Tag Archives: Geoff Johns

Review: Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010

More precisely, the book is Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1. (I’m always faintly amused at the tendency of comic book publishers to slap a big “#1” on the front of an obviously one-shot issue.) Like most of DC’s Secret Files books, this is made up of a lead story and a series of profile pages.

Lead Story

“Running to the Past” by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins was a fairly standard Flash story. It doesn’t really stand out as particularly good or bad, but it serves as an introduction to Barry Allen, his primary motivation (the retconned-in death of his mother), and the sometimes lonely life of a speedster.

There are some nice moments, like the sequence of panels early on in which Barry hits a light switch, pours himself a glass of water, and then the light comes on (though if you think about it, that only makes sense if the water is sped up too).

Oddly, while the whole story is drawn by Scott Kolins, the epilogue featuring the Rogues looks vastly different. It really highlights something I’ve mentioned before, which is how well-suited his art is to the Rogues.

It is a Barry Allen story, first and foremost, though the rest of the “good guy” speedsters show up briefly. I didn’t really expect anything beyond that, but the solicitation text suggested that Wally West and Bart Allen might be more involved, and I’m sure there are people out there for whom that will be a factor in whether they pick up the book. Perhaps DC planned bigger roles or a second story, back when they still planned a series of backup stories featuring Wally and a Kid Flash book featuring Bart, but if so, it didn’t make it to the finished product.

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WonderCon Flash Bits: Jesse Quick, EVS & Carmine Infantino, Movie Non-News

I’m back from San Francisco, catching up on work, email, and reading. I’ll post my WonderCon write-up when I get a chance (tonight, I hope, but definitely by the end of the week [Update: it’s up now]), but for now, here are a few more Flash items from the convention:

Jesse Quick will be joining the Justice League of America after the upcoming JLA/JSA crossover, as announced at the James Robinson Spotlight.

He included the character because he was always such a fan of the character’s father, Johnny Quick. The writer made sure to mention that he has no plans to upset the marriage between Jessie Quick and Hourman. He promised there would be no cheap plot device to break them up.

Robinson also made some thought-provoking remarks about the Flash in the Super-Hero Origins panel, which I’ll write up when I have more time and can look at my notes. Update: Here they are: JR on super-hero origins.

When asked about plans for DC movies beyond Green Lantern, Geoff Johns said, “We’ll talk in San Diego.” A lot of sites are taking this to mean that DC will announce Flash & other movie plans at Comic-Con International in July.

At the Ethan Van Sciver Spotlight, the artist was asked about Carmine Infantino’s classic art in connection with Flash: Rebirth.

The artist said that he loved Infantino’s work, and that besides Batman, the Flash has one of the best set of villains in the DCU, which Van Sciver credits to Infantino. “His characters were so unique and individual, so wonderfully different from each other,” he said, also mentioning that he would love to go back to “revisit the wonderful, angular, ugly faces of Carmine Infantino’s rogues, and restore them.” Van Sciver even said he would talk with new “Flash” artist Francis Manapul about Infantino’s rogues.

And once again, my photos from the con are up on Flickr.

More Flash at WonderCon: Brightest Day

I didn’t make it into the Brightest Day panel today, but Newsarama’s live blog has some Flash tidbits.

Be aware that this has SPOILERS FOR BLACKEST NIGHT #8. At the DC Editorial panel, the panelists were asking that people not spoil the issue with their questions, and suggested going out afterward, buying a copy of the book on the con floor, then coming back to the Brightest Day panel.

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More Flash (and Other Stuff) at WonderCon: Saturday DC Editorial

I attended the DC Editorial presentation at WonderCon today. I don’t have nearly as detailed a report as Newsarama’s, but I posted a few items to Twitter over the course of the hour and a half Q&A session:

  • JT Krul: There’s not a lot of bright colors in [Rise of Arsenal]. Brian Hitch(?): Well, there’s red…
  • Geoff Johns: No “Teen Lantern.”
  • On Superboy Prime returning: “He’ll eventually be back. He’s like a cockroach.”
  • Spoiler Lad is at the mike right now…
  • Why aren’t Rip & Booster dealing w/ Zoom & Batman? GJ: They will.
  • How soon will we see Captain Cold & Mirror Master in the new Flash series? GJ: In issue 1. And 2, and 3, and 4….
  • The Geoff Johns/Scott Kolins Wally West stories that were going to be backups: We’ll probably see them eventually.
  • Jim Lee: It’s a lot harder to get digital comics signed at cons…
  • Fan asks about bringing Mortal Kombat chars into DCU. No plans. Geoff Johns adds: Captain Cold would kill Sub-Zero so fast…

I have a few photos as well, including both the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and Jim Lee coming up to the microphone to ask questions.

Update: CBR’s write-up is online now.

Update 2: I’ve posted my write-up on the whole convention.

Flash Hints from WonderCon: Geoff Johns Spotlight

Well, I wasn’t able to make it to WonderCon on Friday for various reasons up to and including a flat tire a few blocks from the hotel, but Newsarama was there, and their coverage of the Geoff Johns spotlight includes a number of Flashy items:

Will Green Lantern or Flash get renumbered to high numbers? “No plans for that,” Johns said. A fan booed. “I want to see Flash #1, not #702. Maybe later.”

Fan asked about the dynamic between Wally West and Barry Allen. “It’s a very healthy relationship. In a weird way, I think Wally has surpassed Barry in private life,” Johns said.

“Why no Black Lantern Inertia?” “Purely a space issue,” Johns said.

“We’ll be using a lot of new characters in the Flash,” Johns says. “They’ll be a lot of new stuff. Just like Green Lantern—Hal Jordan is the Green Lantern, but it’s not full of old characters.”

Is there any direction you’re going to take with the Reverse Flash returning? “Well, yes.” Johns says you’ll see new villains in Flash #1.

Any plans for Jai West to become a superhero? “His current nickname is “the turtle” because he currently has no powers,” Johns said.

Update: CBR’s coverage is up. There’s a little more on the Wally/Barry relationship answer:

Barry Allen and Wally West’s relationship will be explored in the Flash book. “I think Barry and Wally, it’s a very healthy relationship,” Johns said. “I think in a weird way Wally has surpassed Barry in the private life. He’s got kids, he’s got a wife, and Barry’s struggled with that a bit. But you’ll see it in the coming year.” The new Flash book will also feature a lot of new villains in the first issue.

Speed Reading: Justice League Re-Covered, Flash Humor, Blackest Night and More

Some Friday morning linkblogging…

Once Upon a Geek presents the Justice League #1 cover redone with action figures

Newsarama writes about the Secret Origins of Geoff Johns and Kevin Feige in the office of Richard Donner.

Commentary

Abbracadabbling looks at the long road to a Flash movie.

Comics Should Be Good contends that Kurt Buseik unwittingly ruined DC/Marvel super-hero comics.

Living Between Wednesdays is annoyed by a revelation in Green Lantern #52 that doesn’t line up with current scientific cosmology…or even the rest of DC’s space mythology.

Top Cow’s Filip Sablik talks about Information Overload at Newsarama — a topic which Geoff Johns has brought up on several occasions when talking about his new approach to the Flash.

Humor

This noscans_daily Macro Monday thread includes some funny Flash Rogues captions. (For those who aren’t on LiveJournal, the “Adult Content Warning” is a blanket one for the group. Last I looked, this thread was still work-safe.)

Despair, Inc. has a new Flash shirt (link via @SpeedsterSite) that reminds me of a certain Fred Hembeck comic strip from a while back.

And on a similar, but more canon note, What Were They Thinking?! presents the Flash vs. Captain Pantsless.

Update: An April Fool’s joke from Screen Rant: Michael Cera cast as the Flash.