cover of Flash: Rebirth #1 and the Flash-themed cover for DC: The New Frontier #2 are among IO9’s 100 Amazing Comic Covers from the last ten years.

The Perhapablog posts a Craig Rousseau sketch of Impulse reacting to cancellation, along with the Thing drawn by Mike Wieringo.

Remember that Breakfast Club/Teen Titans mashup last summer? Artist Cliff Chiang has recreated more 80s album covers with characters such as Batgirl, Elektra and Vampirella.

Crimson Lightning brings us a “Hi and Lois” strip portraying the Greek gods as super-heroes.

The Rogues’ tailor, Paul Gambi, is named after Paul Gambaccini, a UK-based DJ and long-time comic fan. Bleeding Cool spotted him on a celebrity game show demonstrating his impressive knowledge of DC Comics trivia.

Update: One more item – the New York Times has named Geoff Johns in their “Nifty Fifty” list of up-and-coming talent. (via The Source)