Tag Archives: New 52

Flash Team Talks Rogues Plus Issue #6 Preview at USA Today

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Flash writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are featured in a new article and interview over at USAToday.com, which also has an exclusive preview of issue #6, out this Wednesday.


Manapul and Buccellato continue to hint at the mystery surrounding the Rogues’ new power manifestations, as well as their view of the Flash and the world at large, in the New 52.  The group will be introduced one-by-one, according to Manapul:

“They have reasons for feeling how they feel about him and that will unfold over the course of the next two issues,” Buccellato says. “The dynamic is the same — it’s just the relationships are not the same as they were because some stuff has happened.”

While there’s a certain charm to them working together, Manapul adds, “showcasing them one by one at the moment puts an emphasis on how much stronger these characters are.”

Manapul states that Captain Cold is “definitely a lot more dangerous than he was before,” but also addresses what sets the Rogue and his associates apart in the New 52 DCU:

“The Rogues are about the score — they’re about getting in, getting paid and getting out. They’re not the Joker, they’re not Lex Luthor. They have their own way of doing things,” Buccellato says.

For more, including Manapul on Cold’s bold new look, check out USA Today!

Megacon: The Return of Wally West? (via Bleeding Cool)

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Bleeding Cool has just posted a report from this weekend’s Megacon in Orlando, Florida.  Within, there appears to be the first acknowledgement of a possible return of Wally West in the New 52 DCU:

That led us to a young man that asked about Wally West…[DC’s Dan Didio and Eddie Berganza] said because there were de-aging Barry, they didnt want him to be the same age as Wally. Plus they didnt want to take away Wally’s kids and family or make him a teenager again, especially with Bart already in that role…Their answer was that they are simply focusing on establishing the characters they started out with in this new 52, but not saying those other characters don’t exist or aren’t around in some way. They understand that everyone’s character is someone’s favorite. They just ask us Wally and Donna [Troy] fans to be a bit more patient with them and those characters will be seen once more.

Haven’t seen this corroborated elsewhere as of yet, but it is still early in the day.  Watch this space for more!

New Flash #7 Cover Revealed!

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The Source has posted the new cover to Flash #7, featuring Captain Cold.  The solicit still features the cover to issue #6, which was originally intended to be #7 but was bumped up.  A time-hopping CSI story originally intended for #6 was scrapped in favor of moving up the New 52 debut of the Man Who Mastered Absolute Zero.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, the post focuses on the love triangle that has been on display since the last issues of the pre-Flashpoint series. Editor Brian Cunningham poses some rhetorical questions about the relationship between Barry and Patty, with Iris on the outside (for now).

The fun part is building a love triangle where no one knows how the heck it’ll turn out. For now, Barry’s happily dating Patty…and it might stay that way for a while, with Iris outta luck waiting in the wings. Will Barry someday succumb to Iris’s charms and brassy style, making for a difficult time at work with Patty shooting daggers with her eyes?

Maybe…maybe not. Keep reading to find out. In fact, the cover to FLASH #7 shown below is probably an apt metaphor for our hero with Patty on the left, and Iris on the right.


Happy Valentine’s Day, speed-readers!

Flash #9 Solicitation and Cover, the Return of Jay Garrick & Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 3

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THE FLASH #9
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Continuing the debut of GORILLA GRODD in DC Comics – The New 52!
• THE FLASH travels to GORILLA CITY for the first time!
• Who are the “RUNNERS” – and what do they mean for THE FLASH and the SPEED FORCE?

Big thanks to Collected Editions for their always eagle-eyed approach, which spotted this listing for The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 3.  The hardcover collection is due Sept. 4.  More to follow on the expected contents of this 640-pager.

DC’s May Justice League solicitations are up at The Source.  Flash fans looking for Jay Garrick should check out the solicit for EARTH TWO #1 after the jump…

Continue reading →

New 52 Month 5: Flash still in the Top 10

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Five months into the New 52, the latest relaunch of The Flash is still a top 10 seller, with Flash #5 taking the #8 stop in Diamond’s sales rankings. ICv2’s estimates put it at 71,611 units sold*.

Comichron points out that January is usually low, but this isn’t bad for a January. (via The Beat) And if January is usually down overall, that means the 7.4% drop for The Flash — the lowest drop since the relaunch — may be exaggerated itself. Could the audience for the series be leveling out near 70K, or in the upper 60s? If so, that’s a big win for DC, because the last volume, written by superstar Geoff Johns, stabilized at sales of about 55,000 copies a month.

Digital Difference

Interestingly, while The Flash is holding steady in the top 10 for North American print sales, it doesn’t appear even in DC’s top 10 digital sales for the month. This could mean that digital readers are less interested in the Flash than print readers, but I don’t think the market is quite so simple as having digital readers and print readers. I suspect that most people who buy digital comics still buy at least some of their comics in print form, and with the art being a big selling point for the book, I’d imagine a lot of them are choosing to keep The Flash on the print side of their list.

Numbers

Issue Rank Month Units Sold % Change
Flash vol.4
Flash v.4 #1 4 September 2011 129,260
Flash v.4 #2 5 October 2011 114,137 -11.7%
Flash v.4 #3 9 November 2011 90,417 -20.8%
Flash v.4 #4 8 December 2011 77,336 -14.5%
Flash v.4 #5 8 January 2012 71,611 -7.4%

A few key articles covering past sales (with lots of numbers):

*What these numbers measure: US-only sales, wholesale from Diamond to comics retailers. They don’t count sales through bookstores, they don’t count international sales, and they don’t count how many copies were actually bought and read…but they do measure the same thing every month, which means they can be used to spot trends.

Flash #6 Variant Cover by Mike Choi Revealed

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The Source has posted the variant cover to Flash #6.  Featuring artwork by Mike Choi, the cover shows the Flash frozen mid-movement.  It has been revealed that Captain Cold will make his first full appearance in Flash in issue #6.

Choi is also quoted in the post, where he talks about some of his artistic influences:

From the get-go, [Flash editor Brian Cunningham] told me to try and infuse more dynamism to my figure work by looking at artists like John Buscema and Wally Wood, and hopefully that’s coming through bit by bit as my career progresses.

Interestingly, the solicit up at DCComics.com has not been updated to reflect the new content in issue six and still reads as below.  It has been stated by writer Brian Buccellato that the CSI story is “off the table.”

THE FLASH #6
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by MIKE CHOI
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Struggling with the climactic aftermath of his battle with Mob Rule last issue, The Flash must solve a murder mystery that dates back 150 years! Is this case too cold even for Barry Allen? Also: Learn the origins of Central and Keystone City!